D&D 5E Fear spell

[Rya.Reisender]

I was wondering what balanced handling for the Fear spell would be, especially the part about dropping what your holding.

I found several discussions on disarming but none of fear, but it's quite similar. The core question seems to be "Can you pick up an item in an enemy's space as your free object interaction". Jeremy Crawford wrote about this only that the DM decides whether the PC can reach the item.

So what's your take on that?

In particular I'm wondering two things:

1. Can a player pick up or kick away a weapon that an enemy just dropped because of the Fear spell just using the free object interaction?

2. Would an enemy affected by fear pick the weapon back up on its next turn while still being affected by fear?

What's a balanced take on this?

 

[iserith]

1. Sure.

2. Maybe. It would require that the affected creature not move willingly closer to the caster. So if the weapon is kicked away or otherwise moved toward the caster, I would say the affected creature cannot grab the sword.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Not sure at all. Free interaction all obliege the DM's adjucation.
I would not allow you to interact with an object in an enemy's space for free.
I'd at least use the DM's guide rule for overrunning an enemy to enter the space of the enemy. That takes a bonus action and a check.
Except if your enemy is 2 size categories bigger than you... but then have fun kicking away a giant's warhammer...

 

[Rya.Reisender]

I guess my PCs could just resolve this with a Shove attack.

Seems intended to be situational if it works or not. But if I tell my players "If you come up with a good plan then I'd allow it", it would just result with them coming up with something every single time.

Maybe I say if anything you do involves entering the enemy's space you can do it. Hmm...

 

[Ashrym]

1) I don't see an issue with kicking the item away as a free action provided the character has not already used the stow/draw an item for free already.

2) Allowing the afflicted target to pick up the dropped item as a free action defeats the purpose of mentioning dropping items in the first place. Going with the pick up option may as well skip dropping the item in the first place by stowing it for free as part of another action. I interpret the spell as a drop and flee being the only options available.

 

[Shiroiken]

1) I would not allow interacting with an object in a hostile creatures space without an action. I would likely make it a contested roll of some kind (either Dex/Slight of Hand or Cha/Deception vs. Wis/ Insight most likely), but the disadvantage from frightened would make this fairly easy.

2) Upon re-reading the spell, it does not force or prevent bonus actions, so I wouldn't have it limit object interaction either (especially opening a door!). If I was particularly cruel (which I often am), I might require a Wis check to do so before fleeing.

 

[Hriston]

1. It’s my opinion that having a 5 foot reach allows you to interact with an object in a hostile creature’s space without actually having to enter its space, so yes.

2. There’s nothing in the fear spell or the frightened condition that would prevent an affected creature from picking up its weapon if it’s still laying at its feet, unless you read “for the duration” as applying to dropping the item as well as being frightened, but I think that’s a stretch.

 

[5ekyu]

As a GM, if a character was just affected by fear, fails its save and drops its held stuff, I would consider these to count as exceptional or unusual obstacles and use the option under interactions to say picking up the item(s) you just were forced to drop before dashing or recovering to take an action, not an interaction. Since you are required to use your action to dash, that may prove difficult.

Since you have to dash that means you cannot pick them up.

"The DM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle."

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I reconsidered it and just disallow picking up or kicking an object in melee combat for free.
Here is the relevant part od the basic rules.

The DM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the DM could reasonably expect you to use an action to open a stuck door or turn a crank to lower a drawbridge.

As a rogue thief you can use your bonus action. As arcane trickster you can use your bonus action mage hand. As someone with multiattack you might just attack the weapon with a boot attack.
To pick the weapon up again you might go prone and stand up using half your movement.
What I might allow is that you try an extraordinary maneuver to pick up or kick a weapon. Make an acrobatics or deception check or something like that as part of your movement or as a bonus action vs insight or so. Make it and you pick up your weapon or kick the enemy weapon away, don't make it and either end your movement prone or even allow for an opportunity attack if you fail by too much.

 

[staticdrifter]

1) Yes
2) No. If the object was dropped due to fear afflicted upon the target, and said target is still under the same affliction, then picking up what was dropped is not going to be on that target's list of important things to do.
The target is in fear of their life and fight has been removed from the fight-or-flight process. At this point the target has no other consideration besides staying alive for the next moments.
The character must first save vs. the fear affecting them. Only after overcoming that fear will they be able to consider other options. If, in the mean-time, the weapon is picked up by the bestower of the fear, the very next action the target will take is to move away even further (and not to a convenient place of cover, but to a straight-as- possible line away from the cause of the fear, even if this action takes them near a new danger).

The target can only act against the fear - inducing foe once they save, thus regaining their composure, and their ability to consider rearming themselves.

That's how we do it here and it plays out quite well every time.