Does Hunter's Mark need a target?

[polymphus]

Hey y'all,

I've noticed something strange about Hunter's Mark. Now clearly it needs an initial target to cast but it's not clear to me what happens if the target dies and you're not in a position to transfer it to somebody else.

It takes a bonus action to transfer Hunter's Mark to a new target BUT does it need to be done immediately, or does the Mark continue to hang around for the spell's full duration, so long as you're concentrating?

So, say you've got Goblin #1 targeted by Hunter's Mark. You kill him, and there's no more goblins. 40 minutes later, you stumble across Goblins #2 and #3. Your concentration hasn't been broken. Can you use a bonus action to put Hunter's Mark onto one of the new goblins, without burning another spell slot?

[Arkhios]

If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature.

Seems pretty clear to me (that you do, indeed, need a target).

If you don't choose a new target, the spell has no effect, and/or ends.

[polymphus]

But it isn't -- okay so it's a subsequent turn which means it doesn't need to be immediate BUT a turn exists as a construction of combat. Once you leave combat, I'm not sure you're still taking turns.

EDIT: honestly I'm not sure about that at all. This isn't even RAW -- I'm trying to figure out their intention here. It doesn't say the subsequent turn, it says a subsequent turn. This strikes me as an intentional choice to indicate it doesn't go away immediately. What I'm trying to puzzle out is not whether it lasts outside of the turn, but whether it lasts outside of the combat.

[Arkhios]

But it isn't -- okay so it's a subsequent turn which means it doesn't need to be immediate BUT a turn exists as a construction of combat. Once you leave combat, I'm not sure you're still taking turns.

No, you're right, you do not. However, I think that you can keep concentrating on a spell even out of combat, so if a next combat begins before the spell has ended, you would be entitled to use a bonus action to choose a new target. Waiting for your next turn (during ongoing combat) is hardly a big issue.

[ImproperJustice]

I suppose you could target an ally for a time to keep it up?

[Talamare]

It hangs around, it's also why it eventually lasts 24 hours.

Edit
You can maintain concentration on it without it being on any targets
As long as you're still maintaining concentration, you can use your bonus action to apply it to someone new
It lasts for hours, not turns. It lasts both inside of combat and outside of combat.

Any time you see a spell say 'on your turn' it means when it is your chance to do your movement/action.
Turns (and rounds) can exist outside of combat, it is defined as 6 seconds.

[GlenSmash!]

So, say you've got Goblin #1 targeted by Hunter's Mark. You kill him, and there's no more goblins. 40 minutes later, you stumble across Goblins #2 and #3. Your concentration hasn't been broken. Can you use a bonus action to put Hunter's Mark onto one of the new goblins, without burning another spell slot?

Yes.

(I probably need to type more than just yes)

[Arkhios]

I suppose you could target an ally for a time to keep it up?

There's no need for that. I just realized what exactly was asked in the first place. Hunter's Mark doesn't require a target to keep concentration up. It just doesn't have any effect until you choose another target.

I have to admit, that I shamelessly answered only on the topic, basically with a self-righteous justification of TL;DR. My bad! :S

[ImproperJustice]

Groovy. Rangers are rad and need more cool spells like this.

[DKing9114]

It's fairly clear that, because the spell says a subsequent turn, you could maintain concentration outside of combat until you find another target for the spell.

[Nidgit]

This also applies to Hex. Kill the initial target and use a bonus action at any point later in the spell's duration to curse a new target.

[Theodoxus]

Both HM and Hex could have used express language to denote that they don't need a target to keep concentrating... I know when my group first switched to 5E, there was a lot of confusion around those two spells, exactly as OP was questioning. We basically had the exact same conversation as this thread has taken, and quickly came to the same conclusion.

I suspect the lack of clarity in the PHB was due more to the writers being keenly aware of the rules, and forgetting that folks coming to the edition wouldn't have the same level of system mastery. This kind of assumption on the writers part is evident all over the PHB and DMG - and makes up a fair bit of sage advice clarifications.

[BurgerBeast]

Both HM and Hex could have used express language to denote that they don't need a target to keep concentrating... I know when my group first switched to 5E, there was a lot of confusion around those two spells, exactly as OP was questioning. We basically had the exact same conversation as this thread has taken, and quickly came to the same conclusion.

I suspect the lack of clarity in the PHB was due more to the writers being keenly aware of the rules, and forgetting that folks coming to the edition wouldn't have the same level of system mastery. This kind of assumption on the writers part is evident all over the PHB and DMG - and makes up a fair bit of sage advice clarifications.

There is no lack of clarity at all. The misconception comes from an incorrect reading of the text. And it’s a pretty egregious misreading if the text. It takes a complete fabrication to think that the selection of the new mark must be immediate.