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Say a sorcerer already knows the mage hand cantrip, and then takes the Telekinetic feat. If they cast mage hand and apply the Metamagic option Distant Spell to it, what would its range be?
(Ignore the fact that, by RAW, the hand disappears if it's ever more than 30 feet from the caster.)

The description of the Metamagic option Distant Spell says:

When you cast a spell that has a range of 5 feet or greater, you can spend 1 sorcery point to double the range of the spell.

The second benefit of the Telekinetic feat says (TCoE, p. 81):

You learn the mage hand cantrip. [...] If you already know this spell, its range increases by 30 feet when you cast it.

Both effects apply "when you cast".

What is the range of the mage hand spell if the Telekinetic sorcerer uses Distant Spell when they cast it?
Is it 90 feet ((2 × 30) + 30)?
Or is it 120 feet (2 × (30 + 30))?

Is there anything RAW about ordering effects with the same trigger, or is it just DM fiat?

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    – V2Blast
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 4:11

1 Answer 1

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The new range is 120 feet

The Telekinetic feat changes the way you cast mage hand if you already had the spell. Effectively, it rewrites the spell specifications for the caster so that you have a 60-foot range for the spell instead of 30 feet.

Distant Spell is a modifier that can applied on top of a spell that you cast. It will be applied to the "new and improved" version of mage hand that the caster has.

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    \$\begingroup\$ That's how I would rule it as a DM, but I'm getting hung up on both of the features using the "when you cast it" wording. One always happens when you cast it, and the other can optionally happen when you cast it, but there's nothing saying which goes first. Also, the choice for Telekinetic to add 30 instead of doubling stands out as deliberate. \$\endgroup\$
    – Justin Anderson
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 0:58
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    \$\begingroup\$ @JustinAnderson XGtE:p77 "If two or more things happen at the same time [...] the person [...] who controls that creature decides the order in which those things happen." \$\endgroup\$
    – SilentAxe
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 10:04
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SilentAxe That's a optional rule from xanathars. Other tables may do other things. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 13:32
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SilentAxe That may end up being the only possible RAW answer to this question, that it's up to the DM unless the party's using that optional rule on simultaneous effects from Xanathar's, in which case it's up to the caster. \$\endgroup\$
    – Justin Anderson
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 14:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ Since the question doesn't quite specify that only RAW should be considered, I'd say this answer can be further supported by reasoning from Rules as Fun. When in doubt, a DM should pick the rules interpretation that respects players' character build choices and allows them to make maximal use of their abilities. Consider, after all, the better feats this player had to forego in favor of taking Telekinetic. \$\endgroup\$
    – screamline
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 17:16

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