Shatter Spell Radius?

[verbatim]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/520036989349920787/584609489458692099/shatter.png

One of the player's in my game cast shatter (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Shatter#content) on the middle step of the stairs directly to the left of the leftmost bugbear. The spell description says "a 10-foot-radius Sphere centered on that point" verbatim.

My question is: does droop the goblin have to make the save? He's within 10 feet of the point of origin (the circle is inaccurate/7.5ish) but there is a mansion wall in-between him and the spell.


I told my party that droop (unconscious before he got it) was in a quantum state of being both "alive" and "not alive" until the start of our next session.

[holywhippet]

I'd say yes. The spell description says nothing about the shatter spell being blocked by walls or any other kind of object. Spells such as fireball state they go around corners but I suspect that is because flame has physical appearance and people might expect to be able to take cover from it.

[Frozenstep]

A spell's effect expands in straight lines from the point of origin. If no unblocked straight line extends from the point of origin to a location within the area of effect, that location isn't included in the spell's area. To block one of these imaginary lines, an obstruction must provide total cover, as explained in chapter 9.

Fireball is special because you don't need a straight line. Pretty much every other spell follows the general rule.

[JackPhoenix]

If there's a full cover between the AoE's point of origin and the goblin, the goblin is unaffected.

[LtPowers]

Yes, Area-effect spells require line-of-effect between the origin and the target. This isn't as explicitly defined as it was in previous editions, but the concepts are all still there.

Some spells do only require sight, which means they work through a Wall of Force, but those are exceptions.


Powers &8^]

[Tanarii]

You placed the AOE incorrectly. It's supposed to start on a grid intersection, not in the middle of a square.

DMG 251
Choose an intersection of squares or hexes as the point of origin of an area of effect, then follow its rules as normal. If an area of effect is circular and covers at least half a square, it affects that square.

Regardless, the quote still answers your question. If the square is half covered, it is affected.

[Lunali]

You placed the AOE incorrectly. It's supposed to start on a grid intersection, not in the middle of a square.

Additionally, as a result of putting it in the middle, the circle only has a radius of 7.5 feet.

[Dalebert]

Yes, Area-effect spells require line-of-effect between the origin and the target. This isn't as explicitly defined as it was in previous editions, but the concepts are all still there.


The general rules of spells do actually explicitly cover this. It's just most people never bother to read them and instead just make assumptions, sometimes based on previous editions. Problem is many rules don't match previous editions.

So no, he has full cover behind a wall. Not affected.

However, if you decide the shatter destroys the wall, it would probably not be a stretch to say it then continues through and affects him.

[LudicSavant]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/520036989349920787/584609489458692099/shatter.png

One of the player's in my game cast shatter (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Shatter#content) on the middle step of the stairs directly to the left of the leftmost bugbear. The spell description says "a 10-foot-radius Sphere centered on that point" verbatim.

My question is: does droop the goblin have to make the save? He's within 10 feet of the point of origin (the circle is inaccurate/7.5ish) but there is a mansion wall in-between him and the spell.


I told my party that droop (unconscious before he got it) was in a quantum state of being both "alive" and "not alive" until the start of our next session.

There are a few rules you should be aware of, which make the ruling clear.

First, circular effects only affect a square if they cover 50% of the square or more (DMG pg251). Note that this rule does not apply to other kinds of AoEs, circular AoEs are the exception.

Second, spells originate from a grid intersection (DMG pg251).

Third, AoE effects are blocked if there is full cover between the target and the point of origin (PHB pg204).