D&D 5E Best uses for Tenser's Floating Disk

[CleverNickName]

What are some of the Best* ways that you've seen this spell used in your games?

In one of my games, our resident wizard came up with a clever way to defeat the "one creature" limitations of the Fly spell. Since Tenser's Floating Disk doesn't require concentration, he cast both of these spells on himself and invited the halfling fighter and gnome cleric to climb aboard. He carefully calculated their combined weight and everything, so I didn't really have an issue with it. They used this invisible "poor-man's flying carpet" several times to defeat pressure plates, tripwires, difficult terrain, etc. The elevation restriction took some getting used to, but otherwise, they had no complaints.

It failed them once, however, when the wizard used dimension door to get out of trouble. Since this isn't technically "movement," and since the wizard was now too far away, the TFD spell failed and dropped all of its contents onto the floor. Which, unfortunately, happened to be a very fragile and heavy piece of artwork worth a small fortune (think "Ming Vase.") The shards weren't worth nearly as much.

Here's the text, from the SRD:

Spoiler: Tenser's Floating Disk

1st-level Conjuration (ritual) (Wizard)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: VSM
Duration: 1 hour
This spell creates a circular, horizontal plane of force, 3 feet in diameter and 1 inch thick, that floats 3 feet above the ground in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within range. The disk remains for the duration, and can hold up to 500 pounds. If more weight is placed on it, the spell ends, and everything on the disk falls to the ground.

The disk is immobile while you are within 20 feet of it. If you move more than 20 feet away from it, the disk follows you so that it remains within 20 feet of you. It can move across uneven terrain, up or down stairs, slopes and the like, but it can't cross an elevation change of 10 feet or more. For example, the disk can't move across a 10 foot deep pit, nor could it leave such a pit if it was created at the bottom.

If you move more than 100 feet from the disk (typically because it can't move around an obstacle to follow you), the spell ends.

*most memorable, impressive, funny, tactically brilliant, hilariously ineffective, however you define "best"

EDIT: my player reminded me that it was actually dimension door that caused him to break the priceless work of art.

 

[TwiceBorn2]

Cool thread.

Could it be used as a barrier to block/impede movement of medium-sized foes in the direction of the caster? Might it grant disadvantage to someone trying to make a ranged attack directly across the space where the disc is floating?

Just wondering aloud, as these scenarios have never come up in my games.

 

[TwiceBorn2]

Disregard.

 

[jgsugden]

As a shield. You can't create it in an occupied space, but creatures are not prohibited from occupying the space. The wizard cast it and then a halfling used it to get cover from aerial threats.

We also used it to block a door from closing.

A PC attempted to use it as a weapon. The Tabaxi Monk had the Ritual Caster feat. He loaded it up with 500 lbs of stuff and then proceeded to zig zag through the combat while moving 300 feet in 6 seconds (~35 MPH). His theory was that it would alwys move directly towards him as he zig zagged which would create a fairly straight line that would blow through the enemy ranks. I instead ruled that the first thing it made contact with added additional weight and made the disk collapse. I think, RAW, there are some tricks to be played there that creates a could hundred pounds of battering ram.

 

[Oofta]

While you can create multiple, when you start moving it becomes problematic depending on how you interpret it. There's no wrong way ... but it is open to abuse. Whether that's good or bad is up to the DM.

For example, if multiple disks can follow the caster, then the caster can use a spell like Phantom Steed and create a wagon train.

Personally? I decided that it's not designed to do anything more than carry stuff. Other people can nudge it aside (so it can't block doors) and you can't create a wagon train. The disks all collide and only one can be in proper "following" position so all but one fails.

I'm okay with creativity but one person's creativity is going to be another person's loophole or silliness.

But if you're okay with your mage casting multiple versions and setting up a caravan have at it.

 

[CleverNickName]

I've also seen it used as a stretcher, to carry out a grievously-wounded character from the dungeon and back to camp. And I've also seen it used as a temporary shelter to protect from rain, sleet, and snow...at least until 500 pounds of ice had collected on it. (Water, sleet, and hail will roll off of it, and snow weighs about 15 pounds per cubic foot.)

It makes a pretty good step ladder, too. Our wizard once impressed an influential noblewoman by casting this spell over a mud puddle outside of her carriage, then escorted her to the front door of her manor house with it.

 

[R_J_K75]

Agreed cool thread. Not about Tensers Floating Disk but along the same lines. In 2E I had a player bypass a trapped door which in and of itself was an entire encounter by putting a portable hole on the floor so it was half way between the door so they could go in one side and out the other. I couldn't come up with a logical reason why it wouldn't work so I allowed it. Sorry its not quite on topic but thought it was in spirit of the thread.

 

[R_J_K75]

Personally? I decided that it's not designed to do anything more than carry stuff.

In all fairness I haven't used the spell in my game in over 20 years probably, and cant remember its nuances from edition to edition but yeah, thats pretty much how I always thought of it. Its a non combat spell but if used creatively can certainly circumvent precarious situations.

 

[Warforged DK]

I once had a campaign derail because of it. Players were tasked to retrieve a helm that would be used to legitimize a goblin clan's claim to leadership. When they got to the tomb, they found lots of other treasure and loaded everything back up onto Tenser's. What took a few hours hard ride on horseback took several days with Tenser's. They got back after the kingsmoot and failed to prevent a civil war.
Good job guys!

Same players used Arcane Eye to completely obviate a dungeon and derail that campaign. I had once described a art piece worth 205GP as a giant, cast in gold, getting serviced by an elf. One player took some old toys, spraypainted them gold and "made" the offending statue. And so, a few weeks later, the party was investigating a fire giant's fortress from the outside, using Arcane eye. The top floor (of the multi-level deep fortress in the side of a volcano) was kind of a foyer and thus had art pieces on the walls and on tables. They asked if one of the statues was another golden Giant getting serviced by an elf, and I said, "sure, why not" Player cast Invisibility, ran in, yoinked the statue and the whole party ran off! Campaign derailed as they just wanted to find more golden giant statues. I ran with it for another month or so and 4 statues were made in real life.

Same group game gave me a great idea that we absolutely need to run sometime. Heroes as part of an adventurer's guild, where low level character clean up the messes of higher level characters. This was after the Necromancer had been making zombies and storing them in his portable hole; which the party then let loose in a sewer in an attempt to block the BBEG's potential escape. We all forgot about the zombies for a few months real time, until we went back to the town and remembered what happened. Zombies got loose, attacked some innocents, and thus was born the idea of low level PC's cleaning up the other's messes.

 

[R_J_K75]

I once had a campaign derail because of it. Players were tasked to retrieve a helm that would be used to legitimize a goblin clan's claim to leadership. When they got to the tomb, they found lots of other treasure and loaded everything back up onto Tenser's. What took a few hours hard ride on horseback took several days with Tenser's. They got back after the kingsmoot and failed to prevent a civil war.
Good job guys!

Same players used Arcane Eye to completely obviate a dungeon and derail that campaign. I had once described a art piece worth 205GP as a giant, cast in gold, getting serviced by an elf. One player took some old toys, spraypainted them gold and "made" the offending statue. And so, a few weeks later, the party was investigating a fire giant's fortress from the outside, using Arcane eye. The top floor (of the multi-level deep fortress in the side of a volcano) was kind of a foyer and thus had art pieces on the walls and on tables. They asked if one of the statues was another golden Giant getting serviced by an elf, and I said, "sure, why not" Player cast Invisibility, ran in, yoinked the statue and the whole party ran off! Campaign derailed as they just wanted to find more golden giant statues. I ran with it for another month or so and 4 statues were made in real life.

Same group game gave me a great idea that we absolutely need to run sometime. Heroes as part of an adventurer's guild, where low level character clean up the messes of higher level characters. This was after the Necromancer had been making zombies and storing them in his portable hole; which the party then let loose in a sewer in an attempt to block the BBEG's potential escape. We all forgot about the zombies for a few months real time, until we went back to the town and remembered what happened. Zombies got loose, attacked some innocents, and thus was born the idea of low level PC's cleaning up the other's messes.