How big is the area of the web spell created by a Cloak of Arachnida?











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A Cloak of Arachnida allows the wearer to cast the web spell, with the additional property:




the web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




The area of an ordinary web spell is a 20-foot cube. What would be the shape and size of the area covered by this special enhanced web spell? Would it be a 40-foot cube? A cube with exactly twice the volume of a 20-foot cube? Two adjacent 20-foot cubes? Or something else entirely?










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  • 15




    This question is deceptively difficult to answer.
    – goodguy5
    yesterday






  • 2




    The ambiguity of this wording seems like it'd make a good candidate for something to tweet Jeremy Crawford and ask. I imagine it might not get fixed in the errata coming soon with the Core Rules Gift Set release, given that it doesn't seem to have been asked (to him or elsewhere) before, but it's definitely unclear enough that it warrants better wording.
    – V2Blast
    yesterday










  • @XAQT78 See this FAQ for why your comment was removed. Thanks!
    – SevenSidedDie
    16 hours ago















up vote
29
down vote

favorite












A Cloak of Arachnida allows the wearer to cast the web spell, with the additional property:




the web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




The area of an ordinary web spell is a 20-foot cube. What would be the shape and size of the area covered by this special enhanced web spell? Would it be a 40-foot cube? A cube with exactly twice the volume of a 20-foot cube? Two adjacent 20-foot cubes? Or something else entirely?










share|improve this question




















  • 15




    This question is deceptively difficult to answer.
    – goodguy5
    yesterday






  • 2




    The ambiguity of this wording seems like it'd make a good candidate for something to tweet Jeremy Crawford and ask. I imagine it might not get fixed in the errata coming soon with the Core Rules Gift Set release, given that it doesn't seem to have been asked (to him or elsewhere) before, but it's definitely unclear enough that it warrants better wording.
    – V2Blast
    yesterday










  • @XAQT78 See this FAQ for why your comment was removed. Thanks!
    – SevenSidedDie
    16 hours ago













up vote
29
down vote

favorite









up vote
29
down vote

favorite











A Cloak of Arachnida allows the wearer to cast the web spell, with the additional property:




the web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




The area of an ordinary web spell is a 20-foot cube. What would be the shape and size of the area covered by this special enhanced web spell? Would it be a 40-foot cube? A cube with exactly twice the volume of a 20-foot cube? Two adjacent 20-foot cubes? Or something else entirely?










share|improve this question















A Cloak of Arachnida allows the wearer to cast the web spell, with the additional property:




the web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




The area of an ordinary web spell is a 20-foot cube. What would be the shape and size of the area covered by this special enhanced web spell? Would it be a 40-foot cube? A cube with exactly twice the volume of a 20-foot cube? Two adjacent 20-foot cubes? Or something else entirely?







dnd-5e spells magic-items area-of-effect






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edited 23 hours ago









Sdjz

9,85934891




9,85934891










asked yesterday









Ryan Thompson

3,40711042




3,40711042








  • 15




    This question is deceptively difficult to answer.
    – goodguy5
    yesterday






  • 2




    The ambiguity of this wording seems like it'd make a good candidate for something to tweet Jeremy Crawford and ask. I imagine it might not get fixed in the errata coming soon with the Core Rules Gift Set release, given that it doesn't seem to have been asked (to him or elsewhere) before, but it's definitely unclear enough that it warrants better wording.
    – V2Blast
    yesterday










  • @XAQT78 See this FAQ for why your comment was removed. Thanks!
    – SevenSidedDie
    16 hours ago














  • 15




    This question is deceptively difficult to answer.
    – goodguy5
    yesterday






  • 2




    The ambiguity of this wording seems like it'd make a good candidate for something to tweet Jeremy Crawford and ask. I imagine it might not get fixed in the errata coming soon with the Core Rules Gift Set release, given that it doesn't seem to have been asked (to him or elsewhere) before, but it's definitely unclear enough that it warrants better wording.
    – V2Blast
    yesterday










  • @XAQT78 See this FAQ for why your comment was removed. Thanks!
    – SevenSidedDie
    16 hours ago








15




15




This question is deceptively difficult to answer.
– goodguy5
yesterday




This question is deceptively difficult to answer.
– goodguy5
yesterday




2




2




The ambiguity of this wording seems like it'd make a good candidate for something to tweet Jeremy Crawford and ask. I imagine it might not get fixed in the errata coming soon with the Core Rules Gift Set release, given that it doesn't seem to have been asked (to him or elsewhere) before, but it's definitely unclear enough that it warrants better wording.
– V2Blast
yesterday




The ambiguity of this wording seems like it'd make a good candidate for something to tweet Jeremy Crawford and ask. I imagine it might not get fixed in the errata coming soon with the Core Rules Gift Set release, given that it doesn't seem to have been asked (to him or elsewhere) before, but it's definitely unclear enough that it warrants better wording.
– V2Blast
yesterday












@XAQT78 See this FAQ for why your comment was removed. Thanks!
– SevenSidedDie
16 hours ago




@XAQT78 See this FAQ for why your comment was removed. Thanks!
– SevenSidedDie
16 hours ago










3 Answers
3






active

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up vote
11
down vote













Twice the area of a 20-foot cube is two 20-foot cubes



I'm afraid this is one of those "There is no raw answer". So, we rely on a handful of "hints" from the devs until we get an official answer. The most relevant hint here to me is "plain text interpretation".



The book doesn't give any guidance I could find about doubling areas, at least not in this way. Normally, I'd pull up some definitions, but entries for words like "size" or "twice" aren't super helpful here.



Size (for example)




noun



the relative extent of something; a thing's overall dimensions or
magnitude; how big something is




The only course of action left is to decide upon the simplest and easiest to implement option.
Question: How many is one 20 foot cube?
Answer: One
Question: How many is twice of one?
Answer: Two



Two twenty-foot cubes... or a 20ft long, 20ft high, 40ft wide rectangular prism. Whichever.



I also realize that the spell says: (emphasis mine)




The web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




An argument can be made that they're telling us to double the ground area, which supports my answer.





The possibilities (from most to least likely in my view):



Twice the volume, but keep the height at 20

This is the most literal and simple to understand reading. This gives you either a shape that is 20x20x40, or if it is still a square, about 30 feet to a side (technically 28.28). This is also the same as doubling the area.



Twice the side length

We go from a 20 foot cube to a 40 foot cube. This is the easiest to envision, in my opinion. That gives us 64000 cubic feet of volume. You and I both know that 40 foot cube is much more than twice the volume of a 20 foot cube. But D&D is not a great reality simulator and it's an even worse math lesson.



Twice the volume (from the center)

A 20 foot cube is 8000 cubic feet. Twice that is 16000 cubic feet. The cube-root of 16000 gives us about 25 feet to a side.



Twice the side length, but keep the height at 20

20x40x40 gives us 32000 cubic feet.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    +1 This is actually sort of implied in the AD&D version of the rule ("Once per day the wearer of this cloak can cast a double-sized web" source). It would have been a lot nicer if they'd just used the word "volume" instead in any particular ruling. I wonder if we'll find an official errata or answer. Double-sized is so much easier to understand.
    – phyrfox
    yesterday










  • The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago












  • @phyrfox How is "double-sized" easier to understand? If anything, it seems even more ambiguous than "fills twice its normal area".
    – Ryan Thompson
    15 hours ago


















up vote
9
down vote














Probably a 30-foot cube


(but possibly 25-foot cube depending on how we explicate the RAW)


In 5e, "area" normally means two-dimensional map area, whereas a cube's dimensions define a three-dimensional volume of space, of course. So in the (poorly worded) description in RAW, to speak of the "area" of a "cube" is rather awkward, and has to be interpreted one way or the other (map area vs. cubic volume).

If it means "map area", then it's a cube that's double the map area it occupies, and that's about a 28.3-foot cube (square root of double the area of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think a DM would round up to "30-foot square" map area.



But if you interpret "area" here as "cubic volume", then the answer is 25.2 (cube root of double the volume of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think the DM would round to "25-foot cube".



As DM I would incline toward the former rather than the latter interpretation, though both are defensible due to the ambiguity in RAW.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    There is another, more literal possibility that it means surface area of the cube. Luckily, since the surface area is proportional to the area of a single face, so this ends up being equivalent to map area.
    – Vaelus
    23 hours ago






  • 1




    The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago


















up vote
-3
down vote













The Web's text states "fill a 20-foot cube" meaning, if you have a 20 ft cube (20 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft as per Cube PHB pg. 204) it will fill the whole area (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If you cast Web that doesn't "fill a 20-foot cube", i.e. not anchored, or layered across a floor, wall or ceiling, then it will collapse into a dense 5-foot depth (20 ft x 20 ft x 5 ft). Subsequently, at the start of the next turn the spell ends with this result.



Cloak of Arachnida states "...twice its normal area..." (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If the initial result fills a 20 ft cube "anchored" then twice the normal area (area defined as a space, not a dimension) the modified result would be 2 x 20 ft cube.



Since the area is space, then twice a 20 ft cube (in volume) is a 25 ft cube.



Unlike 3/3.5 walls, there is no option for changing the dimensions with Web. You only have a 20 ft cube to work with.






share|improve this answer























  • The discussion of anchored vs unanchored webs is irrelevant. I'm only asking what space the webs fill when the spell is cast, not the space they fill after they fall from being unanchored. (The latter is trivial to work out once the former is known.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    yesterday












  • @RyanThompson it is relevant you either cast it that fills the area the same as the web or it will spread out and condense to 5ft depth.
    – XAQT78
    20 hours ago






  • 1




    @XAQT78 The collapse of an unanchored web only occurs after the spell is already cast, so it has nothing to do with how much space the webs can fill when you're casting the spell.
    – Ryan Thompson
    19 hours ago










  • @RyanThompson the collapse happens if when you cast the spell, it doesn’t fill the 20 ft cube .. i.e. if you have a cube 20x25 .. it will collapse .. if you cast it out in the open or against a wall .. it will collapse. It’s only anchored when it fills up to a 20 ft cube, when you cast it
    – XAQT78
    34 mins ago











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3 Answers
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3






active

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up vote
11
down vote













Twice the area of a 20-foot cube is two 20-foot cubes



I'm afraid this is one of those "There is no raw answer". So, we rely on a handful of "hints" from the devs until we get an official answer. The most relevant hint here to me is "plain text interpretation".



The book doesn't give any guidance I could find about doubling areas, at least not in this way. Normally, I'd pull up some definitions, but entries for words like "size" or "twice" aren't super helpful here.



Size (for example)




noun



the relative extent of something; a thing's overall dimensions or
magnitude; how big something is




The only course of action left is to decide upon the simplest and easiest to implement option.
Question: How many is one 20 foot cube?
Answer: One
Question: How many is twice of one?
Answer: Two



Two twenty-foot cubes... or a 20ft long, 20ft high, 40ft wide rectangular prism. Whichever.



I also realize that the spell says: (emphasis mine)




The web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




An argument can be made that they're telling us to double the ground area, which supports my answer.





The possibilities (from most to least likely in my view):



Twice the volume, but keep the height at 20

This is the most literal and simple to understand reading. This gives you either a shape that is 20x20x40, or if it is still a square, about 30 feet to a side (technically 28.28). This is also the same as doubling the area.



Twice the side length

We go from a 20 foot cube to a 40 foot cube. This is the easiest to envision, in my opinion. That gives us 64000 cubic feet of volume. You and I both know that 40 foot cube is much more than twice the volume of a 20 foot cube. But D&D is not a great reality simulator and it's an even worse math lesson.



Twice the volume (from the center)

A 20 foot cube is 8000 cubic feet. Twice that is 16000 cubic feet. The cube-root of 16000 gives us about 25 feet to a side.



Twice the side length, but keep the height at 20

20x40x40 gives us 32000 cubic feet.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    +1 This is actually sort of implied in the AD&D version of the rule ("Once per day the wearer of this cloak can cast a double-sized web" source). It would have been a lot nicer if they'd just used the word "volume" instead in any particular ruling. I wonder if we'll find an official errata or answer. Double-sized is so much easier to understand.
    – phyrfox
    yesterday










  • The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago












  • @phyrfox How is "double-sized" easier to understand? If anything, it seems even more ambiguous than "fills twice its normal area".
    – Ryan Thompson
    15 hours ago















up vote
11
down vote













Twice the area of a 20-foot cube is two 20-foot cubes



I'm afraid this is one of those "There is no raw answer". So, we rely on a handful of "hints" from the devs until we get an official answer. The most relevant hint here to me is "plain text interpretation".



The book doesn't give any guidance I could find about doubling areas, at least not in this way. Normally, I'd pull up some definitions, but entries for words like "size" or "twice" aren't super helpful here.



Size (for example)




noun



the relative extent of something; a thing's overall dimensions or
magnitude; how big something is




The only course of action left is to decide upon the simplest and easiest to implement option.
Question: How many is one 20 foot cube?
Answer: One
Question: How many is twice of one?
Answer: Two



Two twenty-foot cubes... or a 20ft long, 20ft high, 40ft wide rectangular prism. Whichever.



I also realize that the spell says: (emphasis mine)




The web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




An argument can be made that they're telling us to double the ground area, which supports my answer.





The possibilities (from most to least likely in my view):



Twice the volume, but keep the height at 20

This is the most literal and simple to understand reading. This gives you either a shape that is 20x20x40, or if it is still a square, about 30 feet to a side (technically 28.28). This is also the same as doubling the area.



Twice the side length

We go from a 20 foot cube to a 40 foot cube. This is the easiest to envision, in my opinion. That gives us 64000 cubic feet of volume. You and I both know that 40 foot cube is much more than twice the volume of a 20 foot cube. But D&D is not a great reality simulator and it's an even worse math lesson.



Twice the volume (from the center)

A 20 foot cube is 8000 cubic feet. Twice that is 16000 cubic feet. The cube-root of 16000 gives us about 25 feet to a side.



Twice the side length, but keep the height at 20

20x40x40 gives us 32000 cubic feet.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    +1 This is actually sort of implied in the AD&D version of the rule ("Once per day the wearer of this cloak can cast a double-sized web" source). It would have been a lot nicer if they'd just used the word "volume" instead in any particular ruling. I wonder if we'll find an official errata or answer. Double-sized is so much easier to understand.
    – phyrfox
    yesterday










  • The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago












  • @phyrfox How is "double-sized" easier to understand? If anything, it seems even more ambiguous than "fills twice its normal area".
    – Ryan Thompson
    15 hours ago













up vote
11
down vote










up vote
11
down vote









Twice the area of a 20-foot cube is two 20-foot cubes



I'm afraid this is one of those "There is no raw answer". So, we rely on a handful of "hints" from the devs until we get an official answer. The most relevant hint here to me is "plain text interpretation".



The book doesn't give any guidance I could find about doubling areas, at least not in this way. Normally, I'd pull up some definitions, but entries for words like "size" or "twice" aren't super helpful here.



Size (for example)




noun



the relative extent of something; a thing's overall dimensions or
magnitude; how big something is




The only course of action left is to decide upon the simplest and easiest to implement option.
Question: How many is one 20 foot cube?
Answer: One
Question: How many is twice of one?
Answer: Two



Two twenty-foot cubes... or a 20ft long, 20ft high, 40ft wide rectangular prism. Whichever.



I also realize that the spell says: (emphasis mine)




The web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




An argument can be made that they're telling us to double the ground area, which supports my answer.





The possibilities (from most to least likely in my view):



Twice the volume, but keep the height at 20

This is the most literal and simple to understand reading. This gives you either a shape that is 20x20x40, or if it is still a square, about 30 feet to a side (technically 28.28). This is also the same as doubling the area.



Twice the side length

We go from a 20 foot cube to a 40 foot cube. This is the easiest to envision, in my opinion. That gives us 64000 cubic feet of volume. You and I both know that 40 foot cube is much more than twice the volume of a 20 foot cube. But D&D is not a great reality simulator and it's an even worse math lesson.



Twice the volume (from the center)

A 20 foot cube is 8000 cubic feet. Twice that is 16000 cubic feet. The cube-root of 16000 gives us about 25 feet to a side.



Twice the side length, but keep the height at 20

20x40x40 gives us 32000 cubic feet.






share|improve this answer














Twice the area of a 20-foot cube is two 20-foot cubes



I'm afraid this is one of those "There is no raw answer". So, we rely on a handful of "hints" from the devs until we get an official answer. The most relevant hint here to me is "plain text interpretation".



The book doesn't give any guidance I could find about doubling areas, at least not in this way. Normally, I'd pull up some definitions, but entries for words like "size" or "twice" aren't super helpful here.



Size (for example)




noun



the relative extent of something; a thing's overall dimensions or
magnitude; how big something is




The only course of action left is to decide upon the simplest and easiest to implement option.
Question: How many is one 20 foot cube?
Answer: One
Question: How many is twice of one?
Answer: Two



Two twenty-foot cubes... or a 20ft long, 20ft high, 40ft wide rectangular prism. Whichever.



I also realize that the spell says: (emphasis mine)




The web created by the spell fills twice its normal area.




An argument can be made that they're telling us to double the ground area, which supports my answer.





The possibilities (from most to least likely in my view):



Twice the volume, but keep the height at 20

This is the most literal and simple to understand reading. This gives you either a shape that is 20x20x40, or if it is still a square, about 30 feet to a side (technically 28.28). This is also the same as doubling the area.



Twice the side length

We go from a 20 foot cube to a 40 foot cube. This is the easiest to envision, in my opinion. That gives us 64000 cubic feet of volume. You and I both know that 40 foot cube is much more than twice the volume of a 20 foot cube. But D&D is not a great reality simulator and it's an even worse math lesson.



Twice the volume (from the center)

A 20 foot cube is 8000 cubic feet. Twice that is 16000 cubic feet. The cube-root of 16000 gives us about 25 feet to a side.



Twice the side length, but keep the height at 20

20x40x40 gives us 32000 cubic feet.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited yesterday









Rubiksmoose

42.2k5207321




42.2k5207321










answered yesterday









goodguy5

5,15811856




5,15811856








  • 1




    +1 This is actually sort of implied in the AD&D version of the rule ("Once per day the wearer of this cloak can cast a double-sized web" source). It would have been a lot nicer if they'd just used the word "volume" instead in any particular ruling. I wonder if we'll find an official errata or answer. Double-sized is so much easier to understand.
    – phyrfox
    yesterday










  • The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago












  • @phyrfox How is "double-sized" easier to understand? If anything, it seems even more ambiguous than "fills twice its normal area".
    – Ryan Thompson
    15 hours ago














  • 1




    +1 This is actually sort of implied in the AD&D version of the rule ("Once per day the wearer of this cloak can cast a double-sized web" source). It would have been a lot nicer if they'd just used the word "volume" instead in any particular ruling. I wonder if we'll find an official errata or answer. Double-sized is so much easier to understand.
    – phyrfox
    yesterday










  • The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago












  • @phyrfox How is "double-sized" easier to understand? If anything, it seems even more ambiguous than "fills twice its normal area".
    – Ryan Thompson
    15 hours ago








1




1




+1 This is actually sort of implied in the AD&D version of the rule ("Once per day the wearer of this cloak can cast a double-sized web" source). It would have been a lot nicer if they'd just used the word "volume" instead in any particular ruling. I wonder if we'll find an official errata or answer. Double-sized is so much easier to understand.
– phyrfox
yesterday




+1 This is actually sort of implied in the AD&D version of the rule ("Once per day the wearer of this cloak can cast a double-sized web" source). It would have been a lot nicer if they'd just used the word "volume" instead in any particular ruling. I wonder if we'll find an official errata or answer. Double-sized is so much easier to understand.
– phyrfox
yesterday












The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
– XAQT78
19 hours ago






The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
– XAQT78
19 hours ago














@phyrfox How is "double-sized" easier to understand? If anything, it seems even more ambiguous than "fills twice its normal area".
– Ryan Thompson
15 hours ago




@phyrfox How is "double-sized" easier to understand? If anything, it seems even more ambiguous than "fills twice its normal area".
– Ryan Thompson
15 hours ago












up vote
9
down vote














Probably a 30-foot cube


(but possibly 25-foot cube depending on how we explicate the RAW)


In 5e, "area" normally means two-dimensional map area, whereas a cube's dimensions define a three-dimensional volume of space, of course. So in the (poorly worded) description in RAW, to speak of the "area" of a "cube" is rather awkward, and has to be interpreted one way or the other (map area vs. cubic volume).

If it means "map area", then it's a cube that's double the map area it occupies, and that's about a 28.3-foot cube (square root of double the area of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think a DM would round up to "30-foot square" map area.



But if you interpret "area" here as "cubic volume", then the answer is 25.2 (cube root of double the volume of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think the DM would round to "25-foot cube".



As DM I would incline toward the former rather than the latter interpretation, though both are defensible due to the ambiguity in RAW.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    There is another, more literal possibility that it means surface area of the cube. Luckily, since the surface area is proportional to the area of a single face, so this ends up being equivalent to map area.
    – Vaelus
    23 hours ago






  • 1




    The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago















up vote
9
down vote














Probably a 30-foot cube


(but possibly 25-foot cube depending on how we explicate the RAW)


In 5e, "area" normally means two-dimensional map area, whereas a cube's dimensions define a three-dimensional volume of space, of course. So in the (poorly worded) description in RAW, to speak of the "area" of a "cube" is rather awkward, and has to be interpreted one way or the other (map area vs. cubic volume).

If it means "map area", then it's a cube that's double the map area it occupies, and that's about a 28.3-foot cube (square root of double the area of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think a DM would round up to "30-foot square" map area.



But if you interpret "area" here as "cubic volume", then the answer is 25.2 (cube root of double the volume of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think the DM would round to "25-foot cube".



As DM I would incline toward the former rather than the latter interpretation, though both are defensible due to the ambiguity in RAW.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    There is another, more literal possibility that it means surface area of the cube. Luckily, since the surface area is proportional to the area of a single face, so this ends up being equivalent to map area.
    – Vaelus
    23 hours ago






  • 1




    The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago













up vote
9
down vote










up vote
9
down vote










Probably a 30-foot cube


(but possibly 25-foot cube depending on how we explicate the RAW)


In 5e, "area" normally means two-dimensional map area, whereas a cube's dimensions define a three-dimensional volume of space, of course. So in the (poorly worded) description in RAW, to speak of the "area" of a "cube" is rather awkward, and has to be interpreted one way or the other (map area vs. cubic volume).

If it means "map area", then it's a cube that's double the map area it occupies, and that's about a 28.3-foot cube (square root of double the area of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think a DM would round up to "30-foot square" map area.



But if you interpret "area" here as "cubic volume", then the answer is 25.2 (cube root of double the volume of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think the DM would round to "25-foot cube".



As DM I would incline toward the former rather than the latter interpretation, though both are defensible due to the ambiguity in RAW.






share|improve this answer













Probably a 30-foot cube


(but possibly 25-foot cube depending on how we explicate the RAW)


In 5e, "area" normally means two-dimensional map area, whereas a cube's dimensions define a three-dimensional volume of space, of course. So in the (poorly worded) description in RAW, to speak of the "area" of a "cube" is rather awkward, and has to be interpreted one way or the other (map area vs. cubic volume).

If it means "map area", then it's a cube that's double the map area it occupies, and that's about a 28.3-foot cube (square root of double the area of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think a DM would round up to "30-foot square" map area.



But if you interpret "area" here as "cubic volume", then the answer is 25.2 (cube root of double the volume of a twenty-foot cube), which I would think the DM would round to "25-foot cube".



As DM I would incline toward the former rather than the latter interpretation, though both are defensible due to the ambiguity in RAW.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered yesterday









Valley Lad

714313




714313








  • 2




    There is another, more literal possibility that it means surface area of the cube. Luckily, since the surface area is proportional to the area of a single face, so this ends up being equivalent to map area.
    – Vaelus
    23 hours ago






  • 1




    The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago














  • 2




    There is another, more literal possibility that it means surface area of the cube. Luckily, since the surface area is proportional to the area of a single face, so this ends up being equivalent to map area.
    – Vaelus
    23 hours ago






  • 1




    The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
    – XAQT78
    19 hours ago








2




2




There is another, more literal possibility that it means surface area of the cube. Luckily, since the surface area is proportional to the area of a single face, so this ends up being equivalent to map area.
– Vaelus
23 hours ago




There is another, more literal possibility that it means surface area of the cube. Luckily, since the surface area is proportional to the area of a single face, so this ends up being equivalent to map area.
– Vaelus
23 hours ago




1




1




The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
– XAQT78
19 hours ago




The area is defined as space not dimensions. So twice the normal space which is a 20 ft cube, is only 2x 20 ft cubes or 1 25 ft cube. It doesn't refer to volume or cubic feet either, but in order to "twice the normal space" we double the volume.
– XAQT78
19 hours ago










up vote
-3
down vote













The Web's text states "fill a 20-foot cube" meaning, if you have a 20 ft cube (20 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft as per Cube PHB pg. 204) it will fill the whole area (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If you cast Web that doesn't "fill a 20-foot cube", i.e. not anchored, or layered across a floor, wall or ceiling, then it will collapse into a dense 5-foot depth (20 ft x 20 ft x 5 ft). Subsequently, at the start of the next turn the spell ends with this result.



Cloak of Arachnida states "...twice its normal area..." (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If the initial result fills a 20 ft cube "anchored" then twice the normal area (area defined as a space, not a dimension) the modified result would be 2 x 20 ft cube.



Since the area is space, then twice a 20 ft cube (in volume) is a 25 ft cube.



Unlike 3/3.5 walls, there is no option for changing the dimensions with Web. You only have a 20 ft cube to work with.






share|improve this answer























  • The discussion of anchored vs unanchored webs is irrelevant. I'm only asking what space the webs fill when the spell is cast, not the space they fill after they fall from being unanchored. (The latter is trivial to work out once the former is known.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    yesterday












  • @RyanThompson it is relevant you either cast it that fills the area the same as the web or it will spread out and condense to 5ft depth.
    – XAQT78
    20 hours ago






  • 1




    @XAQT78 The collapse of an unanchored web only occurs after the spell is already cast, so it has nothing to do with how much space the webs can fill when you're casting the spell.
    – Ryan Thompson
    19 hours ago










  • @RyanThompson the collapse happens if when you cast the spell, it doesn’t fill the 20 ft cube .. i.e. if you have a cube 20x25 .. it will collapse .. if you cast it out in the open or against a wall .. it will collapse. It’s only anchored when it fills up to a 20 ft cube, when you cast it
    – XAQT78
    34 mins ago















up vote
-3
down vote













The Web's text states "fill a 20-foot cube" meaning, if you have a 20 ft cube (20 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft as per Cube PHB pg. 204) it will fill the whole area (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If you cast Web that doesn't "fill a 20-foot cube", i.e. not anchored, or layered across a floor, wall or ceiling, then it will collapse into a dense 5-foot depth (20 ft x 20 ft x 5 ft). Subsequently, at the start of the next turn the spell ends with this result.



Cloak of Arachnida states "...twice its normal area..." (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If the initial result fills a 20 ft cube "anchored" then twice the normal area (area defined as a space, not a dimension) the modified result would be 2 x 20 ft cube.



Since the area is space, then twice a 20 ft cube (in volume) is a 25 ft cube.



Unlike 3/3.5 walls, there is no option for changing the dimensions with Web. You only have a 20 ft cube to work with.






share|improve this answer























  • The discussion of anchored vs unanchored webs is irrelevant. I'm only asking what space the webs fill when the spell is cast, not the space they fill after they fall from being unanchored. (The latter is trivial to work out once the former is known.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    yesterday












  • @RyanThompson it is relevant you either cast it that fills the area the same as the web or it will spread out and condense to 5ft depth.
    – XAQT78
    20 hours ago






  • 1




    @XAQT78 The collapse of an unanchored web only occurs after the spell is already cast, so it has nothing to do with how much space the webs can fill when you're casting the spell.
    – Ryan Thompson
    19 hours ago










  • @RyanThompson the collapse happens if when you cast the spell, it doesn’t fill the 20 ft cube .. i.e. if you have a cube 20x25 .. it will collapse .. if you cast it out in the open or against a wall .. it will collapse. It’s only anchored when it fills up to a 20 ft cube, when you cast it
    – XAQT78
    34 mins ago













up vote
-3
down vote










up vote
-3
down vote









The Web's text states "fill a 20-foot cube" meaning, if you have a 20 ft cube (20 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft as per Cube PHB pg. 204) it will fill the whole area (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If you cast Web that doesn't "fill a 20-foot cube", i.e. not anchored, or layered across a floor, wall or ceiling, then it will collapse into a dense 5-foot depth (20 ft x 20 ft x 5 ft). Subsequently, at the start of the next turn the spell ends with this result.



Cloak of Arachnida states "...twice its normal area..." (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If the initial result fills a 20 ft cube "anchored" then twice the normal area (area defined as a space, not a dimension) the modified result would be 2 x 20 ft cube.



Since the area is space, then twice a 20 ft cube (in volume) is a 25 ft cube.



Unlike 3/3.5 walls, there is no option for changing the dimensions with Web. You only have a 20 ft cube to work with.






share|improve this answer














The Web's text states "fill a 20-foot cube" meaning, if you have a 20 ft cube (20 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft as per Cube PHB pg. 204) it will fill the whole area (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If you cast Web that doesn't "fill a 20-foot cube", i.e. not anchored, or layered across a floor, wall or ceiling, then it will collapse into a dense 5-foot depth (20 ft x 20 ft x 5 ft). Subsequently, at the start of the next turn the spell ends with this result.



Cloak of Arachnida states "...twice its normal area..." (area defined as a space, not a dimension).



If the initial result fills a 20 ft cube "anchored" then twice the normal area (area defined as a space, not a dimension) the modified result would be 2 x 20 ft cube.



Since the area is space, then twice a 20 ft cube (in volume) is a 25 ft cube.



Unlike 3/3.5 walls, there is no option for changing the dimensions with Web. You only have a 20 ft cube to work with.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 8 hours ago









Rubiksmoose

42.2k5207321




42.2k5207321










answered yesterday









XAQT78

547111




547111












  • The discussion of anchored vs unanchored webs is irrelevant. I'm only asking what space the webs fill when the spell is cast, not the space they fill after they fall from being unanchored. (The latter is trivial to work out once the former is known.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    yesterday












  • @RyanThompson it is relevant you either cast it that fills the area the same as the web or it will spread out and condense to 5ft depth.
    – XAQT78
    20 hours ago






  • 1




    @XAQT78 The collapse of an unanchored web only occurs after the spell is already cast, so it has nothing to do with how much space the webs can fill when you're casting the spell.
    – Ryan Thompson
    19 hours ago










  • @RyanThompson the collapse happens if when you cast the spell, it doesn’t fill the 20 ft cube .. i.e. if you have a cube 20x25 .. it will collapse .. if you cast it out in the open or against a wall .. it will collapse. It’s only anchored when it fills up to a 20 ft cube, when you cast it
    – XAQT78
    34 mins ago


















  • The discussion of anchored vs unanchored webs is irrelevant. I'm only asking what space the webs fill when the spell is cast, not the space they fill after they fall from being unanchored. (The latter is trivial to work out once the former is known.)
    – Ryan Thompson
    yesterday












  • @RyanThompson it is relevant you either cast it that fills the area the same as the web or it will spread out and condense to 5ft depth.
    – XAQT78
    20 hours ago






  • 1




    @XAQT78 The collapse of an unanchored web only occurs after the spell is already cast, so it has nothing to do with how much space the webs can fill when you're casting the spell.
    – Ryan Thompson
    19 hours ago










  • @RyanThompson the collapse happens if when you cast the spell, it doesn’t fill the 20 ft cube .. i.e. if you have a cube 20x25 .. it will collapse .. if you cast it out in the open or against a wall .. it will collapse. It’s only anchored when it fills up to a 20 ft cube, when you cast it
    – XAQT78
    34 mins ago
















The discussion of anchored vs unanchored webs is irrelevant. I'm only asking what space the webs fill when the spell is cast, not the space they fill after they fall from being unanchored. (The latter is trivial to work out once the former is known.)
– Ryan Thompson
yesterday






The discussion of anchored vs unanchored webs is irrelevant. I'm only asking what space the webs fill when the spell is cast, not the space they fill after they fall from being unanchored. (The latter is trivial to work out once the former is known.)
– Ryan Thompson
yesterday














@RyanThompson it is relevant you either cast it that fills the area the same as the web or it will spread out and condense to 5ft depth.
– XAQT78
20 hours ago




@RyanThompson it is relevant you either cast it that fills the area the same as the web or it will spread out and condense to 5ft depth.
– XAQT78
20 hours ago




1




1




@XAQT78 The collapse of an unanchored web only occurs after the spell is already cast, so it has nothing to do with how much space the webs can fill when you're casting the spell.
– Ryan Thompson
19 hours ago




@XAQT78 The collapse of an unanchored web only occurs after the spell is already cast, so it has nothing to do with how much space the webs can fill when you're casting the spell.
– Ryan Thompson
19 hours ago












@RyanThompson the collapse happens if when you cast the spell, it doesn’t fill the 20 ft cube .. i.e. if you have a cube 20x25 .. it will collapse .. if you cast it out in the open or against a wall .. it will collapse. It’s only anchored when it fills up to a 20 ft cube, when you cast it
– XAQT78
34 mins ago




@RyanThompson the collapse happens if when you cast the spell, it doesn’t fill the 20 ft cube .. i.e. if you have a cube 20x25 .. it will collapse .. if you cast it out in the open or against a wall .. it will collapse. It’s only anchored when it fills up to a 20 ft cube, when you cast it
– XAQT78
34 mins ago


















 

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