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Delayed Blast Fireball has a unique clause about physically grabbing and throwing the spell itself:

If the glowing bead is touched before the interval has expired, the creature touching it must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the spell ends immediately, causing the bead to erupt in flame. On a successful save, the creature can throw the bead up to 40 feet. When it strikes a creature or a solid object, the spell ends, and the bead explodes.

Casually, I've always assumed that this clause exists to act as some sort of counterplay to the mage casting Delayed Blast Fireball - the mage starts growing this ball of flame next to the party, the dextrous rogue decides to wing it and grab the bead, heroically beating the Dex Save and immolating the mage with his own spell.

Except this scenario would never realistically happen - a caster can end his concentration at any time possible, so as soon as he sees the rogue beat the Dex Save, he can just release concentration.

So why does Delayed Blast Fireball have this specific property?

I cant see this being utilized offensively by the mage himself, since wizards usually have pretty low Dex, and it would be pretty anticlimactic/humiliating to blow yourself after charging up this bomb.

V2Blast
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Nicbobo
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2 Answers2

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D&D 5e is built as a team game - consider the spell a team asset

Let's look at how your team can exploit this feature of the spell.

Situation 1: does the enemy know that there is a wizard in your group?

If not, then with the wizard hiding around a corner (or if the wizard is a halfling and hiding behind a Medium or large sized ally/PC) then the ability to cast this spell but have someone else throw it (the party Rogue or Monk for a high dexterity save) is a way to surprise your enemy with a fireball that they didn't see coming.

Situation 2: I want to keep the wizard out of harm's way

Party is in a room, but the wizard is in the adjacent room due to having low HP; one spell or missile hit and she may bite the bullet. Wizard casts delayed blast fireball, Rogue (or Monk) runs in, grabs it, and with a bonus action dashes out and then hurls it at the enemies ...

These are sample ways to exploit the portable nature of this spell. Your own group will doubtless come up with other team tactics that could take advantage of it.

Is it risky?

Yes. Stack the odds in your favor, as a team, by boosting the Rogue's dexterity saves. If the Rogue is an Arcane Trickster, they might be able to cast haste on themselves and get advantage on the save.
If the rogue is multi-classed as a barbarian, advantage on dexterity saving throws against spells comes at 2nd level of Barbarian.

The price of failure? A grand and glorious, and even cinematic disaster. This might be one of those "as a last resort" tactics if the party is in a serious bind.

Another use for that feature ...

Cast that and flee, leaving it in the middle of the cavern passageway, or hallway, as the pursuit rounds the corner. If they touch it or run into it or try and pick it up, kaboom is the likely outcome.

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KorvinStarmast
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    That would seem somewhat odd, as the save DC would be based on the wizard's stats - as the wizard becomes more magically puissant, their spells get more likely to blow up in the face of their friends? – Ben Barden Jan 30 '19 at 20:03
  • @BenBarden Yes, hence the risk and the need to get advantage on the save. (IMHO) – KorvinStarmast Jan 30 '19 at 20:18
  • @Ben Barden your right as the mage gets higher int their save goes up but considering a 20 int wizard and 20 dex rogue at same proficiency with no magic items the rogue only needs to roll 8 (9 based on DM) or higher to succeed or 60-65% success rate. Without resistance cantrip on rogue or etc – Deceptecium Jan 30 '19 at 20:19
  • "Rogue (or Monk) runs in, grabs it, and with a bonus action dashes out and then hurls it at the enemies" - the spell doesn't say you can carry/run with the bead. Only that you can throw it. Though this is certainly cool I'm not sure it is RAW. – linksassin Jan 30 '19 at 23:58
  • @linksassin As long as the wizard concentrates, it should not go off. That's how the spell reads. – KorvinStarmast Jan 31 '19 at 02:00
  • "On a successful save, the creature can throw the bead up to 40 feet. When it strikes a creature or a solid object, the spell ends, and the bead explodes." This says nothing about concentration. On a successful save you can throw it, nothing else. Once it strikes a creature or solid object (the ground) it explodes. – linksassin Jan 31 '19 at 02:30
  • @linksassin Throwing it is an action. The spell does not restrict them from moving it. Your comment approaches it from "unless it says you can you can't" and I approach it as "unless it says you can't, you can." Explicit Spell text on Concentration: "When the spell ends, either because your concentration is broken or because you decide to end it, the bead blossoms with a low roar into an explosion of flame that spreads around corners" – KorvinStarmast Jan 31 '19 at 02:32
  • Ok fair, tbh I would probably rule your way at the table under "rule of cool" I just don't think it's strictly RAW. – linksassin Jan 31 '19 at 02:34
  • @linksassin Fair point, and a fair comment. I did not frame this answer as "this is strict RAW" since I don't think it's that clear, and that may be why the question arose in the first place. There are some soft spots. I can see a different ruling along the lines your comment pointed to. – KorvinStarmast Jan 31 '19 at 02:36
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Presumably that's what the Dex save is for.

You can see the rogue going after the fireball and try to react by detonating it. If you time it right, you'll blow them up. If they're quicker than you, you'll fail.

This is also why letting a spellcaster drop concentration in the middle of someone else's action is a bad idea.

There is a moment in time when the rogue grabs the fireball to throw it away.

If the wizard is behind the rogue on initiative, then on the wizard player's turn, he can decide what he's doing at that moment, but it can't be "blow up the fireball" because we've already established that the rogue threw the fireball away. That's how initiative works.

If the wizard is ahead of the rogue on initiative, then on the wizard player's turn, he can decide he's blowing up the fireball, or not, or that he's going to watch the fireball carefully and blow up anyone who touches it. That last option is called "readying an action". If he didn't ready an action, then his attention is elsewhere at that moment (because he's doing some other action).

Mark Wells
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