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Magic Circle has the following effect on creatures of a specified type:

The creature can't willingly enter the cylinder by nonmagical means. If the creature tries to use teleportation or interplanar travel to do so, it must first succeed on a Charisma saving throw.

Otiluke's Resilient Sphere states:

Nothing - not physical objects, energy, or other spell effects - can pass through the barrier, in or out, though a creature in the sphere can breathe there.

Does the quoted effect from the Sphere beat the quoted effect from the Circle? In other words, could a creature of a type affected by a cast Magic Circle enclose itself in an Otiluke's Resilient Sphere and freely roll themselves into the cylinder of the Magic Circle?

V2Blast
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Vigil
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2 Answers2

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Based on an entirely legalistic reading of the spell descriptions, it seems as if they do not interact in any meaningful way.

Specifically:

The creature can't willingly enter the cylinder by nonmagical means.

Rolling oneself across the barrier of said circle within a magically conjured resilient sphere is, arguably, a magical means of entry and so unaffected by the prohibition. It's also not a form of teleportation or interplanar travel, so it wouldn't even require a Charisma check.

Extension of this particular semantic argument to a broader scope would suggest that one can also freely enter the cylinder provided one levitates in, spider-climbs in, or walks across while wearing magic shoes. Obviously, this is deeply silly.

Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge no more authoritative answer is available. It is very difficult to effectively prove a negative, but I have not been able to find any (e.g, designer's) statement on the interaction of these two spells. That may change; until it does, all you can do is choose to rule it (presumably differently from said ridiculous legalistic interpretation) according to your taste.

V2Blast
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a computing pun
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    Aren't cylinders closed at the top and bottom? Levitating in shouldn't work – Pierre Cathé Apr 05 '19 at 11:26
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    @PierreCathé Because it's a magical means, not because they'd go over the circle. – Miniman Apr 05 '19 at 11:37
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    Ah my bad, that seems legally correct, although it feels wrong – Pierre Cathé Apr 05 '19 at 11:40
  • Thanks for the answer. Is there anything to suggest whether or not, if hypothetically this legalistic interpretation did not mean you could use any non-teleportation magic to enter the cylinder, that the Sphere blocking spell effects would be a separate reason it (and not, e.g. Levitate) could get you into the Circle? – Vigil Apr 05 '19 at 12:58
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    How is walking wearing magic shoes not a nonmagical mean? The shoes don't enable the walking (unlike how levitating, rolling on a sphere, and spider-climbing necessitate the magic for the action). – David Coffron Apr 05 '19 at 13:11
  • "walks across while wearing magic shoes" simply wearing the shoes doesn't make the means magical; on the other hand, if they where magical tap-dancing shoes and the wearer was tap dancing... – Yakk Apr 05 '19 at 15:20
  • Might be worth noting that the creature can not attack while in the sphere and the creature would still attack anyone in the magic circle with disadvantage when the sphere ends even if it ends while the creature is in the magic circle. – lightcat Apr 05 '19 at 15:46
  • FYI, I accepted the other answer since it more directly relates to my question about whether the Sphere blocked line of effect of the Circle, but think your point here is a very interesting one, and have asked https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/144942/magic-circle-what-doesnt-fall-under-non-magical-means about the topic you raise here. Your input would be very welcome on that question. – Vigil Apr 10 '19 at 12:44
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Yes, you can enter the circle

The resilient sphere effectively excludes anything it encloses from outside spell effect areas. As the effect of the magic circle originates outside, it does not have any effect on a creature rolling inside the sphere, as it is not considered to be in its area of effect.

Szega
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