Spike Growth is basically a carpet covered in lego blocks; if you've ever stepped on one of those you know how quickly you can stop and be on high alert for your next step 😝
I think it's one of those classic cases of "up to the DM" though; mindless enemies like zombies would absolutely just continue through taking the full damage, but it seems reasonable that many enemies would try to stop as soon as they start taking damage unless they actively choose to continue anywway. Now the situation will determine how easily an enemy can actually come to a full stop; flat ground at normal walking speed? No problem, five feet should be plenty. Running full speed after the adventurers who just stole your trousers? Probably going to need at least 10-15 feet.
Regardless of whether an enemy continues and takes full damage, or stops and tries to go around instead, the caster of Spike Growth is still getting something out of the spell, as while the damage can be nasty, especially when combo'd, the real benefit is the area control. Even if you rule the first enemy completes their full movement, that doesn't mean that the next enemy will do the same after they've seen their friend's legs suddenly wood-chippered off, but stopping the rest from following you, keeping them at range, or forcing them to waste movement going around are all perfectly good outcomes as well.
How fast you can stop when you simply walk into the room. Now Rush into that room because a kid sounds like they are injured in it or something is going on that needs your attention right then. By the time you feel that first lego you've stepped on you've stepped on like 4 more.
Been There. Done that more than once as well.
But it is up to the DM. I'm just saying that by RaW. It's a spell that it's not nasty in the way most people want to make it with forced movement and such. But it can be nasty in other ways if the DM wants without ever actually deviating from the game at all.
How fast you can stop when you simply walk into the room. Now Rush into that room because a kid sounds like they are injured in it or something is going on that needs your attention right then. By the time you feel that first lego you've stepped on you've stepped on like 4 more.
That's kind of exactly my point; it's situational. If you just threw the Spike Growth down ahead of an enemy patrol, then at normal walking speed stopping is reasonable, but if you lured them at speed over it with cries for help/the sounds of battle etc. then that's going to be different, and if you force them over the full distance with Compulsion or some other trick then you can inflict multiple rounds of maximum damage (on multiple enemies!) with it.
What I love most about trap spells is trying to think up ways to set them up; if you've got a Druid/Ranger with Spike Growth, an Arcane Trickster with Grease and a Warlock with Hunger of Hadar or Evard's Black Tentacles then you can do some serious damage without even being in range of enemy retaliation!
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
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How fast you can stop when you simply walk into the room. Now Rush into that room because a kid sounds like they are injured in it or something is going on that needs your attention right then. By the time you feel that first lego you've stepped on you've stepped on like 4 more.
That's kind of exactly my point; it's situational. If you just threw the Spike Growth down ahead of an enemy patrol, then at normal walking speed stopping is reasonable, but if you lured them at speed over it with cries for help/the sounds of battle etc. then that's going to be different, and if you force them over the full distance with Compulsion or some other trick then you can inflict multiple rounds of maximum damage (on multiple enemies!) with it.
What I love most about trap spells is trying to think up ways to set them up; if you've got a Druid with Spike Growth, an Arcane Trickster with Grease and a Warlock with Hunger of Hadar or Evard's Black Tentacles then you can do some serious damage without even being in range of enemy retaliation!
How fast you can stop when you simply walk into the room. Now Rush into that room because a kid sounds like they are injured in it or something is going on that needs your attention right then. By the time you feel that first lego you've stepped on you've stepped on like 4 more.
That's kind of exactly my point; it's situational. If you just threw the Spike Growth down ahead of an enemy patrol, then at normal walking speed stopping is reasonable, but if you lured them at speed over it with cries for help/the sounds of battle etc. then that's going to be different, and if you force them over the full distance with Compulsion or some other trick then you can inflict multiple rounds of maximum damage (on multiple enemies!) with it.
What I love most about trap spells is trying to think up ways to set them up; if you've got a Druid/Ranger with Spike Growth, an Arcane Trickster with Grease and a Warlock with Hunger of Hadar or Evard's Black Tentacles then you can do some serious damage without even being in range of enemy retaliation!
this is to be true.
And to be completely honest and fair. My favorite place to use things like spike growth is in area's with a decent amount of space where I can force enemies to have to cross it like Canyons and caves and such. Forcing to choose between taking damage to cross or being peppered from the safety of the other side with arrows if they don't. With sharp shooter it can make attempting to hide and wait it out difficult.
One of my groups that I play with has also been known to layer affected area's on top of each other as well.
I calculate that you only need movement in spike growth 6 times over an entire combat to make it “worthwhile” in the DPR department.
No matter what, theres still the deterrent, slowing, and restricting benefits. 150 feet away is a good place to start!
Actually, that’s for a baseline ranger. It would either be more overall damage or would need less moves in the spike growth with any of the ranger subclass damage boosts added.
It's a great spell, and I think it fits really well with playing as a trap-setting Ranger.
You don't see people talk a lot online about laying traps and ambushes with Rangers, it always goes down to per-round damage which is silly, as it's my favourite thing to do, and a good trap can absolutely wreck enemies before you're even in range to be hit back.
Spike Growth does have a limited time and requires concentration, so you really need to be lying in wait and ready to cast it as soon as enemies are committed, for example if you can get them to charge into a narrow area (corridor, gulley or whatever). It's probably not optimal, but I love to pair it with Snare; get an enemy caught in that then as their friends rush to help the ground becomes a spiky nightmare 😈
In general though, which spell choice is right for a Ranger depends a lot on what the rest of the party has; Rangers can take Cure Wounds for example, but you don't really want to, especially if you've a Cleric or a Paladin in the party for healer duty.
Because of the limited spells known your choice is bound to have holes. Thanks to Tasha we have better options on sorting it out periodically. Spiked growth can be incredibly effective both as a damage producer and for battlefield control but used improperly it can be a wasted dud. Same for Silence in a small (<40’) room against a spell caster it can be the short circuit of the fight, out in a massed melee it is effectively useless. You need some thought and info about the campaign or adventure or you have to have an in character reason for the choices and then do the best with what you have.
It's a great spell, and I think it fits really well with playing as a trap-setting Ranger.
You don't see people talk a lot online about laying traps and ambushes with Rangers, it always goes down to per-round damage which is silly, as it's my favourite thing to do, and a good trap can absolutely wreck enemies before you're even in range to be hit back.
Spike Growth does have a limited time and requires concentration, so you really need to be lying in wait and ready to cast it as soon as enemies are committed, for example if you can get them to charge into a narrow area (corridor, gulley or whatever). It's probably not optimal, but I love to pair it with Snare; get an enemy caught in that then as their friends rush to help the ground becomes a spiky nightmare 😈
In general though, which spell choice is right for a Ranger depends a lot on what the rest of the party has; Rangers can take Cure Wounds for example, but you don't really want to, especially if you've a Cleric or a Paladin in the party for healer duty.
Because of the limited spells known your choice is bound to have holes. Thanks to Tasha we have better options on sorting it out periodically. Spiked growth can be incredibly effective both as a damage producer and for battlefield control but used improperly it can be a wasted dud. Same for Silence in a small (<40’) room against a spell caster it can be the short circuit of the fight, out in a massed melee it is effectively useless. You need some thought and info about the campaign or adventure or you have to have an in character reason for the choices and then do the best with what you have.
Spike growth works well, like much of the ranger's kit, to have high synergy with the entire party. Spike growth is no exception. Spike growth also really works well for rangers in urban or dungeon environments as it is often much more tightly packed areas.
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How fast you can stop when you simply walk into the room. Now Rush into that room because a kid sounds like they are injured in it or something is going on that needs your attention right then. By the time you feel that first lego you've stepped on you've stepped on like 4 more.
Been There. Done that more than once as well.
But it is up to the DM. I'm just saying that by RaW. It's a spell that it's not nasty in the way most people want to make it with forced movement and such. But it can be nasty in other ways if the DM wants without ever actually deviating from the game at all.
What do others come up with?
I calculate that you only need movement in spike growth 6 times over an entire combat to make it “worthwhile” in the DPR department.
No matter what, theres still the deterrent, slowing, and restricting benefits. 150 feet away is a good place to start!
That's kind of exactly my point; it's situational. If you just threw the Spike Growth down ahead of an enemy patrol, then at normal walking speed stopping is reasonable, but if you lured them at speed over it with cries for help/the sounds of battle etc. then that's going to be different, and if you force them over the full distance with Compulsion or some other trick then you can inflict multiple rounds of maximum damage (on multiple enemies!) with it.
What I love most about trap spells is trying to think up ways to set them up; if you've got a Druid/Ranger with Spike Growth, an Arcane Trickster with Grease and a Warlock with Hunger of Hadar or Evard's Black Tentacles then you can do some serious damage without even being in range of enemy retaliation!
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Thats just evil lol
this is to be true.
And to be completely honest and fair. My favorite place to use things like spike growth is in area's with a decent amount of space where I can force enemies to have to cross it like Canyons and caves and such. Forcing to choose between taking damage to cross or being peppered from the safety of the other side with arrows if they don't. With sharp shooter it can make attempting to hide and wait it out difficult.
One of my groups that I play with has also been known to layer affected area's on top of each other as well.
Actually, that’s for a baseline ranger. It would either be more overall damage or would need less moves in the spike growth with any of the ranger subclass damage boosts added.
Because of the limited spells known your choice is bound to have holes. Thanks to Tasha we have better options on sorting it out periodically. Spiked growth can be incredibly effective both as a damage producer and for battlefield control but used improperly it can be a wasted dud. Same for Silence in a small (<40’) room against a spell caster it can be the short circuit of the fight, out in a massed melee it is effectively useless. You need some thought and info about the campaign or adventure or you have to have an in character reason for the choices and then do the best with what you have.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Spike growth works well, like much of the ranger's kit, to have high synergy with the entire party. Spike growth is no exception. Spike growth also really works well for rangers in urban or dungeon environments as it is often much more tightly packed areas.