Specifically, I'm asking about Heat Metal which is a concentration spell with a duration of up to 1 minute. The spell has a range of 60 feet and after the initial damage, the caster can use a bonus action to cause additional damage each round. Does the 60 foot range apply to the bonus action or once the spell is stuck onto something can the caster continue to deal the damage even if the target runs hundreds of feet away and there is no line of sight?
The Range is generally applied only when casting the spell. After the spell is cast, the description should say if any effect is limited by the range.
The description says: "Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns to cause this damage again." I think the range is not a limiting factor on the subsequent turns, because there is no mention of it in that sentence.
It just seems like maybe heat metal is a special case. I understand something like Invisibility or Fly continue their effects regardless of range or if you can see the target you cast the spell on or not... but Heat Metal actually requires a bonus action to continue applying the effect which means you have to actually do something to the target and so it makes sense to me that the target might need to be in range and visible.
Take a spell like Spiritual Weapon. Would you let a cleric attempt to blindly control the weapon if it was around a corner and down the hall where they can't see? Would the weapon be allowed to move outside of the 60 foot range? The spell descriptions can only be so specific.
As per Sage Advice Compendium, page 13, "You don’t need to be within line of sight or within range to maintain concentration on a spell, unless a spell’s description or other game feature says otherwise."
I would assume that any different handling would be explicitly mentioned. For example, look at Witch Bolt, which mentions that the spell ends if the target gets cover from you or gets out of range.
Of course, the DM is the one to handle peculiar cases. Does Spiritual Weapon move and attack the same target if the caster has been blinded and only goes "follow and attack him!"? I suspect it's up to the DM (and the drama of the moment).
It just seems like maybe heat metal is a special case. I understand something like Invisibility or Fly continue their effects regardless of range or if you can see the target you cast the spell on or not... but Heat Metal actually requires a bonus action to continue applying the effect which means you have to actually do something to the target and so it makes sense to me that the target might need to be in range and visible.
Think of the flavour of Heat Metal. Once you have effected the creature, the metal you effect remains heated. It doesn't matter if you can, or cannot see the creature. So long as they hold/wear the metal that is hot, they can continue to take the damage. It's more that you use your bonus action to "reheat" so you just make a burst of magical energy to bring the heat of the spell you're concentrating on, up. It's still affecting that piece of metal.
Now, if it was their weapon and they drop it-- They stop taking the damage. But usually with Heat Metal your goal is to hit their armor, and then they just eat damage, since doffing armor takes what? Ten minutes or something?
Remember also that Spiritual Weapon can change targets. Heat Metal is 'you pick the thing, and the spell is locked there'. Spiritual weapon requires you to target someone every turn.
Take a spell like Spiritual Weapon. Would you let a cleric attempt to blindly control the weapon if it was around a corner and down the hall where they can't see?
Yes. Anyone can try to attack something they can't see. They'd still have to know (or guess) the enemy's location and make the attack roll with disadvantage.
Would the weapon be allowed to move outside of the 60 foot range? The spell descriptions can only be so specific.
Yes. The general spellcasting rules are clear about a spell's effects not being limited by range once it's been cast. The caster is still going to be limited by the rate at which the weapon can be moved (20 feet per round) and their ability to make attack rolls effectively against their target.
Specifically, I'm asking about Heat Metal which is a concentration spell with a duration of up to 1 minute. The spell has a range of 60 feet and after the initial damage, the caster can use a bonus action to cause additional damage each round. Does the 60 foot range apply to the bonus action or once the spell is stuck onto something can the caster continue to deal the damage even if the target runs hundreds of feet away and there is no line of sight?
The Range is generally applied only when casting the spell. After the spell is cast, the description should say if any effect is limited by the range.
The description says: "Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns to cause this damage again." I think the range is not a limiting factor on the subsequent turns, because there is no mention of it in that sentence.
It just seems like maybe heat metal is a special case. I understand something like Invisibility or Fly continue their effects regardless of range or if you can see the target you cast the spell on or not... but Heat Metal actually requires a bonus action to continue applying the effect which means you have to actually do something to the target and so it makes sense to me that the target might need to be in range and visible.
Take a spell like Spiritual Weapon. Would you let a cleric attempt to blindly control the weapon if it was around a corner and down the hall where they can't see? Would the weapon be allowed to move outside of the 60 foot range? The spell descriptions can only be so specific.
As per Sage Advice Compendium, page 13, "You don’t need to be within line of sight or within range to maintain concentration on a spell, unless a spell’s description or other game feature says otherwise."
I would assume that any different handling would be explicitly mentioned. For example, look at Witch Bolt, which mentions that the spell ends if the target gets cover from you or gets out of range.
Of course, the DM is the one to handle peculiar cases. Does Spiritual Weapon move and attack the same target if the caster has been blinded and only goes "follow and attack him!"? I suspect it's up to the DM (and the drama of the moment).
Think of the flavour of Heat Metal. Once you have effected the creature, the metal you effect remains heated. It doesn't matter if you can, or cannot see the creature. So long as they hold/wear the metal that is hot, they can continue to take the damage. It's more that you use your bonus action to "reheat" so you just make a burst of magical energy to bring the heat of the spell you're concentrating on, up. It's still affecting that piece of metal.
Now, if it was their weapon and they drop it-- They stop taking the damage. But usually with Heat Metal your goal is to hit their armor, and then they just eat damage, since doffing armor takes what? Ten minutes or something?
Remember also that Spiritual Weapon can change targets. Heat Metal is 'you pick the thing, and the spell is locked there'. Spiritual weapon requires you to target someone every turn.
Yes. Anyone can try to attack something they can't see. They'd still have to know (or guess) the enemy's location and make the attack roll with disadvantage.
Yes. The general spellcasting rules are clear about a spell's effects not being limited by range once it's been cast. The caster is still going to be limited by the rate at which the weapon can be moved (20 feet per round) and their ability to make attack rolls effectively against their target.
Re: Heat Metal, Jeremy Crawford has ruled previously that it's not limited by range, citing the same rule.