Simple RAW for 5e 4: Smackdown v. RAW

[Man_Over_Game]

Q311 Can a cleric use their wisdom modifier; to cast a cantrip on their classes spell list, but is learned by gaining wizard levels? Is it still considered a cleric cantrip? Or are all spells learned only considered of a class in which they were learned from?

A311

p.164 of the Player's Handbook:

Each spell you know and prepare is associated with one of your classes, and you use the spellcasting ability of that class when you cast the spell.

[viaFAMILIAR]

Q312 Concerning the casting of Life Transference or Vampiric Touch on targets with 1 HP: are the HP gained from such spells limited by the target's remaining HP?

[Dalebert]

A 312 No. Per the wording, healing is based on the damage dealt; not the HP reduced.

Note that this often means the cost is death. When my necromancer's skeleton minion with a ring of spell Storing casts life transference with only 4 hp remaining, he heals about 8d8, but then he collapses into a pile of Bones. That kinda sucks. It takes an hour for a new skeleton to attune to the ring! Fortunately I have the AL ring that has 1 minute attunement, but still, that means I can't do it again until the next combat!

Hashtag first world problems.

[Potato_Priest]

Q313: Is the tarrasque immune to falling damage and other nonmagical piercing, bludgeoning and slashing damage that doesn’t come from weapon attacks?

[E’Tallitnics]

Q313: Is the tarrasque immune to falling damage and other nonmagical piercing, bludgeoning and slashing damage that doesn’t come from weapon attacks?

A313: No. If a stat block lists resistance and/or immunity to a type of damage it’s only that type. So if it lists immunity to PBS-type damage from weapons other sources of those damage types cause normal damage.

[Grog Logs]

Q314a: Does "Leadership" by a Hobgoblin Captain/Warlord mean that after the Captain/Warlord uses their action once for leadership that every single allied creature in range adds 1d4 to every attack roll and saving throw until one minute passes, right? So, most likely the entire battle (technically 10 rounds). The Captain/Warlord does not have to reactivate it with another action. And, it never costs anyone's reaction. In essence, it's the "Bless" spell without being magic or using up a concentration slot (not that these monsters have magic spells).

Q314b: Can the above "Leadership" stack with "Bless"? That is, if both are activated on a creature (by two different monsters), does that creature add 2d4 to every attack roll and saving?

Q314c: Do any other creatures have the Leadership ability?

[Grog Logs]

Q315a: Can the bonus damage from a Barbarian's Rage work with Bite (e.g., Lizardfolk) or Claws (e.g., Tabaxi)?

Q315b: Can you use the Paladin's Divine Smite with those natural weapons?

Q315c: Can you use a Monk's Martial Arts with those natural weapons? Would MA allow you use use Dex for your attack and damage rolls (instead of Strength)?

[Dalebert]

Q 316 If your a druid wild-shaped into a dire wolf and having taken some dmg , can you directly wild-shape into a dire wolf to be at full HP again?

[No1ofIntrst]

Q317If I were to try to throw a 5-pound rock across a 30 ft. river, would It use Str or Dex?

[viaFAMILIAR]

Q318? If Lightning Lure was cast from 15' above a creature, would that creature be pulled up into the air?

[ThePolarBear]

Q314a: Does [B]"Leadership" [...]

A314a Not really. Only each creature that can hear and understand the hobgoblin. It doesn't however require any further action.

A314b: No reason why not. The "Combining Game Effects" rule calls for features of the same name. "Bless" and "Leadership" do not have the same name. Even when coming from an hypotetical "same" creature.

Q315a: Can the bonus damage [...]

A315a:Yes, as long as you are using Strenght for those attacks and are still "melee weapon attacks" (as in, not modified by something making them "spell" and not "weapon" attacks).

A315b: Though cookie. I'll stick with "natural weapons that make weapon attacks: you can spend a spell slot for Divine Smite".

A315c: Yes, you can to both, but simply because those specific natural weapons can be used to make unarmed attacks. Notice, using dex will however prevent you from adding the damage from Rage.

Q 316 If your a druid wild-shaped into a dire wolf and having taken some dmg , can you directly wild-shape into a dire wolf to be at full HP again?

Yes. No reason not to. "You" are still "you" and no rule specifically prevents you from doing so, while generally able to wildshape.

If I were to try to throw a 5 pound rock across a 30 ft. river, would It use Str or Dex?

A319 IIRC, there's no specific on this, so purely DM's purview. No real answer could be given RAW since how to deal with the situation is not really part of any rule and, thus, it falls squarely on a DMs shoulder to choose how to approach it.

It could be approached as a check, as an attack, or as an automatic success or failure. It really is up to the DM, how the player wants to try, and the rest of the situation.

Q318? If Lightning Lure was cast from 15' above a creature, would that creature be pulled up into the air?

A318Yes.

[NecessaryWeevil]

Q319 Bless requires you to simply choose "up to 3 creatures within range." Does the "Clear Path to the Target" rule apply; can you not Bless someone if for example there's a pillar in the way?

[Man_Over_Game]

Q319 Bless requires you to simply choose "up to 3 creatures within range." Does the "Clear Path to the Target" rule apply; can you not Bless someone if for example there's a pillar in the way?

A319

Correct You cannot "choose" a target you cannot see.

From "Targeting" on page 204 of the PHB:
To target something, you must have a clear path to it, so it can't be behind total cover.


"Choose" here is likely a reference to the fact that:

• The spell is not optional for the target. There isn't a "miss" chance, for instance. "Target" implies a chance to miss or failure, where "Choose" does not.
• The number of targets is optional. You choose a number between 0-3 targets.

[heavyfuel]

Q 320

Regarding poisons:

A vial of "Basic Poison" can coat up to 3 pieces of ammunition and lasts for 1 minute before drying out. However, other injury poisons don't seem to follow the same rules. Namely, they remain potent until either delivered or washed off. Are there any rules regarding how many pieces of ammo can a vial of injury poisons coat?

The rules I mentioned can be found here and here

[Man_Over_Game]

Q 320

Regarding poisons:

A vial of "Basic Poison" can coat up to 3 pieces of ammunition and lasts for 1 minute before drying out. However, other injury poisons don't seem to follow the same rules. Namely, they remain potent until either delivered or washed off. Are there any rules regarding how many pieces of ammo can a vial of injury poisons coat?

The rules I mentioned can be found here and here

R320

I'm not 100% sure if this answers your exact question, but on DMG 259:
The Poisons table gives suggested prices for single doses of various poisons.

So you know exactly how much each dosage is worth. If a container costs more than a single dosage (that is, you have a vial worth 50 gold, but each dosage is 10g), then it'd be easy to work backwards to determine how many doses you have.

[heavyfuel]

R320

I'm not 100% sure if this answers your exact question, but on DMG 259:
The Poisons table gives suggested prices for single doses of various poisons.

So you know exactly how much each dosage is worth. If a container costs more than a single dosage (that is, you have a vial worth 50 gold, but each dosage is 10g), then it'd be easy to work backwards to determine how many doses you have.

Q 320 - Clarification

The question is: among how many arrows can you split a single dose?

The basic poison can be split among 3 arrows. Does the same hold true for other injury poisons?

[Man_Over_Game]

Q 320 - Clarification

The question is: among how many arrows can you split a single dose?

The basic poison can be split among 3 arrows. Does the same hold true for other injury poisons?

R320

Ah, understood. Not necessarily. The "Basic Poison" is its own "special" kind of poison, neither a contact poison or an injury poison, because it has its own set of rules that don't apply with either poison type.

From this RPG.SE answer, here is some relevant information:

Isn't Basic Poison Also an Injury Poison?

No.

There are several clear distinctions between the rules for Basic Poison and the Injury Poison category which exclude the former from the latter:

• Injury Poisons inflict damage if the weapon causes damage whereas Basic Poison inflicts damage when the weapon hits. This is a huge difference and excludes Basic Poison from the Injury Poison category. (For example: Basic Poison would inflict damage if a PC hits a target with resistance to slashing, even if the damage is 0, whereas Injury Poisons must cause damage and would not inflict damage in this case).
• Injury Poisons remain potent until delivered through a wound or washed off. Again Basic Poison deviates from this description because the poison retains potency for 1 minute before drying, regardless of actions that have been taken in that time.
• Injury Poisons can be applied to weapons, ammunition, trap components, and other objects that deal piercing or slashing damage. Basic Poison can only be applied to a slashing or piercing weapon or up to three pieces of ammunition. Another huge difference - this also excludes Basic Poison from the Injury Poison category. This difference is telling, because how useful would Basic Poison be in a trap if the poison only lasts one minute? That is why traps are excluded from the description of Basic Poison.

[Dalebert]

A 319 A clear path to the target is a general rule of spellcasting. It always applies unless a spell description says otherwise. In such a case, specific would override general. Bless does not state an exception.

[Dmdork]

Q321 so, a 3rd level Spiritual Weapon is d8 damage?

[E’Tallitnics]

Q321 so, a 3rd level Spiritual Weapon is d8 damage?

A321: Yep. Gotta crank it to 4th for 2d8.

[Chronos]

319 contention:

While you do need a clear path to the target(s) with Bless, as with spells in general, you do not need to see your targets. Although most spells do specifically require that you be able to see your target, Bless does not say anything about that. And it's possible to have a clear path to a target without being able to see it, if for instance you are in darkness or fog.

[Dalebert]

Q 322 Shield Master: Do you have to complete your attack action before the bonus action shield bash? It seems the broad consensus is "yes", that you can't do it before attacking and you can't mix it in with the extra attacks you get from the attack action. However, I had a player argue with me about that and get so upset when I put my foot down on the subject that he changed characters mid-game. Therefore, I'm asking for the latest and/or best reference to back up the answer so I can share that with him.

[No brains]

Q 322 Shield Master: Do you have to complete your attack action before the bonus action shield bash? It seems the broad consensus is "yes", that you can't do it before attacking and you can't mix it in with the extra attacks you get from the attack action. However, I had a player argue with me about that and get so upset when I put my foot down on the subject that he changed characters mid-game. Therefore, I'm asking for the latest and/or best reference to back up the answer so I can share that with him.

A 322: It's not exactly simple. A lot of back and forth over 5e's lifespan. Here's Crawfish's last tweet on it. https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/...83657877135360 Eratta has had no additions on it. https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/d.../PH-Errata.pdf

I think 'the broad consensus' is: "The rule says you have to finish all your attacks, but that rule is goofy. Agree on a fun way to do it."

[Dmdork]

Q323 How does Empowered Evocation work with Scorching Ray? My Int is 20, so +5 damage roll for every ray?

[E’Tallitnics]

Q323 How does Empowered Evocation work with Scorching Ray? My Int is 20, so +5 damage roll for every ray?

A324: Nope, just 1 roll.

Empowered Evocation
Beginning at 10th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll of any wizard evocation spell you cast.

So in your example it’s added to 1 of the damage rolls for 1 of the rays that hit. For Fireball it’s added to the pool of dice rolled and ends up affecting everyone caught in the blast radius.

[Eriol]

A324: Nope, just 1 roll.

Empowered Evocation
Beginning at 10th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll of any wizard evocation spell you cast.

So in your example it’s added to 1 of the damage rolls for 1 of the rays that hit. For Fireball it’s added to the pool of dice rolled and ends up affecting everyone caught in the blast radius.

To be clear for the OP, this is something that the original printing of the PHB had as "to the damage roll" and not to just 1. But later printings supposedly have this clearer, in line with above, which is correct.

[viaFAMILIAR]

Q325 Can a monk use their monk weapons to make bonus attacks e.g. martial arts or flurry of blows? Or is it strictly unarmed strikes?

Q326 Can a monk make a Grapple/Shove attempt with these bonus attacks? Or are they stricly an attack action?

Q327 Do unarmed strikes count as melee weapon attacks?

[Galithar]

Q325 Can a monk use their monk weapons to make bonus attacks e.g. martial arts or flurry of blows? Or is it strictly unarmed strikes?

Q326 Can a monk make a Grapple/Shove attempt with these bonus attacks? Or are they stricly an attack action?

Q327 Do unarmed strikes count as melee weapon attacks?

A325
No. The bonus actions granted by the Monk class after strictly unarmed strikes.

A326
The bonus actions granted by the class are strictly attacks. You could replace one of your attacks from extra attack and still use the bonus action for Martial Arts/Flurry though. (Not both because the bonus actions require you to make an attack with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon)

A327
As far as I can remember no. This is the confusion of 5e. Melee Attack Vs Melee Weapon Attack. I don't have any book evidence for this at the moment though so if someone could confirm or refute my answer please.

[LtPowers]

A327
As far as I can remember no. This is the confusion of 5e. Melee Attack Vs Melee Weapon Attack. I don't have any book evidence for this at the moment though so if someone could confirm or refute my answer please.

A327

An unarmed strike is a melee weapon attack. It is not an "attack with a melee weapon", but it is a "melee weapon attack".

The text:

Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike: a punch, kick, head-butt, or similar forceful blow (none of which count as weapons).

It's not 100% clear, but it does imply that you can "use an unarmed strike" "to make a melee weapon attack", although the striking method does not "count as [a] weapon".


Powers &8^]

[E’Tallitnics]

Q325 Can a monk use their monk weapons to make bonus attacks e.g. martial arts or flurry of blows? Or is it strictly unarmed strikes?

Q326 Can a monk make a Grapple/Shove attempt with these bonus attacks? Or are they stricly an attack action?

Q327 Do unarmed strikes count as melee weapon attacks?

R328: Yes they do. But they’re not weapons.

The “Making an Attack” section, under “Melee Attacks” explains:

“Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike: a punch, kick, head-butt, or similar forceful blow (none of which count as weapons). On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier. You are proficient with your unarmed strikes.”

Important: The bold text above is from the source and denotes a game term.

This is due to an error in the original rules that used to read, “When you are unarmed, you can fight in melee by making an unarmed strike, as shown in the weapon table in chapter 5.”

“Unarmed strike” was listed with no other properties than “1 bludgeoning” under the “Damage” column.

Turned out having it listed as a full-on weapon had a few undesirable side-effects with other game mechanics.