Heat Metal

[Avonar]

So, the Heat Metal spell has confused the hell out of me, we've had a few discussions about it at our tables about RAW/RAI. Here's the wording in question:

"If a creature is holding or wearing the object and
takes the damage from it, the creature must succeed on
a Constitution saving throw or drop the object if it can. If
it doesn't drop the object, it has disadvantage on attack
rolls and ability checks until the start of your next turn."

Does this mean that:

A) If you succeed a Con Save, you do not have to drop the item. Choosing not to drop the item imposes disadvantage

Or

B) If you succeed a Con Save, you do not have to drop the item and do not suffer from disadvantage

It has always seemed strange to me that a second level spell can cause unavoidable damage and disadvantage on attacks and saves for a whole minute if you cast it on armour for example.

[nickl_2000]

I've always played A.

It is powerful, but there are lots of times your will go awhile night without running into a single monster that has metal on it. So that limits is overall effectiveness

[pwykersotz]

My interpretation is that if you succeed on a Con save, you have the luxury of choosing whether to drop the item or not. If you do not for any reason, you have disadvantage. In the case of armor, that choice is invalidated, making your Con save useless. So your first interpretation seems correct to me.

Solution: Have the fighter grapple the Druid who dared to cast it. :smalltongue:

[Cap'm Bubbles]

"If a creature is holding or wearing the object and
takes the damage from it, the creature must succeed on
a Constitution saving throw or drop the object if it can."

PERIOD

"If it doesn't drop the object, it has disadvantage on attack
rolls and ability checks until the start of your next turn."

The constitution save has nothing to do with the disadvantage from the spell.
The constitution save lets you choose to hold onto the weapon or object (because a magic metal sword at disadvantage might still be better than fighting with fists).

Case A is correct.

[Asmotherion]

My interpretation is that if you succeed on a Con save, you have the luxury of choosing whether to drop the item or not. If you do not for any reason, you have disadvantage. In the case of armor, that choice is invalidated, making your Con save useless. So your first interpretation seems correct to me.

Solution: Have the fighter grapple the Druid who dared to cast it. :smalltongue:

Now, jokes aside, it's practically A. So, yeah, if you go around in Armor (which needs about 1 minute to get out of), your best bet to live is exactly that: try to Grapple the Caster so that he fails his concentration Check eventually from the damage of the metal he takes (in addition to you probably punshing him). Either that, or he dies and you're still released from the spell, or you die.

Still, keep in mind that the spell is Concentration, up to 1 minute, and he needs to use a bonus action to repeat the damage. This means he needs to be within the 60 foot range of the spell for the damage to be repeated, or waste a turn, so he can't run away from you, or turn invisible, because Invisibility spells are also concentration spells.

[JackPhoenix]

Still, keep in mind that the spell is Concentration, up to 1 minute, and he needs to use a bonus action to repeat the damage. This means he needs to be within the 60 foot range of the spell for the damage to be repeated, or waste a turn, so he can't run away from you, or turn invisible, because Invisibility spells are also concentration spells.

The bolded part isn't true, the spell doesn't require you to stay in range to apply the BA damage. You can Plane Shift to Baator if you wish, and still roast the victim as long as you keep using those bonus actions.

[Asmotherion]

The bolded part isn't true, the spell doesn't require you to stay in range to apply the BA damage. You can Plane Shift to Baator if you wish, and still roast the victim as long as you keep using those bonus actions.

I don't know... perhaps that's RAW, but the way I see it it makes more sence that to repeat it you need to be in range; I've always DMed it this way. I mean, you need to interact in some magical way with the object you targeted to repeat the damage, and it makes sence to me that to do so, you need to be within the initial range, or the repetition would not need a bonus action, it would repeat itself automatically.

[RickAllison]

I don't know... perhaps that's RAW, but the way I see it it makes more sence that to repeat it you need to be in range; I've always DMed it this way. I mean, you need to interact in some magical way with the object you targeted to repeat the damage, and it makes sence to me that to do so, you need to be within the initial range, or the repetition would not need a bonus action, it would repeat itself automatically.

For the specific RAW, "Once a spell is cast, its effects aren't limited by its range, unless the spell's description says otherwise." The reason for this is that the bonus action isn't magically interacting with the object, but interacting with the magic. For Heat Metal, it may be something akin to stoking the magical fire, but the connection is with the magic rather than the target. This is different from something like Witch Bolt where you are directly connecting with the target, or Call Lightning where you have to target each time.