[RPG] Witch Bolt and Blink interaction

dnd-5espells

If a caster under the effect of blink enters the Ethereal Plane, does that break contact with the target for purposes of ongoing witch bolt damage?

Best Answer

Yes

The spell text of Blink (emphasis mine) states:

While on the Ethereal Plane, you can see and hear the plane you originated from, which is cast in shades of gray, and you can’t see anything there more than 60 feet away. You can only affect and be affected by other creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Creatures that aren’t there can’t perceive you or interact with you, unless they have the ability to do so.

You are casting Witch Bolt but you are not on the ethereal plane. Therefore, you cannot affect someone who is on the ethereal plane by the effect of Blink.

Furthermore, you cannot percieve or interact with someone who has successfully become ethereal through Blink. Witch Bolt does not specifically require sight, but I would definitely classify targeting someone with a spell as an interaction.

Furthermore, as Tim Grant suggested in the comments, several magical effects have the caveat that the work so long as you and the target are both on the same plane of existence. If the target blinks away, they are not. The general rule of thumb is that spells do only what they say they do, and Witch Bolt does not permit the targeting of a creature on another plane. (Spells that do, such as Sending typically mention that it is a capability of the spell.)

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