Transmute Rock clarification

[Riftwolf]

Reading the Transmute Rock spell and some bits are confusing me. It mentions 'for the spells duration' but the spells instant? Which part of the entry is wrong; the duration listing or the effects wording? Instant duration makes sense for some listed effects but others could go either way.

Also, it says 'nonmagical stone in a 40ft cube'. A 40ft cube (40*40*40) could fit a decent sized house in it. Does Transmute Rock to Mud let me melt houses?

[Unoriginal]

Reading the Transmute Rock spell and some bits are confusing me. It mentions 'for the spells duration' but the spells instant? Which part of the entry is wrong; the duration listing or the effects wording? Instant duration makes sense for some listed effects but others could go either way.

The duration was apparently changed to "until dispelled" later.



Also, it says 'nonmagical stone in a 40ft cube'. A 40ft cube (40*40*40) could fit a decent sized house in it. Does Transmute Rock to Mud let me melt houses?

Only the stone parts, and only the parts that fit in the 40ft cubes, but yes.

[Riftwolf]

The duration was apparently changed to "until dispelled" later.


That makes even *less* sense! So if I melt a house Dispel Magic rebuilds it?

[Unoriginal]

That makes even *less* sense! So if I melt a house Dispel Magic rebuilds it?

No, but instead of a puddle of mud it'll be a solid stone slab.

The change on the matter is dispelled, not the changes of shape.

[Riftwolf]

No, but instead of a puddle of mud it'll be a solid stone slab.

The change on the matter is dispelled, not the changes of shape.

Oh that makes more sense. So I could melt a house then smooth the area out.

So long as houses melt I'm content.

[gooch]

Ok, I'll bite. What's with the house melting fixation?

[Riftwolf]

Ok, I'll bite. What's with the house melting fixation?

Playing a Lizardfolk Swamp Druid who's first encounter with walls was getting unfairly arrested and imprisoned. Since then he's decided to give cityfolk a chance but cities can go to hell, and until I can access larger scale house-melt powers I'll melt cities one house at a time if I need to.

Also the current plot involves urban expansion into a sacred grove. Kinda hard to expand a city when buildings keep melting. Just saying.

[OvisCaedo]

Huh. Honestly I was expecting this thread to be asking about what happens to all of the mud when you cast it on a stone ceiling.

[Keltest]

Huh. Honestly I was expecting this thread to be asking about what happens to all of the mud when you cast it on a stone ceiling.

Isnt the spell pretty explicit that gravity happens?

As for the OP, what are you going to do when you run into a house made of wood?

[Unoriginal]

Isnt the spell pretty explicit that gravity happens?

Yeah, it's not really a questionable situation.



As for the OP, what are you going to do when you run into a house made of wood?

I think the traditional solution to that is huffing and puffing and blowing the house in.

[JackPhoenix]

I think the traditional solution to that is huffing and puffing and blowing the house in.

Yeah, but we're talking about D&D. The traditional solution there is fire. It's always fire.

The real issue will be when people start using bricks. Bricks aren't rocks despite being fireproof.

[Unoriginal]

Yeah, but we're talking about D&D. The traditional solution there is fire. It's always fire.

The real issue will be when people start using bricks. Bricks aren't rocks despite being fireproof.

Bricks are generally made out of clay, which is a rock.

Otherwise there is the Shatter spell.

[Riftwolf]

As for the OP, what are you going to do when you run into a house made of wood?

Obviously Sympathy for Termites. Or Create Bonfire. Or liquify the foundations. Or Tidal Wave. Or just waiting.

[OvisCaedo]

Isnt the spell pretty explicit that gravity happens?

The spell is explicit that it deals... 4d8 bludgeoning damage. And then doesn't really say anything about how the 40 foot cube of mud that dropped should act. Does it spread out and make some area that has the ground effect? How big would that be? Should things be getting entirely buried by the 40 foot cube of mud? Does it just vanish or just flow and spread so thin that it does nothing besides the tiny bludgeoning damage?

Or is it just meant to entirely be DM adjudication?

[Keltest]

The spell is explicit that it deals... 4d8 bludgeoning damage. And then doesn't really say anything about how the 40 foot cube of mud that dropped should act. Does it spread out and make some area that has the ground effect? How big would that be? Should things be getting entirely buried by the 40 foot cube of mud? Does it just vanish or just flow and spread so thin that it does nothing besides the tiny bludgeoning damage?

Or is it just meant to entirely be DM adjudication?

It's thick and flowing, so presumably what happens after that depends on whether it can flow out or not. If it doesn't get washed away somehow, presumably it follows the rules for mud on the ground once it's there, such as the 4x movement cost.

[Chronos]

Yes, but over what area? Obviously a 40' cube of mud that's now sitting on the ground isn't going to stay 40' deep; it'll slump out into a big pancake. But how thick of a pancake? How deep a pile of mud can flat ground support?

[Unoriginal]

Yes, but over what area? Obviously a 40' cube of mud that's now sitting on the ground isn't going to stay 40' deep; it'll slump out into a big pancake. But how thick of a pancake? How deep a pile of mud can flat ground support?

That depends entirely of the size of the room.

If the room underneath the transmuted rock is a 40ft40ft40ft cube, then the mud will absolutely remain 40ft deep.

[crabwizard77]

Yeah, but we're talking about D&D. The traditional solution there is fire. It's always fire.

The real issue will be when people start using bricks. Bricks aren't rocks despite being fireproof.

I don't have the book with me right now, but mabye animate objects? Animate some of the bricks, then keep doing it until the house collapses :tongue:

[Keltest]

I don't have the book with me right now, but mabye animate objects? Animate some of the bricks, then keep doing it until the house collapses :tongue:

The same train of logic that says bricks are objects unfortunately says they're also glued in place pretty good with mortar.

[crabwizard77]

The same train of logic that says bricks are objects unfortunately says they're also glued in place pretty good with mortar.

Yeah, I thought that was a possibilty, but just wanted to throw it out there just in case.

Cement has water in it, and so does mortar, plus mortar has cement in it, so cast control water to pull the mortar and use it to trap your enemies :smalltongue:

[Riftwolf]

The same train of logic that says bricks are objects unfortunately says they're also glued in place pretty good with mortar.

You give bricks a semblance of life purely for the horror. Their screams are muffled by the cement.

[Chronos]

Quoth Unoriginal:

That depends entirely of the size of the room.

If the room underneath the transmuted rock is a 40ft40ft40ft cube, then the mud will absolutely remain 40ft deep.
Well, yeah, in that case. But what if we're in the Underdark equivalent of Carlsbad Caverns, with a single chamber hundreds or even thousands of feet across?

[Unoriginal]

Well, yeah, in that case. But what if we're in the Underdark equivalent of Carlsbad Caverns, with a single chamber hundreds or even thousands of feet across?

Then, since the spell is clear that the slowing-people's-movenent effect happens when you cast the spell on the ground, my ruling would be the ceiling mud falls on the people under the AoE and then spreads out into a wide but mechanically effect-less puddle.

[Keltest]

Then, since the spell is clear that the slowing-people's-movenent effect happens when you cast the spell on the ground, my ruling would be the ceiling mud falls on the people under the AoE and then spreads out into a wide but mechanically effect-less puddle.

It could also become ordinary difficult terrain mud over a wider area.

[NecessaryWeevil]

The real issue will be when people start using bricks. Bricks aren't rocks despite being fireproof.

In that case you need to go down the chimney.