AL rule question.

[TheUser]

I feel like my character has been taken hostage.

After playing Adventure League for about 8-9 sessions and being very impressed with the caliber of player present over the past couple of months, I recently had a team member who would rush into the fray and then disallow me from using blast spell AoE's because you are "not allowed to take harmful actions against other players without their consent." Despite being able to hit 4-7 enemies and having them be the only ally affected by the spell (a solid trade).

I cannot find the rule he is referencing anywhere within the AL Player's Guide. Is he within his rights as a player to shutdown the entirety of my play tactics with his own reckless shenanigans? The thing is... I can accept that a rule like that might exist within the Adventure League world but I cannot for the life of me find anything except for "no aggressive behaviour or theft" but it later goes on to describe things that an actual player would do out of game and not the behaviors of their PC (leading me to believe no aggressive behavior from the player, not the PC).

Am I now forced to play 2 levels of Invoker if I wish to blast in adventure league?

[Kane0]

Cast haste on him, then drop concentration when he starts being an ass :smallamused:

More seriously, if possible pull the player aside and have a quick chat one on one with him. Just explain where you're coming from, if he truly believes that rule he is breaking it by being agressive to your sense of fun.
Otherwise you can just move the AoE a little to not include him, use a different but similar spell like lightning bolt, find a way to grant resistance to the damage you are dealing or see if you can get him to adjust where he moves to in order to better facilitate your fire support. Sorcerer careful spell, evoker selective spell, etc can also help, as well as anything that boosts his saves vs AoEs.

Might also be worth having a word to the DM, depending on table dynamics, but i've never heard of the rule referenced. No PVP definitely, but the extent of that seems to be what is in question between the two of you.

[bluthunda]

The correct ruling is not able to directly attack players or steal from them type deal if you drop and aoe and they are in the area it's fair game but you can't cast firebolt Soley targeted at the player.

[Chugger]

http://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/ADVLeague_PlayerGuide_TODv1.pdf

"No Undermining of Other Characters During
Adventures.
Adventurers are brought together by
common cause, and during an adventure, they’re
expected to work together to overcome challenges.
Though certain factions might find others distasteful,
individuals will put that aside and become a team when
put in dangerous situations. In short, play nice with each
other when things get deadly. "

I saw nothing in there to stop you from having him in the area of effect of your fireball. (edit, you could just as easily argue he's undermining you by not being a team player - and if I were the DM I'd rule in your favor. I'm not, however)

[Blacky the Blackball]

Make sure you give him fair warning that you're going to drop an area spell (before he charges in). Talking's a free action - and if the DM gives you flak for it, have a quiet word and tell them why you're doing it.

That way, when your "ally" runs in it's him that's being disruptive for running into where he knew you would be casting, not you being disruptive for casting spells "on" him.

[poolio]

If it were my table I'd point out that no one has to help get him out, if he wants to run in and get in the middle of all the baddies, then he can deal with them, and after he goes down you and your team can resume your preferred tactical approach,

Sounds like the kind of guy who would play DPS then draw aggro and blame the tank and healer for his deaths.

Just curious, is he a younger/newer player or way older?

[Easy_Lee]

I used thorn whip to pull an ally out of a bad situation at an AL table. It dealt damage, but also saved his character. Dropping AoE on allies is legal. Furthermore, if you were a certain type of Sorcerer, there's a chance that you would fireball your allies by accident.

There is no clause in AL that says you can't damage your allies. If WotC wanted there to be, they'd just have a team attack clause and say players ignore damage from each other's abilities.

There's a play nice policy. The DM, not the player, decides what constitutes as playing nice.

[HolyDraconus]

Just fireball the area. He take damage, eh, that's what clerics are for. If he complains, tell him that TACTICALLY, what you did was the best move. If he persists, then non damage spells like pattern or sleep. He will get the idea. Fools rush in and all that.

[DivisibleByZero]

Just fireball the area.

This.
Then do it again.

[sithlordnergal]

Hmmm, I will be honest, I every AL table I have run into online and off follows that rule, with the exception of the table I play with every week. If you don't have permission, you can't drop a damaging AOE. That said, no reason you can't drop a non-damaging aoe like Darkness. Or a Spike Growth. As long as he doesn't move, it won't hurt him.

[guachi]

Nothing in AL rules stops you from dropping an AOE spell that hits your allies.

[PeteNutButter]

The "rule" is open to interpretation. My local AL groups just usually ask permission before doing any potential friendly fire.

Is this player being malicious or is he just being a melee character that doesn't want to get hit by a fireball?

At any rate, it's usually not too hard to work around one person when casting AoE spells. Yeah, you might not hit 5 enemies, but you'll hit 3. I suggest using templates if you play on a grid. IMO it's tactically better to avoid damaging your teammates unless it is a truly desperate fight.

If the melee teammate is always up in the fight, he is probably capable of surviving, making your AoE on him potentially more harmful than beneficial to the party, especially if he is something like a strength fighter getting hit by fireballs.

Overall sounds more like an interpersonal/tactical issue, than a rules issue.