[RPG] What happens after destroying water with Create or Destroy Water underwater

dnd-5espellsunderwater

The line of the spell in question says:

You destroy up to 10 gallons of water in an open container within
range.

Range is 30 ft.

I am on a raft. 20 ft below me (and to the north) is a shark. I target the water just below the shark, destroying 10 gallons of water in an open container (the sea).

What happens?

  1. The spell destroys the water, instantly as per duration, and the
    nearby water rushes in, doing nothing more than possibly confusing
    the shark.
  2. The water is instantly destroyed, creating a vacuum. As the water
    rushes in, the change in pressure does say 2d8 (like Thunderwave) to
    all within say 5 ft of my target location.
  3. The water is destroyed, turning into a bubble of oxygen and
    hydrogen, which rises up and buffets the shark. He considers it
    difficult terrain for 1 round.

Best Answer

The most likely outcome is:

  • Create and Destroy Water fails because the ocean is not an "open container".

If anything, the planet's crust is the ocean's container, but even that is a very permissive interpretation.

However, if the DM is permissive and lets the spell work then:

  • You destroy 10 gallons of water, but the shark is not impacted in a significant way.

Remember, spells only do what they say they do: Create and Destroy Water doesn't state or imply that it is inherently dangerous or harmful, so it isn't.

Moreover, about the instantenous duration the PHB states:

Many spells are instantaneous. The spell harms, heals, creates, or alters a creature or an object in a way that can’t be dispelled, because its magic exists only for an instant.

Therefore, Create and Destroy Water's instantaneous duration is an indication that it can't be dispelled because the magic only exists for an instant. It is not an indication that the water is destroyed in 0.001 microseconds to create vacuums or other such effects.

Addendum:
As a D&D game term, "instantaneous" is just an abstraction. Create and Destroy Water can make rain fall, but how could rain literally fall instantaneously? Examples like these can be seen in most other instantaneous spells.

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