D&D 5E As a DM - Your Top 3 Most Hated Spells
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Tony Vargas
Legend
I'm sorry, what do you think "Spells and other magical effects can't … be cast through it" means? Extend through, is obvious, you can't cast a spell w/in or outside the dome, and have it's area extend through the dome, however it's normally calculated. Cast through also seems quite obvious: you can't cast a spell from inside at a target outside, nor vice versa. You could always step out of the dome, cast, and step back, more or less with impunity, due to the way move, Ready and reactions work in 5e, but you can't cast through it.
Mind, that's a feeble defense of one small aspect of a still utterly whacked spell description.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
I kind feel that people are missing the design point of spells like Leomund's Tiny Hut. Let me illustrate with another spell.
Back in the days of yore (okay, AD&D), traveling from point A to point B took a long time. Out of game. Because if you weren't travelling on well patrolled roads, there were wandering monsters. Bags of risk and XP. Which, as you got to be higher level became either improbably powerful for wanderers, or unbelievably trivial for high level characters.
But the teleport spell was all that. It could zip the characters from point A to known point B (so as not to negate discovery and exploration), but it avoided all of the boring parts of travel to allow DM and players to focus their session time on more interesting things.
Leomund's Tiny Hut fills a similar niche. At the opportunity of cost one less spell known / prepared (except wizards, who don't need to prepare to cast Rituals), it makes that you no longer need to worry about the whole making a campsight for the night issue.
Back in the days of yore (okay, AD&D), traveling from point A to point B took a long time. Out of game. Because if you weren't travelling on well patrolled roads, there were wandering monsters. Bags of risk and XP. Which, as you got to be higher level became either improbably powerful for wanderers, or unbelievably trivial for high level characters.
But the teleport spell was all that. It could zip the characters from point A to known point B (so as not to negate discovery and exploration), but it avoided all of the boring parts of travel to allow DM and players to focus their session time on more interesting things.
Leomund's Tiny Hut fills a similar niche. At the opportunity of cost one less spell known / prepared (except wizards, who don't need to prepare to cast Rituals), it makes that you no longer need to worry about the whole making a campsight for the night issue.
CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing (He/They)
This. Ultimately, this is a cooperative storytelling game and everyone is trying to have a good time...the DM included. If a particular spell is damaging your fun or the fun of any other person at the table, you need to talk about it. It doesn't have to be a game-ending, character-changing event.
"I'll allow it this time, but we are going to have to talk about this spell on our next break, and maybe make some changes. These repetitive long rests are starting to impact the timeline of the story."
"Good game! I have an issue with how those evil wizards were able to shut us down so easily, though. Can I e-mail you about it and work it out before next weekend's game?"
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Of course! If it's cooperative with the whole table, there is of course no problem. I was just saying I'd be wary of unilaterally removing something (and especially a PC power) as the DM, it could make players unhappy and bitter. As always, communication is key.
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Sounds like a rules-lawyery nitpick where that poster is trying to say cantrips aren't spells.
Yeah, somewhere along the line between 1e and 5e the "Hut" became a lot more powerful. It's easy to nerf, however, by simply ruling that anything alive, undead, or thrown or cast by such can move through it in either direction; that way all the spell does is provide a climate-controlled shelter that the whole party can fit in and can see out of - which is still a big improvement over being scattered among several tents.
Also, some enterprising mage needs to design a malicious take on the as-written version, that can be cast at range and whose movement effects are reversed: anything in the dome is trapped in there for the duration; things from outside can move in but things inside can't move out.....
The fact that a GM even needs to say such an absurdly obvious thing testifies at just how munchkiny the spell itself is. An impenetrable giant dome of force that protected the party from the unknown horrors that stumble across & start lurking on the other side in ambush over the next 8 hours might be better balanced since it would shift the bar for "are we safe to rest here" from "someone will keep watch & we can ready ourselves to kill it or evac through some means if an army stumbles in all at once" to "I..... donnnt think so"
Compare it to some of the older editions & the munchkin design goals become blindingly obvious
Leomund's Tiny Hut (Alteration)
Level: 3 Components: V, S, M
Range: 0 Casting Time: 3 segments
Duration: 6 turns/level Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: 10' diameter sphere
Explanation/Description: When this spell is cast, the magic-user causes an opaque sphere of force to come into being around his or her person, half of the sphere projecting above the ground or floor surface, the lower hemisphere passing through the surface. This field causes the interior of the sphere to maintain at 70' F. temperature in cold to 0" F., and heat up to 105" F. Cold below 0" lowers inside temperature on a 1 for 1 basis, heat above 105' raises the inside temperature likewise. The tiny hut will with- stand winds up to 50 m.p.h. without being harmed, but wind force greater than that will destroy it. The interior of the tiny hut is a hemisphere, and the spell caster can illuminate it dimly upon command, or extinguish the light as desired. Note that although the force field is opaque from positions outside, it is transparent from within. In no way will Leomund's Tiny Hut provide protection from missiles, weapons, spells, and the like. Up to 6 other man-sized creatures can fit into the field with its creator, and these others can freely pass in and out of the tiny hut without harming it, but if the spell caster removes himself from it, the spell will dissipate. The material component for this spell is a small crystal bead which will shatter when spell duration expires or the hut is otherwise dispelled.
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Level: 3 Components: V, S, M
Range: 0 Casting Time: 3 segments
Duration: 6 turns/level Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: 10' diameter sphere
Explanation/Description: When this spell is cast, the magic-user causes an opaque sphere of force to come into being around his or her person, half of the sphere projecting above the ground or floor surface, the lower hemisphere passing through the surface. This field causes the interior of the sphere to maintain at 70' F. temperature in cold to 0" F., and heat up to 105" F. Cold below 0" lowers inside temperature on a 1 for 1 basis, heat above 105' raises the inside temperature likewise. The tiny hut will with- stand winds up to 50 m.p.h. without being harmed, but wind force greater than that will destroy it. The interior of the tiny hut is a hemisphere, and the spell caster can illuminate it dimly upon command, or extinguish the light as desired. Note that although the force field is opaque from positions outside, it is transparent from within. In no way will Leomund's Tiny Hut provide protection from missiles, weapons, spells, and the like. Up to 6 other man-sized creatures can fit into the field with its creator, and these others can freely pass in and out of the tiny hut without harming it, but if the spell caster removes himself from it, the spell will dissipate. The material component for this spell is a small crystal bead which will shatter when spell duration expires or the hut is otherwise dispelled.
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That's practically instant, positively fragile, tiny, and scary compared to 5e. Also keep in mind that recovery was much slower & long/short rests weren't a thing
Tiny Hut
Evocation [Force]
You create an unmoving, opaque sphere of force of any color you desire around yourself. Half the sphere projects above the ground, and the lower hemisphere passes through the ground. As many as nine other Medium creatures can fit into the field with you; they can freely pass into and out of the hut without harming it. However, if you remove yourself from the hut, the spell ends.
The temperature inside the hut is 70° F if the exterior temperature is between 0° and 100° F. An exterior temperature below 0° or above 100° lowers or raises the interior temperature on a 1-degree-for-1 basis. The hut also provides protection against the elements, such as rain, dust, and sandstorms. The hut withstands any wind of less than hurricane force, but a hurricane (75+ mph wind speed) or greater force destroys it.
The interior of the hut is a hemisphere. You can illuminate it dimly upon command or extinguish the light as desired. Although the force field is opaque from the outside, it is transparent from within. Missiles, weapons, and most spell effects can pass through the hut without affecting it, although the occupants cannot be seen from outside the hut (they have total concealment).
Material Component
A small crystal bead that shatters when the spell duration expires or the hut is dispelled.
Evocation [Force]
| Level: | Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3 |
|---|---|
| Components: | V, S, M |
| Casting Time: | 1 standard action |
| Range: | 20 ft. |
| Effect: | 20-ft.-radius sphere centered on your location |
| Duration: | 2 hours/level (D) |
| Saving Throw: | None |
| Spell Resistance: | No |
The temperature inside the hut is 70° F if the exterior temperature is between 0° and 100° F. An exterior temperature below 0° or above 100° lowers or raises the interior temperature on a 1-degree-for-1 basis. The hut also provides protection against the elements, such as rain, dust, and sandstorms. The hut withstands any wind of less than hurricane force, but a hurricane (75+ mph wind speed) or greater force destroys it.
The interior of the hut is a hemisphere. You can illuminate it dimly upon command or extinguish the light as desired. Although the force field is opaque from the outside, it is transparent from within. Missiles, weapons, and most spell effects can pass through the hut without affecting it, although the occupants cannot be seen from outside the hut (they have total concealment).
Material Component
A small crystal bead that shatters when the spell duration expires or the hut is dispelled.
Leomund's Tiny Hut is a ritual introduced in Heroic Tier Rituals.[Dr405]
The ritual creates an opaque, unmoving sphere in a close burst 4, half of the sphere being below ground. Creatures other than the caster can enter and exit the sphere freely. The ritual is discharged early if the caster exits the sphere.
The sphere's interior is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and protects against normal weather such as wind, rain or dust. The caster can adjust the sphere's luminance to be unlit or have dim light. The sphere is transparent from within, but opaque from outside. Creatures inside the sphere have total concealment from creatures outside it.
The ritual creates an opaque, unmoving sphere in a close burst 4, half of the sphere being below ground. Creatures other than the caster can enter and exit the sphere freely. The ritual is discharged early if the caster exits the sphere.
The sphere's interior is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and protects against normal weather such as wind, rain or dust. The caster can adjust the sphere's luminance to be unlit or have dim light. The sphere is transparent from within, but opaque from outside. Creatures inside the sphere have total concealment from creatures outside it.
You can explicitly see out now & it was sturdy, & long/short rests are the name of the game but eek that's expensive..... my coinpurse thinks we should find another
5e?... free to cast... no slot cost... anyone but the caster can go in & out if the caster lets them, you can see out but not in, you don't need to care about breathable air, wall & area spells now get blocked from extending through it, bullette & other burrowing creatures are a threat so prepare for gm vrs player tensions.
@Blue the old versions were good yes, but not perfect & resting to recover hp/spell slots was a very different process that tiny hut did not last long enough to do for a loooooooooong time. the version in 5e goes way beyond even the rose colored glass tinted role you cite & at a level/opportunity cost much lower than it would be useful for that in the old versions when you factor in how spell prep worked. Prepping tiny hut meant you had a spell slot devoted to it regardless of if you needed it or not.
CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing (He/They)
I've seen a few ways to nerf this spell in the last couple of years. Some of my favorites:
- The Hut requires an actual tent as a focus (or even as a consumable component)
- The Hut can be damaged as if it were an object (AC and hit points equal your spellcasting DC).
- Spells and magic effects can pass through the hut.
- Non-living matter and creatures can pass through the hut.
- Remove the Ritual tag.
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werecorpse
Adventurer
The two first phb spells I nerfed were Leomunds Tiny Hut & Heat metal.
Hut in earlier editions was just meant to keep out weather effects, allow a good nights sleep and conditions amenable to relearning spells. I suspect this was to address the way some DM’s would restrict a characters ability to relearn spells unless they were in a comfortable environment.
In 5e with spells in memory and slots and the like it’s a different way to recover your spellcasting so that aspect wasn’t needed.
I changed it by returning it to a tent like effect that keeps out the elements, hides light etc and can be coloured as the caster desires. Hence it is a fantastic way to camp and gives you a good chance to avoid notice on the trail but if discovered does not keep out attacks.
I changed heat metal by not imposing disadvantage on the recipient unless it is cast on their weapon not armour (which they can elect to drop) & requiring the caster to see the recipient and be within the spell range to use their bonus action.
I don’t mind counterspell so far, it costs a slot and a reaction which seems like a fair price and if the spell is above level 3 you have to roll. If I was to weaken it I’d probably just make you roll regardless of level of spell it’s removing. My intelligent bad guy casters are nervous of this spell and try and keep 65’ away from enemy casters when they pull out their big spells.
Hut in earlier editions was just meant to keep out weather effects, allow a good nights sleep and conditions amenable to relearning spells. I suspect this was to address the way some DM’s would restrict a characters ability to relearn spells unless they were in a comfortable environment.
In 5e with spells in memory and slots and the like it’s a different way to recover your spellcasting so that aspect wasn’t needed.
I changed it by returning it to a tent like effect that keeps out the elements, hides light etc and can be coloured as the caster desires. Hence it is a fantastic way to camp and gives you a good chance to avoid notice on the trail but if discovered does not keep out attacks.
I changed heat metal by not imposing disadvantage on the recipient unless it is cast on their weapon not armour (which they can elect to drop) & requiring the caster to see the recipient and be within the spell range to use their bonus action.
I don’t mind counterspell so far, it costs a slot and a reaction which seems like a fair price and if the spell is above level 3 you have to roll. If I was to weaken it I’d probably just make you roll regardless of level of spell it’s removing. My intelligent bad guy casters are nervous of this spell and try and keep 65’ away from enemy casters when they pull out their big spells.
Arilyn
Hero
Yeah, forgot it can be cast as ritual, but still not that big a deal.
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