Wall spells

[lukelightning]

So, would you allow Wall of Ice to create a block of ice?

No, for all the reasons you mentioned yourself.

 

[frankthedm]

Small and Medium creatures won't even get a save if you place the spell appropriately. A 7th lvl caster (lowest for wall of ice) will get a 10 ft radius hemisphere. That means non reach creatures in the center 4 squares get no save. They are just trapped

Sorry. Adjacent mean the squares next to you if i understand this ruleset. Whether the wall is drawn round or Counted by squares, every one of those 4 get a reflex save to negate the wall. The rules are not clear how a wall has to be placed, but if you want to avoid the save to negate the wall, you would only be able to do so on a medium creature if the DM runs combats by measuring distances. Otherwise the 4 diagonaly adjacent squares clip the hemishere allowing the save.

 

[Felix]

No, for all the reasons you mentioned yourself.

I may have been unclear; it may be RAW illegal (for those reasons I mentioned), but would you allow the effect? As in, making bendy-bendy with the rules.

 

[frankthedm]

But I rather think that Wall of Ice is the best of the Wall spells for combat.

Barring houserules, I think it is one of the worst. Save negates from anyone near the wall is really a deal breaker IMHO. Inability to even have it form on a cluttered battlefield drops it another notch. Auto loss of the frigid air on the hemisphere is a coffin nail.

 

[Felix]

Save negates from anyone near the wall is really a deal breaker IMHO. Inability to even have it form on a cluttered battlefield drops it another notch.

The save is unique to Wall of Ice, but the inability to form around clutter is a feature of many of the wall spells, including Wall of Force, Wall of Iron and Wall of Stone. Only Wall of Fire and Wall of Thorns may be dropped directly upon opponents.

When you consider that Wall of Ice may be vertical, horizontal, or otherwise, it adds versatility in out-of combat situations. It is capable of making a much, much longer bridge than a Wall of Stone, though it may only be temporary.

But I recall I specified "wall spells for combat", so I suppose the out-of-combat versatility doesn't come into play. Very well: it's good for combat (long length, low spell level, non-transparent, multiple effects, some damage), and also good for out-of-combat (medium duration, rotateable on the horizontal axis, long length).

Auto loss of the frigid air on the hemisphere is a coffin nail.

When you consider that it's also a potential auto-encyst?

 

[Alpha Polaris]

When you consider that it's also a potential auto-encyst?

Well, if you'd use it for protection you woudn't need to break out of it, right ? And you could still use some damage being done to those who try and break in... Recently seen a Bone Devil kick the crap out of my gaming group using at will wall of ice (hemisphere) and at will greater teleport to take us one by one. Creepy

 

[Felix]

Well, if you'd use it for protection you woudn't need to break out of it, right ? And you could still use some damage being done to those who try and break in... Recently seen a Bone Devil kick the crap out of my gaming group using at will wall of ice (hemisphere) and at will greater teleport to take us one by one. Creepy

To be sure, if it did the cold damage in the hemisphere the spell would be more powerful; I just disagree with frank that it's necessary.

When I used it in combat as a sorcerer, it was to neutralize the enemy characters that relied on range: mages, archers, spring-attackers, etc. They usually stay away from the clump of melee, so it's often easy to catch one of them in a hemisphere. Keeps them occupied for a few rounds, anyway.