Deflect Missiles vs. magical items

[holywhippet]

Deflect missiles allows a monk to reduce damage from a ranged attack and possibly toss the item back at someone. How would this work with something like a javelin of lightning assuming you are the target at the end of the throw? Would you have to roll to block just the javelin damage or both the javelin and lightning damage? Assuming you did manage to overcome the damage with your roll, what would you be throwing back? Just an ordinary javelin as it's magic has been expended for the day or would it do lightning damage as well if it hit?

[Lunali]

You'd have to overcome the full damage of javelin + lightning and it would be a normal javelin with inexplicably reduced range for throwing back.

[holywhippet]

Ok. Thanks.

[xroads]

You'd have to overcome the full damage of javelin + lightning and it would be a normal javelin with inexplicably reduced range for throwing back.

As a DM, I probably use the rule of cool and let the monk throw it back for full effect. :smallbiggrin:

Out of curiosity's sake, why is the range reduced? Does a javelin of lightning have some sort of magically extended range (I don't have my books with me)?

[Tanarii]

As a DM, I probably use the rule of cool and let the monk throw it back for full effect. :smallbiggrin:

Out of curiosity's sake, why is the range reduced? Does a javelin of lightning have some sort of magically extended range (I don't have my books with me)?Yes. It creates a 120ft line attack first, then a ranged attack without disadvantage on the target at the end. Once per day.

So the monk can't throw it back for full effect, even if they wanted to.

Also reduced range because the monk attack is a specific range independent of the weapon used. 20/60 ft. Per errata. So even for a normal javelin it's reduced range.

[youtellatale]

As a DM, I probably use the rule of cool and let the monk throw it back for full effect. :smallbiggrin:

Out of curiosity's sake, why is the range reduced? Does a javelin of lightning have some sort of magically extended range (I don't have my books with me)?

A normal javelin is 30/120 and the javelin of lightning is solid 120 range with no penalty.

[NaughtyTiger]

It creates a 120ft line attack first, then a ranged attack without disadvantage on the target at the end.

Crawford (passive aggressively) said that the attack for javelin DOES have disadvantage (unless mitigating factors)
https://twitter.com/jeremyecrawford/status/961397861102465024?lang=en

[Tanarii]

Crawford (passive aggressively) said that the attack for javelin DOES have disadvantage (unless mitigating factors)
https://twitter.com/jeremyecrawford/status/961397861102465024?lang=en
Okay. I find that funky, but whatever.

Still, the monk attack is 20/60, so it's still shorter ranged than a normal javelin. Which is (I believe) what was being commented on as inexplicable.

[NaughtyTiger]

"Which is (I believe) what was being commented on as inexplicable."


totally. that wasn't a dig or anything
i just wanted to clear up that point

[Lunali]

As a DM, I probably use the rule of cool and let the monk throw it back for full effect. :smallbiggrin:

Out of curiosity's sake, why is the range reduced? Does a javelin of lightning have some sort of magically extended range (I don't have my books with me)?

The return throw has an explicit range of 20/60 intended to be used for ammunition that doesn't have its own range, but RAW it applies to everything. You could still catch it and throw it normally on your next turn as javelins are simple melee weapons, thus they are monk weapons.