Question for the DnD Beyond DM Panel - how would you rule a character who was proficient with Cook’s Utensils, knew the Mold Earth cantrip, and wanted to create a pizza oven or any other kind of earthen oven to help make food?
I think that’s brilliant! If a player did that in my campaign I’d give their character inspiration the first time they did it. Not after the first time, but the first time.
I think that’s brilliant! If a player did that in my campaign I’d give their character inspiration the first time they did it. Not after the first time, but the first time.
In fact, in general, if you have mold earth, your bag of holding should always contain a 25 lb bag of terra-cotta clay. Even if you never NEED to emergency-throw an amphora to replace the priceless one you just smashed on a ninja's head; isn't it nice to know you COULD?
I'm confused why you think Mold Earth can create ovens?
The spell can move loose earth up to 5 ft away, draw some shapes on it (this is "draw" on it, not turn it into any shape), and you can change the colour and can turn earth into difficult terrain and vice versa.
Nothing in the spell says you can reshape any stone material, alter consistency, generate heat, implement any such design or features.
Nothing about the spell even remotely comes close to making an oven or amphora, or such things.
So either you're all completely disregarding the spell entirely or are getting confused with spells like Stone Shape or Fabricate.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond. Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ thisFAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Well, I can only speak for myself, but clay isn't stone until it's fired or dried. And the amphora was not designed to stand up to close scrutiny. I think we literally swept the shards of the old one under the carpet in the same room.
If mold earth can make a 125 cubic foot pile of dirt next to a 5x5x5 hole, then it can hollow out that pile, too, and leave you with a beehive kiln, or a pizza oven. Maybe it would be a few hours project and not something you'd whip up every night by the roadside, but it wouldn't be difficult. It would look completely bootleg, for whatever that's worth, but it would function..
Thanks for the responses all! I too felt the idea didn’t line up with the RAW. It’s one of those spells where the name Mold Earth doesn’t totally reflect what the spell does...because Mold Earth suggests you could, y’know, mold the earth, right? To me the spell’s effect is much more of a “Dig”. I thought it was a cool OOC/flavor idea that didn’t necessarily give a mechanical advantage. It’s more of a Name As Intended use...from the responses it sounds like something I should clear with the DM beforehand as a minor flavor houserule, like the character is so proficient with the spell she has learned one additional use, to mold the earth into an oven for cooking.
Yeah I don't even know what "loose earth" is, every time I've thought this spell might be cool to take I see that line and think, "when do we ever adventure near freshly tilled gardens?" .
Thanks for the responses all! I too felt the idea didn’t line up with the RAW. It’s one of those spells where the name Mold Earth doesn’t totally reflect what the spell does...because Mold Earth suggests you could, y’know, mold the earth, right? To me the spell’s effect is much more of a “Dig”. I thought it was a cool OOC/flavor idea that didn’t necessarily give a mechanical advantage. It’s more of a Name As Intended use...from the responses it sounds like something I should clear with the DM beforehand as a minor flavor houserule, like the character is so proficient with the spell she has learned one additional use, to mold the earth into an oven for cooking.
Having a shovel or some kind of digging tool would be enough to create some loose dirt. Using the spell to remove the dirt would still save lots of time and the loose dirt could be formed into some kind of a shape manually while the spell was being used to move it. This assumes that the dirt is moist enough to be formed into some sort of shape. It's not out of the realm of possibilities. You would have to have several resources available to make the scenario work, including a source of heat. As I said before, as long as you had the requisite items/ resources, I think it would be fine. I think that I would require that you role played the scenario, but it's close enough to being feasible that I'd be willing to go with it.
Mold earth only moves loose dirt or stone. It doesn't pack it down or shape it in any way, it simply moves it. You get a 5-foot hole and a 5-foot pile of dirt, that's it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Question for the DnD Beyond DM Panel - how would you rule a character who was proficient with Cook’s Utensils, knew the Mold Earth cantrip, and wanted to create a pizza oven or any other kind of earthen oven to help make food?
I like the idea. Assuming the ingredients are available, it's a good use of proficiencies and cantrips. Just need the fire to heat the oven.
I think that’s brilliant! If a player did that in my campaign I’d give their character inspiration the first time they did it. Not after the first time, but the first time.
Professional computer geek
I think that’s brilliant! If a player did that in my campaign I’d give their character inspiration the first time they did it. Not after the first time, but the first time.
Professional computer geek
Tim is so impressed he would give inspiration twice!
Absolutely. Tandoori chicken, too.
In fact, in general, if you have mold earth, your bag of holding should always contain a 25 lb bag of terra-cotta clay. Even if you never NEED to emergency-throw an amphora to replace the priceless one you just smashed on a ninja's head; isn't it nice to know you COULD?
I'm confused why you think Mold Earth can create ovens?
The spell can move loose earth up to 5 ft away, draw some shapes on it (this is "draw" on it, not turn it into any shape), and you can change the colour and can turn earth into difficult terrain and vice versa.
Nothing in the spell says you can reshape any stone material, alter consistency, generate heat, implement any such design or features.
Nothing about the spell even remotely comes close to making an oven or amphora, or such things.
So either you're all completely disregarding the spell entirely or are getting confused with spells like Stone Shape or Fabricate.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
+1 for Cyb3rM1nd.
Mold Earth isn't capable of shaping stone into an oven, by RAW.
Well, I can only speak for myself, but clay isn't stone until it's fired or dried. And the amphora was not designed to stand up to close scrutiny. I think we literally swept the shards of the old one under the carpet in the same room.
If mold earth can make a 125 cubic foot pile of dirt next to a 5x5x5 hole, then it can hollow out that pile, too, and leave you with a beehive kiln, or a pizza oven. Maybe it would be a few hours project and not something you'd whip up every night by the roadside, but it wouldn't be difficult. It would look completely bootleg, for whatever that's worth, but it would function..
Thanks for the responses all! I too felt the idea didn’t line up with the RAW. It’s one of those spells where the name Mold Earth doesn’t totally reflect what the spell does...because Mold Earth suggests you could, y’know, mold the earth, right? To me the spell’s effect is much more of a “Dig”. I thought it was a cool OOC/flavor idea that didn’t necessarily give a mechanical advantage. It’s more of a Name As Intended use...from the responses it sounds like something I should clear with the DM beforehand as a minor flavor houserule, like the character is so proficient with the spell she has learned one additional use, to mold the earth into an oven for cooking.
Alternative: use Mold Earth to shape mud into coffee beans.
"This coffee tastes like dirt!"
"Well, it was just ground this morning!"
/old joke
Yeah I don't even know what "loose earth" is, every time I've thought this spell might be cool to take I see that line and think, "when do we ever adventure near freshly tilled gardens?" .
Having a shovel or some kind of digging tool would be enough to create some loose dirt. Using the spell to remove the dirt would still save lots of time and the loose dirt could be formed into some kind of a shape manually while the spell was being used to move it. This assumes that the dirt is moist enough to be formed into some sort of shape. It's not out of the realm of possibilities. You would have to have several resources available to make the scenario work, including a source of heat. As I said before, as long as you had the requisite items/ resources, I think it would be fine. I think that I would require that you role played the scenario, but it's close enough to being feasible that I'd be willing to go with it.
Stone shape? Totally. Mold earth? No.
Mold earth only moves loose dirt or stone. It doesn't pack it down or shape it in any way, it simply moves it. You get a 5-foot hole and a 5-foot pile of dirt, that's it.