How does pinning work in the earthquake spell?

[DM-Rocco]

How does pinning work in the earthquake spell?

It says if you are in the path of the earthquake you take damage and ar pinned. You take half damage if you make a saving throw but it doesn't say if you avoid being pinned by making a saving throw and if you are pinned, I can't find rules to say how you get out of being pinned except in the grappling rules, but you need a grappler, so, how do you get freed if you are pinned by an earthquake?

 

[KarinsDad]

There really is no good way to avoid it.

In my campaign, I had each player declare what they were doing (they were in a cave and a drow Cleric cast it on them). They all got a single move action to do something, although with a Concentration roll because the floor was moving so hard.

Although it has a realistic feel to it, the Earthquake spell is not very balanced in regard to the Cave, Cavern, Tunnel description. If I hadn't of given my players a move action, there is a good chance that some or all of them would have died.

 

[DM-Rocco]

Yeah, I didn't think they could avoid it. The issue was how do you become unpinned from the rubble, I can't figure that part out. I haven't seen the rules to become unpinned from anything other than a grapple.

So, do I have to have them make an escape check from the grapple STR of the earth, lol?