Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Title says it all. I could find no guidance on what defines a requirement.
An example- If you cast Wish to Inflict Wounds would you still have to touch the target?
The Wish spell very specifically says you don't need to meet ANY requirements. To my interpretation, that includes range, so I would say no, you would not need to touch someone if you use Wish to duplicate Inflict Wounds.
(EDIT: for clarity)
Under my understanding, Casting Time and Components are requirements. A Spell Slot, if it's needed for a spell, is also a requirement to cast that spell.
Range limits the origin of the spell's effect, but technically, you can wait to choose the point of origin of an area of effect or your target(s) when you complete casting a spell (an example is when you Ready a spell; see related thread When casting a spell that takes longer than 1 action, when is the spell area, targets, and other spell choices defined?), so I don't consider it a requirement per se to cast a spell.
So, in your example, Wish bypasses Casting Time, Components, and the Spell Slot needed for the duplicated spell, but you should follow the Range rules for that duplicated spell as usual.
I disagree.
Range is not a requirement of a spell. Components and Concentration are. You do not need to provide components or Concentrate if the spell requires Concentration.
You cannot otherwise ignore basic parameters of the spell being replicated. You can't use Wish to circumscribe Faerun with a Lightning Bolt or completely cover the surface with the area of a Fireball.
Some spells may behave strangely if you completely ignore the requirements. For example, if a spell affects or interacts with a material component of the spell, not providing the material component may mean that there is nothing for the spell to affect.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
EDIT: I agree with you, except for the Concentration part.
IMO, when the duplicated spell is cast, you must still maintain Concentration, not because it's a casting requirement (EDIT: I think it's not), but because it's necessary to sustain the spell's effect afterward:
If it's useful for this discussion, here's a list of related threads from a recent conversation:
Yeah, I prefer that take actually. Just rushed a response after searching the spellcasting section for "require".
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
The requirements of a spell to my understanding are: (1) Preparation / Knowledge / Learning the spell and (2) the V,S,M components , as those are the requirements to cast the spell. Other things like concentration are required to sustain the spell which is different, where as range/targets/area are properties of the spell effect produced when you cast the spell.
You can absolutely cast Inflict Wound without there being a valid target within range, you can also concentrate on a spell while in an area of Antimagic or Silence where you cannot cast any spells. But generally you can't cast a spell if you don't have that spell prepared or don't have / cannot produce the required components.
The only one I think is debatable is casting time, I think I would say that is time required to cast the spell thus Wish would circumvent those, but I could also see why DMs would rule it is a property of the spell.
So I found this under Spells / Casting Spells / Components:
A spell’s components are physical requirements the spellcaster must meet to cast the spell. Each spell’s description indicates whether it requires Verbal (V), Somatic (S), or Material (M) components. If the spellcaster can’t provide one or more of a spell’s components, the spellcaster can’t cast the spell.
Are there non-physical requirements? If so, are they listed anywhere?
I don't think they are called out as such, but to cast a spell you need to have it prepared (if it is level 1+) or known (cantrips). This usually also means that it must be on your class's spell list, but some feats and species provide alternatives.
Wish bypasses those requirements by explicitly allowing the effect of the spell to be replicating any spell less than 9th level. Basically, by casting Wish, you get the effects of another spell without casting that spell and so do not meet the requirements to cast that spell in addition to Wish.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
Yes. If youWish to duplicate Inflict Wounds, while you don’t need to meet any requirements to cast it as it simply takes effect, the effect itself is that a creature you touch makes a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d10 Necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
So you still need to touch it.
Non-physical ones are, to me, the ones I mentioned: Casting Time (EDIT: is this physical? :D) and Spell Slot (if needed). Also, as Agilemind said: "(1) Preparation / Knowledge / Learning the spell".
So those non-physical requirements, along with the Spell Components, should come before a spell's effect.
EDIT: uh... ninja'd by some adventurers...
There could be exception, for exemple spells like Clone refering to one of their spell component vessel as part of their effect may also be required.
Generally speaking, for those who do not consider casting the spell within range to be a requirement of the spell, are you saying that a spellcaster is actually allowed to attempt to cast the spell outside of that Range and you would then treat that as an Invalid Target? Meaning, the action, spell slot, and other resources are expended? Of course, this requires that you land on one side of the debate that choosing the point of origin is a form of "targeting", which not everyone agrees with. And if you don't agree with that then how do you reconcile the idea that staying within range is not required and yet there seems to be no other rule that describes what might happen when the range parameter is violated?