Spells and Area of Effect, how do you handle it?

[scadgrad]

Take Sleep for example, how do you adjudicate this spell and others which, in other editions have a defined Area of Effect?

IMC, we use the RC 40' area and since I don't typically employ a battlemat, I don't allow the spell to be cast as if there were hexes/squares. That is to say, that if the front line is engaged w/ a group of Orcs, and the MU hurls the spell into the melee, the combatants aren't glued in a static fashion in their nice, tidy 5' square. In other words, if the Orcs who are fighting your front row guys can be effected, it makes sense to me that those front line fighters could be effected as well.

I'm curious to hear how others work this out in their campaigns. Thanks in advance for your posts.

[bighara]

We usually use a battlemat because I have several of them, and oodles of minis, Hirst Arts pieces, etc. But otherwise it usually isn't a big issue because in a dungeon, the space is often confined enough that an AoE is going to be limited by things like walls more than having a lot of extra space that it doesn't fill. In cases, where there is a need to precise placement and we aren't using minis and the mat, then the caster can make an INT roll to try and get the spell exactly where he wants (if the AoE and space allow). If a player can make a good case as to why his PC isn't in the AoE, then I might listen and/or give him a + to his save.

Generally, that's why I like the mat. It saves time. YMMV

[Dyson Logos]

I run melee as if the melee were an area of it's own. Either you are in the melee or out of it. So you cast area effect spells into groups that are not involved in melee or once you are level 5 you pop sleep spells directly on your melee fighters knowing that it won't affect them.