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If a spellcaster using Magic Jar casts a spell which requires concentration and then returns to the container, can they maintain concentration while in the jar?

V2Blast
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Cacse
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  • By spell caster, are you inhabiting your own body again? Or inhabiting someone else? – JohnP Aug 28 '19 at 15:45
  • The spellcaster (caster of Magic Jar) is possessing a "victim". He casts a spell from the body of the victim, and then returns to the jar. Does this break his concentration? If concentration is not necessarily broken, who would be maintaining concentration: the spellcaster in the jar, or the victim now returned to their own body? – Cacse Aug 28 '19 at 15:53

1 Answers1

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Sometimes

In all these cases I assume the original body, the possessed body and the magic jar are within 30ft of each other (to avoid edge cases), and in cases where the possessed body dies, the possessor succeeds on the saving throw.

If you use your action to return to the jar after possessing a creature, there is no reason why concentration on a spell you cast when you were possessing that creature would be broken. No status effect or condition is inflicted, so unless the DM rules otherwise concentration should not be lost when voluntarily returning to your body.

The more interesting case is when the body you are inhabiting gets killed. If it is killed from failing death saves, presumably you (or the body you possess) would have lost consciousness prior to death, and thus you would lose concentration on your spell.
However, if you are killed outright, it is unclear as to whether there is a split second of unconsciousness before you are returned to the container. Personally I would rule that you lose concentration (you died, after all), but it is unclear.

One thing to note is that magic jar does not impose the incapacitated condition, which would stop a caster from concentrating. Instead it just removes the ability to take all actions bar the possession action. If it did impose this condition, the caster would immediately lose concentration the moment they return to the container.

L0neGamer
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  • "so unless the DM rules otherwise concentration should not be lost when voluntarily returning to your body."

    In this case, though, you're returning to the jar, not your body. I suppose my question is whether concentration is tied to the soul or the brain (if there's a meaningful difference in 5e).

     – Cacse Aug 28 '19 at 16:29
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    That's the thing, @Cacse, I can see no RAW reason why you should lose concentration. They could have easily ruled that you are incapacitated apart from this single action, but instead they rehash the condition out. – L0neGamer Aug 28 '19 at 16:37