D&D 3E/3.5 Earth Glide - 5E vs 3.5 - How does your table play it? Esp Moon Druids?

[vlysses]

According to RAW, Earth Glide, especially for Moon Druids with ability to Wild Shape into Elementals, has been significantly nerfed due to the following limitation in 5E (which previously did not exist):

"The elemental can burrow through non magical, unworked earth and stone."

While the non magical is ok and understandable, the "unworked" makes it pretty useless in any sort of dungeon setting... given a proper dungeon has "worked" walls...

My main point is: RAW seems to have nerfed Earth Glide for PCs enough to be basically unusable in any type of dungeon setting, vs something that (esp at higher 12+ levels) keeps the Elemental Wild Shape relevant (as their flighting impact starts to diminish in later levels)...

What are your views/how is your table treating it?

While I'm at it, could I please ask - how do you play out Earth Glide at your table in terms of loudness. The RAW state further: "While doing so, the elemental doesn't disturb the material it moves through."

Does that mean the Elemental is able to move silently at all times (irrespective of the question above)? Or are you introducing some sound, and stealth checks as a consequence?

[At our table, we kind of forgot about the "unworked" restriction, but to avoid having the EE spoil all the fun of a dungeon crawl by simply sneaking through and fully prospecting a dungeon down to the last room without any danger, we introduced a house rule that the Earth Glide causes a low rumble that cannot be avoided, and that is then obviously heard by creatures in room (if EE's sneak in/through walls).]

 

[Blue]

Yes, an earlier edition had a more potent version by the same name. If your table thinks it should be more powerful, feel free to house rule.

In terms of power, all of the Elementals are CR 5 - it's not that the Earth Elemental is nerfed compared to any other elemental.

The fire elemental has no special movement type. The water elemental has swim, which probably comes up a lot less than unworked earth (just about every outdoors encounter). They don't have anything special for getting around a dungeon area either.

It seems liek you have expectations or perhaps a playstyle from an earlier edition. I played and ran a lot of 3.0 and 3.5, but now I'm playing 5e and personally I try to stay with the expectations of that, not of earlier editions.

 

[vlysses]

Thanks, yeah, it is a hold over from 3.5, that said, all the elementals have their "thing" (in terms of capabilities in addition to pure direct damage output) in the right setting, the water elemental is pretty powerful in water with whelm and grapple etc, the fire elemental deals damage to attackers, the earth elemental, with the usefulness of its one "thing" nerfed seems underwhelming otherwise...

Anyway just wanted to get a sense whether ppl play more RAW or house rule these things more often...

Thx for the comment!

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I'm fine with Earth Glide being an ability which is only sometimes useful, rather than something that can trivialize large sections of many dungeons.

The real strength of the Earth Elemental is in its defenses. Between its respectable AC, and its resistance to nonmagical weapons, there are many situations where it can tank as well as a barbarian. (Or better, since any damage that you take is healed once you shift back.)

 

[Salthorae]

Earth glide is still pretty powerful. That said our group doesn’t spend too much time in worked dungeons. Usually underground more so.

On the sound, we’ve always played it as silent, but it takes the arms to do (burrow being the operative word), so it’s moving actively not statically.

 

[FriendBesto]

In my opinion it's much more balanced, as with everything the DM can override and modify, but in 5e this is especially explicit.

Under the 3.5 mechanics it was essentially wall walking in dungeons and in 5e the inability to pass through worked stone makes all the more sense to me in a world where you have borrowers to keep out of a dungeon, you'll build said dungeons to stop this kind of intrusion. But where the DM discretion comes in is if he chooses to allow the 3.5 mechanics or he may allow you to "swim" around to find the walls and layout but have some few areas where said dungeon incorporates natural rock or uses a packed earth floor.

 

[FriendBesto]

And my opinion as to the sound, I tend to consider corridors and doorways as sound blockers to reduce the descriptive sphere of my narritive, and the fact that burrowing means your insulated from being heard, but I'd apply common sense for realism, tremor sense and POSSIBLY true soght would for example trump the silence factor, but again it's up to the DM on purpose and that way a DM can handle it however they are equipped for the situation.