I've seen some of the diagrams showing spaces from an AoE cone spell, but I still dont get a certain answer. With no obstructions, and not shooting said spell (in this example, lets go with Dragon Breath), would the spaces taken up on a 2D map be 1x3x5 squares in front, or would it be 1x3x3 from the starting point?
I've seen some of the diagrams showing spaces from an AoE cone spell, but I still dont get a certain answer. With no obstructions, and not shooting said spell (in this example, lets go with Dragon Breath), would the spaces taken up on a 2D map be 1x3x5 squares in front, or would it be 1x3x3 from the starting point?
There are three ways to adjudicate any AOE on a grid: DMG, Template, and Tokens. You're asking about a 15 foot cone, correct?
Tokens: 1-2-3 (caster chooses which 2 - i.e. you have 1-1-3, and then the second row has a second space hit on one side of it, caster chooses which side)
Template: Depends on how you lay the template down, but 2-2-4 is what the orientation shown in Xanathar's hits. Since the template hits any square it even partially covers and it's an isosceles triangle, there are orientations that hit 3 in the middle, but without a grid handy I'm not sure.
DMG: This is like the template, but you need >=50% coverage to hit a square, not >0%. For example, if you copy the Xanathar's orientation with this method, you won't hit any adjacent spaces - none will be >=50% covered. The Xanathar's template orientation hits 0-2-2. If you rotate the cone so the edge of the triangle lines up with a grid line, you can hit 1-2-3; I'm not sure if you can hit more.
I've seen some of the diagrams showing spaces from an AoE cone spell, but I still dont get a certain answer. With no obstructions, and not shooting said spell (in this example, lets go with Dragon Breath), would the spaces taken up on a 2D map be 1x3x5 squares in front, or would it be 1x3x3 from the starting point?
There are three ways to adjudicate any AOE on a grid: DMG, Template, and Tokens. You're asking about a 15 foot cone, correct?
Tokens: 1-2-3 (caster chooses which 2 - i.e. you have 1-1-3, and then the second row has a second space hit on one side of it, caster chooses which side)
Template: Depends on how you lay the template down, but 2-2-4 is what the orientation shown in Xanathar's hits. Since the template hits any square it even partially covers and it's an isosceles triangle, there are orientations that hit 3 in the middle, but without a grid handy I'm not sure.
DMG: This is like the template, but you need >=50% coverage to hit a square, not >0%. For example, if you copy the Xanathar's orientation with this method, you won't hit any adjacent spaces - none will be >=50% covered. The Xanathar's template orientation hits 0-2-2. If you rotate the cone so the edge of the triangle lines up with a grid line, you can hit 1-2-3; I'm not sure if you can hit more.
Correct a 15 foot cone and it's AoE spread, so the best way I could go into my question would be through this screenshot since its insanely confusing from all the searching lol, including going off Xanathars template. Going off tableplop is the best rendition of a grid I can access currently. I had always thought it was a spread similar to said Yellow lines, but now with some places saying its similar to the green its a little questionable
Neither of those triangles is correct, because they seem to be coming from the middle of a grid side, which is illegal - all 3 AOE methods require you to snap the origin point of the triangle to a grid intersection. Do you have access to Xanathar's? Diagram 2.1 on page 86 shows the template method, with 2-2-4 covered in the orientation shown, and Diagram 2.5 on page 87 shows 1-2-3 in two different orientations.
A 15-foot cone, in d&d spellcasting, is 15 feet long (from the point to the center of the circle surface in 3D, or to the center of the flat side of the triangle in 2D), and 15 feet wide - meaning the flat side of the triangle in 2D is 15 feet long, or that the diameter of the circle is 15 feet. You seem to have assumed that the radius of the circle is 15 feet, which is incorrect.
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A 15-foot cone, in d&d spellcasting, is 15 feet long (from the point to the center of the circle surface in 3D, or to the center of the flat side of the triangle in 2D), and 15 feet wide - meaning the flat side of the triangle in 2D is 15 feet long, or that the diameter of the circle is 15 feet. You seem to have assumed that the radius of the circle is 15 feet, which is incorrect.
What circle? I'm genuinely confused as no circle was ever mentioned.
A 15-foot cone, in d&d spellcasting, is 15 feet long (from the point to the center of the circle surface in 3D, or to the center of the flat side of the triangle in 2D), and 15 feet wide - meaning the flat side of the triangle in 2D is 15 feet long, or that the diameter of the circle is 15 feet. You seem to have assumed that the radius of the circle is 15 feet, which is incorrect.
Wrong!
If it is a 15-foot cone, then the 15-foot is the RADIUS of the circle of which the cone forms a part. (Radius being distance from the centre of the circle to the edge.)
A 15-foot cone, in d&d spellcasting, is 15 feet long (from the point to the center of the circle surface in 3D, or to the center of the flat side of the triangle in 2D), and 15 feet wide - meaning the flat side of the triangle in 2D is 15 feet long, or that the diameter of the circle is 15 feet. You seem to have assumed that the radius of the circle is 15 feet, which is incorrect.
Wrong!
If it is a 15-foot cone, then the 15-foot is the RADIUS of the circle of which the cone forms a part. (Radius being distance from the centre of the circle to the edge.)
Wait. I am confused with what you are saying here. IF the radius is 15 ft, then the cone would be 30 feet in diameter which would be 15' long and 30' wide in 2D measurements.
A 15-foot cone, in d&d spellcasting, is 15 feet long (from the point to the center of the circle surface in 3D, or to the center of the flat side of the triangle in 2D), and 15 feet wide - meaning the flat side of the triangle in 2D is 15 feet long, or that the diameter of the circle is 15 feet. You seem to have assumed that the radius of the circle is 15 feet, which is incorrect.
Wrong!
If it is a 15-foot cone, then the 15-foot is the RADIUS of the circle of which the cone forms a part. (Radius being distance from the centre of the circle to the edge.)
Wrong! "A cone's width at a given point along its length is equal to that point's distance from the point of origin. A cone's area of effect specifies its maximum length."
Ergo, a 30-foot cone has a 30-foot diameter when 30 feet from its origin.
If it is a 15-foot cone, then the 15-foot is the RADIUS of the circle of which the cone forms a part. (Radius being distance from the centre of the circle to the edge.)
No, not really. A Cone is it's own 3D geometrical form, looking at it as part of an Circle doesn't work as that is a 2D form. The PHB doesn't even have rules for Circles.
Saga is right, a 30ft cone has a 30ft diameter at its max distance.
Are people using the term diameter for something other than the distance across a circle?
It seems like several of you are are talking about the distance along the curved arc at the end of the cone, rather than the distance from the caster to each point along the curved edge of the cone.
A cone extends in a direction you choose from its point of origin. A cone's width at a given point along its length is equal to that point's distance from the point of origin. A cone's area of effect specifies its maximum length.
A cone's point of origin is not included in the cone's area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.
Are people using the term diameter for something other than the distance across a circle?
And through its center, but no, no one is using the term diameter to mean anything other than that.
It seems like several of you are are talking about the distance along the curved arc at the end of the cone, rather than the distance from the caster to each point along the curved edge of the cone.
None of this sentence makes any sense. "Curved arcs" and "curved edges" are not relevant to this discussion. Two measurements matter, both of which are straight lines: the cone's height, or length, and the cone's width, or diameter, which are always equal to each other at any point along that length (you know, when truncated at that point), per the PHB's definition of cone AoEs.
I've seen some of the diagrams showing spaces from an AoE cone spell, but I still dont get a certain answer. With no obstructions, and not shooting said spell (in this example, lets go with Dragon Breath), would the spaces taken up on a 2D map be 1x3x5 squares in front, or would it be 1x3x3 from the starting point?
There are three ways to adjudicate any AOE on a grid: DMG, Template, and Tokens. You're asking about a 15 foot cone, correct?
Tokens: 1-2-3 (caster chooses which 2 - i.e. you have 1-1-3, and then the second row has a second space hit on one side of it, caster chooses which side)
Template: Depends on how you lay the template down, but 2-2-4 is what the orientation shown in Xanathar's hits. Since the template hits any square it even partially covers and it's an isosceles triangle, there are orientations that hit 3 in the middle, but without a grid handy I'm not sure.
DMG: This is like the template, but you need >=50% coverage to hit a square, not >0%. For example, if you copy the Xanathar's orientation with this method, you won't hit any adjacent spaces - none will be >=50% covered. The Xanathar's template orientation hits 0-2-2. If you rotate the cone so the edge of the triangle lines up with a grid line, you can hit 1-2-3; I'm not sure if you can hit more.
Correct a 15 foot cone and it's AoE spread, so the best way I could go into my question would be through this screenshot since its insanely confusing from all the searching lol, including going off Xanathars template. Going off tableplop is the best rendition of a grid I can access currently. I had always thought it was a spread similar to said Yellow lines, but now with some places saying its similar to the green its a little questionable
Neither of those triangles is correct, because they seem to be coming from the middle of a grid side, which is illegal - all 3 AOE methods require you to snap the origin point of the triangle to a grid intersection. Do you have access to Xanathar's? Diagram 2.1 on page 86 shows the template method, with 2-2-4 covered in the orientation shown, and Diagram 2.5 on page 87 shows 1-2-3 in two different orientations.
Here's the token method from Xanathar's:
Here's the template method, using the Xanathar's orientation:
A 15-foot cone, in d&d spellcasting, is 15 feet long (from the point to the center of the circle surface in 3D, or to the center of the flat side of the triangle in 2D), and 15 feet wide - meaning the flat side of the triangle in 2D is 15 feet long, or that the diameter of the circle is 15 feet. You seem to have assumed that the radius of the circle is 15 feet, which is incorrect.
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
What circle? I'm genuinely confused as no circle was ever mentioned.
A cone is a 3D object with a point at one end and a circle surface at the other.
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
Wrong!
If it is a 15-foot cone, then the 15-foot is the RADIUS of the circle of which the cone forms a part. (Radius being distance from the centre of the circle to the edge.)
Wait. I am confused with what you are saying here. IF the radius is 15 ft, then the cone would be 30 feet in diameter which would be 15' long and 30' wide in 2D measurements.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
Treantmonk has a good video about cones:
(His square circles also blew my mind)
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Wrong! "A cone's width at a given point along its length is equal to that point's distance from the point of origin. A cone's area of effect specifies its maximum length."
Ergo, a 30-foot cone has a 30-foot diameter when 30 feet from its origin.
No, not really. A Cone is it's own 3D geometrical form, looking at it as part of an Circle doesn't work as that is a 2D form. The PHB doesn't even have rules for Circles.
Saga is right, a 30ft cone has a 30ft diameter at its max distance.
Are people using the term diameter for something other than the distance across a circle?
It seems like several of you are are talking about the distance along the curved arc at the end of the cone, rather than the distance from the caster to each point along the curved edge of the cone.
No we are talking about a 3D cone (which is what the PHB says they are) while you seem to be stuck thinking about it as a 2D form.
Just to make sure we're all on the same page for the D&D Rules for Spell Area of Effect, here is how they define a cone effect:
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
And through its center, but no, no one is using the term diameter to mean anything other than that.
None of this sentence makes any sense. "Curved arcs" and "curved edges" are not relevant to this discussion. Two measurements matter, both of which are straight lines: the cone's height, or length, and the cone's width, or diameter, which are always equal to each other at any point along that length (you know, when truncated at that point), per the PHB's definition of cone AoEs.
And that's why I use hexes:
From: https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/hexGrid.htm
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