I was thinking about creating a wizard character. Reviewing the spellcasting rules, I saw this:  Most spells that require attack rolls involve ranged attacks. Remember that you have disadvantage on a ranged attack roll if you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature that can see you and that isn't incapacitated (see chapter 9).  There are a lot of occasions that might arise that would make this a problem, or at least a bit of a hindrance. So as a D&amp;D player normally would when they wanted to break a rule without actually cheating, I went to a list of feats and found Crossbow Expert:  Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you gain the following benefits: You ignore the loading quality of crossbows with which you are proficient. Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls. When you use the Attack action and attack with a one handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding.  I may be (am) overthinking things, but does this apply to magic attacks, such as cantrips like Eldritch Blast or Fire Bolt? The literal meaning of the feat says that I can, but it could also imply by the title and also the effects of the feat that this only applies to crossbows, or any other ranged weapon, excluding magic. The strongest evidence that it might not affect ability with ranged magic attacks is:  Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow  With a crossbow, not with magic.
9176
The Crossbow Expert feat gives three benefits, the first of which is explicitly tied to crossbows and the last of which to only hand crossbows. But in the middle, there is:     Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls   Notably missing is a qualifier like "when attacking with a crossbow". Does this mean that the benefit applies to other ranged weapons and to spells which require ranged attack rolls? Or does the name of the feat itself limit this to  crossbows?
82360
If you have the spell sniper feat (doubles range of spells), and you use a weapon with reach, can you cast booming blade and hit a creature at 10ft? Can you also combine this with the feats Polearm Master and War Caster to make a booming blade opportunity attack when a creature enters your reach (of 10ft)?
82021
This is really three questions.  If a class says that it grants the benefits of a certain feat, do I need to meet the prerequisites for that feat in order to actually receive the benefits? For example, a  &quot;gains the benefit of the Deflect Arrows feat when using a light or one-handed piercing weapon&quot; at 9th level. Although it does state that I don't need a free hand to use the ability, do I still need IUS and Dex 13 as per ? I would assume not, because the ability gives the duelist the benefits of the feat, not the actual feat.  Can I take the actual Deflect Arrows feat in addition to this ability? Because the conditions are different (holding a light/one-handed piercing weapon for the duelist ability; free hand for the feat), it would still carry some benefit.  Do I need to take Deflect Arrows separately, as a feat, in order to meet some other requirement that I have Deflect Arrows?
56005
It is obvious that different wizards can cast spells with different power and/or effect (same for potions). But why?   Just some observations from my side - perhaps I'm wrong for some of them:  Spell casting seems to be like playing music or painting. More or less everyone can do it and the quality depends on some factors like:   knowledge - gained by studying experience - gained by practicing intelligence - innate and cannot be gained easily concentration at the moment (or ability to concentrate in general)   and last but not least   innate ability (talent) - you either have it or not   To me it looks like that the last one is determining everything. Some wizards like Dumbledore or Voldemort just "have it" and others will never be able to reach their power no matter how hard they try. Another example - Hermione is very intelligent and has read all the books but Harry beats her in defense against the dark arts nevertheless (and no - it's not Quidditch that helps him :) ).
25951
My players have been asking to improvise specific combat actions, mostly the archer wanting to aim at specific body parts. I haven't been able to find anything in the DMG or the PHB on the subject so I was wondering how I should deal with this.    How (if at all) should an attack roll be modified when targeting a specific body part? If there is not RAW on this I am open to playtested house rules per .
101773
I'm confused about Rogues and Use Magic Device. I've searched the core book and the Internet for the past 4 hours and can't find the answer to my simple question.   Since a Rogue doesn't have any spells, a spell list or caster level, do you have to emulate a class feature in addition to all other necessary checks to use items like scrolls and wands?
92866
Can I use the Catapult spell from the  to launch ammunition (like bolts, arrows, and sling stones) and weapons within the weight requirements? Would the damage still be bludgeoning if I used a weapon with a different damage type?  My DM does not believe that I can use this spell to temporarily substitute for my missing heavy crossbow. Since the spell says that the object launched flies in a straight line, I think things like spears, arrows and bolts should be able to deal piercing damage when launched by the spell.  I'm playing an Assassin 5, Sorcerer 4 and I plan on using this spell as part of an assassination attempt. I plan on hiding a crossbow bolt inside a long sleeve of a shirt and whistling as the Somatic component. If I did this, would it count as a surprise attack to the target, allowing me to get the automatic crit with the crossbow bolt, sneak attack damage dice, and the 3d8 piercing/bludgeoning from the spell itself?
59207
The  feat (PHB, p. 168) says:     While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, or quarterstaff, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.   The  feat (PHB, p. 170) says:     When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.   On this very topic, Mearls has :     Q: Do Polearm Master and War Caster combine to allow a magic user to make a spell opportunity attack when they enter reach?   A: No - polearm master applies only if you use the weapons it lists to make the attack     Another question on this very topic:   But since then, we now have spells like  (SCAG, p. 142):     As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell’s range, otherwise the spell fails. On a hit, the target suffers the attack’s normal effects, and it becomes sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn. If the target willingly moves before then, it immediately takes 1d8 thunder damage, and the spell ends.    So, with the addition of booming blade, if I have a quarterstaff + War Caster + Polearm Master, could I use my reaction to cast booming blade if someone steps into my reach?
57025
The Sharpshooter feat includes an interesting feature: you can choose to take -5 penalty to hit with a ranged weapon attack to increase its damage by 10. Normally, I'd dismiss the trade-off as too situational, but I've only just thought of combining it with the Archery fighting style (+2 to hit with ranged weapon attacks).  After building a sample character using these features, the end result looks quite effective. My questions are: Is this build valid? Have I interpreted the rules correctly? If so, how well does it compare against other damage-focused builds?  5th level variant Human Fighter:   Ability Scores (via point buy): Str 10, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10 HP: 47, AC: 17 (or 18 with disadvantage on Stealth) Weapons: Hand Crossbow x 2 Fighting Style: Archery Martial Archetype: Battle Master (with the Precision Attack maneuver) Feat (variant Human): Crossbow Expert Feat (4th level ability score improvement): Sharpshooter   The end result is a fighter capable of hitting targets 120' away, behind 1/2 or 3/4 cover, or engaged in melee with him, all without penalty. Normally, he can make 3 such attacks per round (Attack action + Extra Attack + Crossbow Expert's bonus attack). Once per short rest he can make 5 attacks per round via Action Surge (Attack action 1 + Extra Attack, Attack action 2 + Extra Attack, Crossbow Expert's bonus attack).  His normal attack bonus is +8 (3 proficiency, 3 Dexterity, 2 Archery fighting style), and normal damage is 1d6+3. Not amazing damage, but nice accuracy and flexibility (attacks can be focused on one target, or spread around; works equally well in melee and ranged combat).  The real winner is his ability to take -5 on any of these attack rolls to increase the damage by 10, to an average of 16.5 per shot (excluding crits). If he lands his usual 3 attacks, that's ~47 damage; 5 attacks is ~83. While the -5 to hit seems imposing, he's still got superiority dice: he can increase his attack roll by 1d8 after seeing the result, up to 4 times per short rest. And even without the superiority dice, his attack bonus is still an acceptable +3; ok for hitting low AC targets, or those granting advantage on attack rolls (e.g. surprised or prone + adjacent).  With a decent AC, a Fighter's HP, and the Second Wind feature, he can also take a decent amount of damage. He'll also have decent Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.  This build seems almost too well rounded. Unlike a blaster, he only requires short rests to recover his big hitters. Unlike a brawler, he can target just about anything on the field at a moment's notice. Have I missed any rules, or overlooked any drawbacks?
51056
Let's suppose I'm a wizard casting a ranged spell. An enemy is behind cover but I suspect he'll come out, so I ready an action to cast at him when he comes out; but I don't want to risk getting charged at by another enemy and losing concentration or taking disadvantage. Can I say:  "I ready a spell. When that guy over there leaves cover, or when any enemy gets within 5 feet of me, I will cast it on that enemy"?
51833
My long-term RPG instinct is to say "clearly they don't". (Pathfinder, 3.5, AD&amp;D, etc.)  Looking at some NPCs seems to be back this up. The Veteran (MM 350) deals a straight 1d10 with their Heavy Crossbow, despite having Dex+1, and the Scout (MM 349) deals 1d8+Dex with their Longbow.  However, I cannot actually find where this is detailed in the PHB...   Section on Dexterity (PHB 176) does not have any exception for the crossbow.     You add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a ranged weapon, such as a sling or longbow.  Crossbow features are Ammunition and Loading, but neither of these seem to address damage. (PHB 146-9]) The sections on "Making an attack" (PHB 196-8) don't mention anything about damage modifiers at all.   Also, I cannot find any mention in the  (Oct 2015).  Does anyone else have a RAW for "crossbows don't add Dex to damage?".    UPDATE: the MM has a few other examples that are not consistent with "Dex on damage", but in general, most are accurate. The answer below seems to back my findings, crossbows do add Dex modifier to damage.    UPDATE 2: the  (2015-12) corrects the Veteran example.
55049
In the equipment section of the D&amp;D basic rules, it lists "light" as a weapon property of the hand crossbow.  The "light" property offers the following attributes:     Light.  A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons. See the rules for two-weapon fighting in  chapter 9.     So, this would mean I can use my hand crossbow in two weapon fighting... Great! However, in the TWF rules in chapter 9 it says the following:     When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon   that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack   with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other   hand.   Two weapon fighting only applies to melee weapons! Why does the hand crossbow have the light property? What purpose is it serving?  Now with the addition of the Feats in the players handbook my question still remains. The feat for crossbow expert says the following:     Crossbow Expert   Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you gain the following benefits:           You ignore the loading quality of crossbows with which you are proficient.     Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attacked rolls.     When you use the Attack action and you attack with a one-handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a loaded hand crossbow you are holding.      As you can see the feat replaces the Two weapon fighting rules, and so the light keyword is still not needed.
66460
Is it true that not even the person/creature/thing doing the initial action that starts a combat is able to use a full-round action?  According to all sources I can find, the initial attack already is part of the surprise round, so you're only entitled to a move action or standard action; but that leads to an (in my opinion) absurd scenario, so I just wanted to be sure whether there is something I'm missing:  Let's say sorcerer A is hiding in the bushes, 1HP left, waiting to finish sorcerer B (1HP left) off with magic missiles before B does the same to A. Then he suddenly spots sorcerer B - but sadly, he's some feet out of range. Now sorcerer A wants to use metamagic to double his magic missiles range and fire that on sorcerer B ... but now his magic missile takes a full-round action to cast, so sorcerer A cannot surprise sorcerer B with it anymore.  Is this interpretation right RAW-wise or am I missing something?
51693
In a recent question -  - it was pointed out that you couldn't Sneak Attack an invisible opponent because the rules specifically state that you cannot use Sneak Attack if you have disadvantage on the attack roll. However, it would not be impossible for the rogue to also have advantage on the attack, by virtue of being hidden or invisible himself.   In this context, where a character has both advantage and disadvantage on a single attack/check, the rules mention that the roll is resolved normally: you roll a single d20 and that's it. Does that mean that you are no longer considered advantaged/disadvantaged?  If so, and assuming the presence of an ally within 5 feet of the invisible enemy, it could mean that an invisible rogue could sneak attack an invisible opponent while a visible rogue couldn't. Is that correct? Or are you, in fact, still considered both advantaged and disadvantaged, and thus can't perform a Sneak Attack?  Precision: Sneak Attack is the use case that triggered the question. That being said, there are probably other things that require advantage/disadvantage to be activated, so answers should focus on the relationship between advantage and disadvantage, and not on Sneak Attack necessarily.
57296
During the latest gaming session our level 3 Rogue was Two-Weapon fighting with a Rapier in the main-hand and a scimitar in the off-hand.  At the completion of our gaming session I contested the application of the Two-Weapon fighting rules as it seemed unbalanced.  Once I got home I reviewed the PHB and various RPGStack and Reddit but couldn't find a concrete answer.  My interpretation of the PHB Reference rules below is that although any class/character can technically wield a weapon in their off-hand, only those who have been granted a Bonus Action for which no explicit bonus action have been defined would be allowed to actually attack.  So in the case of a Rogue the Bonus Actions granted under Cunning Action allow for specific actions (none of which are attack).  The alternate interpretation would be the rules under Two-Weapon Fighting, perhaps it should be written      you receive a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand.   This would, in my opinion, explicitly grant the Bonus Action to any character/class who is Two-Weapon Fighting.  After thorough review does it boil down to application of the rules-as-written and determining a house-rule to apply in our campaign?    References  Page 189 of PHB : Bonus Actions  Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action. The Cunning Action feature, for example, allows a rogue to take a bonus action.      You can take a bonus action only when a special ability, spell, or other feature of the game states that you can do something as a bonus   action. You otherwise don’t have a bonus action to take.   You can take only one bonus action on your turn, so you must choose which bonus action to use when you have more than one available. You choose when to take a bonus action during your turn, unless the bonus action’s timing is specified, and anything that deprives you of your ability to take actions also prevents you from taking a bonus action.  Page 96 of PHB  A Rogue receives cunning action at level 2, You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat.      This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.   Page 195 of PHB  Two-Weapon Fighting (Combat Rules)  When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.  Page 165 of PHB  Dual Wielder  (Feat)  You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:   You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand. You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light. You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.
93226
In response to  question, I started to think about what it means when a Wild Magic Surge results in a "You cast spell-X".  So, "specific beats general" gives:   You can cast a second spell when you would not normally be allowed to You can cast a spell you don't know If the surge forces you to cast a concentration spell you would lose any concentration spell that you currently had active Subject to what the specific entry says you can target it how you like Unless the specific entry prohibits it you could use metamagic on the spell   I am pretty confident in all of the above but if anyone disagrees please address in an answer.  Here comes the question.  How does this impact on your available spell slots?  "You cast ..." to me suggests that if you have an applicable slot available then you have to use it to cast the spell because that is the general rule for casting spells but if you don't then "specific beats general" and it is cast anyway.  Specific examples:     You cast fireball as a 3rd-level spell centered on   yourself   This must be a 3rd level spell:   if you have a 3rd level slot available you have to use it? if you don't, if you have 5 sorcery points and a bonus action available must you use these to get that slot? if you don't have any of that then the spell goes off anyway?      You cast confusion centered on yourself.   No level specified and confusion is a 4th level spell:   if you have a 4th level slot available you have to use it? if you have a 4th, a 6th and an 8th level slot you can choose which one to use? if you have only a 5th level slot but also 6 sorcery points and a bonus action, you could choose to use the 5th level slot or use the points to create a 4th level slot? if you don't have any 4th level or higher slots but you have 6 sorcery points and a bonus action available must you use these to get that slot? if you don't have any of that then the spell goes off anyway?   And so on ...
28906
I'm not entirely sure I understand what the PHB is telling me about spell attacks.  Say I'm a wizard who's casting Fire Bolt (I could also be a Cleric casting Inflict Wounds or what-have-you), the spell itself doesn't say anything about making an attack roll or the enemy making a saving throw.    So do I make an attack roll and then add in my INT mod + proficiency bonus?  Or does the target have to make a saving throw against a DC of 8+ my INT mod + proficiency bonus?  And, assuming I hit, do I add my INT mod + proficiency bonus to the damage?