D&D: The First “Sage Advice” Of 5.5E Is Live Now – And Cloud Of Daggers Fans Are Happy
“Sage Advice” is back for the first round of 5.5E, and bringing with it a number of rulings that will surely settle some rules arguments.
“Sage Advice” is back with a new round of rulings for 5.5E. If you’re unfamiliar with “Sage Advice”, it’s an advice columnn for D&D that goes all the way back to its earliest days, when E. Gary Gygax answered player questions with varying degrees of helpfulness. Now it’s a helpful resource for DMs looking to get some clarity on rules questions—or if you have that clarity, you can wonder “who out there is asking this?”
“Sage Advice” Returns For 5.5E
The first “Sage Advice” Compendium of 5.5E is live as of an hour or so ago. After combing through it, there are a few answers to some questions that many folks in the community have had. Hiding is addressed, as are the placements of AoE spells like Cloud of Daggers. This last one was especially exciting to see spelled out.
Under the new Sage Advice guidelines, you can now hit many creatures with a spell most folks thought could only hit one at a time. Which means that persistent AoE spells continue to be the gift that keeps on giving in 5.5E.
There are a ton of clarifications, but we’ve got some highlights below:
“Using 5-foot squares, does Cloud of Daggers affect a single square?
Cloud of Daggers (5-foot Cube) can affect more than one square on a grid unless the DM says effects snap to the grid. There are many ways to position that Cube.
Does a grapple or shove trigger a Battle Master Fighter’s Riposte?
No. Many game effects specify triggering when you are hit or missed by an attack roll; the Grapple and Shove options of an Unarmed Strike don’t use attack rolls.
However, many monsters have special attacks that can grapple or shove a creature as part of its effect on a hit. If such a creature misses a Battle Master Fighter with an attack roll, the Battle Master Fighter could then use Riposte.
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You get the idea. There are dozens of questions and answers. Whether you’re looking for guidance on how the rule was intended to be used, what actually takes precedence, or just using Mage Armor in conjunction with a Shield (which totally works) you can find an answer to your question in the 5.5E Sage Advice compendium.
