D&D 5E The Dangers of Overreliance on Leomund's Tiny Hut (3rd Level Spell)

[Azuresun]

The spell is not overpowered, because a CREATIVE DM would be able to find ways to challenge players who use it, even on a regular basis.

That's pretty much an admission of defeat when it comes to discussions of power level. I could come up with a level 1 spell that provided immunity to bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage. A creative DM can find ways around it, which means it's not OP, right? Once you're talking about people running surveillance operatons on the PC's with Scrying or every group of monsters having Dispel Magic on hand or infestations of burrowing / incorporeal monsters everywhere, that's too specific. If you're going that far to rein the spell in, just admit it's busted and apply an actual nerf. It's not a dirty word.

My own precision nerf is to say it provides concealment and protection against natural weather, but doesn't provide a superior Wall of Force + Greater Invisibility dragon-proof bunker.

 

[FrozenNorth]

The description says dome, but the Range says hemisphere, so take your pick. Hemisphere makes more sense to me.

The range of Fireball is 120’. That does not mean that Fireball creates a line of fire that culminates in an area effect.

Likewise, since the spell is pretty clear that it creates a dome, the facet that the range within which the dome is created does not transform a dome into a hemisphere.

 

[iserith]

Here's an easy fix if this spell is problematic in your game:

"No spells with an NPC's name in it exists in this campaign setting."

Those NPCs are from some other campaign setting, so they weren't present in this one to create those spells. If the PCs want to research and create these spells on their own, make it a downtime activity with costs and potential complications, plus the need to adventure to do it. (My guess is that they won't bother.)

 

[Lyxen]

The range of Fireball is 120’. That does not mean that Fireball creates a line of fire that culminates in a sphere.

Likewise, since the spell is pretty clear that it creates a dome, the facet that the range within which the dome is created does not transform a dome into a hemisphere.

Actually, it does:

• "A 10-foot-radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration." it creates a Dome (a surface).
• "The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside." This means that, within the dome (which is a hemispherical volume), there are two effects (atmosphere and light).
• "Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark." The interior of a dome is the hemisphere.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Actually, it does:

• "A 10-foot-radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration." it creates a Dome (a surface).
• "The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside." This means that, within the dome (which is a hemispherical volume), there are two effects (atmosphere and light).
• "Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark." The interior of a dome is the hemisphere.

I think we are in agreement insofar as interpretation is concerned. The “force field” aspect of the spell is referred to as a dome, so would not have a floor, even if other effects of the spell may occur within the hemisphere outlined by the dome.

 

[Stormonu]

The problems come with abuse of the spell. As long as the party uses it as a campground without having to lug around 50+ lbs. of camping gear, I have no problem with it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Here's an easy fix if this spell is problematic in your game:

"No spells with an NPC's name in it exists in this campaign setting."

-Checks SRD-

-Casts Tiny Hut-

But seriously, I never had an issue with Tiny Hut. It's the players conveying to me that being jumped in the middle of the night isn't something that want to do. So I let them spend the resources to have that not happen. Same way that in their games they let me get a bag of holding early so I don't have to interact with encumbrance

 

[Baron Opal II]

To be fair, the problem never comes from people coming in with low expectations and that kind of description, it almost always comes from a ruleslawyer saying "but the spell says... so it should do this..."

Yes, and that's a pain. When someone is attempting something clever with a spell that's one thing. If someone is being a jerk, then you have to declare their rhetoric invalid.

A while ago I had a player point out something about a house rule* and they tried to do something over the top with it. It was something involving backstab, I think. I thanked them for pointing that out, stated it was in error, and the rule as intended was [blah]. I then pointed out that I would change the wording for next time. He tried a couple of times pointing the the book saying "but the rules says...", and then I repeated myself. The third time I told him to stop arguing with me, this is how the rule was interpreted, and if he thought we should do different then we would discuss it after, not during, the game.

* I've made so many house rules that I ended up writing my own book of D&D rules. Printed, stitched, bound, the whole deal. Quite fun, actually.

 

[Argyle King]

For the hemisphere, is the flat side required to be the bottom?

 

[Oofta]

-Checks SRD-

-Casts Tiny Hut-

But seriously, I never had an issue with Tiny Hut. It's the players conveying to me that being jumped in the middle of the night isn't something that want to do. So I let them spend the resources to have that not happen. Same way that in their games they let me get a bag of holding early so I don't have to interact with encumbrance

I guess that's just not how I run my games. If I think enemy patrols are common in the area or if the enemy knows they're there or any number of other situations then there's a good chance the enemy will find them and take appropriate countermeasures. Those countermeasures may include anything from setting up ambushes to giants throwing rocks at the dome to bury it.

The PCs don't get to dictate the world or how other creatures respond to their actions.