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The wind wall spell description includes the following line:

Arrows, bolts, and other ordinary projectiles launched at targets behind the wall are deflected upward and automatically miss.

Does "behind the wall" imply either side, or does it imply that the wall is a one-sided shield? In the latter case, "behind the wall" meaning everyone on the caster's side of the wall, essentially.

V2Blast
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Tanthos
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1 Answers1

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Yes, it applies to all (normal) projectiles fired through the wall

As you noted, the wind wall spell creates a wall of wind that blows upward, and says:

Small or smaller flying creatures or objects can't pass through the wall. Loose, lightweight materials brought into the wall fly upward. Arrows, bolts, and other ordinary projectiles launched at targets behind the wall are deflected upward and automatically miss. (Boulders hurled by giants or siege engines, and similar projectiles, are unaffected.)

This is true of creatures and objects that meet this description, regardless of whether they are associated with the caster, their allies, or their enemies.

All physical thrown weapons or ammunition/projectiles for ranged weapons would probably be considered "Small or smaller [...] objects", which can't pass through the wall. (Ranged spells, in contrast, are not "ordinary projectiles", and aren't objects either, so they would probably be able to pass through the wall.)

Spells do what they say they do; if there's no exception for or specification of which creatures or objects the spell's effects apply to, it applies to all creatures or objects per the description.

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V2Blast
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    Does it mean caster cannot use ranged weapons? What about magical projectiles, like magic missile, fire bolt, and such? – Vylix Jan 16 '19 at 20:31
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    I think the answer is fairly clear here; the caster's ranged weapons are treated no differently than anyone else's. And magical projectiles are not what I would call "oridnary projectiles". – Zhuge Jan 16 '19 at 20:33
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    @Vylix: Most ranged weapons fire "arrows, bolts, [or] other ordinary projectiles", so those would be deflected by the wall. As for magical projectiles, I don't think those would be considered "ordinary projectiles" (they're certainly not "loose, lightweight materials" as indicated by the previous sentence, and magic is essentially the opposite of a normal projectile here), so I think those would work. – V2Blast Jan 16 '19 at 20:33
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    @NautArch usually "mundane" is used to refer to "nonmagical", hence I ask to suggest if you might want to add that into your answer – Vylix Jan 16 '19 at 20:36
  • NautArch doesn't have a posted answer from what I can see. – Token Jan 16 '19 at 20:48