casting a spell and invisibility

[Iampower]

quick question regarding the invisibility spell

when i cast a spell that takes an action, bonus action, or reaction while under the invisibility spell, do i loose invisibility before or after casting? basically, does invisibility get cancelled before i complete the vocal and somatic components and be seen by Passerby A making arcane gestures? or does it disappear after and Passerby A just sees me appear with no clue that i had cast another spell?

[MoiMagnus]

If Crawford is to be believed (https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/872937105130799104), you cannot counterspell a spellcaster under invisibility because your don't see them while they cast.

One can infer that, if you agree with Crawford, you remain invisible for the duration of the spellcasting.

[Glorthindel]

I guess a lot of it is going to hinge on what it affects; what are you trying to achieve by being invisible during the casting, and does it matter?

In your example, it doesn't really matter either way, since the spell has a somatic component. Even if you reappear after completion, your passerby is going to have still heard you, see you reappear from exactly where he heard the somatic component spoken from, and know the spell that just took effect was done by you. Of course, if the spell effect isn't visible, he might just think the somatic component was the end of a teleportation spell that caused you appear when you did, rather than a new spell by an invisible caster, but thats going to be based entirely on what else happens at the time of casting (and incidentally, whether you appeared before or after completion of the spell, he might make the same mistake).

[PhantomSoul]

If Crawford is to be believed (https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/872937105130799104), you cannot counterspell a spellcaster under invisibility because your don't see them while they cast.

One can infer that, if you agree with Crawford, you remain invisible for the duration of the spellcasting.

And at that, with the probable exception of casting a concentration spell if you cast the invisibility spell:



If you're concentrating on a spell, your concentration on it ends the moment you start casting another concentration spell. #DnD
https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/872105441509203968

[Keravath]

If you are talking about the 2nd level invisibility spell ..

If the new spell you are casting requires concentration then the invisibility immediately ends as soon as you start casting the new spell.

"You lose concentration on a spell if you cast another spell that requires concentration. You can't concentrate on two spells at once."

If the new spell is not concentration then the 2nd level invisibility says the following:

"The spell ends for a target that attacks or casts a spell."

This makes the entire situation up to the DM. In the case of an Attack, most DMs would rule that the attack has been taken after the to hit dice roll has been made. In this case the character would become visible immediately after making the to hit roll.

However, the rules do not specify when a spell is "cast". Does "casts a spell" here mean "begins casting a spell" or "completes casting a spell"?

I would probably rule the latter in a game I was running. The character would remain invisible until the spell is actually cast. Being invisible in this case would prevent counterspelling since counterspell requires a target you can see.

Be prepared for different DMs to run it differently :)

[Iampower]

thanks for the replies, the situation was an invisible sorcerer trying to cast an extended detect thoughts in the middle of the conversation he was listening on. i just said that no one was looking at him at the time since he rolled well enough on stealth earlier. but next time it comes up again i think ill go with Keravath's suggestion.

[stoutstien]

Unnecessary input of the day. Being under the effect of invisible and using the SSI has some interesting overlap due to it not falling under the casting action. Even better with tiny servant riding you like megazoid.