"Wall" spell layouts

C

czak808

First Post

• May 11, 2007

• #1

I was curious about the ability to "shape" the various wall spells (Fire, ice, stone, etc...).
Can you apply a 45 degree angle when shaping one of these effects or is it just a straight line?
The Wall of Ice is the only one listed as being able to shape into a hemisphere...
My thought was, a quickened wall of fire (hemisphere - hot on the inside) surrounded by a Wall of Ice (hemisphere).

 

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Nail

First Post

• May 11, 2007

• #2

You could get a ring, but not a hemisphere with the wall of fire; this combo wouldn't work.

 

Deset Gled

.

• May 11, 2007

• #3

czak808 said:

I was curious about the ability to "shape" the various wall spells (Fire, ice, stone, etc...).
Can you apply a 45 degree angle when shaping one of these effects or is it just a straight line?

Click to expand...

No, unless specied otherwise in the spell description. Almost all Wall spells list the effect as "Wall whose area is up to one x foot square/level." I have always taken this to mean that the walls are always simple flat squares.

A more in depth discussion of allowing other shapes and the consequences can be found here: http://www.enworld.org/archive/index.php/t-66026.html

 

T

TheGogmagog

First Post

• May 11, 2007

• #4

The walls of Fire, Ice (line or sphere), and wall of stone are the only ones I know of being shapable. The rest and the line options of these are all just a straight line, though they can be placed at an angle across the grid.

The only shapable one, the wall of stone, I suppose could be placed at an angle:

Code:

._._. . . .
. . .\._._.

I typically consider it traveling along the lines of the battle grid, but can't think of a rule that restricts it so.

 

Nail

First Post

• May 11, 2007

• #5

My Clr used to have tons of fun with shapable Walls of Stone. Tons of fun when combined with Antimagic Shell.

 

Len

Prodigal Member

• May 11, 2007

• #6

They're all different.

Prismatic Wall is a flat vertical wall.
Wall of Fire is either a flat vertical wall or a ring (vertical cylinder).
Wall of Force is a flat vertical wall.
Wall if Ice is either a flat wall or a hemisphere. The wall doesn't have to be vertical, but it must be anchored to something.
Wall of Iron is a flat vertical wall. It can tip over if it's not anchored to the ground.
Wall of Stone is shapeable, but it must be anchored to stone.
Wall of Thorns is a hedge.

 

MarkB

Legend

• May 11, 2007

• #7

Wall of Stone and Wall of Thorns are the only ones with the (S) notation in their header text to indicate that they are shapeable. This is the geral text for that quality:

(S) Shapeable

If an Area or Effect entry ends with "(S)," you can shape the spell. A shaped effect or area can have no dimension smaller than 10 feet. Many effects or areas are given as cubes to make it easy to model irregular shapes. Three-dimensional volumes are most often needed to define aerial or underwater effects and areas.​

I'm not sure whether Wall of Stone's body-text notation that it can be of "almost any shape you desire" overrides the above text. If it doesn't, you do get one rather odd effect, in that you can't build a simple, straight wall with it, as such a wall would have one dimension - its thickness - much smaller than 10 feet.

The same question applies to some extent to Wall of Thorns, since the descriptive text says that it can be made as little as 5 feet thick.

 

moritheil

First Post

• May 12, 2007

• #8

MarkB said:

I'm not sure whether Wall of Stone's body-text notation that it can be of "almost any shape you desire" overrides the above text. If it doesn't, you do get one rather odd effect, in that you can't build a simple, straight wall with it, as such a wall would have one dimension - its thickness - much smaller than 10 feet.

The same question applies to some extent to Wall of Thorns, since the descriptive text says that it can be made as little as 5 feet thick.

Click to expand...

I never noticed that about WoS, but I've always ruled that WoT's specific text overrides the general 10' consideration.

 

Charwoman Gene

Adventurer

• May 12, 2007

• #9

Len said:

Wall of Thorns is a hedge.

Click to expand...

We are a hedge. Please move along.