3 thoughts on “Does Arcane Trickster Magical Ambush impose disadvantage on Area of Effect/line spells?”

1. MAGICAL AMBUSH
   Starting at 9th level, if you are hidden from a creature when you cast a spell on it, the creature has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell this turn.

   Seems pretty clear cut to me. If you’re casting a spell, and it affects a creature, and you are hidden from that creature, and it has to make a saving throw, it has disadvantage on that saving throw.

   The only way I could see to insert ambiguity into the reading would be to focus in on the exact phrasing of “when you cast a spell on it”. What does that mean, exactly? It’s not an established mechanical term.

   So how to proceed? Well, when a term is not established to mean a certain thing, the rule is that you interpret it as you would in normal English.

   When you “Target” a creature with a spell, are you casting a spell on it? Yes.
   When you “Affect” a creature with a spell, are you casting a spell on it? Yes.
   When an enemy is within the AoE of a spell, are you casting a spell on it? Yes.

   There’s no real situation in which you force a creature to roll a saving throw against a spell you’ve cast, in which you could be said to NOT cast a spell on it.

   Reply

   November 5, 2017 at 18:15

2. For some reason, Jeremy Crawford’s response isn’t appearing on this page (for me, anyway).

   Here’s the tweet: https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/893249557668085760

   “Magical Ambush works with any spell that forces a creature to make a saving throw.”

   Reply

   August 24, 2018 at 00:34

   • Thank you so much mighty v2blast

     now is correct

     Reply

     August 24, 2018 at 08:26

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