D&D 5E Leomund's Tiny Hut in Tight Places

[tetrasodium]

Where did you think MMOs got those tropes?

Very likely not d&d... Evac was the short name for the evacuate spell in everquest that saved you from needing to do a corpse run in everquest. Zone borders are/were a technological limitation. The alpha strike/nova strike I'm pretty sure is from mechwarrior & other squad war games like it where you could afford to empty/overheat a unit in exchange for the devastation it caused your opponent's forces..

I'm sure that you can agree tiny hut as it was written is grossly problematic once the players notice & begin abusing it. Even if they did come from d&d, they are certainly not things that should be encouraged or why even bother with anything like limited uses of powers/abilities & spell slots instead of just letting you use your best everything all the time & every time.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Very likely not d&d...

The danger of wandering monsters and enemies re-enforcing previously cleared positions when you leave the dungeon to rest goes all the way back to when 0D&D was being playtested, prior to '74. Re-spawning is a CRPG simplification of that hoary consideration.

Basically everything in MMOs is ripped from D&D - sometimes via CRPGs, sometimes improved upon a bit, and there's cross-pollination back & forth, especially with terminology. But, D&D is the antecedent in all cases.

I'm sure that you can agree tiny hut as it was written is grossly problematic once the players notice & begin abusing it.

So obvious it's hardly worth acknowledging. Why it was powered up so profoundly from prior eds is a mystery.

Even if they did come from d&d, they are certainly not things that should be encouraged or why even bother with anything like limited uses of powers/abilities & spell slots instead of just letting you use your best everything all the time & every time.

The 5MWD (we called it the 15 MWD, back in the day, because our work ethic was stronger, yeah, something like that) has been a conundrum D&D has wrestled with its entire history, without entirely satisfactory solutions, either mechanical or playstyle.
5e resorts to a longer prescribed 'work day,' at 6-8 encounters, than any prior ed that even faintly hinted at one, too.

 

[Celebrim]

The wall was essentially an improvised siege tower. Well if the tower only needed to be a little over 5 ft tall. It wouldn't have been much use in other circumstances...

I can imagine the planning session:

Hobgoblin #1: So the heroes have just bunkered themselves an impenetrable sphere of force. They can see us but we can't see them. They can attack us but we can't attack them.
Hobgoblin #2: Don't we have that room of firewood in the dungeon?
Hobgoblin #1: You mean that one with the 12 cords of wood stacked in it that we aren't using for anything else?
Hobgoblin #2: Yeah, that's the one. Here's what we are going to do. I reckon about 25,000 lbs of wood will be enough to bury a 10' high hemisphere. You take a cord of the wood and heat up a ton of pine tar for a few hours until it's fluid. Then pour the pine tar over about 10 cords of wood, and wait a few hours for the tar too cool off. Meanwhile, I'll get the unused lumber from that room #19, and me and a couple of the boys will go to the workshop room #37 and put together a makeshift siege tower that is about 5' high. It should be ready in a couple of hours.
Hobgoblin #1: Zounds, brain, you astound me. But how are we going to use a 5' high siege tower to bury a a hemisphere with a 10' radius?
Hobgoblin #2: It's simple, Pinky, first we'll...

 

[Oofta]

I can imagine the planning session:

Hobgoblin #1: So the heroes have just bunkered themselves an impenetrable sphere of force. They can see us but we can't see them. They can attack us but we can't attack them.
Hobgoblin #2: Don't we have that room of firewood in the dungeon?
Hobgoblin #1: You mean that one with the 12 cords of wood stacked in it that we aren't using for anything else?
Hobgoblin #2: Yeah, that's the one. Here's what we are going to do. I reckon about 25,000 lbs of wood will be enough to bury a 10' high hemisphere. You take a cord of the wood and heat up a ton of pine tar for a few hours until it's fluid. Then pour the pine tar over about 10 cords of wood, and wait a few hours for the tar too cool off. Meanwhile, I'll get the unused lumber from that room #19, and me and a couple of the boys will go to the workshop room #37 and put together a makeshift siege tower that is about 5' high. It should be ready in a couple of hours.
Hobgoblin #1: Zounds, brain, you astound me. But how are we going to use a 5' high siege tower to bury a wooden hemisphere with a 10' radius?
Hobgoblin #2: It's simple, Pinky, first we'll...

Well obviously you're right. No military in history has ever used tactics to engage an enemy! What the heck was I thinking? There's no chance whatsoever that the hobgoblins just went somewhere that there were, I don't know, plants that grow tall and burn when ignited. I think they're called "trees". They had several hours and a couple dozen workers. How long does it take to lash together some pieces of wood? It does not need to be quality craftsmanship

As for the rest they didn't need to totally cover the sphere, just block vision of people outside. If they had had some ogres or giants as part of their force they could have buried the hut with little difficulty.

But have at it. All enemies are idiots who are helpless before the might of a temporary barrier.

 

[tetrasodium]

I can imagine the planning session:

Hobgoblin #1: So the heroes have just bunkered themselves an impenetrable sphere of force. They can see us but we can't see them. They can attack us but we can't attack them.
Hobgoblin #2: Don't we have that room of firewood in the dungeon?
Hobgoblin #1: You mean that one with the 12 cords of wood stacked in it that we aren't using for anything else?
Hobgoblin #2: Yeah, that's the one. Here's what we are going to do. I reckon about 25,000 lbs of wood will be enough to bury a 10' high hemisphere. You take a cord of the wood and heat up a ton of pine tar for a few hours until it's fluid. Then pour the pine tar over about 10 cords of wood, and wait a few hours for the tar too cool off. Meanwhile, I'll get the unused lumber from that room #19, and me and a couple of the boys will go to the workshop room #37 and put together a makeshift siege tower that is about 5' high. It should be ready in a couple of hours.
Hobgoblin #1: Zounds, brain, you astound me. But how are we going to use a 5' high siege tower to bury a a hemisphere with a 10' radius?
Hobgoblin #2: It's simple, Pinky, first we'll...

Nope, tiny hut's got your tucker's kobolds already thwarted "The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside.". You could say that heat radiates through the floor & eventually starts doing damage, but floating disk is ritual& there are probably other ways to lift people off the floor/shield them from its heat , when you start talking about physics calculations of heat transfer through a given floor though it only gufglights just how insane the spell is

It's insane that Wotc has not errata'd it into something bordering on sanity yet

 

[Oofta]

Nope, tiny hut's got your tucker's kobolds already thwarted "The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside.". You could say that heat radiates through the floor & eventually starts doing damage, but floating disk is ritual& there are probably other ways to lift people off the floor/shield them from its heat , when you start talking about physics calculations of heat transfer through a given floor though it only gufglights just how insane the spell is

It's insane that Wotc has not errata'd it into something bordering on sanity yet

It was my game where the hobgoblins were going piling up the wood. They were going to wait until the spell expired to light the fires. Well, if the PCs hadn't come out to fight the goblins anyway.

Trying to hole up in enemy territory is always dangerous. The hut protects you from the elements, makes it a little less dangerous and protects from wandering beasties but not necessarily much more than that.

At least in my campaign.

 

[tetrasodium]

I can imagine the planning session:

Hobgoblin #1: So the heroes have just bunkered themselves an impenetrable sphere of force. They can see us but we can't see them. They can attack us but we can't attack them.
Hobgoblin #2: Don't we have that room of firewood in the dungeon?
Hobgoblin #1: You mean that one with the 12 cords of wood stacked in it that we aren't using for anything else?
Hobgoblin #2: Yeah, that's the one. Here's what we are going to do. I reckon about 25,000 lbs of wood will be enough to bury a 10' high hemisphere. You take a cord of the wood and heat up a ton of pine tar for a few hours until it's fluid. Then pour the pine tar over about 10 cords of wood, and wait a few hours for the tar too cool off. Meanwhile, I'll get the unused lumber from that room #19, and me and a couple of the boys will go to the workshop room #37 and put together a makeshift siege tower that is about 5' high. It should be ready in a couple of hours.
Hobgoblin #1: Zounds, brain, you astound me. But how are we going to use a 5' high siege tower to bury a a hemisphere with a 10' radius?
Hobgoblin #2: It's simple, Pinky, first we'll...

Nope, tiny hut's got your tucker's kobolds already thwarted "The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside."
The third level no cost ritual spell

Spoiler: tiny hut

A 10-foot-radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration. The spell ends if you leave its area.

Nine creatures of Medium size or smaller can fit inside the dome with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine creatures. Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can't extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside.

Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. The dome is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside.

It was my game where the hobgoblins were going piling up the wood. They were going to wait until the spell expired to light the fires. Well, if the PCs hadn't come out to fight the goblins anyway.

Trying to hole up in enemy territory is always dangerous. The hut protects you from the elements, makes it a little less dangerous and protects from wandering beasties but not necessarily much more than that.

At least in my campaign.

Yea, It's just insane that people need to resort to things like that shield wall, tuckers kobolds, & worse because of this spell. Now you've set precedent about how that shield wall & have a new mechanic the players might use when not holing up

 

[Tony Vargas]

Well obviously you're right. No military in history has ever used tactics to engage an enemy! What the heck was I thinking? There's no chance whatsoever that the hobgoblins just went somewhere that there were, I don't know, plants that grow tall and burn when ignited. I think they're called ...

Hobgoblin1: "Find a tee-arr-double-ee and secure a combustible cellulose cylinder for our construction project!"
Hobgoblin2: "Sir! Yes, sir!" ::wonder's what the heck a tee-arr-double-ee is and how he's supposed to find one in the middle of a forest::

As for the rest they didn't need to totally cover the sphere, just block vision of people outside. If they had had some ogres or giants as part of their force they could have buried the hut with little difficulty.

...and, y'know, in a traditional dungeon, just collapse that section. I mean, keeping a dungeon from collapsing is probably an ongoing job and a half, anyway...

 

[Oofta]

Nope, tiny hut's got your tucker's kobolds already thwarted "The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside."
The third level no cost ritual spell

Spoiler: tiny hut

A 10-foot-radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration. The spell ends if you leave its area.

Nine creatures of Medium size or smaller can fit inside the dome with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine creatures. Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can't extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside.

Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. The dome is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside.

Yea, It's just insane that people need to resort to things like that shield wall, tuckers kobolds, & worse because of this spell. Now you've set precedent about how that shield wall & have a new mechanic the players might use when not holing up

The spell takes a minute to cast. If cast as a ritual it takes 11 minutes. That's plenty of time for the amassed forces to attack.

The option of course is to just have someone watch the hut from a safe distance and then launch an attack the moment the spell expires.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Nope, tiny hut's got your tucker's kobolds already thwarted "The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside.". You could say that heat radiates through the floor & eventually starts doing damage, but floating disk is ritual& there are probably other ways to lift people off the floor/shield them from its heat , when you start talking about physics calculations of heat transfer through a given floor though it only gufglights just how insane the spell is

It's insane that Wotc has not errata'd it into something bordering on sanity yet

Magic isn't sane.

But, it does look like it's not one of those old-school 'sphere' spells that extends below the surface you cast it on. They can just tunnel under it, this time. There y'go.