I was simply parusing the PHB, and noticed something. With prismatic wall, the caster can specify people who can pass through the wall. So, imagine this: your bard casts prismatic wall, blocking off the lich/archmage/any medium or large bbeg with a Monk. The monk grapples the bbeg, and uses 1 foot of it's movement to go through the one inch thick wall. Repeat 30 times. The bbeg has taken 210 saving throughs, and will die if it fails about 10.

It assumes that the bbeg fails the contested Grapple check.

Why Monk ? When you grapple someone you make a contested str Athletics check, Monks aren't really strong characters Raging barbarians would be MUCH better, they would have advantage on the check.

Quote from Bazromark >>

It assumes that the bbeg fails the contested Grapple check.

Why Monk ? When you grapple someone you make a contested str Athletics check, Monks aren't really strong characters Raging barbarians would be MUCH better, they would have advantage on the check.

 Well, the monk has more movement, so more times to pass through the wall. also, monks can grapple with Dex now.

Quote from Bazromark >>

It assumes that the bbeg fails the contested Grapple check.

Why Monk ? When you grapple someone you make a contested str Athletics check, Monks aren't really strong characters Raging barbarians would be MUCH better, they would have advantage on the check.

Because in the 2024 rules, it's not a contested STR athletics check, it's an Unarmed Strike option, where the Grappler imposes an STR or DEX  (target's choice) save versus (8 + STR Bonus + Proficiency Bonus), and the Monk's Martial Arts feature lets them use DEX instead of STR when setting that DC.

And the Monk can do this on every Unarmed Strike they get, during, or outside their turn.

It's an STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) to break out of a grapple versus the same DC, but that takes an action.

That said, there are a huge amount of options for a Spellcaster to avoid or  escape a Grapple,  land likely any DM is going to require at least 5 feet worth of moving the grappled target to count as passing through the wall. And since it's a saving throw, Legendary Resistance can apply, if available and required.

Quote from notovny >>

Quote from Bazromark >>

It assumes that the bbeg fails the contested Grapple check.

Why Monk ? When you grapple someone you make a contested str Athletics check, Monks aren't really strong characters Raging barbarians would be MUCH better, they would have advantage on the check.

 

Because in the 2024 rules, it's not a contested STR athletics check, it's an Unarmed Strike option, where the Grappler imposes an STR or DEX  (target's choice) save versus (8 + Attribute Bonus + Proficiency Bonus), and the Monk's Martial Arts ability lets them use DEX instead of STR when setting the DC.

And the Monk can do this on every Unarmed Strike they get, during, or outside their turn.

It's an STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) to break out of a grapple versus the same DC, but that takes an action.

That said, there are a huge amount of options for a Spellcaster to avoid or escape a Grapple, land likely any DM is going to require at least 5 feet worth of moving the grappled target to count as passing through the wall. And since it's a saving throw, Legendary Resistance can apply, if available and required.

 

 

 Even with legendary resistance, each time they pass through the wall is 7 saves, so even needing 5 ft would still get 42 saves, or 84 if they have the grappler feat.

My intention was, "Use the Legendary Resistance to avoid being Grappled."

ahh, I see. however, monks at high level can attack 5 times in a turn, so unless the bbeg has 5 uses of legendary resistance, the monk will grapple at least once. also, even if they do have 5 uses of legendary resistace then if they use it all they won't have any more to save spells from the person who cast prismatic wall. 

Prismatic Wall is utterly busted. Even if the party can't/doesn't force the BBEG through it, just having the whole party hide inside it then just step out to shoot the BBEG then step back inside it, utterly breaks the game. DMs hopefully know that you can't allow a Prismatic Wall from the party to stay on the battlefield, you must Counterspell/Dispel Magic it immediately.

Erm actually 🤓 prismatic wall cannot be dispelled.

Quote from StereotypicalDungeonMaster >>

Erm actually 🤓 prismatic wall cannot be dispelled.

 It can be counterspelled though. As for being busted... it's hardly the only 9th level spell that's busted.

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

Quote from StereotypicalDungeonMaster >>

Erm actually 🤓 prismatic wall cannot be dispelled.

 It can be counterspelled though. As for being busted... it's hardly the only 9th level spell that's busted.

 True, though I'd argue it's among the most busted. IMO it's more powerful than most other 9th level spells. Really only Shapechange / True Polymorph and Wish are comparable in power - maybe Invulnerability?.

Quote from Agilemind >>

Prismatic Wall is utterly busted. Even if the party can't/doesn't force the BBEG through it, just having the whole party hide inside it then just step out to shoot the BBEG then step back inside it, utterly breaks the game. DMs hopefully know that you can't allow a Prismatic Wall from the party to stay on the battlefield, you must Counterspell/Dispel Magic it immediately.

 
Enemy just readies an attack/spell for when they step out. Or just powers straight through it if the party has bunched into a nice target. Fire, lightning, poison, and cold are all fairly common resistances/immunities, DEX is a strong save on most BBEG, there’s Magic Resistance to help the saves, and they can bank two LRs on the off chance they both fail and don’t have condition immunity on the last two saves. Plus stepping through doesn’t do much for melee players.

Quote from The_Ace_of_Rogues >>

Quote from Agilemind >>

Prismatic Wall is utterly busted. Even if the party can't/doesn't force the BBEG through it, just having the whole party hide inside it then just step out to shoot the BBEG then step back inside it, utterly breaks the game. DMs hopefully know that you can't allow a Prismatic Wall from the party to stay on the battlefield, you must Counterspell/Dispel Magic it immediately.

 
Enemy just readies an attack/spell for when they step out. Or just powers straight through it if the party has bunched into a nice target. Fire, lightning, poison, and cold are all fairly common resistances/immunities, DEX is a strong save on most BBEG, there’s Magic Resistance to help the saves, and they can bank two LRs on the off chance they both fail and don’t have condition immunity on the last two saves. Plus stepping through doesn’t do much for melee players.

Sure the enemy can ready an Action, but then they get just 1 action ... no lair actions, no legendary actions, no reactions.. Pretty good deal to me.

They can plow through it and then the players just move out of the wall and the BBEG has to plow through it again on their next turn to reach the players... or the players use Shove or the Push Weapon Mastery, or any of the dozen other forced movement options to push the BBEG back out of it.

Most of the time the solution for prismatic wall is to leave and come back later.

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

Most of the time the solution for prismatic wall is to leave and come back later.

 The problem with that is that it's un-fun for everyone involved. So it's pretty unsatisfying to run it that way, which is why I find Prismatic Wall a broken spell. "Broken" stuff IMO it stuff that makes the game less fun by how powerful it is. If the 'solution' is simply to stop playing the game for 10 minutes until the spell expires (of course this doesn't need to be 10 minutes IRL but you get the idea) that's a bad spell. 

I don’t think it’s as bad as all that. First off, the readied action is a grapple or maybe a hold person or similar so the one who comes out of the wall stays out. 
But even without that destroying the layers isn’t too hard. 25 cold damage when you’re at a point that you’re dealing with 9th level spells isn’t a lot, for example. And after the first two layers are down, ranged attackers start shooting. The trickier one are things like gust of wind and passwall, which maybe people don’t walk around having prepared. But hopefully the DM has telegraphed that this spell is likely so the party has time to prepare. If you know it’s coming, the party can probably get through it in a couple rounds.

Or just put up a second prismatic wall right against the party’s. When a party member steps thru their wall to shoot an arrow etc they are stepping right into the bbeg’s wall taking damage.to take down the bbeg’s wall they have to drop theirs.and now they are down at least one member either out or badly wounded.

Quote from Wi1dBi11 >>

Or just put up a second prismatic wall right against the party’s. When a party member steps thru their wall to shoot an arrow etc they are stepping right into the bbeg’s wall taking damage.to take down the bbeg’s wall they have to drop theirs.and now they are down at least one member either out or badly wounded.

 New worst nightmare achieved.

As a DM I would rule that the monk who is holding on to the NPC must make the same saves, because the Wall will not be able to distinguish where the Monk stops and the BBEG starts.

Also, if you do it, I can do it too.

Quote from Bhuraelea >>

As a DM I would rule that the monk who is holding on to the NPC must make the same saves, because the Wall will not be able to distinguish where the Monk stops and the BBEG starts.

Also, if you do it, I can do it too.

The description of Prismatic Wall includes the line: "You and creatures you designate when you cast the spell can pass through and be near the wall without harm." Detecting the difference between designated friends and foes is a feature of a decent number of spells that are of far lower level than Prismatic Wall.

Of the ways to prevent this tactic, claiming that the spell cannot do the thing it says it can in its description is a capricious way to go about it.