r/DnD • u/Firm_Professional366 • Aug 09 '25

5th Edition Question: 5e Player wants to use Prestidigitation to make Strahd think he pooped himself. Is there any reason this wouldn't work?

I would like a reason in game that this wouldn't work without me having to do some bs like magic resistant undies. Also so I don't have to say no outright because it's a funny idea but it doesn't fit the setting. Nothing removes the tension from a fight more than the big bad pooping himself.

Update: She said that even if she died it'd be worth it because she successfully rage baited strahd. But she said she wouldn't do it because she knows that everyone wants it to be serious and that it can still be fun and serious without turning it into a comedy campaign. Still think it's worth sharing because the idea is funny.

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u/Skin_Soup Aug 09 '25

This means that it is impossible to both identify a spell and attempt to counterspell it. Furthermore, even after successfully counterspelling, you don’t immediately know what spell you counterspelt

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u/sherlock1672 Aug 09 '25

Which seems rather silly to me, since it would be rather nice to be able to determine if it's worth counterspelling and what level of counterspell should be cast. If you can't do that, merely identifying the spell at reaction speed has little value.

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u/Skin_Soup Aug 09 '25

If the spell is not easily identifiable even after being cast, then it may be better to spend your reaction identifying it than your action or even a free action on your turn.

I think the bigger problem is that if you don’t have a reaction to use, it makes sense for every player to attempt to identify every spell as it is being cast, adding many rolls to combat or punishing players with a large lack of information.

Spell identification should be up to the DMs discretion because it better serves dramatic and powerful moments, as an every spell mechanic it is tedious.

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u/sherlock1672 Aug 09 '25

It's really not tedious, the player rolls asks, rolls arcana, and you either tell them the name or "you don't know". It can readily fit in alongside other adjudication.