Question regarding "Worked stone"

[frankthedm]

Maybe mortar spoils the spell?

Even roughly hewing the stone ruins it. EDIT, After giving it more thought, I will agree totally unworked stones merely placed into a wall shape would be subject to the spells in question.

 

[Greenfield]

Like I said, the stonework doesn't have to be one continuous piece. A mixture of hewn and rough stone in a wall would result in some stones being vulnerable and some not.

I suddenly have this vision of a mortar latticework left standing after the rough stones in the wall melt away.

 

[Jawsh]

There are a number of spells that affect earth or stone, but specifically exempt "worked stone".

Obviously, stone blocks qualify.

Wall of Stone creates "rough stone", but it can be shaped. Is it "worked stone", for purposes of spells like Transmute Rock to Mud or "Soften Earth and Stone

What about rubble-stone walls? That is, walls built by stacking and/or mortaring field stone? (Think of the stone fences of Ireland or New England, assembled from whatever the farmer found in his field, without any attempt to reshape the individual stones.)

I'd agree it's a DM's call, but "worked" to me implies anything that a human (or intelligent creature) had a hand in creating. So those spells don't function on walls created by wall of stone, nor rocks stacked up in a wall-like shape by primitive humanoids, and not even inuksuk.

 

[Ashtagon]

*Rubble-stone walls, gravel and such would not be 'worked'. A house right down the street from me has a three foot loose rock wall around it.

rubble stone wall - Google Search
http://www.mygarden.lt/wp-content/uploads/dry_stone_wall.jpg
http://www.jfpriceco.com/_images//our_wall_bigger.JPG

Google image search disagrees with the idea that no one Crafted a rubble stone wall.

I'd distinguish between a pile of rocks that just fell where they may in a wall-like arrangement and a planned wall made of loose rocks though.

 

[kitcik]

The common definition of worked stone is that it be hewn or chiseled. In other words, the actual stone has been altered by humans. Natural stone, no matter how it has been placed, has not been worked.