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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 7239939" data-attributes="member: 58172">When you cast Wall Of Fire 4 as a damage spell, it deals about 20 damage to the area, moreorless a 60-foot line or a 10-foot radius circle, thus compares roughly to 3rd-level Lightning Bolt.If the enemies are already in the area and already damaged, they can simply walk out of its area without taking additional damage. In this case, the wall fails to function as a barrier.As a barrier spell, the 60-foot line can block out sections of a room, hallway, or door. Alternatively, the 10-foot radius can encircle enemies as long as the damaging side of the wall faces outward away from the enemies. In both cases, the use as a barrier deals no damage.In other words, to cast Wall Of Fire as a ‘trap’ mainly happens if choosing to deal no damage. Instead, the area is a ‘hazard’ that threatens to deal damage in the future if any try to pass thru it.Note, if the enemies have enough hit points to eat the damage, they can choose to eat it and walk thru the barrier. Thus the barrier is ineffective against powerful enemies.Note, allies can push enemies into the Wall Of Fire, but reciprocally, enemies can push allies into it. So this use of a hazard seems a wash, unless a setup is in place to make it work.In sum, Wall Of Fire tends to be either a damage spell or a barrier spell, but less often both. The damage spell is equivalent to a 3rd-level spell slot. So the overall value of the spell depends on how effective this barrier is. Its main use seems to be to keep away a group of enemies that are low hit point or low level, that are less likely to choose to pass thru it or cast or shoot thru it.Wall Of Fire compares to 3rd-level Good Lightning Bolt as a damage spell. As a barrier spell, it is less good than 4th-level Good Black Tentacles. Thus it seems to rank somewhere from 3rd-level Excellent to 4th-level Not Bad, providing its use as a barrier is worth this.For now, Wall Of Fire lists as 4th-level Less Useful, in the sense that it is an effective barrier in certain situations.</blockquote>

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