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I had a game where I had a Paladin and two Warlocks. Paladin and Warlock A casted two spells (Moonbeam, and Toxic Cloud) that both trigger when a creature enters or starts their turn in the area of effect.

The creature in question was already in the overlapping area for both, and made its saving throws. On the turn of Warlock B, he casted Banishment, which teleported the creature to a benign dimension, but immediately brought it back, hoping to trigger the reentering of the space of the two damage spells.

At the time of play, I allowed it and made the creature make new saves, which it failed, and died.

Is this the proper way to handle the banishment and return of the creature? If a creature is banished and brought back, does it count as reentering the space it was in? Or should it have been treated as already being in that area, and make the saves when the creature starts its next turn in that area?

as.beaulieu
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2 Answers2

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The relevant part of description of those spells:

Moonbeam

When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it is engulfed in ghostly flames that cause searing pain, and it must make a Constitution saving throw.

If the creature is already in the moonbeam area, and you cast Banishment and immediately end it, the creature is "entering" the area from the demiplane, so it will be subjected to the damage and save.

There's a great discussion in Is Moonbeam amazing, or are we doing it wrong?

Stinking Cloud

Each creature that is completely within the cloud at the start of its turn must make a Constitution saving throw against poison.

Banishment doesn't subject the creature to additional save, because it only need to make a save at the start of its turn.

Vylix
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  • I made a mistake, and my player reminded me that it was toxic cloud. Would you have the same ruling for toxic cloud as stinking cloud? – as.beaulieu Jan 03 '19 at 05:41
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    @as.beaulieu Toxic cloud will be the same as stinking cloud other than the fact that the save is at the end of the turn instead of the start. The key point is in the wording of when a save is required. – linksassin Jan 03 '19 at 05:45
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Yes, returning from Banishment counts as entering the area

Banishment sends a creature to another plane. It physically moves there and it is no longer considered to be in the place that it was. When the banishment ends it counts as the creature "entering" the AOO and will trigger the moonbeam damage for that turn.

How this works for the spells you mention:

Moonbeam

When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it is engulfed in ghostly flames that cause searing pain, and it must make a Constitution saving throw.

Returning from banishment counts as entering the area so this would trigger the saving throw on this turn.

Toxic Cloud

You create a cloud of poisonous smoke that lasts for the duration. A creature that ends its turn completely within the cloud must succeed on a Constituation saving throw or take 1d10 poison damage and become stunned until the start of its next turn.

The creature is not returning from banishment on its turn. Therefore there is no save required for Toxic Cloud until the end of the creatures next turn (provided it is still within the area at that point).

Note: This Toxic Cloud spell appears to be homebrew and not from an official rulebook. I'm assuming it is the one you mean. If not it is probably Stinking Cloud as shown in Vylix's answer

Note, it sounds like you might be playing Moonbeam wrong.

Casting the moonbeam AOO on top of a creature does not trigger the damage when the spell is cast. See Is Moonbeam amazing, or are we doing it wrong? for the reasoning.

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linksassin
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