Wall of..spells

ForceUser · Oct 15, 2003

(Psi)SeveredHead said:
It's also a great way to keep reinforcements away and to cut off an enemy's retreat - but that's not so effective against spellcasters and psions.

It is when used in conjunction with dimensional anchor!

apsuman · Oct 16, 2003

Wall of ice to form a temporary bridge over a dangerous chasm.

Engage the enemy on the bridge.

Cast Wall of Fire around the party.

Now, the party takes damage from the heat. If they cross the wall of fire, they take damage. A fair (IMHO) DM would have the fire melt the ice. Party falls.

By using the fly spell the mage can stay mobile enough to force the party to cross the wall of Fire, and delay them enough to have to deal with falling through the ice bridge.

g!

Hammerhead · Oct 16, 2003

It's generally a better idea, if you can, to try and wall in the non-spellcasters. Spellcasters are rarely troubled by walls for more than a few rounds at most, with polymorphing (into a creature with burrowing to dig under), teleport, dimension door, fly, etc. Fighters and Rogues frequently lack these abilities.

Ridley's Cohort · Oct 16, 2003

Walls of Ice has downsides, too. It can be destroyed by fire, which is quite common. And undead ignore the damage. Wall of Fire can form a ring, and a prepared spellcaster/party can walk through it. On the balance, they are pretty similar.

If the opposing spellcaster burns a spell to bypass the wall and move closer to you, that is usually a big tactical gain. Even if the other spellcaster can simply nullify your Wall by casting a single spell, that is probably a tactical win for you -- at least he didn't hammer the whole party with a Fireball or worse. Presumably you just bought your comrades a round of relative safety, and that is often good enough.

Hammerhead · Oct 16, 2003

Evil Bad Guy: Traps Wizard and Cleric behind Wall of Force to deal with Fighter and Rogue.
Wizard: Grabs Cleric buddy, teleports past wall.
Cleric: Flame Strike
Rogue: Sneak Attack
Fighter: Charge
Evil Bad Guy: Ah, I'm dead.

Not too good of a plan; quite frankly, I'd rather hit my enemies with real magic that can consume their souls or turn them to tapeworms instead of making them waste one round.

A D-Anchor on the wizard generally works well, but if used solely for that purpose that's two rounds you're wasting to trap him. One of my problems in my 3e game was that the characters would always use the Bracelet of Friends to pop out of Walls of Force.

The problem with Wall of Fire and Wall of Ice is that the damage is a joke. 2d6+level? Who can't take that kind of damage? Sissy elven wizards? If a whopping 27 points of damage, from a 15th level caster, is threatening then you probably shouldn't be taking on this guy in the first place. It's a question of marginal utility; sure, damaging the group with a Wall of Fire might be useful, but is it as useful as other 4th level spells cast in its place?

Xavim · Oct 16, 2003

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the ability to create a wall of iron mid air and dropping it on the entire party for a nice saveless 10d6 damage.

Not to mention the fact that the party is now pinned beneath a wall of iron...

Mystery Man · Oct 16, 2003

In rounds how long would it take to melt through a wall of ice?

AuraSeer · Oct 16, 2003

Mystery Man said:
In rounds how long would it take to melt through a wall of ice?

How long is a piece of string?

Melting time depends on the size of the wall, and the heat you're using on it. Destroying a foot-thick wall with a torch will be much slower than destroying an inch-thick wall with a meteor swarm.

Nail · Oct 16, 2003

Xavim said:
I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the ability to create a wall of iron mid air and dropping it on the entire party for a nice saveless 10d6 damage.

Not to mention the fact that the party is now pinned beneath a wall of iron...

No one's said it because that tactic is not allowed: