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

[Nebulous]

In my Eberron west marches group another party lost a character this week to Sulatar Drow who dumped a bunch of flaming alchemical stuff on top of the dome then dispelled the dome, followed by a flurry of bow attacks.

Tell me more about that. How many drow, and how much chemical stuff was thrown on top? Did the PCs watch them do it? How many attacks came at them when it was brought down by magic?

 

[Fenris-77]

Rope Trick is like a neon sign for the DM that says "park your gelatinous cube here".

More seriously, passing time is the best weapon. If passing time regularly results in encounters of various sorts, and especially if those encounters are not at full XP, players end up with actual meaningful choices about resting - do we try to reload on resources at the risk of additional resource draining encounters, or do we try and push on for a while without a full resource load? Meaningful choices with consequences are, IMO, the heart of good RPG play.

 

[Shiroiken]

I've not had any issues with resting spells, because my group hasn't tried to attempt shenanigans with them either. If the players use them as intended, to make a relatively safe area perfectly safe to take a short rest or long rest, I've never felt the need to punish (it actually makes it easy to ignore wandering monsters). If the players tried to set up these things in dangerous areas, where there are obvious enemies ready to punish them... they'll get what they deserve. Unintelligent monsters will probably just wait behind some cover and watch until the group is vulnerable, while intelligent monsters will take the time to setup traps for when the spell ends.

 

[ChaosOS]

Tell me more about that. How many drow, and how much chemical stuff was thrown on top? Did the PCs watch them do it? How many attacks came at them when it was brought down by magic?

I wasn't the DM so I just reviewed the scenario.

1. Four drow approach, decry the trespassers on sacred lands
2. Party tries to negotiate, fails
3. Drow throw oil, then cast Darkness. Party can see inside the dome still but not out.
4. Melee members charge out, ranged stay in
5. Drow spellcaster drops darkness, casts dispel magic. Oil on outside of dome drops, covering the people inside. Burning arrows ignite the people now covered in oil.

 

[Nebulous]

I wasn't the DM so I just reviewed the scenario.

1. Four drow approach, decry the trespassers on sacred lands
2. Party tries to negotiate, fails
3. Drow throw oil, then cast Darkness. Party can see inside the dome still but not out.
4. Melee members charge out, ranged stay in
5. Drow spellcaster drops darkness, casts dispel magic. Oil on outside of dome drops, covering the people inside. Burning arrows ignite the people now covered in oil.

Dang. The DM had that planned out well

 

[Maxperson]

I wasn't the DM so I just reviewed the scenario.

1. Four drow approach, decry the trespassers on sacred lands
2. Party tries to negotiate, fails
3. Drow throw oil, then cast Darkness. Party can see inside the dome still but not out.
4. Melee members charge out, ranged stay in
5. Drow spellcaster drops darkness, casts dispel magic. Oil on outside of dome drops, covering the people inside. Burning arrows ignite the people now covered in oil.

How did they keep the oil on the dome? It would just run down the sides and cover the ground outside. Not enough would remain on it to cover people enough to light them on fire.

 

[Oofta]

How did they keep the oil on the dome? It would just run down the sides and cover the ground outside. Not enough would remain on it to cover people enough to light them on fire.

Not my table or my ruling, but the oil didn't need to "stay" there. The dispel only needed to be there for a few seconds. I would have done it slightly different - darkness, ready dispel, throw oil, dispel. Same concept though.

 

[Maxperson]

Not my table or my ruling, but the oil didn't need to "stay" there. The dispel only needed to be there for a few seconds. I would have done it slightly different - darkness, ready dispel, throw oil, dispel. Same concept though.

Ever put oil in an angled surface? It doesn't stay there for a few seconds. It's not even there for 1. By the time you count one, it has already moved downward very quickly. You'd be better off and more accurate by just dispelling the dome and throwing the oil directly on the people inside.

 

[Oofta]

Ever put oil in an angled surface? It doesn't stay there for a few seconds. It's not even there for 1. By the time you count one, it has already moved downward very quickly. You'd be better off and more accurate by just dispelling the dome and throwing the oil directly on the people inside.

I'll take your word for it. Again, it wasn't my campaign or ruling. If I had more than a moment to think about it, I'd probably make the oil sticky bombs that they toss up, maybe with lit fuses or similar.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Ever put oil in an angled surface? It doesn't stay there for a few seconds. It's not even there for 1. By the time you count one, it has already moved downward very quickly. You'd be better off and more accurate by just dispelling the dome and throwing the oil directly on the people inside.

An "oil" can range from a thin watery fluid to a squishy semi-solid. An "angled surface" can range from slick glass to rough wood to absorbant foam. Why can't that drow "oil" be sticky like napalm? And who knows about the adhesion properties of a magical surface like a tiny hut?

There is no "obviously" right or wrong ruling for oil on a tiny hut, because magic and physics don't really mix well. Much like oil and water.