Eiame's King of the Hill

Your space and a 15' square centred around you upheaves 5'. Dirt from all the 5' squares surrounding the raised area is excavated onto the heaved space's edge squares, forming 5' high earthworks around you. You are now able to freely move within a 5' central square protected on all sides by the earthworks, which provide you with three-quarters cover (+5 to AC and Dexterity saving throws). The excavated space forms a square ditch 5' wide and 5' deep, 25' on a side, surrounding the entire raised portion. From your position, you are able to do ranged attacks, cast spells normally, and see into the ditch without leaving cover. The distance from the bottom of the ditch to the top of the earthworks is treated as a vertical 15'.

If you are short, you are able to adjust the height of the earthworks lower so that you can see over it while still having three-quarters cover. This does not affect the depth or width of the ditch but will lessen the height of any climb.

The ditch becomes difficult terrain. Ascending the 15' earthworks is a standard climb, but due to the loose earth nature of the earthworks, a creature climbing them must make a Strength ability check against your DC per turn of climbing, with failure indicating a fall into the ditch. The top of the earthworks is difficult terrain and is 5'. So climbing to the top (30' movement) to then stand on the earthworks (10' movement) takes a movement of 40'.

This spell cannot excavate solid rock, though it can manage rocks up to the size of a small humanoid. It can work with soil, uprooting roots, stumps, bushes, and saplings, but nothing larger. Sand or marshy soil only does half damage, and the earthworks will settle to a 2'-3' height, offering only half cover (+2 to AC and Dexterity saving throws) to a typical medium-sized creature. If ground conditions are mixed, the spell will do what it can, but the result will have mixed results in terms of what cover is granted and what damage is dealt.

Walls, cliffs, water sources, and unstable terrain in the way of the spell may have unintended effects, as determined by your DM. Just remember, you are standing right there.

If, for any reason, you move beyond the ditch, the spell ends (see below).

When this spell is first cast, creatures standing in the way of the rapidly forming earthworks and ditch all take 8d4 magical bludgeoning damage. Creatures adjacent to you become buried in the earthworks and are restrained. If they make a Strength saving throw against your DC, they take half damage and are not restrained but fall into the ditch and are prone. Otherwise, they are stuck until they use an action on their turn to free themselves. Creatures standing in the ditch area fall prone. If they make their save, they take half damage and remain standing. Creatures greater than large automatically make their saving throws.

You are able to manipulate the earthworks and ditch in certain ways.

Bludgeoning Earth Action. You are able to use a bonus action to manipulate a 5' section of the earthworks into the ditch or move a 5' filled section of the ditch back into a gap in the earthwork directly above. Any creature within that 5' area takes 8d4 magical bludgeoning damage if standing on the earthworks, occupying the earthworks gap, climbing that section, or standing in the ditch below. If the action is used to move the earthworks into the ditch, creatures in the way end up buried in the ditch restrained. If used to restore the earthworks from the ditch, creatures climbing are knocked into the ditch and lie prone. Any creature in the gap is buried and restrained. Any creature that had been buried below is now free but prone. In all cases, if they make a Strength saving throw against your DC, they take half damage and avoid the prone or restrained conditions; however, they end up in the ditch below, though on their feet. Restrained creatures may use an action at the beginning of their turn to free themselves. Creatures greater than large automatically make their saving throws.

Cone of Bludgeoning Earth Action. If the ditch has been filled in, you can use a bonus action to blast the fill outward in a 15' cone shape measured from the base of the earthworks, causing 8d4 magical bludgeoning damage and forcing all within to fall prone. If they make a Dexterity saving throw, they will take half damage and remain on their feet. With the same action, you can first fill the ditch using the earthworks immediately above. If the fill came from the earthworks, there is no way to restore the gap unless the ditch immediately below is somehow filled again.

When the spell ends, the raised ground evenly levels, and the earthworks crumble back into the ditch, causing no damage; however, any creatures who were on or within the earthworks, climbing, or in the ditch must make a Strength saving throw to avoid being buried and restrained. If they are buried, they must spend an action extricating themselves at the start of their turn. Creatures larger than medium are not affected.

At Higher Spell Levels. At 6th level, the central area grows to a 10' square (20' square earthworks, 30' square ditch). At 7th, a 15' square (25' square earthworks, 35' square ditch). At 8th, 20' (30' square earthworks, 40' square ditch). At 9th, 25' (35' square earthworks, 45' square ditch). Also, all bludgeoning damage increases by 1d4 per level above 5th.