Earth Shaper

[Stryyke]

I've always wanted to do a build that has near infinite ability to reshape earth and stone as he sees fit. And at will. Can such a thing be accomplished in within the D&D 5e (or 3.5 for that matter) rules?

[Sorinth]

Can't you just do it with Druid spells like Mold Earth, Earth Tremor, Spike Growth (Refluff as sharp rocks instead of thorns), Erupting Earth, etc...

[Stryyke]

Can't you just do it with Druid spells like Mold Earth, Earth Tremor, Spike Growth (Refluff as sharp rocks instead of thorns), Erupting Earth, etc...

But those aren't at will.

[Sorinth]

But those aren't at will.

Mold Earth is a cantrip and so is at will.

[Gignere]

But those aren't at will.

Mold earth is at will.

[LudicSavant]

I've always wanted to do a build that has near infinite ability to reshape earth and stone as he sees fit. And at will. Can such a thing be accomplished in within the D&D 5e (or 3.5 for that matter) rules?

Not sure what you're expecting in terms of "near infinite ability." But as for at-will, Mold Earth is a cantrip, and a good one. It can reshape earth (and stone too, just to a more limited degree) at will.


Can't you just do it with Druid spells like Mold Earth, Earth Tremor, Spike Growth (Refluff as sharp rocks instead of thorns), Erupting Earth, etc...

Also, you can get Earth Tremor or Earthen Grasp (as well as any other 1st or 2nd level Wizard spells, like Enlarge/Reduce) as an at-will ability via the Wizard's "Spell Mastery" feature at level 18.

[Stryyke]

Mold Earth is a cantrip and so is at will.

But the limitations for mold earth, if I remember correctly, are that it has to be loose earth to actually manipulate the dirt. Packed earth and stone, you can only do visual affects.

[MaxWilson]

At level 13 as a druid you can also summon and Planar Bind a Korred, which has at-will Stone Shape.

For the record, "loose earth" is also known as "dirt", both in colloquial English and even in Crawfordese: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/139836/what-counts-as-loose-earth-for-the-mold-earth-spell/139838#139838

[Stryyke]

At level 13 as a druid you can also summon and Planar Bind a Korred, which has at-will Stone Shape.

For the record, "loose earth" is also known as "dirt", both in colloquial English and even in Crawfordese: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/139836/what-counts-as-loose-earth-for-the-mold-earth-spell/139838#139838

Nice! I'll definitely take a look at that.

Incidentally, every DM I've ever played with, has declared "loose earth" to mean dust. Any dirt that can be moved by a slight breeze. Maybe I just got unlucky with my DMs.

[Sorinth]

But the limitations for mold earth, if I remember correctly, are that it has to be loose earth to actually manipulate the dirt. Packed earth and stone, you can only do visual affects.

Loose earth is DM Discretion, but I've always seen regular ground be valid. For stone the cantrip can only make it difficult terrain or remove the difficult terrain portion.

Why does it matter whether you have at will stone shape or just a bunch of times per day? There are balance concerns with at will 4th level spell, but making a cantrip that can shape stone for minor effect would be fine. So you'd have to give a bit more details on what/why you want.

[Stryyke]

Loose earth is DM Discretion, but I've always seen regular ground be valid. For stone the cantrip can only make it difficult terrain or remove the difficult terrain portion.

Why does it matter whether you have at will stone shape or just a bunch of times per day? There are balance concerns with at will 4th level spell, but making a cantrip that can shape stone for minor effect would be fine. So you'd have to give a bit more details on what/why you want.

Wait. Who has at will stone shape? You mean with the planar binding trick?

[Sorinth]

Wait. Who has at will stone shape? You mean with the planar binding trick?

It's what you are asking for isn't it?

I was just saying there are balance concerns with that, whereas if you wanted some minor stone shaping cantrip something could be homebrewed. For example, having a cantrip that can shape stone and allow you to create handholds to climb a tower would be reasonable power wise. Allowing the cantrip to make a doorway into that tower would be too strong.

[Stryyke]

It's what you are asking for isn't it?

I was just saying there are balance concerns with that, whereas if you wanted some minor stone shaping cantrip something could be homebrewed. For example, having a cantrip that can shape stone and allow you to create handholds to climb a tower would be reasonable power wise. Allowing the cantrip to make a doorway into that tower would be too strong.

Yea. That's what I was thinking. But rather the cantrip grows in power, so at lvl 20 I would essentially be able to build a palace in a day, using the cantrip.

[Chronos]

The usual interpretation I've seen for "loose earth" is that if you can move it with a shovel, you can move it with the cantrip. Which still leaves the spell quite powerful: It'd take a heck of a lot longer than six seconds for a guy with a shovel to move 125 cubic feet of dirt.

But I think that the best you're going to be able to get is a spellcaster with Mold Earth and a few other earth-based spells (Stoneshape, Modify Terrain, etc.): You can always do some earthbending, and sometimes do some really big earthbending.

Having one very strong power that you can use at will is not something that's modeled very well in D&D.

[Stryyke]

The usual interpretation I've seen for "loose earth" is that if you can move it with a shovel, you can move it with the cantrip. Which still leaves the spell quite powerful: It'd take a heck of a lot longer than six seconds for a guy with a shovel to move 125 cubic feet of dirt.

But I think that the best you're going to be able to get is a spellcaster with Mold Earth and a few other earth-based spells (Stoneshape, Modify Terrain, etc.): You can always do some earthbending, and sometimes do some really big earthbending.

Having one very strong power that you can use at will is not something that's modeled very well in D&D.

What is earth-bending? Is it like that Avatar air bending show?

[Gignere]

The usual interpretation I've seen for "loose earth" is that if you can move it with a shovel, you can move it with the cantrip. Which still leaves the spell quite powerful: It'd take a heck of a lot longer than six seconds for a guy with a shovel to move 125 cubic feet of dirt.

But I think that the best you're going to be able to get is a spellcaster with Mold Earth and a few other earth-based spells (Stoneshape, Modify Terrain, etc.): You can always do some earthbending, and sometimes do some really big earthbending.

Having one very strong power that you can use at will is not something that's modeled very well in D&D.

Even with a backhoe it’d take more than 6 seconds to move that much dirt. Mold earth would be one of the if not the most OP cantrips in real life.

[luuma]

Yea. That's what I was thinking. But rather the cantrip grows in power, so at lvl 20 I would essentially be able to build a palace in a day, using the cantrip.

You can't do this sort of thing "at will", but you can do an absurd amount with your spell slots - like, at 20th, you have enough spell slots to have move earth cast for 12 hours straight, or to make 90 10x10 stone panels per day with wall of stone.

[MaxWilson]

Nice! I'll definitely take a look at that.

Incidentally, every DM I've ever played with, has declared "loose earth" to mean dust. Any dirt that can be moved by a slight breeze. Maybe I just got unlucky with my DMs.

Good luck ever finding a 5' cube of dust that can still be moved by a slight breeze. That's four tons of dust! :) Too bad about your DMs though. It's a fun spell if the DM allows it.


Wait. Who has at will stone shape? You mean with the planar binding trick?

Well, there's also the Elemonk ability: "Cause earth, fire, water, or mist that can fit within a 1-foot cube to shape itself into a crude form you designate for 1 minute."

It's 125 times slower than Mold Earth but it doesn't exclude stone.

[Unoriginal]

What is earth-bending? Is it like that Avatar air bending show?

Earthbending:


https://youtu.be/mJGjMZ1UPJM

[TaiLiu]

So I actually tried building something like this a few days ago! The long and short is that your specific request can't really be done, at least not in the sense that a superhero or an earth-bender can.

If at-will is what you want, as others have mentioned, the only real options is a Monk that follows the way of the four elements or an eighteenth level Wizard with mold earth, earth tremor, and earthen grasp. Neither of those options meet that earthy feel.

Furthermore, even if you remove the at-will criterion, the truth is that D&D spells are extremely specific and do extremely specific things. Just because you can raise the dead doesn't mean you can heal the living. And just because you can cause an earthquake doesn't mean you can raise a stone palace. There's also the problem that spells are kind of scattered—a Druid can't learn earthen grasp, but a Sorcerer can't learn stone shape.

You might be able to get the DM to let you seriously refluff spells, which will go a long way. If you just want to raise a palace, Galder's tower might help with that. But you might need a different system to really get that earth manipulator feel.

[Bobthewizard]

You could use an Illusionist's Malleable Illusion with Creation to carry a small rock that you can throw and it becomes a 5' or larger cube in whatever shape you want. You need to cast the spell once and then it lasts for 12 hours. 3 levels of Arcane trickster lets you use mage hand as a bonus action to move the rock then your action to change its shape.

[Stryyke]

The usual interpretation I've seen for "loose earth" is that if you can move it with a shovel, you can move it with the cantrip. Which still leaves the spell quite powerful: It'd take a heck of a lot longer than six seconds for a guy with a shovel to move 125 cubic feet of dirt.

But I think that the best you're going to be able to get is a spellcaster with Mold Earth and a few other earth-based spells (Stoneshape, Modify Terrain, etc.): You can always do some earthbending, and sometimes do some really big earthbending.

Having one very strong power that you can use at will is not something that's modeled very well in D&D.

Are there any other systems that do this really well? Maybe I can do a custom class, using that as a template.

[Addaran]

Are there any other systems that do this really well? Maybe I can do a custom class, using that as a template.

Supeheroes and anime systeme for sure. Mutants and masterminds, you can do everything you said easily. And even crazier things and the assumption is that it's at will. Big Eyes Small Mouth was similar.

[Stryyke]

Supeheroes and anime systeme for sure. Mutants and masterminds, you can do everything you said easily. And even crazier things and the assumption is that it's at will. Big Eyes Small Mouth was similar.

YES! Mutants and Masterminds! That was the system I used. After all these years, I finally found it again! Thank you!!!!!

[Chronos]

But you're probably a lot better off just playing in a Mutants and Masterminds game, than trying to adapt a M&M character into a game that's otherwise D&D. D&D just really isn't at all designed for what you're trying for, at levels that go deeper than "I'm homebrewing a class that does this".