Level
1st
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
60 ft
Components
S
Duration
Instantaneous
School
Transmutation
Attack/Save
DEX Save
Damage/Effect
Bludgeoning
Choose one object weighing 1 to 5 pounds within range that isn’t being worn or carried. The object flies in a straight line up to 90 feet in a direction you choose before falling to the ground, stopping early if it impacts against a solid surface. If the object would strike a creature, that creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the object strikes the target and stops moving. When the object strikes something, the object and what it strikes each take 3d8 bludgeoning damage.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the maximum weight of objects that you can target with this spell increases by 5 pounds, and the damage increases by 1d8, for each slot level above 1st.
Important question. The effect of the spell is to hurl a rock or object at a target. Would this work against a enemy with magic immunity? Due to the object thrown not being magically created, just propelled by the spell
This is my exact question. Like the whole magic resistance needs to be more fleshed out. Got told my character was useless against tiamat but most of the spells did not directly damage like if I broke apart some stone that fell onto it. Yeah they would resist some damage but it was something and would be a lower spell than its immunity. Some spells say it does something and if it were to do damage it says what to roll. Also would tiemet take damage from a artificer's turret?
I just wish it said a 5x5 sphere, it's raining enemies
The early part of the game only lasts for a few sessions. It doesn't scale, so don't nerf it.
CaptainDatabase
To answer point one, if it's a blanket bludgeoning resistance like Barbarian Rage it would be halved. But most monsters have resistance to nonmagical ATTACKS. Since this isn't an attack it isn't affected by this form of resistance.
For point two I'd also rule that magic resistance does grant advantage on the roll.
If I did my math right, then an object travelling at 10 mph would only go an additional 3.5 feet, for a total of about 93.5 feet, so you wouldn't get the additional 10 feet of damage.
We know the object is travelling 4.572 m/s, which is about 10.23 mph. The time it takes for the object to completely stop from this speed going straight up would be ~0.466 seconds. We can use these values to determine the amount of extra distance, x, the object will travel once it is no longer under the propelling effects of catapult.
x = (4.572*0.466) - 0.5(9.81*0.466^2) = 1.065 meters, which is only an extra 3.5 feet of travel beyond the initial 90 feet, for a total of 93.5 feet.
Looks like it's more efficient just to hit someone with the spell directly, unfortunately.
I did the math directly from feet per second instead of trying to use meters per second. An object moving at 15 feet per second (90 feet per 6 seconds) straight up will decelerate from gravity alone (about 32.2 feet per second per second) to 0 feet per second in less than 0.47 seconds and will travel less than 3.5 additional feet upwards. That isn't enough to get another die of damage. GoatMarine's math lines up with this, so yay confirmation.
Gravity is a LOT more aggressive than people realize. It will reach the ground in just under 3 seconds total from the end of the spell, hitting the ground at about 77 feet per second. The impact of the object when it reaches the ground, assuming you use the maximum weight of 5 lb, will have about 3 times the energy of a 120 mph baseball. Something right at the 1 lb limit will hit about as hard as a 100 mph baseball. I have no idea how hard that actually is, but those are the only examples of impact energy I could find that weren't related to guns or massively over the scale of this scenario.
The answer to this comes from the Monster Manual of all places. On page 8, it says "a magical attack is an attack delivered by a spell, a magic item, or another magical source" (this sentence was changed in an early errata, so the very first printings may say something different). So yes, this spell deals magical bludgeoning damage. If a creature has advantage on saves vs magic, they get advantage against this spell. If a creature is resistant or immune to non-magical bludgeoning damage, they are still fully damaged by this spell. Spell immunity would prevent this spell from having an effect.
The Artificer's arcane turrets are magical as well. "At 3rd level, you learn how to create a magical turret." It is not a spell though. Spell immunity and non-magic damage resistance or immunity wouldn't apply, but magic resistance would apply.
Bypassing spell immunity by breaking big things so they fall on a creature is certainly a clever way to get around it though. As long as the creature isn't also immune to non-magical physical damage. The spell used to break the object is hitting the object, not the creature, so there isn't a spell for the creature to be immune to in that case.
Party wizard used it to destroy a summoning circle, banishing a fiend that was wrecking us. It is second only to wish in my mind.
Is it possible to argue a race that weighs barely 1lb could be launched? or would you require that person to be in a ball or attached to the rock etc?
What a great spell, I got hit by this spell cast by a fellow party member...first time I have been hit by non-AoE friendly fire that I can ever remember. We are running the Descent Into Avernus campaign and we were in the sewers. My War Priest was at one end of a sewer tunnel with the Warlock and the other party members were at the other end of the tunnel doing the old pincer move on some nasty cultists to try and stop them from escaping. The Paladin/Sorcerer at the opposite end of the tunnel from my character cast catapult on a dagger at some enemies in a line between us. So the catapulted dagger has to go through three enemies and the NPC party member in between them on it's way to me and I am about 70 feet or so away, still in range of the thing. Wouldn't you know it, all three enemies and the NPC make their saving throws and then the dagger gets to me at the very end of the line and I fail my saving throw. Silly me not ever having used that spell in 5e I think that I am gonna take dagger damage, but surprise! I take way more than dagger damage lol...half my HP in damage. That was the only thing that did any damage to me in the whole sewer encounter and my War Priest ain't exactly the 'hang out in the back' kind of Cleric.
Good times.
this and heat metal is a nasty combo
Very first turn of our Very first encounter of our Very first campaign a goblin gets disarmed. Me, thinking I'm clever, casts catapult on it's weapon, aimed at Myself.. See I thought with my high dex I'd be able to dodge it and swipe the weapon.. instead I nail myself straight in the head, dealing over 3 times my max hp and exploding my face. The whole table died laughing, and the GM showed some mercy cause he didn't want a player death within literally our first 5 minutes of playing.
Was only afterwards I realized you don't need to target a creature, and I could've just aimed it at the dirt next to me. Still if given the choice I'd do it again, one of my funniest moments playing d&d.
Have a "creative" player. LOL ... DM bane. What about objects in motion? Arrows ... daggers .... cannonball ... coming at the wizard. With a readied action of this spell, waiting for the incoming projectile. Can the wizard target said object now (not being worn or carried) and use said object to fling where they wish (back at target). Thoughts?
If an object takes 6 seconds to travel 90 feet, then yes, that's 10 mph.
There's a little problem with that.
It does NOT travel 90 feet in six seconds.
A spell like this is a weapon and is imparting a ton of kinetic energy to an object. 10 miles per hour? A well-trained human can outrun that in the real world, easily. Dodging such a thing is laughable.
A round of combat is six seconds. With an average of between four and six players (we'll call it five) they have approximately 1.2 seconds of time to act, if it's split evenly between the party, and not factoring in the actions of monsters. A spell is only part of what a character can do in a given round. Thus we'll chop that time to a second, which gives us a speed of 61 mph. A person can throw a rock at this speed, without a lot of training. It's dodgeable. It'll hurt to get hit, but it's not 3d8 damage, especially if you consider the rock to be an improvised missile weapon. (1d4 damage). This has the potential for six times the damage. If damage is equivalent to velocity, you're looking at 366 miles per hour, which is more like it.
It's not as fast as a bullet, but it's as fast as some bows, or even an airsoft rifle. You're not so much dodging the projectile, as you're evading the intent of the caster. For example, it's the difference between dodging a bullet (from a modern firearm) in flight, versus simply slipping off to the side of the muzzle just before the shooter fires. The caster is throwing something at you. You don't wait to see what it is, you just duck/dodge/weave out of the way and pray.
You want a practical example of the spell - Star Wars Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. The duel between Obi-wan & Quigon vs Darth Maul. Needing space, Maul begins retreating, and points to a B1 battle droid head on the ground, and sends it careening into the control panel of some blast doors, causing them to 'fail' open. It's very quick. One could argue that he simply used the Move Object power from the Alter tree of Force abilities, but it is functionally the same as Catapult, as it is meant to throw a lightweight object at very high speed at a target from most any angle.
In regards to using weapons - Is it 5 lbs or less? If yes, then use it. If it makes sense, change the damage type. Everything in front of you is a guideline. If you're the DM, you're the final arbiter of all these things. Make a call, do what makes sense. Don't over-think it. Keep the game/story moving.
This will require a turn or two of preparation, but, Magic Stone only works on pebbles. Catapult on objects between 1 to 5 pounds.
Now, the pebble would be too light, but wluld it remain a Magic Stone if I cast Enlarge on it so it would be useful for Catapult?
If am going to be honest here, I'm not thinking of the potential damage, I'm mostly thinking about shenanigans
Well, considering you pick a heavy enough pebble... [Enlarge multiplies the weight by 8 I believe, and if you have a 40 gram pebble (quick internet search) affected by Enlarge, after conversion, you still won't be able to pick it up with Catapult] ...I don't see why it wouldn't remain a Magic Stone, since the Cantrip isn't a concentration spell and you haven't attacked/thrown it.
Once you use Catapult, you would have three spells active, so it's important to keep track of that. And since the pebble loses the magic of the cantrip once thrown, you could only do this about three times (so, approximately 2 turns for preparation--or 1 if you're a sorcerer with Quickened spells--3 turns to carry out shenanigans; that means you have 3 minimum turns for someone to figure out what you're doing if you're doing all of this by yourself along with a 1st and a 3rd level slot gone).
This in mind, I'm not sure what the point of using Magic Stone is. It only allows the caster to make a ranged weapon attack with his/her normal modifier (and makes the attack magical)--unless the character adds some flavor like a special sensory or light effect to the pebbles, you'd have to choose which one of the descriptions you're going for when casting. You can't use Catapult on something you're holding, and if it's stationary (on a desk or the ground), then Catapult would automatically take over. If you throw it, you have to make the distinction between you throwing it at someone (which would initiate Magic Stone's attack description for the Action) or just tossing it lightly in the air in front of you (like the motion you'd do when you toss a coin then catch it again, because then you can cast Catapult, which would use that spell's attack description).
Really, it's up to you then--is there a reason you're character casts Magic Stone? Does something weird happen to it when it's cast? Because if not, meh, it may not be worth it.
The real part that amazes me about this spell is it’s requirements. Just somatic. No verbal, no material (aside from the object to be yeeted) it’s just glorious for stealth operations or places where you can’t talk/have been silenced.
Player: Why can't I try and aim it? You know, make it an attack roll instead of a save?
DM: Because, foolish mortal, you are casting power-word Yeet, not power-word Kobe.
Not really. It’s am all or nothing save.