PDA

View Full Version : War Caster Feat


OrlockDelesian
2016-03-31, 02:37 PM
If you posses the War Caster feat, and have cast a non cantrip spell during your turn, must the spell you cast when an attack of oppotunity is provoked be a Cantrip, or can it be whatever spell you have?
Lavok Rammstein
2016-03-31, 02:41 PM
It can be any level spell, but must target only the creature provoking the AoO and have a casting time of one action.
RickAllison
2016-03-31, 03:13 PM
If you posses the War Caster feat, and have cast a non cantrip spell during your turn, must the spell you cast when an attack of oppotunity is provoked be a Cantrip, or can it be whatever spell you have?

The rule I believe you are thinking of is for bonus action spells. With normal spells, it certainly wouldn't matter. For most activations of War Caster, it would also not be on your turn, so the rule wouldn't have an effect anyway.

The only odd, possible exception requires that you have already cast a bonus action spell and someone left your reach during your turn via a readied action, Dissonant Whispers, or what-have-you. A strict DM could rule that since you have cast a spell using a bonus action that the restriction to cantrips does apply to your reaction, but since reactions are normally independent of a turn you can probably get away with it. In any case, the odds that someone causes an OA during your turn are... slim.
bid
2016-03-31, 07:34 PM
If you posses the War Caster feat, and have cast a non cantrip spell during your turn, must the spell you cast when an attack of oppotunity is provoked be a Cantrip, or can it be whatever spell you have?
It's 2 different turns. Your OA will not happen on your turn.
Reaper34
2016-03-31, 07:43 PM
related question. could you use something like fireball or lightning bolt for the aoo.
RickAllison
2016-03-31, 07:49 PM
related question. could you use something like fireball or lightning bolt for the aoo.

Not those two. Lightning Bolt targets a line, not the creature. Fireball targets a point, not the creature.

EDIT: A better example of what you want is Ice Knife. It targets the creature that triggered the OA, but it does AoE damage and so can affect multiple enemies (and possibly yourself!).

Note that Chain Lightning cannot be used with this. With that spell, you identify a primary target and up to three secondary targets, so the AoE effect cannot be used.