D&D 5E Treantmonk's Guide to Everything Xanathar

[smbakeresq]

I would love to put in a plug for the cantrip "Mold Earth"

"You choose a portion of dirt or stone that you can see within range (30 feet) and that fits within a 5-food cube. You can manipulate it in the following ways:

*If you target an area of loose earth, you can instantaneously excavate it, move it along the ground, and deposit it up to 5 feet away. This movement doesn't involve enough force to cause damage"

This is the first use of the spell and gives you some very interesting RAW effects. You can manipulate as much earth as fits in a 5-foot cube within 30 feet, but not all of that earth needs to be in a single 5-foot cube. A 5-foot cube is 125 cubic feet of dirt.

This means that you could use this cantrip to create a wall of earth by excavating a 1'x5'x25' line of earth. This translates into a 25 feet long, 5 foot high, 1 food deep wall of earth (potentially with a 1 foot pit (the excavated hole) either in front of or behind it. This is instant cover for archers/caster or road-blocks for enemies. Given how good wall spells are in general, this has amazing potential if you're in a earth/stone surface (like most dungeons).

You can use this spell to create a pretty great mini-fortress in 1 minute, and a really cool one in 1 minutes. So if you're looking at preparing a position for defense this is amazing.

By the same logic as above, the "shape water" cantrip allows you to make a raft of ice that's 1 foot thick and 25 square feet in area. This is big enough and strong enough to park 2 pickup trucks on, and thus serves as an instant boat or bridge across water.

Doesn’t work that way. It targets a 5’ cube, not all earth that would fit into a 5’ cube. You can move it around, but doesn’t say anything about shaping it as you wouldn’t be able to pile earth 5’ high but only 1’ thick, it would collapse.

However, you would be able to quickly make a 2’ deep hole with a 2’ pile of earth in front of it for a quick foxhole with a small earth pile to shoot over. Or use it the Roman way, make a 5’ wide 5’ deep trench, piling the earth up and then packing it down to form a platform then make a quick wall with branches.

You can quickly dig out a moat this way to protect the camp.

The ice is the same way. 25 square feet is big enough for a golf cart maybe, it’s 5x5. The flying carpet in DMG let’s you know how many people you could fit onto that shape as it’s 4x6’, or 24 square feet IIRC.

 

[jgsugden]

I would love to put in a plug for the cantrip "Mold Earth"

I agree this is a great cantrip, but not as good as you make it out to be...

This is the first use of the spell and gives you some very interesting RAW effects. You can manipulate as much earth as fits in a 5-foot cube within 30 feet, but not all of that earth needs to be in a single 5-foot cube. A 5-foot cube is 125 cubic feet of dirt.

This means that you could use this cantrip to create a wall of earth by excavating a 1'x5'x25' line of earth. This translates into a 25 feet long, 5 foot high, 1 food deep wall of earth (potentially with a 1 foot pit (the excavated hole) either in front of or behind it...

I don't think this works. The language says that you select dirt that fits in the box - you see that as saying to select dirt that *could* fit in the box, while I think the intent is that the drug *does* fit in the box.

One reason to believe my approach is what was intended is that your approach gives you results on par with spells of 3rd level or higher. That is out of whack for a cantrip.

Further, I don't see anything in the way that says that the dirt can be crafted in a fine manner, or obtain any support from being moved in this manner. As a result, if it is allowed to be moved into a 5' tall wall that is 1' wide, I think it would just collapse.

Regardless, I think it is pretty clear that you can - in 6 seconds - move 125 square feet of dirt from one place to another, creating a 5' mount and a 5' pit. Repeating that for a few rounds can be pretty frigging amazing. My wizard:

1.) Creates moats around the PC rest areas.
2.) Collapses walls and buildings by removing the dirt around/under them.
3.) Digs incredibly deep pits (this involves a lot of step by step movements, but it is not that hard).
4.) Gets paid by the local farmers for an afternoon of cantrips (a first level wizard with the right cantrips and rituals can care for several acres of farmland per day - all by himself - with only a small amount of actual labor - I have a nice subplot where low level wizards are being trained to replace the labor force all across the world).
5.) Buried a lot of bad things that we didn't want to see. We're not always the goodest of the good guys.

The biggest bone of contention is what constitutes loose earth. I'm a liberal DM, but the game I play in won't allow it to work unless the dirt is moist and low in stone content - and never worked in any fashion by any man or beast.

 

[shadowoflameth]

On the Kensei Monk, Agile parry works when you make a melee attack as part of the attack action. Not with your bonus action. Remember you have to make your regular turn attack or one of them unarmed and have the weapon held to benefit. After 5th doesn't matter as much because you get Extra Attack but you want those 2 points of AC.

 

[jgsugden]

We might note that Treantmonk has not been seen here in 6 months.... Suggesting updates to the guide might be optimistic.

 

[Ancalagon]

We might note that Treantmonk has not been seen here in 6 months.... Suggesting updates to the guide might be optimistic.

A shame that...

 

[Treantmonklvl20]

We might note that Treantmonk has not been seen here in 6 months.... Suggesting updates to the guide might be optimistic.

I'm back, going to be working my way through posts for the next few days. Recently updated my wizard guide, going to be looking at Xanathar's depending on what's in the posts.

 

[gyor]

New race and subraces from MTOFs, could have interesting interactions with subclasses, feats, and spells from XGTE.

 

[Treantmonklvl20]

New race and subraces from MTOFs, could have interesting interactions with subclasses, feats, and spells from XGTE.

Overall, I was underwhelmed with MTOFs, it kind of just seemed like another VOLO's guide.

That said, there are a couple things I noticed:

Eladrin and Shadar-Kai: These elf sub-races can use misty step (fey step/blessing of the Raven Queen), and cast a spell with their action without being restricted to a cantrip. Considering how often I've found my characters in that very situation, it's significant. The Spring Eladrin's ability to use this on others is the standout as far as I'm concerned. Eladrin, with the Cha bonus, are also mechanically more appropriate for casters, specifically Bards, Sorcerers and Warlocks.

Gith on the other hand, are a super-interesting race, but mechanically, they are fine, but nothing that unique. A few psionic abilities that play out as racial spells no different than many other races get.

Druegar and Deep gnomes are not new content, but just reprints, without any notable differences that I noticed.

 

[Ancalagon]

I'm back, going to be working my way through posts for the next few days. Recently updated my wizard guide, going to be looking at Xanathar's depending on what's in the posts.

I look forward to you seeing the wondrous light that is Tiny Servant

 

[gyor]

Overall, I was underwhelmed with MTOFs, it kind of just seemed like another VOLO's guide.

That said, there are a couple things I noticed:

Eladrin and Shadar-Kai: These elf sub-races can use misty step (fey step/blessing of the Raven Queen), and cast a spell with their action without being restricted to a cantrip. Considering how often I've found my characters in that very situation, it's significant. The Spring Eladrin's ability to use this on others is the standout as far as I'm concerned. Eladrin, with the Cha bonus, are also mechanically more appropriate for casters, specifically Bards, Sorcerers and Warlocks.

Gith on the other hand, are a super-interesting race, but mechanically, they are fine, but nothing that unique. A few psionic abilities that play out as racial spells no different than many other races get.

Druegar and Deep gnomes are not new content, but just reprints, without any notable differences that I noticed.

Githyanki practically beg to be fighter/wizards of some sort. Githzerai are good clerics, which is weird for a race with no Pantheon of gods of their own.

The Shadar-Kai scream Hexblades and Shadow Magic Sorcerers, they can be neither in AL, it is goofy.

Eladarin going Feylock is obvious, but Assassin could be unexpectedly interesting too.