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Mage Slayer's first benefit says...

When a creature within 5 feet of you casts a spell, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.

Does casting a spell encompass the entire spell effect or just the initation of the spell effect? If the latter, will the effect continue even if the caster dies from the Mage Slayer attack?

David Coffron
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1 Answers1

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If the spell is concentration, you would interrupt that, but the benefit specifically says you can only attack when the spell is cast, so instantaneous spells would still take effect.

Some spells require you to maintain concentration in order to keep their magic active. If you lose concentration, such a spell ends.

Simon H.
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    Welcome to the site! Feel free to take the tour. You may want to edit to mention that concentration isn't always broken on taking damage. Otherwise, great answer! – David Coffron Mar 05 '18 at 17:00
  • Ah, sorry, I must have missed that. I'll be more careful next time. – Simon H. Mar 05 '18 at 17:02
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    @DavidCoffron I think his point is that if the caster is dead, he isn’t concentrating on the spell any longer. – KRyan Mar 05 '18 at 17:02
  • That said, I would definitely like to see more evidence that the timing of when the spell is cast is what you say it is. The tense of is cast is not nearly specific enough to come to that conclusion from the English text alone. – KRyan Mar 05 '18 at 17:03
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    FYI: Concentration spell still takes place for the turn (turn, not round, in the event the caster fails) in which it was cast. – Lino Frank Ciaralli Mar 05 '18 at 18:39