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Are objects structures and/or vice versa?

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12

1

$begingroup$

An interesting issue came up in a game we were playing recently: Our party was on an airship and attacked by flying young dragons. My sorcerer cast a spell that triggered a wild magic surge and rolled a self-centered fireball (at 20,000 feet, whee!).

Here's the issue. Fireball says:

The fire spreads around corners. It ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

I've noticed that certain monsters have the "Siege Monster" feature which says:

Siege Monster. The [monster] deals double damage to objects and structures.

This suggests that objects and structures are legally different things and therefore Fireball would ignite an object but not a structure.

But then, perhaps a structure is a type of object? What is the nature/relationship of these two classifications of entities?

(For what it's worth, we ruled that the rope rigging was flammable because rope appears on the gear item table).

dnd-5e objects

share|improve this question

edited Apr 8 at 22:03

V2Blast

28.1k5101171

asked Apr 8 at 17:03

RykaraRykara

6,1091849

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  Related to, but not a duplicate of, this question
  $endgroup$
  – Mwr247
  Apr 8 at 17:05
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

12

1

$begingroup$

An interesting issue came up in a game we were playing recently: Our party was on an airship and attacked by flying young dragons. My sorcerer cast a spell that triggered a wild magic surge and rolled a self-centered fireball (at 20,000 feet, whee!).

Here's the issue. Fireball says:

The fire spreads around corners. It ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

I've noticed that certain monsters have the "Siege Monster" feature which says:

Siege Monster. The [monster] deals double damage to objects and structures.

This suggests that objects and structures are legally different things and therefore Fireball would ignite an object but not a structure.

But then, perhaps a structure is a type of object? What is the nature/relationship of these two classifications of entities?

(For what it's worth, we ruled that the rope rigging was flammable because rope appears on the gear item table).

dnd-5e objects

share|improve this question

edited Apr 8 at 22:03

V2Blast

28.1k5101171

asked Apr 8 at 17:03

RykaraRykara

6,1091849

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  Related to, but not a duplicate of, this question
  $endgroup$
  – Mwr247
  Apr 8 at 17:05
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

$begingroup$

An interesting issue came up in a game we were playing recently: Our party was on an airship and attacked by flying young dragons. My sorcerer cast a spell that triggered a wild magic surge and rolled a self-centered fireball (at 20,000 feet, whee!).

Here's the issue. Fireball says:

The fire spreads around corners. It ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

I've noticed that certain monsters have the "Siege Monster" feature which says:

Siege Monster. The [monster] deals double damage to objects and structures.

This suggests that objects and structures are legally different things and therefore Fireball would ignite an object but not a structure.

But then, perhaps a structure is a type of object? What is the nature/relationship of these two classifications of entities?

(For what it's worth, we ruled that the rope rigging was flammable because rope appears on the gear item table).

dnd-5e objects

share|improve this question

edited Apr 8 at 22:03

V2Blast

28.1k5101171

asked Apr 8 at 17:03

RykaraRykara

6,1091849

$endgroup$

share|improve this question

edited Apr 8 at 22:03

V2Blast

28.1k5101171

asked Apr 8 at 17:03

RykaraRykara

6,1091849

share|improve this question

edited Apr 8 at 22:03

V2Blast

28.1k5101171

asked Apr 8 at 17:03

RykaraRykara

6,1091849

edited Apr 8 at 22:03

V2Blast

28.1k5101171

edited Apr 8 at 22:03

V2Blast

28.1k5101171

asked Apr 8 at 17:03

RykaraRykara

6,1091849

asked Apr 8 at 17:03

RykaraRykara

6,1091849

1 Answer
1

active

oldest

votes

28

$begingroup$

A structure is not an object, but is made of objects

From page 246 of the DMG and the basic rules:

For the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone, not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects.

Lacking a definition from the source books, a "structure" is defined by its common English definition, which would be:

the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.

Thus a structure might be considered to be "a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects".

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 8 at 18:48

PixelMaster

13.5k351123

answered Apr 8 at 17:09

Mwr247Mwr247

3,0041727

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  You probably didn't even need to go with the common english. The object rules call out vehicle or building separately. But +1 anyway :)
  $endgroup$
  – NautArch
  Apr 8 at 17:13
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  @NautArch Agreed, but the object rules don't specifically state buildings or vehicles as structures. I wanted to solidify the assertion that 5e itself doesn't define what a structure is, and so we can fall back on the common definition to reach that conclusion with certainty.
  $endgroup$
  – Mwr247
  Apr 8 at 17:16
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  It might be worth pointing out that common sense would indicate that a burning object could certainly eventually set fire to a structure (GM adjudication, of course). I don't think this sort of thing needs to be made explicit within the rules themselves, though.
  $endgroup$
  – keithcurtis
  Apr 8 at 17:19
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  "Is made of objects" that jibes with our table-side ruling of the rope rigging being flammable but not the deck planking.
  $endgroup$
  – Rykara
  Apr 8 at 17:59
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  A DM could rule the structures to be combustible, meaning that when exposed to enough heat and time then it would start to burn. So a fireball would not start an airship on fire, but flammable objects on the airship left to burn could eventually ignite the ship.
  $endgroup$
  – Alk
  Apr 17 at 23:52
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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28

$begingroup$

A structure is not an object, but is made of objects

From page 246 of the DMG and the basic rules:

For the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone, not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects.

Lacking a definition from the source books, a "structure" is defined by its common English definition, which would be:

the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.

Thus a structure might be considered to be "a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects".

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 8 at 18:48

PixelMaster

13.5k351123

answered Apr 8 at 17:09

Mwr247Mwr247

3,0041727

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  You probably didn't even need to go with the common english. The object rules call out vehicle or building separately. But +1 anyway :)
  $endgroup$
  – NautArch
  Apr 8 at 17:13
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  @NautArch Agreed, but the object rules don't specifically state buildings or vehicles as structures. I wanted to solidify the assertion that 5e itself doesn't define what a structure is, and so we can fall back on the common definition to reach that conclusion with certainty.
  $endgroup$
  – Mwr247
  Apr 8 at 17:16
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  It might be worth pointing out that common sense would indicate that a burning object could certainly eventually set fire to a structure (GM adjudication, of course). I don't think this sort of thing needs to be made explicit within the rules themselves, though.
  $endgroup$
  – keithcurtis
  Apr 8 at 17:19
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  "Is made of objects" that jibes with our table-side ruling of the rope rigging being flammable but not the deck planking.
  $endgroup$
  – Rykara
  Apr 8 at 17:59
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  A DM could rule the structures to be combustible, meaning that when exposed to enough heat and time then it would start to burn. So a fireball would not start an airship on fire, but flammable objects on the airship left to burn could eventually ignite the ship.
  $endgroup$
  – Alk
  Apr 17 at 23:52
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

28

$begingroup$

A structure is not an object, but is made of objects

From page 246 of the DMG and the basic rules:

For the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone, not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects.

Lacking a definition from the source books, a "structure" is defined by its common English definition, which would be:

the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.

Thus a structure might be considered to be "a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects".

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 8 at 18:48

PixelMaster

13.5k351123

answered Apr 8 at 17:09

Mwr247Mwr247

3,0041727

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  You probably didn't even need to go with the common english. The object rules call out vehicle or building separately. But +1 anyway :)
  $endgroup$
  – NautArch
  Apr 8 at 17:13
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  @NautArch Agreed, but the object rules don't specifically state buildings or vehicles as structures. I wanted to solidify the assertion that 5e itself doesn't define what a structure is, and so we can fall back on the common definition to reach that conclusion with certainty.
  $endgroup$
  – Mwr247
  Apr 8 at 17:16
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  It might be worth pointing out that common sense would indicate that a burning object could certainly eventually set fire to a structure (GM adjudication, of course). I don't think this sort of thing needs to be made explicit within the rules themselves, though.
  $endgroup$
  – keithcurtis
  Apr 8 at 17:19
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  "Is made of objects" that jibes with our table-side ruling of the rope rigging being flammable but not the deck planking.
  $endgroup$
  – Rykara
  Apr 8 at 17:59
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  A DM could rule the structures to be combustible, meaning that when exposed to enough heat and time then it would start to burn. So a fireball would not start an airship on fire, but flammable objects on the airship left to burn could eventually ignite the ship.
  $endgroup$
  – Alk
  Apr 17 at 23:52
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

$begingroup$

A structure is not an object, but is made of objects

From page 246 of the DMG and the basic rules:

For the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone, not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects.

Lacking a definition from the source books, a "structure" is defined by its common English definition, which would be:

the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.

Thus a structure might be considered to be "a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects".

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 8 at 18:48

PixelMaster

13.5k351123

answered Apr 8 at 17:09

Mwr247Mwr247

3,0041727

$endgroup$

share|improve this answer

edited Apr 8 at 18:48

PixelMaster

13.5k351123

answered Apr 8 at 17:09

Mwr247Mwr247

3,0041727

edited Apr 8 at 18:48

PixelMaster

13.5k351123

edited Apr 8 at 18:48

PixelMaster

13.5k351123

answered Apr 8 at 17:09

Mwr247Mwr247

3,0041727

answered Apr 8 at 17:09

Mwr247Mwr247

3,0041727