A creative player recently tried to do a number of clever tricks using Animate Objects, Catapult, and other spells that move objects (a few of which will have their own questions). The character in question used an extended Delayed Blast Fireball to the side while the party face was "making a deal" with a undead-worshiping cult's leadership. He waited two minutes for it to reach full charge (Metamagic for the win), then cast Catapult to throw it into the middle of the cultist group for 32d6 fire damage.
The DM was cool with it and gave him inspiration for clever use of resources, but I want to know about how RAW compliant that action would be.
The description of Delayed Blast Fireball:
A beam of yellow light flashes from your pointing finger, then condenses to linger at a chosen point within range as a glowing bead for the duration. When the spell ends, either because your concentration is broken or because you decide to end it, the bead blossoms with a low roar into an explosion of flame that spreads around corners. … If the glowing bead is touched before the interval has expired, the creature touching it must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the spell ends immediately, causing the bead to erupt in flame. On a successful save, the creature can throw the bead up to 40 feet. When it strikes a creature or a solid object, the spell ends, and the bead explodes.
…and Catapult:
Choose one object weighing 1 to 5 pounds within range that isn’t being worn or carried. The object flies in a straight line up to 90 feet in a direction you choose before falling to the ground, stopping early if it impacts against a solid surface. If the object would strike a creature, that creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the object strikes the target and stops moving. When the object strikes something, the object and what it strikes each take 3d8 bludgeoning damage.
The weight of the bead is never specified, but it can be picked up and thrown, meaning it can be interacted with. Catapult does not have Animate Object's restriction to non-magical items, so that does not get in the way.
Is there anything in RAW that prevents a character from doing this?
Best Answer
Clever, but unlikely
In order for Catapult to work, it requires:
This is the requirement that Delayed Blast Fireball must meet. The question is: Does it?
Delayed Blast Fireball isn't explicit in the definition, but it does state:
How much does a bead of light weigh?
In order for that bead to qualify for Catapult, it must be at least one pound and less than five pounds. As Dale M states, that's likely a DM call. But how should the DM approach?
Well, it's a beam of light that condenses into a bead. How much does a bead of light weigh? I'd think that a bead of magic light does not weigh anything, but another DM may believe otherwise. Then it's a question of does a bead of light weighs more than 1lb. Even if it did have a mass, it's unlikely to weigh more than 1lb.
Without meeting the weight requirement, you can't use Catapult to launch the Bead for extra damage (pending the save failure).
Throwing the Bead
There is another option for interacting with the Delayed Blast Fireball:
This does imply that it can be handled, but it doesn't answer weight or anything else. Ultimately, this is a magic bead made of condensed light and it does not necessarily mean it has mass. It just means that you can throw the magic bead. If a DM does rule that it has mass, then it still needs to weigh more than 1 lb (see discussion above on weight of condensed light.)