[RPG] In what direction does the area of the Incendiary Cloud spell move at the start of the caster’s turn

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In what direction does the area of the incendiary cloud spell move at the start of the caster's turn?

  • Does the cloud move in a continuous line away from the caster?
  • Or can the caster choose any direction that does not cause it to get
    closer to them?
  • Or something else?

The description of the incendiary cloud spell says, in part (PHB, page 253):

The cloud moves 10 feet directly away from you in a direction that you choose at the start of each of your turns.

I'm struggling to comprehend this sentence and what it means.

This part is pretty clear to me:

The cloud moves 10 feet directly away from you […]

I'm assuming that it means drawing a line between two points (being the caster and the center of the cloud) and then having the cloud continue moving away directly down that line.

However, then there's this:

[…] in a direction that you choose […]

…But the direction was already specified: directly away from you.

Is it trying to say that it moves 10 feet directly away, and then can be moved slightly to the left or right? Is the presence of the word(s) "directly" or "from you" an error?

Best Answer

It moves in a straight line in a direction of your choice, as long as that direction moves the cloud "away from you"

I believe, in this instance, the definition of directly refers to the manner in which the cloud moves (without changing direction or stopping), not the exact direction. "In a direction you choose" is what determines which way the cloud will move.

It seems that the wording of the spell is a little ambiguous and could probably be worded a little better but for what it's worth, Jeremy Crawford has also stated that you do choose the direction in which the cloud moves:

Q: Does 'incendiary cloud' move directly away from you, or in a direction you choose?

A: Check out the final sentence of the spell for the answer.

Q: So it does both, then? But 'directly away from you' doesn't give you much of a choice, does it? There's a reason I asked.

A: You choose its heading.

So in other words; you choose the direction the cloud moves and it moves in that direction "without changing direction or stopping" (essentially in a straight line) as long as the chosen direction moves the cloud away from you.

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