Question: The description of the [Slow](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/slow) spell says:

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> You alter time around up to six creatures of your choice in a 40-foot cube within range. An affected target's speed is halved...
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It alters time around creatures and reduces their speed to half. Could this be used to affect a falling creature? 

Which of the following accurately describes how the Slow spell interacts with falls and falling damage?

1. The creature moves at half speed and so falls at half speed, taking half damage
2. The creature moves at half speed but their relative time bubble they move at regular speed. They hit the ground after twice the time but still at the same speed and damage.
3. They are in free fall for double the time but gravity interacts for the duration. So actually they personally have double the speed. They take additional damage?
4. They fall at the same rate (aka their bubble continues falling) but inside it they impact at half (double?) speed and take half (double?) damage.

The mental picture for me is definitely the slow-time effect where they are in a bubble of slowmo, slurred speech and all. So I feel like it would have some interaction, but I'm not sure what.

Answer: 
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> How does the spell Slow affect freefall?
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It doesn't.

Spells in D&D [do what they say they do](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/107637/what-is-the-source-of-the-spells-do-only-what-they-say-they-do-rules-interpret) and no more (unless a DM decides otherwise):

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> You alter time ...
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How? Like this:

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> An affected target's speed is halved ...
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A creature's speed does not interact with the falling rules.
The Slow speed cannot help a falling creature.
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Falling speed and falling damage are not related to a creature's speed.

[The *Xanathar's* falling rules](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/xgte/dungeon-masters-tools#Falling) state:

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> The rule given in the *Player's Handbook* is simple: at the end of a fall, you take 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet you fell, to a maximum of 20d6. You also land prone...
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It goes on to mention some optional rules, one of which is the maximum rate of falling, which states:

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> The rule for falling assumes that a creature immediately drops the entire distance when it falls. But what if a creature is at a high altitude when it falls. ...
> When you fall from a great height, you instantly descend up to 500 feet. If you're still falling on your next turn, you descend up to 500 feet at the end of that turn.
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Nowhere in the falling rules is a creature's speed mentioned. (There is a mention of a flying speed, but if your target has that, this wouldn't be an issue.)