Wall of .... Spells

[Markn]

I would like to get some clarifications on the "Wall of ..." spells. What are some of the common misconceptions and how are they supposed to work according to the RAW. Are there any limitations? In particular I would like to know about Wall of Stone and Wall of Force (and not so much wall of ice).

Can you run a wall of stone adjacent to another wall of stone? Can you have multiple bends in it? Can you use to block to block 2 passages off in a T intersection with a right angle? Can the spell be broken up with something in the middle (other than NPC's of course). How is this different from other wall spells.

I get all the basics of these spells but when players try to apply these spells in combat questions always seem to come up. I guess I have concerns that the wall spells can be abused and IMO they are not clearly worded in certain applictions. Please help.

One last question - Earthquake (the spell)can be used to collapse a ceiling and creatures can get pinned. How do you get out?

Thanks again.

 

[kjenks]

I would like to get some clarifications on the "Wall of ..." spells. What are some of the common misconceptions and how are they supposed to work according to the RAW. Are there any limitations? In particular I would like to know about Wall of Stone and Wall of Force (and not so much wall of ice).

For some reason, many people think a Wall of Force is infinitely thin. It's actually 1 ft. thick.

Many people think a Wall of Force can be shaped or can be horizontal. It can't. This is probably a hold-over from earlier editions of D&D.

Can you run a wall of stone adjacent to another wall of stone?

Yes.

Can you have multiple bends in it?

Yes.

Can you use to block to block 2 passages off in a T intersection with a right angle?

Yes.

Can the spell be broken up with something in the middle (other than NPC's of course).

The "wall" needs to be contiguous, but part of it could be just an inch or two tall. "The wall cannot be conjured so that it occupies the same space as a creature or another object." But it could arch over their squares, as long as you don't exceed the area. If the shape is complicated (buttressing or crenelation), the area is halved.

How is this different from other wall spells.

Unlike a Wall of Iron or Wall of Firce, a Wall of Stone is shapable.

One last question - Earthquake (the spell)can be used to collapse a ceiling and creatures can get pinned. How do you get out?

As far as I can tell, the DM has to make up the rules.

 

[dcollins]

For some reason, many people think a Wall of Force is infinitely thin. It's actually 1 ft. thick.

I would be skeptical of the previous poster's claims. He's definitely wrong about point #1, I'll leave the rest to someone else. From the current SRD:

The caster can form the wall into a flat, vertical plane whose area is up to one 10- foot square per level. The wall must be continuous and unbroken when formed.

Flat planes are not 1 ft. thick.

 

[Shallown]

Wall of stone is the only one that is shapeable I do believe all the others,IIRC are flat planes though I think some can be angled but still have to be anchored. so you could angle from a floor to ceiling and make a lean-to sort of wall.

later

 

[Markn]

Flat Planes - Wall of Force

I would be skeptical of the previous poster's claims. He's definitely wrong about point #1, I'll leave the rest to someone else. From the current SRD:



Flat planes are not 1 ft. thick.

Unless I am misreading the spell you can only make a vertical plane. The 'flat' part is an adjective describing the properties of the vertical plane. Am I wrong about this?

 

[CyberSpyder]

Unless I am misreading the spell you can only make a vertical plane. The 'flat' part is an adjective describing the properties of the vertical plane. Am I wrong about this?

He was just saying that it isn't 1 foot thick, not that it can be horizontal.

 

[Markn]

For some reason, many people think a Wall of Force is infinitely thin. It's actually 1 ft. thick.

.

Where does this come from?

 

[Ovinomancer]

The "wall" needs to be contiguous, but part of it could be just an inch or two tall. "The wall cannot be conjured so that it occupies the same space as a creature or another object." But it could arch over their squares, as long as you don't exceed the area. If the shape is complicated (buttressing or crenelation), the area is halved.

Except that the term *space* actually has definate meaning in this case. IE the space/reach description of a creature. This refers to the square(s) that the creature/character occupies on a grid, and therefore the wall of stone cannot be formed inside that space. YMMV.

 

[Vraister]

Wall of Thorns is shapable as well.

 

[kjenks]

Where does this come from?

http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/v35/EpicObstacles.rtf

First table, 12th row.

Sorry, it's 1 in. thick, not 1 ft. thick. I should have looked it up again before posting.