Looking for creative uses for Shape Water

[frogglesmash]

What are some creative ways to use Shape Water? Especially interested in what can be done by combining the animate and freeze functions.

[T.G. Oskar]

I once used Shape Water to create a water bridge.

Long story short: the party needs to cross a relatively deep pond of water. I'm playing a Cleric, but I was given a (Lesser) Ring of Water Elemental Command, which had some of the spells but no ability to actually command water elementals. In exchange, besides the ability to breathe underwater, it gave me Shape Water as a free cantrip. At that point, the DM was aiming to have everyone cross, with those wearing heavy armor having an obvious penalty.

Instead, I used the freeze property to create floating blocks of 5 ft. x 5 ft. x 5 ft., and essentially chain them to create a walking bridge. Even though it has a block limit (IIRC), I could simply "switch" them around. Though it took some time, it allowed everyone to cross safely, essentially bypassing that part of the dungeon.

As for other uses? You could animate a source of water into a receptacle (say, a large margarita glass?) and then change its opacity to maximum. That'd give you a source of shadow, since the water would be so opaque it'd block access to light. Alternatively, you could try to wring the DM into making a spot of water where an ally is opaque enough to count as dim light or even darkness, thus protecting it from attacks. Or, you can animate a stream of water upwards (enough to create a 5-ft. cube) and then freeze it to create a temporary block of ice you can use as a step?

[Chaos Jackal]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?481560-Creative-Cantrips-Shape-Water

Here's a detailed "guide", so to speak. Assumptions, physics, ideas, the works.

[Man_Over_Game]

You might be able to convince your DM that you can make a long icicle with Shape Water, enough to have it be an improvized Quarterstaff that might be eligible for Shillelagh. Since the 'weapon' would be magical, it'd now have resistance to damage and probably wouldn't break.

That's a lot of assumptions, but it'd be really cool if it'd work. Personally, I'd allow it. I think I'd even allow it as long as you have Shape Water on your spell list even without Shillelagh, it's not like Shape Water or an at-will quarterstaff is all that strong.

[Akal Saris]

I've played a water genasi cleric for the past few years. Off the top of my head:


I've used it to set off traps that trigger off of movement and weight by using the ‘create simple shapes and animate them for one hour' along with nudging the water along 5ft at a time.
Moving aside snow to basically cut out a pathway through the mountains (technically one might have to melt the snow for this to work?), and also turning an icy path into a toboggan course
'Fishing' by redirecting a bunch of water to land and then picking up the fish


One question for your DM is whether you can thaw ice with the spell as well. Mine saw no problem with it (if you can freeze things, why not the opposite?), but if not, then there's Create/Destroy Water instead.

Eventually my cleric got access to 'Control Water' which has superseded Shape Water for the effects like redirecting the water flow of a river or creating a pathway through a lake, since it affects a much larger area and lasts for concentration.

[Spartan_MD]

My Druid with the chef feat made ice cream with a good berry on top. 😀

[Phhase]

Shape Water is one of my favorite cantrips. Essentially, make anything you want on a small scale in the short term out of ice. Javelins, spikes on the ground, use ice as glue to hold things together, improvised daggers or other weapons, keep doors open or shut, make a spiny palisade, fortify a position, you name it. Water basically becomes an all-purpose hyper-malleable tool for you. However, my favorite use doesn't involve ice: just make a bubble of water around someone's head. Good luck breathing. Maybe grapple them to hold them still if that's necessary.


My Druid with the chef feat made ice cream with a good berry on top. 😀

That is adorable I love that, and will remember it.

[KorvinStarmast]

My Druid with the chef feat made ice cream with a good berry on top. 😀 Love it when players do stuff like this. :smallsmile: