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Final word on AOE rules in #dnd 5e
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May 29, 2025
Final word on AOE rules in #dnd 5e. I hope we all learned something things. 5e’s multiple choice answer to how to handle areas of effect supports a lot of play styles, but also leads to a lot of weird discussions between people who are using diffeeent methods. #dnd5e #ttrpg #characteroptimization #dungeonsanddragons #dmadvice
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in my previous videos I spent a lot of
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time talking about areas of effect in
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D&D how they're placed how they interact
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with rules and you know which methods
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interact with them differently between
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theater of the mind miniatures and
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miniatures with a grid so I talked a bit
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about snapping to the grid and why that
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matters if you're using a grid and how
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you can use the choice to snap to the
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grid or not snap to the grid to your
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advantage in various situations
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generally I prefer to snap to the grid
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because it is the most consistent it
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requires the least amount of debate
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between the players and the DM and it's
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the most eminently fair like it always
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works the same way you always know
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exactly what you're getting and no one's
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going to do anything like what if I turn
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this cube 45° and tried to get the
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corners into those extra spaces does
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that get me anything generally no but
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you never have to have those discussions
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you never have to go and do geometry
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because the spaces always line up pretty
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neatly circles can get a little
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complicated unless you're using the
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token method described in Zamanthar's
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Guide to Everything that just turns them
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into squares but even then like
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creatures catching just barely the edge
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of those circles is going to be a pretty
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rare occurrence so snapping to the grid
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using a template if you prefer those
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things generally work pretty well for a
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lot of groups but I still do prefer the
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token method it's pretty close to what
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you're going to see in a VTT as well
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because they'll try and calculate the
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areas of effect for you but this isn't a
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one-size all situation dnd has rules for
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supporting different methods of play
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because people have different
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preferences and different needs groups
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that are really really comfortable doing
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math and quickly assessing like how much
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of this cube is filled by this circle
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those groups might do really really well
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with templates but if you're doing
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things quickly you don't want to have to
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do math at the table you might prefer
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the token method or you might just go
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for theater of the mind and kind of wing
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it or you might use that table from the
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2014 Dungeon Masters Guide so there
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really isn't a a correct way to do areas
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of effect in D and D there isn't one
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sanctioned answer there are some methods
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that are specifically described like I
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said method one method two method three
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that's theater of the mind miniatures on
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a grid miniatures without a grid and
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like those methods work very well within
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the text of the rules but even within
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that there's recommendations for
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handling things slightly differently the
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the only baseline expectations are if
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you are playing on a grid your origin
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point for areas of effect is always a
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grid intersection and from there there's
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very little that's very strictly
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enforced so there isn't necessarily a
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right answer find what works for your
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group and if none of the answers work
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for you then figure out something
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