Globe of Invulnerability Questions

[OhmIsFutile]

Hello, been playing for a while and started GM'ing more recently. Was going through spells and came across something that felt strange when it comes to Globe of Invulnerability.

It specifies that the globe's edges cannot intersect with any creatures or objects when first cast, but once cast creatures can freely traverse the edges.

Now, for walls/objects, I think this makes some amount of sense since you could block a narrow corridor completely using the spell or pull off some kind of shenanigans when it comes to magic in adjacent rooms for example.

But... why creatures? I have a feeling this is an oversight from other wall-type spells that could be used offensively if you were allowed to cast those spells on creatures directly, but can anyone tell me how creatures at the edge of this spell in particular and only when it's first cast could cause issues or be abused?

Thanks.

[Leomund "Leo" Velinznrarikovich]

The only relevance I've thought of were relating to creature sizes. You cannot bisect a huge creature or a large creature that is only in a portion of the area.

[Themetricsystem]

Pretty sure it has to do with keeping the spell from triggering and forcing movement which is itself an entire can of worms.

[AlastarOG]

Themetricsystem wrote:

Pretty sure it has to do with keeping the spell from triggering and forcing movement which is itself an entire can of worms.

But the spell doesn't force movement since it doesn't block creature movement.

My guess is that it can't bisect large or larger creatures because then as per the line "any spell from outside the globe whose area or targets enter the globe"

Bisecting a creature with the effect would mean that you could place this as a multi target dispel magic, something the game does not have for balance reasons.

[Sibelius Eos Owm]

Thát would make sense if the spell were not allowed to be cast with any other creatures inside the area, but it only prohibits the edge from sitting in a creature.

[AlastarOG]

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

Thát would make sense if the spell were not allowed to be cast with any other creatures inside the area, but it only prohibits the edge from sitting in a creature.

Depends on how you read enter the globe. I read it as coming from the outside to the inside, which would mean bisecting a large creature would count as the creature is both outside and inside.

Spells already inside the globe are not affected as they do not enter. (This tracks because otherwise all spells cast by spellcasters inside the globe get automatically countered).

But I admit ''enter'' is a bit loose.

[OhmIsFutile]

AlastarOG wrote:

Themetricsystem wrote:

Pretty sure it has to do with keeping the spell from triggering and forcing movement which is itself an entire can of worms.

But the spell doesn't force movement since it doesn't block creature movement.

My guess is that it can't bisect large or larger creatures because then as per the line "any spell from outside the globe whose area or targets enter the globe"

Bisecting a creature with the effect would mean that you could place this as a multi target dispel magic, something the game does not have for balance reasons.

Upon several re-reads of the description, I think the real concern is what counts as "entering the globe" as you pointed out later.

If being on the edge when it's cast doesn't count, then allowing players to cast the spell when it bisects larger creatures makes no difference. If you count being partially inside (whether or not it's at the time of casting or later) as "entering" then yeah, allowing the area of effect to bisect multi-tile entities is problematic.

I dunno, I feel like there's a lot left to interpretation. Even assuming you go by raw and don't allow spellcasters to place globes of invulnerability in a position where it would bisect a creature, what do you do when a larger creature only partially touches or moves through the area of effect without ever being entirely engulfed in it.

How would you guys rule on this? Is it enough to just touch the boundary to trigger the counteract roll?

[Leomund "Leo" Velinznrarikovich]

"Enter"ing doesn't require fully engulfing, merely passing through the border that is the globe spell. Also the globe border does not have a defined thickness therefore is as close to zero as can be conceived. Entering the area inside of the globe in any way would prompt the counteract.