Sage Advice says EldritchBlast&similar can't cast on objects *at all* @JeremyECrawford or @mikemearls, how do you justify this with flavour?
— Jim Cullen (@jimcullenaus) July 1, 2016
@jimcullenaus @JeremyECrawford spell specifies creature – always assumed it disrupted life force via force energy
— (((Mike Mearls))) (@mikemearls) July 1, 2016
Some spells are drawn to or harm only the life force of creatures. You're not shooting projectiles. #DnD https://t.co/D3R9cmuQPU
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 1, 2016
@JCrawfordMusic @Cybrenyou’re missing my point. Jeremy says they are not projectiles, but the definition of force would disagree The definition of force damage, not of force itself, is "pure magical energy focused into a damaging form" (PH, 196)
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 1, 2016
@JeremyECrawford Isn't it a projectile though? "Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging FORM." Why not deal psychic damage?
— Josh Gentry (@joshgntry) July 7, 2016
Traditionally, a projectile is a thing shot from or thrown as a weapon. This is common parlance, not a rule. https://t.co/yNb9KB5NLH
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 7, 2016
@JCrawfordMusic @CybrenSo I guess the Repellant Blast invocation doesn’t knock back because of physics, but rather some hand-wavy “magic”? Repelling Blast causes a spell that harms creatures to also hurl them. This is not a function of the damage type.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 7, 2016
@JeremyECrawford @joshgntry If I as a DM imagine eldritch blast creating a magic force projectile it makes sense to allow targeting objects?
— Viktor Bengtsson (@vikke064) July 7, 2016
Eldritch blast is a beam of energy. But as DM, you may change how anything works—and deal with the results. #DnD https://t.co/IYOYOGkPe4
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 7, 2016
@WeHaveSnacksI feel like the rule of thumb is that the DM can (and should) do whatever they want, using the rules as a starting point. Yep!
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 7, 2016
@vikke064 @JeremyECrawford @joshgntry Force described on page 196 as "Pure magical energy focused into a damaging form" should hit objects
— Apsco (@Apsco60) July 7, 2016
A spell's damage type doesn't determine what the spell can target. The spell's description determines it. #DnD https://t.co/zuHHPw8fRl
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) July 7, 2016