D&D 5E Countering Rest Spells (Tiny Hut, Rope Trick, et al)

[Derren]

Getting PCs to leave the safety of the hut is kind of the point. In the group I'm currently running we have only 1 wizard with AOE spells. There's a cleric too, but most of his spells require line of sight.

So your hastely constructed cover is so good that it blocks line of sight and is still mobile?
And what does making the party leave the hut achieve? Nothing unless you, besides carrying around the supercover you also have hobgoblins ready action to shoot everyone coming out the hut for up to 8 hours. But to do that they need line of sight themselves, so cant be protected be the supercover and can be sniped easily.

 

[Oofta]

A so your hastely constructed cover is so good that it blocks line of sight?
And what does making the party leave the hut achieve? Nothing unless you, besides carrying around the supercover you also have hobgoblins ready action to shoot everyone coming out the hut for up to 8 hours. But to do that they need line of sight themselves, so cant be protected be the supercover and can be sniped easily.

Why wouldn't it block line of sight? I've literally constructed something like this in a couple of hours. It even floated for a while before it started breaking apart. Heck a sheet on a pole with a cross-bar could block line of sight.

As far as the party leaving the hut ... that's the entire point. If the party leaves the hut they can be attacked which was the goal of the hobgoblins.

 

[Derren]

Why wouldn't it block line of sight? I've literally constructed something like this in a couple of hours. It even floated for a while before it started breaking apart. Heck a sheet on a pole with a cross-bar could block line of sight.

As far as the party leaving the hut ... that's the entire point. If the party leaves the hut they can be attacked which was the goal of the hobgoblins.

I highly doubt your makeshift raft would block line of sight by not having any gap.

And no, the hobgoblins can not attack them. As you can split movement the only chance to do so is through readied actions and to be in a position to attack with readied actions they cant benefit from your supercover themselves and thus are vulnerable to attacks from inside the dome.

So to summarize, not only do have random patrols happen to have carpentry tools with them to build cover better than any tower shield they also have barrels of paint or even poison gas while their archers somehow have guided arrows and can shoot anyone stepping out of the hut while people in the hut can't get a shot on them.

 

[tetrasodium]

Why wouldn't it block line of sight? I've literally constructed something like this in a couple of hours. It even floated for a while before it started breaking apart. Heck a sheet on a pole with a cross-bar could block line of sight.

As far as the party leaving the hut ... that's the entire point. If the party leaves the hut they can be attacked which was the goal of the hobgoblins.

You are still ignoring problems you don't like. If it blocks LoS it blocks LoS both ways so your orc's can't have a readied action to shoot anyone who steps out. Since they can't have a readied action to react to things they can't see... your players can step out, cast fireball (or whatever), & step back in during each & every turn for the next 8 hours.

 

[Oofta]

I highly doubt your makeshift raft would block line of sight by nit having any gap.

And no, the hobgoblins can not attack them. As you can split movement the only chance to do so is through readied actions and to be in a position to attack with readied actions they cant benefit from your supercover themselves and thus are vulnerable ti attacks from inside the dome.

The hobgoblins carrying the cover were not the ones with the readied attacks. The archers in the hills just outside of darkvision range were.

Since the whole makeshift shield wall seems to be causing issues, something like the image below is what I'm basing it on. It would stop arrow, if you really need to block line of sight 100% stuff the gaps with dried grass.

 

[Derren]

The hobgoblins carrying the cover were not the ones with the readied attacks. The archers in the hills just outside of darkvision range were.

Since the whole makeshift shield wall seems to be causing issues, something like the image below is what I'm basing it on. It would stop arrow, if you really need to block line of sight 100% stuff the gaps with dried grass.

View attachment 117054

That thing would not provide full cover for even a halfling because of the size alone, let alone break line of sight with all the gaps. And dont forget that carried shields do not block line of sight at all but count as part of the creature, so why would this thing?

When the archers stay out of darkvision range they cant see either and thus attack with their readied action (you also assume that it is nighttime and completely dark). And I guess you really think it is practical to ready an action for 8 hours?

 

[Maxperson]

Except I don't need to limit it. I just need to have the enemy respond intelligently.

And have knowledge it often won't have about the spell.

 

[Oofta]

And have knowledge it often won't have about the spell.

Spellcasters are fairly common in my world. Yes, as part of military or arcane training I assume people know about spells like tiny hut.

 

[Oofta]

That thing would not provide full cover for even a halfling because of the size alone, let alone break line of sight with all the gaps. And dont forget that carried shields do not block line of sight at all but count as part of the creature, so why would this thing?

When the archers stay out of darkvision range they cant see either and thus attack with their readied action (you also assume that it is nighttime and completely dark). And I guess you really think it is practical to ready an action for 8 hours?

Well, in all fairness the image did come from a craft sight so it would have to be more than 4 X 6 inches. But
If it's not big enough make it bigger. I fully acknowledge it blocks line of sight for the people carrying it, but they don't need to see. They're marching towards and entrenched position and have spotters.

In my scenario they had attached torches, although in retrospect it probably would have been more fun to send a volley or two of fire arrows.

As far as readied actions, once the hobgoblins started approaching we went into initiative.

 

[Maxperson]

One other note - not that I think it really changes tactics much - is that I use the alternate longer rest rules (short rest overnight, long rest several days). I also adjust spell durations so the hut would have lasted several days, long enough to get a long rest if they did nothing else. Somebody would have had to go out to empty the wizard's champerpot but otherwise they were relatively safe. I even gave them a survival check to see how well they could camouflage the hut. Once the first patrol attacked they (rightly) assumed that others had been notified of their presence.

So that's part of my way of dealing with overland travel, I know there are other options.

Wow. I was wondering how Hobgoblins had enough to to erect siege engines and build a wall. You've completely changed resting and the spell, which weakens your advice on how to counter it and your personal experience on how it's not a problem.