Is it just me or is the spell Rope Trick kind of absurd?

[Mort]

...
I think for both of these, the answer is the loose end of the rope above the statue/boulder would rise, but it wouldn't pull anything up. It just extends whatever the free length of rope might be, and that's it.

I think that's fine. Or the DM could rule that a rope that can't become perpendicular automatically causes the spell to fail.

I'm not big on "creative" spell use. Spells already have so much utility that allowing spell casters to get creative with them is just gilding the lily.

 

[Staffan]

But this is a message board for 5e lovers and quibblers. Plus I'm taking a lunch break - so if not now then when!

Are you taking your lunch break in a pocket dimension?

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

The 3 e version let the rope hold 16000lbs before the spell would break. I imagine you could tie something to the end of the rope and create a trap or the anchor for a swinging log or something. If you think it’s going to be triggered within the hour and you have a way to haul it up. I don’t think the spell would haul anything up though. Tying one end to the ground would make it easier to climb though.

Edit. It would let you create a trap with a one hour trigger with one end tied to something. Maybe you put it 30 feet in the air then tie it to the end of a plank that is balancing precariously over a pool with the other end on the edge of the pool. The pool is infested with laser toting sharks. James Bond is tied up on the plank and only has one hour before the rope lets loose and plunges him to his death. After you tell him your plan, you leave him to his demise.

 

[Harzel]

This is a bit of a tangent, but someone earlier mentioned a dragon poking its head into the extradimensional space and discharging its breath weapon. That made me look back at the spell description again and it looked like there was a potentially interesting question that could arise. Suppose the ancient red dragon just saunters over to the bottom of the rope and discharges its breath weapon (which extends 90 ft.) toward the top of the rope. Assuming the entrance to the space is oriented at least somewhat downward, does the breath weapon pass into the space?

 

[Stalker0]

One other thing to consider about the spell is that it gives you a window of vision straight down, but you can't see all around you. Its completely possible to come out of the hole and suddenly have bad guys around you, you didn't know were there.

 

[MarkB]

So let's dive deeper on this.

If I tie a rope to a very heavy object, like a heavy golden statue, and the rope is 60' or less...does this spell lift the golden statue into the air for an hour if I cast rope trick on the rope (assuming for this example the object is not so heavy that it would break the rope)?

If someone is pinned beneath a small boulder (not so heave it would break a rope, but heavy enough to pin someone), and I can get a 60' rope around the boulder and tie it well, can I cast rope trick on that rope and lift the boulder off the person?

I think for both of these, the answer is the loose end of the rope above the statue/boulder would rise, but it wouldn't pull anything up. It just extends whatever the free length of rope might be, and that's it.

Take a simpler example. What if one member of the party holds onto the end of the rope when the spell is cast? Will it carry them with it as it rises into the air, allowing them to then enter the dimensional space without significant effort and let down a rope ladder for their allies?

The spell doesn't say that the rope must be unattended, and it can't realistically be argued that it lacks the strength to carry a person into the air, because if that were the case it would collapse the moment anyone tried to climb it.

 

[Dausuul]

This is a bit of a tangent, but someone earlier mentioned a dragon poking its head into the extradimensional space and discharging its breath weapon. That made me look back at the spell description again and it looked like there was a potentially interesting question that could arise. Suppose the ancient red dragon just saunters over to the bottom of the rope and discharges its breath weapon (which extends 90 ft.) toward the top of the rope. Assuming the entrance to the space is oriented at least somewhat downward, does the breath weapon pass into the space?

"Attacks and spells can't cross through the entrance into or out of the extradimensional space."

Technically a breath weapon is neither an attack (no attack roll) nor a spell, but I think the intent of the spell to block such things is clear. I would rule that the dragon must physically reach through the window before it can blast.

 

[MaximusArael020]

"Attacks and spells can't cross through the entrance into or out of the extradimensional space."

Technically a breath weapon is neither an attack (no attack roll) nor a spell, but I think the intent of the spell to block such things is clear. I would rule that the dragon must physically reach through the window before it can blast.

Good point, and I would probably agree with your ruling. Another question that arises from this is can I drop a lit keg of powder out of the space? It's not technically an attack, I'm just dropping it.