So, I'm new to playing a Druid. I've selected Shape Water as one of my cantrips. After reading some Reddit threads, I put together some ideas for using it.
I'm not sure if this is even possible. I know that I can only utilize 2 effects at the same time, when using it.
IDEA : Shape Water > Form Arrows > Freeze into Ice Arrows > Shoot Ice Arrows from Long Bow
a) Is this even possible? b) What kind of damage could an arrow do, if it were? c) Am I making the cantrip too complicated?
Looking for ideas and thoughts for Shape Water / Mold Earth
An arrow is the result of the art and science of fletching, an incredibly difficult process that involves not just assembling the arrow, but proper sculpting of the feather, Arrowhead, notch, etc. I would think this doesn't meet the definition of "simple shape". They would also be much heavier than regular arrows and would require more draw strength, possibly limiting range.
If you want a magical ice arrows, I suggest dipping arrows in water, then freezing the water via shape water. Alternately, if you're say,a circle of land (Arctic), I might just ask the DM if you could take ray of frost and call it a day.
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May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
I'm a bit skeptical. Making ice into the shape of an arrow is certainly possible, but the weight distribution of an arrow seems much more important than the shape - the arrowhead has to be heavy, the shaft balanced the right way, the fletching feather-light. I can't see an ice arrow being able to be shot straight and true, and even an ice-tipped arrow would probably be worse for piercing armor than a metal arrowhead. So if you're just doing this as a replacement for your ranger/rogue/fighter carrying arrows... ...why? Are arrows that hard for you to find?
I suppose it could make sense for fighting specific enemies that have some extra vulnerability to cold damage. As a DM I'd probably let you convert the arrow's damage to cold damage using this trick if it really made sense given the monster you were fighting. But I'd think it's a stretch.
I would also allow it for flavor, if for role-play reasons you wanted to say you were generating your arrows this way, and mechanically they were the same as normal arrows. Sure, if that helps flesh out your character and make them cool, go ahead! I never make people track mundane arrows in my campaign anyway, past level 1 at least.
I'm sure I'll settle down, once we start playing. The initial logic was that I could use the Shape Water cantrip to create something with zing on a current range weapon. I thought that by dipping it in water then freezing it, that it would somehow give extra "cold" damage, on top of the initial damage with a longbow.
I realize now that logic is flawed. I'm simply reading ideas that others have tried in previous outings and trying to find ways to implement them during battle or situations. Forcing myself to think outside-of-the-box and trying to bring an ounce of "zest" to the character.
Not trying to be that cliche druid that wildshapes every 5 seconds. Just want to be a bit different.
It's not a bad idea, actually. Creativity is cool. If you want a magical ice weapon, may I suggest the easier to use javelin? Not a ton of damage, but a quick freeze of water in that shape would do the trick and not be so complex?
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May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
Would I be better served to make a complete Ice Javelin or just dip the tip of the Javelin in water, then freeze it? My hope was to improve the damage roll, even slightly. Feeling like I'll be the "runt" of the party and want to contribute somehow.
Would I be better served to make a complete Ice Javelin or just dip the tip of the Javelin in water, then freeze it? My hope was to improve the damage roll, even slightly. Feeling like I'll be the "runt" of the party and want to contribute somehow.
Why do you think you'll be the "Runt" of the party and unable to contribute? Druids are perfectly fine! Moon Druids are incredible tanks/melee bruisers, Land druids are excellent support casters, there's a million other circles to put them into almost any role and be good at it. I'm playing Land Druid (mountain) in a campaign now and don't see any reason I'd be "the runt" of the party!
As a DM, this seems like it's my least favorite "creative" use of spells. I like creativity when the players are engaging with the world - when they're finding clever ways of using terrain, when they come up with a cool way to use a spell they have to weaken the particular monster they're up against. What I find frustrating is when players try to just power up their characters in general - it feels like they're interacting with the rules, not with the world. Like, this seems to me you're looking to find a way to use a cantrip to get you a permanent bonus to damage on ranged attacks. No, just because you took "Shape Water", that doesn't let you call all your arrows "+1 arrows". That seems dumb. The spell you're looking for that can do something like that is Magic Weapon.
Zingali, the point of playing a Druid is not to do the most damage per round yourself. Fighter, Paladin, Sorcerer, Rogue. Those classes have a higher and more predictable damage output on average. Most powerful Druid spells are control spells. That means you get to shape the outcome of encounters by altering the playing field, tweaking the boundaries and variables so that they are, overall, weighted in your party's favor. I suggest looking up TreatMonk's Wizard guide called "How to be a God" to get a full explanation of how to pick "powerful" Druid spells.
I would think you could make a technically shootable arrow, but it would not have the tensile strength of wood and steel, and would be likely to shatter on impact with anything solid with minimal damage done...if it didn't melt en route. Still, if you thought of a clever use for shooting an ice arrow apart from combat, I would think it possible.
Don't worry about being a combat powerhouse, druids are highly versatile. You can heal. You can use utility spells like Locate Object and Speak With Animals to help the party. You can provide food, grow plants, and manipulate the powers of nature. Druid have lots of spells good for blocking passageways (or damaging anyone who comes through them. My dude just pretty much destroyed a small army of kobolds with Spike Growth.) Your druid has useful skills for almost any situation, fighting or investigating or support or RP. Lots to do, wild shaping is just the cherry on the sundae.
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Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) WoodElf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2 Last Tree StandingTabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1 Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
So, I'm new to playing a Druid. I've selected Shape Water as one of my cantrips. After reading some Reddit threads, I put together some ideas for using it.
I'm not sure if this is even possible. I know that I can only utilize 2 effects at the same time, when using it.
IDEA : Shape Water > Form Arrows > Freeze into Ice Arrows > Shoot Ice Arrows from Long Bow
a) Is this even possible? b) What kind of damage could an arrow do, if it were? c) Am I making the cantrip too complicated?
Looking for ideas and thoughts for Shape Water / Mold Earth
Appreciate the feedback.
I have used shape water using sorcery points in conjunction with the Tidal Wave spell. To give the tidal wave a “sharp pointy impal people spot” as well to add piercing to the bludgeoning if DM allows it.
I would think you could make a technically shootable arrow, but it would not have the tensile strength of wood and steel, and would be likely to shatter on impact with anything solid with minimal damage done...if it didn't melt en route. Still, if you thought of a clever use for shooting an ice arrow apart from combat, I would think it possible.
Don't worry about being a combat powerhouse, druids are highly versatile. You can heal. You can use utility spells like Locate Object and Speak With Animals to help the party. You can provide food, grow plants, and manipulate the powers of nature. Druid have lots of spells good for blocking passageways (or damaging anyone who comes through them. My dude just pretty much destroyed a small army of kobolds with Spike Growth.) Your druid has useful skills for almost any situation, fighting or investigating or support or RP. Lots to do, wild shaping is just the cherry on the sundae.
How quickly do you think an Arrow made of ice will melt? Is he shooting it in a volcano?
Shape water is an incredibly versatile spell. I'd recommend putting water inside a lock, then freezing it and either making the metal brittle or breaking it by letting the water expand as it freezes. Dms fiat but you can also potentially freeze the water in trees or their wood if its fresh enough.
For other spells I'd recommend that you use the conjure animals spell once you hit a high enough level. You can use mob rules to speed it up so the table doesn't complain.
As someone who repaired locks for years, it really makes me cringe when people think they can pick/break open a lock with water or ice.
It is fantasy and all, so fine, whatever. But still... ugh, no. You could probably break a very old lock with sudden enough freezing, but it would more than likely become harder to open; not just fall apart. You definitely could not make a key out of ice.
As someone who repaired locks for years, it really makes me cringe when people think they can pick/break open a lock with water or ice.
It is fantasy and all, so fine, whatever. But still... ugh, no. You could probably break a very old lock with sudden enough freezing, but it would more than likely become harder to open; not just fall apart. You definitely could not make a key out of ice.
I too fight this battle constantly.... I feel your pain.
The lock and door gimmicks have been kiboshed by my DM, so it's back to the drawing board for more out-of-the-box shenanigans. The quickness of how my idea was shot down was sobering. So, I gotta just keep being creative and make it fun. Eventually, something will work. In the first session, I wasn't able to do much with Shape Water or Mold Earth. We're moving to different terrain for the next session, so I'm hoping for more opportunities.
The lock and door gimmicks have been kiboshed by my DM, so it's back to the drawing board for more out-of-the-box shenanigans. The quickness of how my idea was shot down was sobering. So, I gotta just keep being creative and make it fun. Eventually, something will work. In the first session, I wasn't able to do much with Shape Water or Mold Earth. We're moving to different terrain for the next session, so I'm hoping for more opportunities.
I used shape water to troll people. Make little water figurines behind them mimicking them as they talk to people.
The lock and door gimmicks have been kiboshed by my DM, so it's back to the drawing board for more out-of-the-box shenanigans. The quickness of how my idea was shot down was sobering. So, I gotta just keep being creative and make it fun. Eventually, something will work. In the first session, I wasn't able to do much with Shape Water or Mold Earth. We're moving to different terrain for the next session, so I'm hoping for more opportunities.
You know what? That's ok. Be creative, come up with new things. I'd rather DM a creative player and say no, than a boring one that does nothing other than play a round peg to a round hole and nothing else.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
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So, I'm new to playing a Druid.
I've selected Shape Water as one of my cantrips.
After reading some Reddit threads, I put together some ideas for using it.
I'm not sure if this is even possible. I know that I can only utilize 2 effects at the same time, when using it.
IDEA : Shape Water > Form Arrows > Freeze into Ice Arrows > Shoot Ice Arrows from Long Bow
a) Is this even possible?
b) What kind of damage could an arrow do, if it were?
c) Am I making the cantrip too complicated?
Looking for ideas and thoughts for Shape Water / Mold Earth
Appreciate the feedback.
An arrow is the result of the art and science of fletching, an incredibly difficult process that involves not just assembling the arrow, but proper sculpting of the feather, Arrowhead, notch, etc. I would think this doesn't meet the definition of "simple shape". They would also be much heavier than regular arrows and would require more draw strength, possibly limiting range.
If you want a magical ice arrows, I suggest dipping arrows in water, then freezing the water via shape water. Alternately, if you're say,a circle of land (Arctic), I might just ask the DM if you could take ray of frost and call it a day.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
Frozen tips might be a nice #hack around it. Curious what the extra damage could be.
Just starting out at Level 1, first session tomorrow night.
Leaning towards Circle Of The Land - Forest.
Hm, ice arrows, interesting idea!
I'm a bit skeptical. Making ice into the shape of an arrow is certainly possible, but the weight distribution of an arrow seems much more important than the shape - the arrowhead has to be heavy, the shaft balanced the right way, the fletching feather-light. I can't see an ice arrow being able to be shot straight and true, and even an ice-tipped arrow would probably be worse for piercing armor than a metal arrowhead. So if you're just doing this as a replacement for your ranger/rogue/fighter carrying arrows... ...why? Are arrows that hard for you to find?
I suppose it could make sense for fighting specific enemies that have some extra vulnerability to cold damage. As a DM I'd probably let you convert the arrow's damage to cold damage using this trick if it really made sense given the monster you were fighting. But I'd think it's a stretch.
I would also allow it for flavor, if for role-play reasons you wanted to say you were generating your arrows this way, and mechanically they were the same as normal arrows. Sure, if that helps flesh out your character and make them cool, go ahead! I never make people track mundane arrows in my campaign anyway, past level 1 at least.
I'm sure I'll settle down, once we start playing.
The initial logic was that I could use the Shape Water cantrip to create something with zing on a current range weapon.
I thought that by dipping it in water then freezing it, that it would somehow give extra "cold" damage, on top of the initial damage with a longbow.
I realize now that logic is flawed.
I'm simply reading ideas that others have tried in previous outings and trying to find ways to implement them during battle or situations.
Forcing myself to think outside-of-the-box and trying to bring an ounce of "zest" to the character.
Not trying to be that cliche druid that wildshapes every 5 seconds. Just want to be a bit different.
It's not a bad idea, actually. Creativity is cool. If you want a magical ice weapon, may I suggest the easier to use javelin? Not a ton of damage, but a quick freeze of water in that shape would do the trick and not be so complex?
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
Would I be better served to make a complete Ice Javelin or just dip the tip of the Javelin in water, then freeze it?
My hope was to improve the damage roll, even slightly. Feeling like I'll be the "runt" of the party and want to contribute somehow.
That's a question for your DM, though I'd lean making a whole ice javelin. Depends on your combat / non-combat rp balance too.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
Why do you think you'll be the "Runt" of the party and unable to contribute? Druids are perfectly fine! Moon Druids are incredible tanks/melee bruisers, Land druids are excellent support casters, there's a million other circles to put them into almost any role and be good at it. I'm playing Land Druid (mountain) in a campaign now and don't see any reason I'd be "the runt" of the party!
As a DM, this seems like it's my least favorite "creative" use of spells. I like creativity when the players are engaging with the world - when they're finding clever ways of using terrain, when they come up with a cool way to use a spell they have to weaken the particular monster they're up against. What I find frustrating is when players try to just power up their characters in general - it feels like they're interacting with the rules, not with the world. Like, this seems to me you're looking to find a way to use a cantrip to get you a permanent bonus to damage on ranged attacks. No, just because you took "Shape Water", that doesn't let you call all your arrows "+1 arrows". That seems dumb. The spell you're looking for that can do something like that is Magic Weapon.
Zingali, the point of playing a Druid is not to do the most damage per round yourself. Fighter, Paladin, Sorcerer, Rogue. Those classes have a higher and more predictable damage output on average. Most powerful Druid spells are control spells. That means you get to shape the outcome of encounters by altering the playing field, tweaking the boundaries and variables so that they are, overall, weighted in your party's favor. I suggest looking up TreatMonk's Wizard guide called "How to be a God" to get a full explanation of how to pick "powerful" Druid spells.
I would think you could make a technically shootable arrow, but it would not have the tensile strength of wood and steel, and would be likely to shatter on impact with anything solid with minimal damage done...if it didn't melt en route. Still, if you thought of a clever use for shooting an ice arrow apart from combat, I would think it possible.
Don't worry about being a combat powerhouse, druids are highly versatile. You can heal. You can use utility spells like Locate Object and Speak With Animals to help the party. You can provide food, grow plants, and manipulate the powers of nature. Druid have lots of spells good for blocking passageways (or damaging anyone who comes through them. My dude just pretty much destroyed a small army of kobolds with Spike Growth.) Your druid has useful skills for almost any situation, fighting or investigating or support or RP. Lots to do, wild shaping is just the cherry on the sundae.
Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) Wood Elf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2
Last Tree Standing Tabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1
Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive
Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth
Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
I have used shape water using sorcery points in conjunction with the Tidal Wave spell. To give the tidal wave a “sharp pointy impal people spot” as well to add piercing to the bludgeoning if DM allows it.
so I like where you went with this.
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How quickly do you think an Arrow made of ice will melt? Is he shooting it in a volcano?
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The spell text of Shape Water states "The water unfreezes in 1 hour." it says nothing about it melting.
My Druid has that Cantrip and I love it. Mostly use it to make ice keys to unlock doors.
Shape water is an incredibly versatile spell. I'd recommend putting water inside a lock, then freezing it and either making the metal brittle or breaking it by letting the water expand as it freezes. Dms fiat but you can also potentially freeze the water in trees or their wood if its fresh enough.
For other spells I'd recommend that you use the conjure animals spell once you hit a high enough level. You can use mob rules to speed it up so the table doesn't complain.
As someone who repaired locks for years, it really makes me cringe when people think they can pick/break open a lock with water or ice.
It is fantasy and all, so fine, whatever. But still... ugh, no. You could probably break a very old lock with sudden enough freezing, but it would more than likely become harder to open; not just fall apart. You definitely could not make a key out of ice.
I too fight this battle constantly.... I feel your pain.
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The lock and door gimmicks have been kiboshed by my DM, so it's back to the drawing board for more out-of-the-box shenanigans.
The quickness of how my idea was shot down was sobering. So, I gotta just keep being creative and make it fun. Eventually, something will work.
In the first session, I wasn't able to do much with Shape Water or Mold Earth. We're moving to different terrain for the next session, so I'm hoping for more opportunities.
I used shape water to troll people. Make little water figurines behind them mimicking them as they talk to people.
Blank
You know what? That's ok. Be creative, come up with new things. I'd rather DM a creative player and say no, than a boring one that does nothing other than play a round peg to a round hole and nothing else.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom