It is a bit less explicit than is ideal.
Personally I would run it as a fixed area that only affects the creatures currently in the area like other burst spells with a duration such as Mud Pit, Scouring Sand, and Breath of Drought.
Though I would also do like Bane does: For creatures that enter the area after the spell is initially cast, they also make their save then and take the effects. And if a creature leaves the area they are not affected, but if they return to the area they are affected again using the same save result that they had previously.
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I do the oppposite.
The area only matters for the initial targetting of the spell. Likewise Line of Effect. That is all the rules on spells seem to require.
Calm Emotions is not a spell that creates an area of ongoing effect. Rather that the effects last as long as they are relevant and sustained by the caster, regardless of where the target is.
I never allow spells with a duration to stop simply by moving out of range. That seems like an unnecessary nerf. Line of effect seems to matter initially not throughout its duration.
Compare it to something like Entangle, which obviously only affects targets in the area or Sangine Mist. they have very different language.
The area only matters for the initial targetting of the spell. Likewise Line of Effect. That is all the rules on spells seem to require.
Calm Emotions is not a spell that creates an area of ongoing effect. Rather that the effects last as long as they are relevant and sustained by the caster, regardless of where the target is.
The spell targets the area. Affecting the creatures in the area is the result of it being an area spell.
I never allow spells with a duration to stop simply by moving out of range. That seems like an unnecessary nerf. Line of effect seems to matter initially not throughout its duration.
That certainly isn't how Bane works. Or Solid Fog. Or the damage dealing spells with a duration and an area such as Ice Storm or Acid Storm.
For all of those, creatures can stop taking the effects by leaving the targeted area of the spell.
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For all of those, creatures can stop taking the effects by leaving the targeted area of the spell.
Yes but that is something that the specific spell says in each case. All those specifically mention the area again in the spell details. There is no such wording in Calm Emotions
Are there any spells that have an area and a duration that say that the effects do continue after the creatures leave the area?
Persistent damage and other conditions would still affect creatures after they leave. But I am not aware of any spell effects that would continue affecting creatures after they are no longer in the spell's area.
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Are there any spells that have an area and a duration that say that the effects do continue after the creatures leave the area?
Persistent damage and other conditions would still affect creatures after they leave. But I am not aware of any spell effects that would continue affecting creatures after they are no longer in the spell's area.
It's the opposite isn't it? Every spell that doesn't persist, has language to state that explicitly. Inspire courage, dirge of doom, reverse gravity, various mist spells, antimagic field, invisibility sphere, darkness and others are all very explicit about what happens within the bounded area not persisting outside the bounded area or only applying to things within the area.
Calm emotions has no such language. Therefore, it's effect isn't reliant on staying inside the area, nor does it affect new targets that enter the area as it doesn't have that language either.
Essentially, persistence is the assumption, and conditions to stop persistenting need to be explicitly defined in the spell text.
If that is the case, then I would expect the spell to target all creatures in the area, rather than targeting the area itself.
And I am not talking about conditions that the spell applies. The rules already say that conditions can persist after the target is no longer affected by the spell at all. Such as when the spell ends.
How about Elemental Zone. It has a duration and an area.
So do the creatures affected by the spell get targeted permanently for the entire duration of the spell when the spell is first cast, or does the spell target the area itself and any creatures who happen to be in it at the time?
How about Elemental Zone. It has a duration and an area.
So do the creatures affected by the spell get targeted permanently for the entire duration of the spell when the spell is first cast, or does the spell target the area itself and any creatures who happen to be in it at the time?
It spells it out in the spell: "Spells with the chosen elemental trait cast against creatures in the zone". So it only works on creatures in the zone, not creatures that where in the zone when Elemental Zone was cast.
Now compare to Calm Emotions. It doesn't create a zone and doesn't reference anything about future effects in that area.
You forcibly calm creatures in the area,
Also, sustained spells are the ones most likely to allow/require targets to repeat saving throws when they take the effects of the spell again in subsequent rounds.
You forcibly calm creatures in the area,Also, sustained spells are the ones most likely to allow/require targets to repeat saving throws when they take the effects of the spell again in subsequent rounds.
Apples and oranges IMO. Elemental Zone is clearly talking about a future event, "Spells with the chosen elemental trait cast against creatures in the zone", while Calm Emotions is talking about what happens when you cast it, "You forcibly calm creatures in the area" not 'You forcibly calm creatures that start in or enter the area'. It's also creating a zone vs a plain normal area. The other zone, Zone of Truth specifies what happens to those in the area when cast or when the creature first enters the area.
Zone is not a spell term. And none of these spells are 'clearly' talking about past or future events as it regards their own spell effects. Elemental Zone references attacks that happen in the future, but the spell effect is tied to the duration of the spell.
"You forcibly calm creatures in the area" not 'You forcibly calm creatures that start in or enter the area'.
That sounds like a perfectly reasonable equivalent phrasing of the same concept in both cases.
I could also render it as 'you forcibly calm creatures that are in the area at the time that you sustain the spell'.
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I still have not seen any spell that lists a duration and a fixed, immovable area, where the custom spell effect follows around and clings to the creatures that happened to be in the area when the spell was cast for the rest of the spells duration even if the creatures leave the area of the spell entirely.
The only spells that do something like that are ones that create conditions. Because conditions do cling to and follow the targets around. The spell effect itself is instant.
So if this one spell is supposed to work that way, then it needs to be written more clearly.
The spell does have [INCAPACITATION], after all. That wouldn‘t be necessary, if one could just use one action to ignore it, effectively, would it?
Both arguments have merit. And neither ruling is so bad that it is unplayable.
I think it should probably say "in the area when the spell is cast." That's what what I think it intends to do, at least. Most other spells that create a lingering "zone" are often more specific like specifying what happens when leaving, entering, or how you're affected while inside the area.
To Calm Emotions' credit at being suspicious, I can't think of another comparable spell off the top of my head that affects an area but the effects are what is sustained instead of the area.
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Holy it. I always read it as sustaining the effect on the initial creatures (and thus no further Will saves).
But rereading the spell and the Sustain a spell action, I feel the area is what is sustained and any creature within gets a new save each round.
Though that makes the spell subpar where it was previously OP.
Here's hoping I'm wrong and it's only 1 save.
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I see Calm Emotions more in the vain of Fireball in that it is an instantaneous effect, but instead of damage it causes a lingering effect. The area is just the 10’ burst that goes away as quickly as it came. Only those in the area when the spell is cast can be and are affected based on their saving throw results. The sustain is only for those affected and not for the area the spell hit.
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Breithauptclan. What happens to a creature who moves into or exists in the area after the spell is cast? Do they have to make a save when they enter the area? When you sustain the spell? Never?
Most spells that operate the way you want Calm Emotions to specify that, and this is a question that doesn't exist if you go with the other interpretation, so I'm curious what your answer is.
I still have not seen any spell that lists a duration and a fixed, immovable area, where the custom spell effect follows around and clings to the creatures that happened to be in the area when the spell was cast for the rest of the spells duration even if the creatures leave the area of the spell entirely.
Faerie Fire has nearly identical language to Calm Emotions, minus the sustained part.
Dirge of Remembrance is kind of weird, but also applies an effect with a duration of sustained to a creature struck in its area.
Breithauptclan. What happens to a creature who moves into or exists in the area after the spell is cast? Do they have to make a save when they enter the area? When you sustain the spell? Never?
Most spells that operate the way you want Calm Emotions to specify that, and this is a question that doesn't exist if you go with the other interpretation, so I'm curious what your answer is.
Probably have them make their save when the spell is sustained or when they first enter the area - depending on whether the spell is sustained or has a fixed duration.
Faerie Fire has nearly identical language to Calm Emotions, minus the sustained part.
Dirge of Remembrance is kind of weird, but also applies an effect with a duration of sustained to a creature struck in its area.
Those are some good spells to look at for comparison.
Faerie Fire especially is reasonably convincing that the effect should follow the creatures after they leave the area.
I would still rather that these types of spells actually specify that. It could be something as simple as a Target line.
Range: 120 feet
Area: 10 foot burst
Target: Creatures in the area when the spell is cast.
That would clear things up nicely.