Lehkerai's Earthen Redoubt and other rapidly assembleable defenses

[alagomar]

Are you tired of your low level party getting ganked in your sleep by some pesky goblins? Then you need to try: Lehkerai's Earthen Redoubt! It is time to go camping in style, and safety! Call now and this dirt castle could be yours for the low low price of "casting Mold Earth 111 times."


In the game I play in, there are four watches per night, each with an opportunity for the party to fall under attack while most of them are asleep. I have finally had enough losses due to a bad perception rolls that it was time to do something about it. While I had played with PCs who set up Alarm spells, caltrop rings, and string-and-bell based alarm systems, none of that provided any significant defense for the party

In my most recent character, a military focused war wizard, I picked up the Mold Earth cantrip thinking it could be used to dig an emergency foxhole if needed, and maybe a trench if the party was on defense. After some thought, I realized that with some planning, it was possible to build a small castle each time I went to bed so the party can sleep in safety. Lehkerai's Earthen Redoubt features a 10' deep dry moat, 10' tall earthen walls, three standing platforms for wall defense, a central watch tower, and an underground bunker for the rest of the party to sleep in.

I have included the general layout here: https://imgur.com/gallery/cMPa2

Designed to take around 15 minutes to build by continuously casting Mold Earth, Lehkerai's Earthen Redoubt requires no equipment to be carried by the party, unlike heavy caltrops or barricades, and its resource cost is basically zero, due to the infinite use of cantrips. Though the dirt castle can certainly be kept up for extended use, it can easily be torn down the next day with a few mold earths to deny it's use to the enemy.

I thought I would ask the Playground if you guys had any ideas that might be worth adding or any suggestions for other ways to keep a party safe at night.

[Deathtongue]

Mold Earth is a heavily underrated cantrip. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O6vBhvie18hFDmnom5lMv3zTj1nYUkvC8UxH0ngZWXQ/edit) The link leads to my guide, where I rated a bunch of wizard spells from a Bladesinger perspective.

I like Shape Water and Mold Earth the best out of the EE cantrips. Being able to move 5-foot cubes of water and earth in a round (in addition to the other effects) may not be the best combat option, but as far as worldbuilding goes, it's very powerful.

But back to the point of this thread: Mold Earth, Dispel Magic, and Transmute Rock go together like bacon, brioche buns, and hamburger patties. Transmute bedrock into mud, lift (using Mold Earth) the mud cubes over to where you want them to go. Then Dispel Magic the mud cubes. Voila, instant castle. It's a higher level trick and requires some prep work, but after level 11 or so you the druid wizard probably want to have Transmute Rock and definitely want to have Dispel Magic prepared all of the time anyway.

A lower-level solution, again involving wizards or very lucky warlocks, is to use Mold Earth to dig an empty moat. Use Leomund's Tiny Hut. Then use Mold Earth near a river or even Shape Water (turn the water into ice cubes) to move the water into your moat. You can use Water Breathing (or prep everyone to make a hasty swim escape) as a backup if you like, but I prefer doing a little bit of engineering due-diligence and adding another trench layer blocked off by a panel of dirt. When it's time to drain the moat, open up the panel with Mold Earth to drain the moat. Mold Earth only has Somatic components, so you should have no problems casting it underwater through the Tiny Hut bubble.

Plant Growth, if the druid has any spare slots, always goes well with any outdoors shenanigans. Lay down some sod you uprooted with Move Earth inside of the trenches, and let 'er rip with that spell.

Most people who aren't illusionists won't use Programmed Illusion throughout the day, let alone for camp defense, but its range is much wider than Alarm. And unlike Guards and Wards, you can actually use it in combat. It's actually a pretty boss Combat Spell, too.

[alagomar]

I read your guide when I started playing my bladesinger, very handy, thanks!

All good points. We are at a very low level right now, so we have limited spell access. That said, your instant castle ideas are great for when we get to a higher level.

My main attraction to the idea was the hope that some sort of defense could be built without having to bring the equipment with you.

[Deathtongue]

If you just want to use Mold Earth, pit traps are the way to go. Dig deep trenches, place some fire-hardened sticks in them. Then Mold Earth a thin layer of sod over the trenches, enough so that an enemy who comes charging through will fall in the pit.

If you're by a significant source of water, Mold Earth also allows you to quickly take down dams to flood your trenches. You can also manually fill the trenches by using Shape Water continually (making huge blocks of ice) near a source of water. You can also make quicksand this way, too.

[Quoz]

If you have a few rounds to prepare for combat in a suitable environment, dig a well. A 5 foot wide, 20-30 foot deep hole is an amazing terrain feature if you have any party members that can reposition enemies, particularly grapplers and shield masters. Bonus XP for yelling "This Is Sparta".

[JackPhoenix]

If you have a few rounds to prepare for combat in a suitable environment, dig a well. A 5 foot wide, 20-30 foot deep hole is an amazing terrain feature if you have any party members that can reposition enemies, particularly grapplers and shield masters. Bonus XP for yelling "This Is Sparta".

Doesn't really work. You make a 5' hole, in the next turn, you move the earth from 10' deep up to 5', the spell ends and the earth falls right back to where it came from.

Same with OP's idea, I'm afraid. Loose earth won't stay in the cubes like in Minecraft (it looks nifty, though), the underground bunker will likely collapse without support and you wouldn't be able to move it higher than 5' without building a ramp first.

[MaxWilson]

Doesn't really work. You make a 5' hole, in the next turn, you move the earth from 10' deep up to 5', the spell ends and the earth falls right back to where it came from.

Digging a deep hole with Mold Earth is like playing Towers of Hanoi. :)


Same with OP's idea, I'm afraid. Loose earth won't stay in the cubes like in Minecraft (it looks nifty, though), the underground bunker will likely collapse without support and you wouldn't be able to move it higher than 5' without building a ramp first.

Fascines and gabions are what the party will need to provide stability. Ramps can be provided by Move Earth itself.

[JackPhoenix]

Digging a deep hole with Mold Earth is like playing Towers of Hanoi. :)

Fascines and gabions are what the party will need to provide stability. Ramps can be provided by Move Earth itself.

Problem is that it will take longer than "few rounds" to prepare a hole like that, especially considering you'll want to leave just the hole and not steps for the enemy to walk right out. Making ramps will also increase the needed time, and having to provide material for inscreasing structural integrity kind defeats the goal of "build a fortress anywhere, fast, with no resources". It is more practical for, say, army on the move with proper supply train than for a group of adventurers.

[Deathtongue]

Problem is that it will take longer than "few rounds" to prepare a hole like that, especially considering you'll want to leave just the hole and not steps for the enemy to walk right out. Making ramps will also increase the needed time,

? We're talking about 10-15 extra minutes depending on depth of the trench. That's nothing for a camp.

If you're worried about the top layer being too soft, you can always just shave off the top five feet and work with the more impacted layer. It'll add a few minutes, but is still doable without taking too long. Trust me, for budget breastworks/tunnels meant to last a couple of days, they'll have more than enough structural support assuming you don't go nuts with the tunneling. If you expect heavy shelling/rain/want to stay for a couple of days you'll definitely want to reinforce it with wood, but if you just want to set up camp for the night it'll last you plenty long enough.

[JackPhoenix]

? We're talking about 10-15 extra minutes depending on depth of the trench. That's nothing for a camp.

That was more for the "(almost) instant pit trap" idea. With camp, yes, you do have the time. Structural integrity is the bigger problem there.

[ImproperJustice]

Great guide :)

I agree with others that Mold Earth is highly underrated. The “Roman Camp” is a great use of the spell.

It’s also nice for creating a 5’ block of cover when needed.

We have also used it as a gentle sand, dirt, and grime remover and as such it has revealed hidden treasure and traps on more than one occasion from a dirty or muddy floor.

[Caelic]

The Army manual of field works or field fortifications is a handy resource for seeing what sorts of things can be done with earthworks. If you can build it with an entrenching tool, you can build it with Mold Earth.

[Slayn82]

It's also great for sculptures, so you can make your camp appears to have more people than it actually does. If you have create bonfire, you can prepare multiple campfires that you go around igniting fast.

Also, you can hide some skeletons inside the sand. Once the enemy attacks, they emerge from the surface of the walls.

They may even be left uncontrolled, if you have a large box. You put the undead inside the box, stacked. You fill the box to the brink with sand, immobilizing the undead, and close the top. When you need them, you open an aperture in the box and when the enemy gets close, you remove the sand, through the aperture, releasing the skeletons on them.

And maybe you can prepare a trap by partially uprooting a tree? You move the soil around its roots until it falls?

[Zene]

My problem with Mold Earth is the requirement for “loose earth”. Not a defined game term, and far too reliant on DM interpretation.

[Kane0]

I love the sand covering up surprise skeletons idea, might use that.

[Deathtongue]

My problem with Mold Earth is the requirement for “loose earth”. Not a defined game term, and far too reliant on DM interpretation.I can see some DMs using the interpretation of 'loose earth' to be earth as loose as, say, what's in a garden after it's cleared of weeds and tilled. Of course, that would render that function of the spell (and the cantrip in general) almost completely useless, as that kind of earth rarely exists in nature, let alone adventuring sites.

I'd say it's reasonable to not allow Mold Earth to work on bedrock or even softer stones such as abode. But garden-variety dirt and loam you'd find on a forest trail? I'd call the DM out for nerfing a mostly roleplaying spell that's really not all that powerful in combat or exploration to begin with.

[Kane0]

Would a good compromise be 'what you can dig with a shovel'?
If you need a pick to break through, Move Earth ain't doing it.

[Caelic]

Would a good compromise be 'what you can dig with a shovel'?
If you need a pick to break through, Move Earth ain't doing it.


Seconded. This is simple, logical, and clear.

[Sigreid]

For the more complex things I would probably make you roll a mason's tools check, Int based for it to be structurally sound. I would allow a non-proficient int roll though, so for basic structures your average wizard could probably do it without too much problem.

[Zene]

Would a good compromise be 'what you can dig with a shovel'?
If you need a pick to break through, Move Earth ain't doing it.
Great way to define it. Wish the spell text itself were that clear.