So I like the idea of these cantrips but I'm having kind of a hard time how to effectively use these. What are some could applications of these spells?
I've always found both these spells to be more low utility than anything else. They're fun for Roleplay not much use when it comes to combat.
Mold Earth - This spell allows you to move and shape loose soft earth in a five foot square. Depending on the terrain you can do a lot of different things with this spell. As mentioned above, you can create holes to duck into, or making into pit fall traps if you have time to set them up. It can be used to hide bodies, create difficult terrain, remove difficult terrain, plant a garden, or basically anything else you can do with soft earth. My personal favorite is to use it to make 3D maps of areas or buildings as you can change the shape, color, spell out words, etc. (Second point of the spell). So I think that adds to fun Roleplay.
Shape Water - Just like the spell above. Reading the spell and come up with creative uses is all you can really do. I've used this as a distraction, making some form or shape in the water to move and catch the attention of guards.
Shape water is kind of under rated because it doesn't specifically say what the broad abilities can be used to do in game. Especially if you get a decanter of endless water.
Imagine if you just freeze a a section of ice on the top of a lake big enough for you party to fit on, then you use it over and over to slightly raise the water on the back end of the ice so it slides down the hill of water propelling it foreword. You have made a motor boat with a cantrip.
I've used it to move water around a small sick, freeze the water, color it red, then flavor it with prestidigitation, to make a cherry popsicle for a scared kid.
"You cause the water to form into simple shapes and animate at your direction. This change lasts for 1 hour." This one is kind of up to the dm for what counts as a "simple shape" and "animate" On the extreme end this could kind of be like a watery unseen servant
Making simple mundane objects, ladders, battering rams, replacement wagon wheel, boats, sleds, makeshift weapons, ball bearings , sealing a hole in a ship, make a 10ft pole to set off traps, putting water into a lock an freezing it shut, propping a portcullis open, locking items in a 5ft block of ice, a wagons wheel, a lever the opens/closes something.
Get a block and tackle. You can move and freeze 10 cubic feet of water onto the free end of the rope this will lift about 2500lbs, more if you make the ice into bucket shapes and fill it with more water, more if you actually help pull.
...you're going to spend an action to smooth out 5 feet of terrain so you don't get a travel penalty for that specific 5 feet? everyone would still be in difficult terrain for the rest of their movement. same goes for creating difficult terrain, you're talking 5 feet. If you count diagonals when moving, this does absolutely nothing as they can just step around it.
but like ironsoul said, a 5 foot chunk of dirt can give an archer/mage a bit of cover to crouch down behind. i say once plopped down, its about a 3-4 foot pile of dirt.
I didn't say it was a good use of the spell only that it is one of the things that can be done with the spell. There are a lot of functions that spells have that I would deem useless in all but the most situational circumstances, doesn't change the fact that the spell is capable of such action. I mean the ability to move the dirt is just as situational and entirely up to DM Fiat. They can decide how much of the area is actually loose earth, and once it moves if it even will make an appropriate hill that you can hide behind without having to be prone, and if you have to be prone then you'll have disadvantage on range attacks.
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So I like the idea of these cantrips but I'm having kind of a hard time how to effectively use these. What are some could applications of these spells?
Depends on the campaign setting. What kind of area do you think you'll be traversing for most of the game?
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They’re for flavor and creativity. Mold Earth, for example, can be used some of the time to create a makeshift rampart to hide behind.
Read them and let your imagination run free.
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I have used Mold Earth extensively in my current campaigns:
- Generate cover by creating holes and etc
- Generate difficult terrain
- Burry dead bodies
I've always found both these spells to be more low utility than anything else. They're fun for Roleplay not much use when it comes to combat.
Mold Earth - This spell allows you to move and shape loose soft earth in a five foot square. Depending on the terrain you can do a lot of different things with this spell. As mentioned above, you can create holes to duck into, or making into pit fall traps if you have time to set them up. It can be used to hide bodies, create difficult terrain, remove difficult terrain, plant a garden, or basically anything else you can do with soft earth. My personal favorite is to use it to make 3D maps of areas or buildings as you can change the shape, color, spell out words, etc. (Second point of the spell). So I think that adds to fun Roleplay.
Shape Water - Just like the spell above. Reading the spell and come up with creative uses is all you can really do. I've used this as a distraction, making some form or shape in the water to move and catch the attention of guards.
Shape water is kind of under rated because it doesn't specifically say what the broad abilities can be used to do in game. Especially if you get a decanter of endless water.
Imagine if you just freeze a a section of ice on the top of a lake big enough for you party to fit on, then you use it over and over to slightly raise the water on the back end of the ice so it slides down the hill of water propelling it foreword. You have made a motor boat with a cantrip.
I've used it to move water around a small sick, freeze the water, color it red, then flavor it with prestidigitation, to make a cherry popsicle for a scared kid.
"You cause the water to form into simple shapes and animate at your direction. This change lasts for 1 hour."
This one is kind of up to the dm for what counts as a "simple shape" and "animate" On the extreme end this could kind of be like a watery unseen servant
Making simple mundane objects, ladders, battering rams, replacement wagon wheel, boats, sleds, makeshift weapons, ball bearings , sealing a hole in a ship, make a 10ft pole to set off traps, putting water into a lock an freezing it shut, propping a portcullis open, locking items in a 5ft block of ice, a wagons wheel, a lever the opens/closes something.
Get a block and tackle. You can move and freeze 10 cubic feet of water onto the free end of the rope this will lift about 2500lbs, more if you make the ice into bucket shapes and fill it with more water, more if you actually help pull.
...you're going to spend an action to smooth out 5 feet of terrain so you don't get a travel penalty for that specific 5 feet? everyone would still be in difficult terrain for the rest of their movement. same goes for creating difficult terrain, you're talking 5 feet. If you count diagonals when moving, this does absolutely nothing as they can just step around it.
but like ironsoul said, a 5 foot chunk of dirt can give an archer/mage a bit of cover to crouch down behind. i say once plopped down, its about a 3-4 foot pile of dirt.
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I didn't say it was a good use of the spell only that it is one of the things that can be done with the spell. There are a lot of functions that spells have that I would deem useless in all but the most situational circumstances, doesn't change the fact that the spell is capable of such action. I mean the ability to move the dirt is just as situational and entirely up to DM Fiat. They can decide how much of the area is actually loose earth, and once it moves if it even will make an appropriate hill that you can hide behind without having to be prone, and if you have to be prone then you'll have disadvantage on range attacks.