What Happens when You End Your Turn Inside of an Object?

[breckdogg]

One of my PC's chose the "Mold Earth" Cantrip and plans to drop/trap enemies inside of the 5ft. cube of dirt.

I have no idea what type of damage, how much (if at all) this would do, so I'm wondering as to what might happen.

Thank you!

[BarneyBent]

Mold Earth can’t really do that. It specifically calls out being unable to deal damage. At best, they’d be in difficult terrain, which is an effect you can already get with that cantrip.

Stone Shape could probably be used to trap someone (not damage them), but that’s a 4th level spell.

[Teaguethebean]

Well tell your player that they have a good choice in you tubers but you could have the trapped creature make strength checks to break free (Remember the dirt is lose) and run with holding breath underwater rules. And the video he got the idea from is probably https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nzKBxw9cPI

[SleepIncarnate]

And if something like etherealness is used to pass through objects, at the end of the turn/spell, you get ejected forcefully out to the nearest empty tile.

[Glorthindel]

Whilst I allow (and encourage) spellcasters to be clever with spell effects, I have a rule that a lower level spell can't replicate a higher level spell (or even match an equal level one whilst granting additional utility).

In this case, Mold Earth is a Cantrip, so trying to replicate spells like Banishment (which traps for the spells duration) or Hold Person would be right out. As for damage, again, being a Cantrip, and the fact that the spell grants additional utility (placing them in difficult terrain) would mean it absolutely shouldn't be doing damage equal to or greater than pure damage cantrips. Fire Bolt does d10, and you need to roll to hit to get that, so I would rule it would have to be less than that. I would be aiming more in the damage band of Sacred Flame or Vicious Mockery as that does damage on a failed save, and applies an additional effect. So, D4 to D8 seems fair - and I would grant a save (with a success negating both the difficult terrain effect and the damage, there needs to be a trade off from just the standard spell effect which applies difficult terrain without a save but does no damage).

[NRSASD]

I'd say it takes two castings of Mold Earth (one to dig the pit, one to fill it in) to get the effect the caster looking for. Then I'd give the target either a dex save (to avoid falling in) or a str save (to crawl out if falling in is unavoidable). If the target fails, I'd say they're restrained until they can make a str save to break free (doesn't cost an action to try).

Bear in mind this is what I, a DM, would do. I'm completely ignoring RAW and just going with my gut.

[Sigreid]

You have to wait 9 months to be born again.

[Guy Lombard-O]

I'd say it takes two castings of Mold Earth (one to dig the pit, one to fill it in) to get the effect the caster looking for.

This.

So maybe if you shift the earth around under someone's feet, they get a dex save not to fall prone. But either way, they can use their movement on their own turn to get up/step out of the 5' divot.

So you've just traded away your action for the other creature's movement. Not exactly a winning strategy. Mold Earth isn't generally meant to be an offensive combat spell, as I think the part about not inflicting damage makes clear.

[MilkmanDanimal]

I'd say it takes two castings of Mold Earth (one to dig the pit, one to fill it in) to get the effect the caster looking for. Then I'd give the target either a dex save (to avoid falling in) or a str save (to crawl out if falling in is unavoidable). If the target fails, I'd say they're restrained until they can make a str save to break free (doesn't cost an action to try).

Bear in mind this is what I, a DM, would do. I'm completely ignoring RAW and just going with my gut.

I'd absolutely go for this, as it requiring multiple turns to do anything plus allowing various ways to get out means it's still a "cantrip-level" effect. You have to dig a hole, get someone into the hole, fill the hole, and then they get a chance to get out of the hole. That's a whole (ha, HA!) bunch of things that have to happen for this to work, and that seems appropriate for a cantrip.

[NRSASD]

@MilkmanDanimal:

Yep, the multiple steps for the result of a higher level spell is exactly why I'd rule that way. If the players are clever with it, they can set it up ahead of time. I'm a huge fan of that because it encourages player creativity.

[Zanthy1]

I've ruled it that it deals no damage, but with multiple castings you can:

1. Move the dirt underneath them to create a pit of sorts
2. Move the dirt back into said pit with them standing in it.

This way they are technically not prone (standing) but they are trapped (speed reduced to 0). I typically only allow the pit to be about half the depth of the shortest target (a halfling is only trapped 1.5-2 feet down, a human 3-4 feet). The rational would be that if I was casting this spell, I would time it so that when I see a significant enough portion of the targets body below the surface level that I would fill it at that point, which accounts for the different depths by race.

I also note that it is still loose dirt, so if you want to pack it tight and create essentially a prison, I require another casting to make the loose dirt less loose lol. What that does for the person trapped it take it from a tough DC to a very hard DC, though still technically can be escaped from.