Uses for Mold Earth cantrip

[MaxWilson]

Discussion on this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?397940-5e-Druid-Handbook-Land-amp-Moon), and then Googling a bit for definitions of "loose earth," has finally convinced me that Mold Earth is a useful spell. In particular,

1.) Googling around for English usages of "loose earth", I think "loose earth" and "dirt" in the spell description are intended to be synonymous. For example, most of the results for this Google search (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=%22loose%20earth%22) equate all dirt with "loose earth". The main thing that makes something not "loose earth" seems to be, not whether it's packed, but whether it has plant roots growing throughout (in which case it is "sod", not "loose earth").

2.) Even if it works only on unpacked earth, the "mobile cover" idea (bring your own dirt) is useful enough to be worth a cantrip. Bringing your own mound of dirt into a dungeon from outside in order to create or block chokepoints and create terrain is... surprisingly feasible even in a stone cave. I always get a little bit nervous about leaving unexplored openings behind me while exploring, and being able to block two of three openings off with 10,000 lb. of dirt while I go explore the third is a definite positive.

3.) If you're going to take the time to shape terrain into Medium-sized channels for protection, make sure you have a buddy who is sowing caltrops in your new chokepoints at the same time. It costs you nothing but time and money, and you're already spending the time.

4.) You will of course also want to create elevated positions from which you can fire down into the killing grounds at the caltrop-hobbled bad guys. Make sure they have an apparently-large-enough target to charge, which actually turns into a Medium-sized dead end. You want them to waste as much time as possible running instead of climbing.

5.) Also, I bet Mold Earth would also be good for quickly sweeping floors.

[comk59]

It also has tons of utility uses. Like digging graves, digging shelters, digging channels...

Pretty much just digging in general.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Discussion on this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?397940-5e-Druid-Handbook-Land-amp-Moon), and then Googling a bit for definitions of "loose earth," has finally convinced me that Mold Earth is a useful spell. In particular,

1.) Googling around for English usages of "loose earth", I think "loose earth" and "dirt" in the spell description are intended to be synonymous. For example, most of the results for this Google search (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=%22loose%20earth%22) equate all dirt with "loose earth". The main thing that makes something not "loose earth" seems to be, not whether it's packed, but whether it has plant roots growing throughout (in which case it is "sod", not "loose earth").

2.) Even if it works only on unpacked earth, the "mobile cover" idea (bring your own dirt) is useful enough to be worth a cantrip. Bringing your own mound of dirt into a dungeon from outside in order to create or block chokepoints and create terrain is... surprisingly feasible even in a stone cave. I always get a little bit nervous about leaving unexplored openings behind me while exploring, and being able to block two of three openings off with 10,000 lb. of dirt while I go explore the third is a definite positive.

3.) If you're going to take the time to shape terrain into Medium-sized channels for protection, make sure you have a buddy who is sowing caltrops in your new chokepoints at the same time. It costs you nothing but time and money, and you're already spending the time.

4.) You will of course also want to create elevated positions from which you can fire down into the killing grounds at the caltrop-hobbled bad guys. Make sure they have an apparently-large-enough target to charge, which actually turns into a Medium-sized dead end. You want them to waste as much time as possible running instead of climbing.

5.) Also, I bet Mold Earth would also be good for quickly sweeping floors.

For the purposes of D&D I've found that loose earth is pretty much any dirt that isn't solid stone of some sort. So if you have a bunch of small rocks (pea gravel size) I would allow it. However if the stones got to the size of say a base ball I would have to say that the cantrip wouldn't work any longer (for that purpose).

The best use I've seen of Mold Earth was that a Fighter obtained a bunch of cohorts that could cast that cantrip. He then directed them to all use the Difficult Terrain feature to really really screw up the battlefield (well, not really a field mind you, just wherever they were fighting). This got to the point where after a round or two no one could move full speed (typically in the cavern areas or small to moderate rooms) unless they had the Mobile feat or the cohorts allowed them. The move + cast a spell action + move again feature worked in their favor.

Laughed the first few times he had them do this and then I had them go on strike unless he payed them more... Then he sued them (and the mage guild) and it went on this weird political intrigue game. Really I blame the other players as they egged him on and helped sue the guild.

My point in all of this, it may seem like a minor spell but when you put thought behind it, you can really give a DM/Monsters hell with it.

[Steampunkette]

Instant Graves is a fantastic use for the Cantrip on a Necromancer (or Necro Styled warlock).

Instantly Exhuming Graves is also a fantastic use for the Cantrip on a Necromancer.

FWOOMPH! Instant access to the corpse!

[hymer]

@ MaxWilson:

1: English not being my first language, it is definitely possible I read the term ’loose earth’ too tightly (ironically enough). Still, looking out over the ground outside my window (in my mind anyway, it’s dark out), I see flagstones, tiles, asphalt and lots of grass. The only places I can see dirt, earth or soil of any description is in places I labour manfully to keep that way (let’s just pretend I work that hard at weeding my garden, ok? :smallwink:). If you're wondering why I'm mentioning grass, it's because it blocks line of sight, and it has roots which complicates the 'loose earth' thing.
Now, I don’t live in a pseudo-medieval society. And if I could see farther, I might be able to see a lot of bare soil on some fields this time of year. But still, looking back at adventure sites I’ve come across recently, as player or DM, loose earth just doesn’t happen that often. Plants grow in that stuff. Maybe in deserts or on sandy shores, if sand is loose earth. Or mud, mud we see sometimes, streets are often pretty muddy when they aren't cobbled. Still, it’s pretty rare.

2: Bringing your own dirt with you, yes, you’re right. Technically there may be no impediment, as long as the DM allows you to move the dirt upwards as well. Oh, and is fine with you casting spells all day long; there’s no rule against intensive rock-climbing for 24 hours straight, either. Or never sleeping. And so on.
It does reduce your strategic speed to 5’ per round, less if you bring more dirt than you can move in one casting. 3000 feet in an hour, and Denzel Washington informs me there are 5280 feet in a mile.
And that’s if you move 125 cubic feet of earth, and it then stays within a 5’ cube. I’m not sure it would, so you might need to either move less, or cast more.

But really, this is where something else takes over for me. Is this really how you envision your heroes? Shuffling along with a pile of dirt? Blocking passages with dirt they brought from elsewhere? Well, good for you, I guess. It’s the sort of behavior that would have me failing to return to that table, however, because it’s just way too silly for me. As a one-time thing, or for fun once or twice? Sure. But a world where this is a viable, used strategy is so far from my vision of what a D&D game is, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. What happens to all the peasants or slaves needed for construction and excavation? What does the world look like, when moving earth is just that easy and cheap? Do we get mills powered by cantrips? Channels everywhere for easy transportation overland of heavy goods? Every village has a moat and a ramp?
I don't like those thoughts, but that's where we're headed if we are too free with the interpretation of Move Earth - or just apply enough savvy.

3: Makes good sense.

4: If the DM lets you stack your dirt, sure.

5: Excellent, I’m sure!

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Instant Graves is a fantastic use for the Cantrip on a Necromancer (or Necro Styled warlock).

Instantly Exhuming Graves is also a fantastic use for the Cantrip on a Necromancer.

FWOOMPH! Instant access to the corpse!

As a player I tend to want my enemies to dig their own graves.

[AeonsShadow]

Why climb the mountain when you can have STAIRS!

[tieren]

But really, this is where something else takes over for me. Is this really how you envision your heroes? Shuffling along with a pile of dirt? Blocking passages with dirt they brought from elsewhere? Well, good for you, I guess. It’s the sort of behavior that would have me failing to return to that table, however, because it’s just way too silly for me. As a one-time thing, or for fun once or twice? Sure. But a world where this is a viable, used strategy is so far from my vision of what a D&D game is, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it!

I don't know. I can picture some sort of elementalist gliding along on a sledge surfing a wave of loose earth as his shtick.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Why climb the mountain when you can have STAIRS!

Step 1: Bard levels and make sure I own a mountain with a great view.
Step 2: Hire about 5 or so people to cast mold earth 1/round. Make rest stops and set up shops for later.
Step 3: Make stairs up mountain within a few days
Step 4: Kill hirelings
Step 5: Make up weird and interesting stories about how 5 all powerful mages went up to the top of the mountain and battled an ancient demon/devil/whatever.
Step 6: Profit from the tourism.

[hymer]

I don't know. I can picture some sort of elementalist gliding along on a sledge surfing a wave of loose earth as his shtick.

I can picture it too. But I don't want to. :smallwink:

[MaxWilson]

But really, this is where something else takes over for me. Is this really how you envision your heroes? Shuffling along with a pile of dirt? Blocking passages with dirt they brought from elsewhere?

Sort of, under some circumstances. Generally the first one in is going to be the Shadow Monk, in company with the Lore Bard. In an open area, she'd scout things out with no need for any dirt mounds at all. The Necromancer might spend that time building some Roman-style outdoor fortifications (earth berms) and then reading, while the Paladin would probably spend it washing everyone else's dishes and being generally helpful. However, in tight quarters with lots of branching passages (like an Illithid stronghold), the Shadow Monk would get uncomfortable about having her retreat cut off if she proceeds (especially if it's too bright to teleport), and it is in this situation that she might retreat and ask the Necromancer to move forward and block off some passages with dirt mounts. In this case, the 5' per round movement is more likely to be acceptable, because it's a lot better than getting your retreat cut off by Intellect Devourers. So yeah, Vlad would shuffling along behind a pile of dirt like a human forklift if needed. I've done similar things in real life, only Vlad is moving two hundred times more dirt than I ever could.

It might not be needed or applicable very often, but it's a capability I'd be glad to have.

[Daphirlem]

Starting a campaign with a friend where I'm a druid in a I figured if i can find an open area I could push dirt from the outside perimeter out and continue to do so once it was all pushed ill stack the layers of outer walls up and hopefully have a 10ft wall ill lay low and use druid craft to be able to sprout seeds. buy some farm animals and seeds, plant thick hedges to maze to my base in the middle and use mold earth again to make it difficult terrain. Also knowledge nature to find more plant hopefully poisonous or living plants to safeguard my stronghold.

[ghost_warlock]

With a combination of suggestion or command, you can use it to bury enemies alive

[mephnick]

One of the few uses of War Magic for an Archer EK. Create cover for yourself, take a shot, duck behind cover for the rest of your turn.

[wilhelmdubdub]

I always wanted to take mold earth and druidcraft and shape pieces of clay and druidcraft some seeds. I would go around peddling chia pets for extra gold. Seems like a gnomish thing to do.