that might not be as effective as oyu think. I live in NOrth Dakota, where your car door freezing shut is a common occurrence in the wintertime. it _usually_ only takes moderate effort to muscle it open.
Once, my Storm Sorcerer used the water from a town's well in tandem with our party's Bard as he told the tales of our group's adventures and victories. He shaped the water to match the creatures and places in the story as it was told, and we froze it at the end in the shape of our group's namesake bird.
I’ve done this with my water Genasi bard many times lol. Our rogue helped last time I performed as he multiclassed wizard recently so there were two waters going. It was epic
Rule of thumb that I use as a DM: - If a cantrip seems to to what higher level spells or class features and similar are doing, you are probably overestimating how the cantrip works. - If the cantrip is somehow, and seemingly consistently, dealing a lot more damage than other cantrips are, chances are that you are using it in ways not intended. While I reward clever use, I dont let cantrips replace 2nd level spells like knock nor for minor illusions to be nearly as good as still image and higher level illusions.
For sure, it can be a fine line between not making a player feel like their choice of cantrip was a total waste and rewarding them with too much consistent power. I think the "clever use" point is important -- as long as a player understands that it's a one-off reward for a cool idea and don't try to abuse it as a 100% replicable trick, these cantrips can stay cool without getting silly power levels.
I'm with u for like 80% Especially for the damage stuff. But if someone finds a realistic way to unlock a door and there isn't a reason that's not meta (like balance etc) then why shouldn't they be rewarded for being creative.
another great vid from a criminally underrated creator. Each one of your videos on spells is insightful and has original ideas for mechanical/role play purposes. Also, a very pleasant voice :)
My favorite use of Shape Water is making ice cream. Make ice cubes and put them in a bucket. Then add some salt to it with a metal bowl and you've got an old timey ice cream maker. Then get someone strong to stir the milk (Or possibly cream) with some honey and berries for a few hours. Just keep refreezing your ice cubes to maintain the temperature.
This is why I like to have the prestidigitation/mold earth/shape water combo whenever I can. Between these three cantrips, you can do some crazy creative things. Hell, the drinking contest example can be made better by combining the smell and taste from prestidigitation with the color/opacity from shape water.
You are a Sorcerer with Metamagic Subtle Spell, right ? Otherwise you have the worst DM i have ever heard off and for that, im sorry :( Since Prestidigitation has both Verbal and Somatic and Shape Water has Somatic, both take 1 action to cast.. So in a world of magic, you start chanting arcane words and waving your hands around like a Naruto wannabe.. and not expect EVERYONE know that you are casting magic & trying to cheat in the competition ? Even a half decent DM would not allow that to go unnoticed.
@@_Lunaria Somatic components RAW only need one hand free and doesn't require any given spell to have large, articulate, or obvious gestures. I think a good DM, in a drinking contest would probably just have anyone with magical knowledge do an arcana check. And verbal components in this specific instance could be argued by the character to just be a toast like "cheers", "salud" or "prost". As with somatic components it could trigger an insight, knowledge, or arcana check. And if you're in a place without any spellcasters or people familiar with spellcasters then maybe you don't make them roll anything at all. In any case, my point is that there are a lot more fun options to handle this than just disallowing a player from trying something inventive, especially in a situation where they're casting cantrips and the stakes are as low as a drinking contest. Side note: I'd personally say it should be way more obvious, even to a layman, that they're casting a spell if it's like...fireball. You obviously don't want players abusing that, and it makes sense that verbal and somatic components would get more and more intricate as spells get higher in level. (but even then RAW it's not required). In any case, I certainly believe a decent DM can allow it. We're here to have fun together, and even if you wanna stick with RAW you can still encourage fun inventive play in this case.
@@investigativebatman That is actually really good point, something what im definitely gona borrow into my game :D That Somatic components get more complex the higher level spell you are trying to cast. And as such, you could maybe try to hide the specific finger symbol with a fake sneeze or some other hand waving thing and rolling a slight of hand check. But what i cannot accept, is that you can mask Verbal Components, not when in the DMG it very clearly says " "Verbal (V) Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The words themselves aren't the source of the spell's power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. " So there is NO way that you can cast a spell and yell " Cheers ! " as its magical word. Nor can you whisper the word in an attempt to "stealth cast" the spell, as it says " Pitch and Resonance " And just like you said, even a layman would know when someone is chanting / casting a spell, so if the spell has Verbal component, EVERYONE around you would know that a spell is being cast. Just like if you rip a fart in an elevator, people dont go "huh, i wonder if that was the stairs making weird noises" No, they will look at you with disgust. Cause its obvious what that sound is. Right ?
These effects are not instant, they last an hour. Why not just prepare the cheat in advance instead of trying to cheat on the go? It's a drinking contest, it's not funny if it's not fast
@@_Lunaria lol WTF? are you seriously implying that a DM that doesn't punish spellcasters for casting in public is the "worst DM you have ever heard of?" get off the internet you weird rule lawyer. D&D is a storytelling game, and if the DM judges that not letting the player cast spells in public, especially harmless ones, without attracting too much attention wont negatively affect the story, thats their prerogative. If anything, a DM that doesn't overvalue the rules at the expense of the quality of fun the players are having is one of the best possible DMs you could have. This is what happens when you stay on the internet too long and let it rot your brain. please go outside or talk to real humans, or touch grass or something.
Once while playing a Kobold (small) wizard, I used a combo of "shape water + earth mold", alternating them to climb up a waterfall to leave a cave system we were trapped in.. while the most apt athlete of the group got there first, my method required no rolls and I also had another kobold tagging along (we found him down there, weak and wounded and, of course, saved the poor guy)... Bringing the rest of the group was quick as one of them had that magic rope item and I quickly shaped the rock for it to hook itself at, while the "athlete" pulled them up one at a time...
Mold Earth specifically says it only moves loose dirt, sand, mud, etc. It is not Stone Shape, which is a 4th level spell. You can change the surface of stone with Mold Earth, but only superficially. I would rule it can't make a hook for a rope. Pretty sure climbing pitons only cost 5cp and they come bundled with some of the starter packs. They can be used to jam doors, as well. Since it's more or less presumed that securing a rope is something PCs can do at any level, I might allow it once anyway and just speak privately with the player so they understand the limits of Mold Earth. In my opinion, it is easily one of the strongest cantrips in the game. Stone Shape is 4th level almost entirely because dungeons are typically made of stone, making Mold Earth much less useful indoors, but if you are outdoors it's like being able to cast Stone Shape at-will.
If you create an ice prism, you could use that to shine light around corners. You could also possibly create a mirror, a scope, or a looking glass if you have the right tool proficiency (Tinker's Tools?)
One use I love but have never used is Armor floatation. A few years ago I did the math & in a 5x5 square there is over tenfold more water than the weight of full plate, meaning you can freeze water around your armor making it float or just be effectively weightless in water. Thus, with this spell you can swim in full plate To add some flair, I like the idea of freezing the ice in such a shape that it adds fins & streamlines your armor. For years I’ve liked the idea of paying a water genasi Paladin in a sea based campaign & having this trick up my sleeve
Played as a wizard artificer multiclass once, who used mold earth to access groundwater and combined it with shape water to effectively summon a reasonable amount of potable water depending on the location.
As a DM, this spell is a great example of exploring the overall effectiveness of a cantrip; and in particular, tying it loosely to an Arcana check. There are a lot of things this spell can do that will "Work" or "not work" without ever needing to roll for it; but the real creative and experimental effects should definitely call for a roll to see how well something works they way they want it to. My party's sorcerer just picked up Shape Water when he multiclassed into a wizard (it was plot relevant and I helped reduce the limitations this introduced, don't ask, also it's working great). He wanted to use Shape Water to explore a mysterious chamber filled with water in a maze he found himself in. His plan was to use the water to form a bubble of air around his head, and then go diving. The basic principle: to breath underwater. This was definitely going to work, no need for a roll. But hey, give me an Arcana check. I immediately started thinking of the varying degrees of success this plan could achieve. On a higher DC, he forms a perfect sphere of water around his head and freezes it solid. A moderate DC, he forms the sphere out of just water, which carries the air just fine, but may get interrupted or misshapen especially as the water pressure increases, making the dive more dangerous. On a lower DC, he can breath OK but struggles to keep his head entirely in the sphere, and although he gets where he need to go, his character is coughing up water and gasping by the end of it. All of these options let him explore the water-filled chamber, but the variability means he's able to feel more emotion behind the action. "I better be careful and not dive too deep at first" even though I'm definitely not going to kill off his character for not rolling a 20 on cantrip flavor. A great side-effect is that players who are newer get to hear a variety of options they can specifically callout for future cantrip casting. Maybe this time he just said "I form a bubble of air" but he rolled really well. Now next time he calls it out and says "I make a bubble of air and freeze it solid", and now that extra effectiveness isn't locked behind a good roll, and we get to explore other varieties of success. Great spell, really fun for everyone involved.
Use shape water to copy a key or other object, such as a simple tool. You could send in your familiar to clandestinely get a look at a key on a guard. Then use shape water to replicate the key. You could use it like minor illusion to create a 3d map or a bust of someone you're looking for. Since you can change the color of the water, you could even color the water to look like the person in question before you freeze it. You could use shape water as a dead-man switch. Put some frozen water in the trigger of a trap. When you dismiss the spell, it stops holding back the trigger to set it off remotely. Fill a doorway with a frozen wall of ice or brace a stone door that is closing. Dismiss the spell once your allies get through so any pursuers can't follow.
My genasi swashbuckler carried a waterskin around filled with what she called "Death screams". When she needed to intimidate or torture people she would use their mouth and throat as the container and drown them before putting it back in the water skin. "You will tell me what I want to know or you will choke on your companions' final breaths." Becomes extra intimidating. To be most effective you have your big friend grapple your target, but even without it can still give your character a terrifying reputation. Very fun character lol, and not even the weirdest of the crew. I would definitely bring her back.
We used shape water to make igloos for a winter campaign. We also ( with DM permission) set a road trap. We did this by finding a low place in the road and covered it with a thick shell of ice that thinned by the middle. Making it look like it was fairly flat terrain. This was of course all done during winter so the ice stayed even after the time limit. We covered it with small rocks , under brush, and snow. To hopefully not spook horses walking on it. With some good survival rolls we succeeded in making the trap. It inevitably caught the first 3 horses and riders. One took a 10’ fall ( 1d6 + prone). Another was 5’ deep in ice and snow ( horse was grappled DC 10 with rider surrounded by rough terrain. While the last in the trap had the rider make a animal handlings check ( DC 12 ) or be thrown and prone ( he failed).
9:05 (thought) could use shape water then freeze to move stuff, since water expands, assuming it had something to brace against. Might make a good way to pry something away from a wall
@@dndlounge Even if you can't break locks with it, you could definitely weaken a wooden door by soaking it and then flash freezing. Assuming the door is made out of planks of wood and not a solid piece then the expansion could potentially break the door entirely.
Once, my dm had this horror themed encounter planned where the entire party had to sneak around this sleepwalking monster while looking for clues to get out of the zone. It had a bunch of mini encounters, traps, hiding places, etc. All of that was immediately thwarted when I (The Wizard) surrounded the main boss in a ring of water that our bard proceeded to freeze into a baby-gate, the real kicker to this being that the monster never woke up and noticed the gate as my dm failed every roll while the rest of us looked for clues
I once played a Mortal Kombat themed character that had shape water, and I asked the DM if I could attack an enemy with shape water. I explained to the DM that shape water specifically says "you can't freeze water with a creature in it, but can I freeze the water inside a creature?" He allowed it as long as I made the attack roll, and since the enemy was low level, it didn't take much to kill them. It was a pretty cool moment to bring Mortal Kombat fatalities to our D&D games.
While this is not using shaped water, for similar utility I was using mold earth. But the use worked like this, using warcaster I can cast a spell as part of an attack of opportunity but can only target one creature. If DM allows, or use a readied action, I would use mold earth to dig a 5 foot hole out from under a charging or retreating opponent and make a 5 foot pile of earth to either use as a barricade or cover. As moving the five foot block of earth is part of the same action. If the DM allows interesting usage of warcaster, this allows attack of opportunities to have interesting effects such as tripping, blocking, slipping, or other uses from such versatile cantrips.
I'm currently playing a water genasi character in a campaign set in a northern/frozen continent. My DM has allowed me to use shape water on snow, making it much more versatile and more useful for utility, and in my opinion, it fits a lot better as the hallmark ability of a water genasi. Though this has mostly been used in RP scenarios (shape water snow out of the way when trekking through frozen wasteland, making small igloos or perimeter walls when camping, etc.) and hasn't had much of an affect on combat itself. Basically, for something like shape water: rule of cool should always apply, granted it isn't too op
I once made an Spike Ice cage around a basilisk with this. It did 1d4 damage to break free but it gave the team the time needed to deal with the other foes on the dock before facing the basilisk on the boat.
An interesting spell to note is the tidal wave spell which can cover a 90x70ft area with water. Other spells to look out for are watery sphere at 4th level, and wall of water.
I love this series! (Especially cuz I love playing spellcasters hehe.) Will there be more videos about cantrips (like Control Flames, Light, Mage Hand etc) some time in the future? Cuz I'd love to see those :D Don't wanna stress you tho, just wanna give ideas ^^
Had our water genasi freeze our party’s pee into lockpicks. My rogue then failed the first check, then got a 19 and a 20 to free us from a prison cell.
Fun fact water expands when it freezes this means ice is less dense than water allowing it to float, but this can also be used to do stuff like explode a jug of water or something of that nature.
My favorite application of Shape Water is to replicate freeze thaw cycles in mere minutes; make a crack, freeze water in it, unfreeze, freeze again. Water expands when frozen and this phenomenon is so fucking strong that it'll break apart whatever it's in, allowing you to just tear apart raw stone in minutes. You can tunnel very fast this way, whereas it would take a team to pick through the stone
one of the best uses of Shape Water that I've found is completely DM dependent but I had so much fun doing it when my DM allowed it: I can't exactly remember what I did but let's just say that holy water is in the end water.
I definitely see potential for shape water to be used to bind a person momentarily. If you animate a thick ring around a person, or around their wrists, and freeze it, you can keep them under control for the duration, at the condition they might be able to escape with a strength check for breaking the ice. In this way, you can also blind a person by making the ice muddy for a pair of glasses or a circlet covering the eyes, or similarly gag them for a short moment until the ice is melted by their breath. All of these, however, require you to already have control over the person at hand though.
I’ve always wanted to play a fighter/spellcaster multiclass who can surround an enemy in water with Shape Water, then use their action surge to cast Ice Spike, guaranteeing a frozen enemy
The way we ruled unlocking a door with shape water is you still need the skill roll to use it. So it can give advantage to a slight of hand roll just like theifs tools but always remember you do not play alone done be a seen stealer
My favorite use of this cantrip is probably the simplest: setting up the field a minute before a combat, creating chest high walls ... and yes, with a Decanter of Endless Water Turn 1, gather a cube full of water in a nearby square ... Turn 2, freeze the cube solid ... Turn 3, repeat turn 1s gathering ... Turn 4, repeat turn 2s freezing ... can only have two If you have an extra couple rounds, change the color of the ice to match the surroundings, otherwise they're going to look way out of place, ruining any planned ambushes
My ruling for holy water weapons is that it does the damage of the weapon you shape it + 2d6 raid damage , at can survive a number of hits equal to the proficiency modifier of the caster
One thing you didn’t mention is that shape water can be used to create concave or convex lenses in order to create makeshift binoculars, start a fire, or even be used (at dms discretion) or be used to give advantage on attack rolls as animating the water is at will and does not require a recast of the spell. So you can change the nature of your vision at will and see much farther or much closer.
I'd allow it as a DM if the player had enough water to work with -- maybe using spell attack bonus instead of Athletics modifier for a Shove attempt opposed by the target's Acrobatics or Athletics check. Or, even simpler, the target makes a Strength save. Mechanically, I think that's a fine power level for a cantrip -- Thorn Whip moves a target farther and deals damage, for instance.
Most potions have water in them... if you see that enemies have potions on them, simply use shape water on the potions to separate the water. It'd remix, making the potions look normal, but not properly, Spoiling their potions and possibly even making the potions do detrimental things. Niche, sure. But then, there are some really good potions you don't want enemies drinking. Even if to just stop a healing potion
I would expect most DMs to disallow this as a matter of game balance. As for the rationale, they might say you can't affect objects that are worn or carried (even if this spell doesn't have that rider, most spells do). Or there's the question of whether you could affect the water contained in a mixture like that.
@@godsamongmen8003 the fact it doesn't carry the rider when everything else does is like a signpost saying you can do it. Which is to say, the rider is conspicuous by it's absence. As a dm I like to reward creative play, but nothing is free, so I'd just attach an average arcana check to it.
I have an Water Genai Paladin that is a Privateer hunting down pirates. The DM has come to call it my boarding elevator. I have also used it to move the water away from a party member that went overboard in he bright new plate mail until I could get a line down to him (rookie players lol). We also blend it into my other spells to like I use Vine Whip which is now see weed and we reskin me grappling has holding them in the extra water I carry
OK on the ice breaking locks. Breaking with a wisdom roll of +18 with a banging sound of ~50-100 yards. On a fail you mangle the lock and you can't pick it.
Two more situational but useful uses: UMBRELLA and TELESCOPE. For the umbrella, you animate a dome overhead, and have it track you. Your speed is then limited to 5 feet / round, so it's probably better for something like a stationary market stall or duck blind or stake-out position. For the telescope, create/animate two simple shapes, lenticular, a couple of feet apart (but less than 5'). Who needs a metal tube to hold them in place? There will be a lot of trial and error, and a lot of blur and distortion without hours of practice, but eventually you can craft a fairly gigantic refractive telescope (with lots of chromatic aberration, though).
Any plans to expand this format to items? You can get all sorts of utility from items if you think creatively. From starting your campfire(or other fires) with a flaming weapon to grappling an enemy and drowing them using a decanter of endless water(one of my players actually did this).
@@graywolfdracon As long as a player isn't trying to consistently break the game with something cheesy, I run with Sanderson's 0th law -- "Always err on the side of what is awesome" :)
You can also change the opacity of water to block lines of sight on demand. Very niche as you can't move it, but for instance hiding more effectively in a cave behind a waterfall, or splashing an enemy using witch bolt, or getting some privacy in the bath house.
One thing i thought of i've never seen anyone say. You can shape ice out of water. As long as you got water, you got gear. You can make shields armour and weapons. Temporary. But useful in niche. More simple use of this niche. Making thrown weapons for your melee fighters. One time use is no problem at all here.
8:51 what if i creat the water in a freezing settings like Icewind Dale Adventure? Creating a block of water and then it would freeze instantly by the cold temperature.
Part 1: See comments for additional parts. Well, I'll consider this... I have a bit of a rules lawyer friend, so we've discussed this sort of stuff. For these, I'm going to follow this video's implied 'water bending' effect of the cantrip. It can move 5ft per 6 seconds, even leaving the ground. And can retain that mass of water if keep casting every turn. So, very slow water bending. This is because, it only works if the DM allows it. Example: My DM has ruled that 'change the flow' just means change the direction it is running for those 6 seconds. - So, it can be used as a very slow motor for a small boat on a calm lake. Or used as a support in a river, by having a 5ft cube run against the flow. - If used to move the water upward (off the ground), it will act like a fountain and be spilling to the sides once above the 5ft effect area. - Can be used to move water onto the bank (beach), of which it will flow wherever makes sense... likely making nearby puddles and mostly running to the side to go back into the body of water. - Shapes and animation are constrained to within a 5ft cube, but could depart the sides... losing control if it does. - Colour/opacity is constrained to a 5ft cube... so in a river, that location is coloured. Water flowing out reverts to normal, water flowing in adopts the colour. Basically, a colour filter on the location that only tints water.
Part 2 : Video: Water benders interpretation. 0:52 - Throw boiling water. Mmmm.... two issues. Probably have to prepare the boiling water in advance... as I'm not seeing an 'instant boiling water' spell. And I wouldn't call '5ft per 6 seconds' a 'throw'. Best you could do is gradually move boiling water up, and then drop it on someone if you manage to get it over their head. This use case is more something that sounds cool than it is something that is worth doing. 1:13 - Move water onto suspected traps. Nice. Weighs a lot... but, if the GM is ruling you can make the water leave the ground and retain shape by casting every turn... then the magic is probably also going to keep the weight from triggering traps. Magic levitation is magic levitation... if it is ignoring gravity to move, then gravity won't pull it down when it is on a trigger. So you would have to let the water run away for a turn, thus losing your mass of water since you target a 5ft space... and the water will be spread over at least 15ft radius. Benefit of the doubt: Maybe second casting you allow 10% (about 780lbs) to fall where you think the trap trigger is. If the DM allows you to intentionally take less than 5ft cube area, or slightly offset from the grid to only catch about 90% of the cube you had. 1:25 - Wash and Dry. I like this idea. And over 5ft creature would take 2 castings to dry... but being out of combat, that is not a big deal. Same with washing... you first need the castings to get water on them and then more to move it around for the 'wash cycle'. 1:35 - Shape/Animate 1:40 - To then freeze them Ladders, bridges, walls, makeshift (or simple) weapons, basic tools. I would argue that a club, dagger, or other basic simple weapons should be possible. Maybe if you think sharp edges would be hard to form, then just clubs, quarter staves and other bludgeoning options for simple weapons. 2:10 - Leave messages This works enough, since it lasts an hour. 2:30 - Deceptive liquids Nice. Though, you would need to prepare it in advance. But with 1 hour viability, that could work. One player starts the contest, another brings the drinks... serving their contestant the coloured water. Bonus, prestidigitation (if allowed) to fragrance each mug of water... and perhaps also to make the opponent's ale taste milder than it is. 2:48 - Look through murky water Only works if it is less than 10ft deep (or thick). Since you can only have 2 instances of 1hr effects active. Well, 10ft per party member... with 3 people casting it, you can go up to 30ft deep, which is the max range of the spell. 2:58 - Hide stuff with opacity If you plan on coming back within an hour, otherwise it the effect runs out. And don't forget you can only have 2 instances active... and it is an action to dismiss one of the two. 3:08 - Pretty ice sculptures This works, as it is two effects. Shape water and animate it to get into the desired shape and position... then second effect to freeze it. You can then dismiss the shape/animate effect since it doesn't do anything there anymore. While you could shape/animate more water... you can't freeze that one, since you have to dismiss a previous effect to cast a new one. 3:45 - Create cover Taking a turn per 5ft your water has to travel, and then another turn to freeze it. Great for preparing... terrible in combat. 3:49 - Block passages Again sounds good... but takes times to move it there and freeze it. 4:01 - Ice bridges over gaps This is reasonable for a water bender, since if you are building a bridge you have a minute or two for getting the water in place and freezing it. 4:08 - Stepping stones on water Yes. Freeze a spot, step onto it... then change flow to push that cube across the water. Only works in calm water, otherwise you drift with the flow and your cube might do some tumbling. 4:22 - Cannon balls and traps. Yup, shape the cannon ball (multiple if DM allows filling the 5ft cube) and then freeze it/them. Also, shape and freeze trap components. Do keep in mind, this is all only useful for up to an hour... and with only one caster you can only freeze one batch... because the freeze is one of your two effects. 4:32 - Break machines Yup. Add water, freeze... then it's a fight of how strong your ice is against that machine part. 4:50 - Plug sinking ship. Yup. Freeze the area around the hole. 4:56 - Ice raft... personal size. In other words... what I described for the stepping stones. 5:05 - Damage or slow a boat Oh, good use. 30ft range means this is difficult to do unless you are on board. But yeah, mini icebergs would do a little damage... more about the cost of repairs, than much effect. But, a small boat could be slowed by having the water flow against them. Possibly even stopped or changed direction if the boat isn't moving fast in the first place. 5:16 - Melt water as a signal Oh... very nice. Dismiss the freeze to signal go time. Nothing says you have to stay within range of the effect. On the other hand, it is also an automatic timer... since it will melt after 1 hour. I'll try to remember to use this with my next taking of this cantrip. 5:30 - Freeze running water at a choke point, aka: instant dam I mean... this is just blocking a passage, but in an aqueduct or other narrow water flow.
Part 3 : 5:42 - Into the 'DM discretion' stuff. Wait... what? Most of what we covered already requires some heavy DM fiat to allow it. 5:48 - Hazardous terrain This actually sounds more plausible to allow. Use shape/animate effect to empty a water skin and form a puddle... then second casting to freeze it. 5ft sheet of black ice (too clear to see it without looking for it). 6:11 - Ice spikes trap Again, fairly reasonable. Pour water into the area, shape it into spikes... then freeze. Again, you are just finding water or depleting your drinking supply. Otherwise, it's just some extra time crafting branches into sharp sticks (basic stuff) and putting them in. I'd probably keep it the 2d10... since they are spending the time to build it. This ain't like a normal cantrip where you can pop off this damage every turn. You get one use, maybe two if a second falls in or someone gets thrown in. 6:28 - Holy water weapon Oh... guess it depends on if ruled that holy water only has effect if it coats the target. So frozen it wouldn't coat them. There is also the possibility that it does it once only... so it has effect on first instance of damage but becomes normal water/ice after that. Still, it would be nice (and costly) to basically allow players to create a radiant weapon... with volume available, probably a dagger. Though, could coat a normal weapon. Normally the flask is single use... but spending 2 turns to convert it into a weapon, seems reasonable. 6:54 - Break locks Technically, this takes a little precision... as you need to put the water in such that when it freezes it expands to press the mechanism and break it. If you just encase the lock in water and then freeze it... it likely won't apply pressure in the way needed to break it. And frozen metal is not really that much more brittle... it has to be really frozen, which would make even regular padding (gloves, etc) not very effective against the ice it produces. The cold would also spread into surrounding area, regular freezing more water. I would say that if the medieval style key hole can't be looked through then you can put a bit of water in it and freeze it. Also, technically the lock is inside the 5ft cube that you can target... but that does make it debatable. Still, I would allow it if they specified using a small amount of water and then rolled a lockpick type check. I'd actually consider a character with control water and proficiency in thieves tools to be able to use water as their thieves tools... if the intent is to break the lock. 7:57 - Jam a lock. What? Sure, they can't put a key in to unlock it... but is the door locked already? I mean, this could come up... but at this point just make it a door stop (apply to an edge and freeze) or jam the hinge (can't rotate open if a cube of ice is preventing pivoting). If you only have a little water, douse one hinge and make a 50cm cube of water sealing the hinge. This is basically just grabbing a random plank and tacking it across the door with a couple nails... a delay, but not solid like a cross bar would be. 7:38 - Tip : Decanter of Endless Water Good tip.
Part 4 : Rules questions 8:12 - Only liquid water. All points apply to liquids, and a stretch to apply to solids. 8:32 - Not on other liquids. Technically, many liquids have water... so might be allowed some influence. Might be under the 'rule of cool' and still probably take a magic check to see if you kind of do it. I would argue tinting ale could be done, since you can colour the water content... thus applying a slight tint. Disguise that you watered down a whisky sort of thing, or make the stew for lunch look a little red so people worry it is spicy. For the stew, if they refuse... colour the water before making the stew - same result. 8:47 - Can't single turn ice block drop. Um... I'll argue that in my conclusion... 9:05 - Shape water can't push stuff. Yes and no. Yes, water moving 5ft every 6 seconds can't do anything. However... in calm water if a patch of that water is moving 5ft per 6 seconds in a direction, anything in there would be slowly pushed. It would definitely be faster to use freezing to walk across... but that allows one person to walk across, while a slow push can get a raft across. If everyone has gloves and strength, probably faster to shape ice ores and paddle. 9:23 - Shape Water ice ignores environmental conditions. What? Oh, specifically about heat. Yes... the magic maintains the ice for an hour... and after an hour, it melts instantly... period.
Part 5 : Conclusions Video Conclusion: Yes Clause : Water bender My Conclusion : It's decent. Rational : Most of the stuff given in this video is by GM fiat ruling that 'shape water is water bending'. As the rules are written, it technically isn't. The spell targets a 5ft cube... within that cube, you can: - Move or change the flow. That would mean that water that leaves the cube is no longer in the cube... and thus no longer in the effect of the magic. That moved water will flow like normal water. The water that you told to go up stream will be once again join the water trying to go down stream, thus creating a swirl in that area as the water leaving the area will be replaced by water coming in the sides of the cube. Technically, this would be more realistic to describe it as creating choppy waters for a boat... and could trap a slow moving raft or dingy at that location. This is instant, so only lasts 6 seconds. - Create shapes and animations. So you can move the water as much as you want within that targeted 5ft. If you cause it to leave the 5ft... you lose control of it and it acts like regular water. It falls and will hit the ground (much like you falling off a wall) before you can cast again. On your next turn, you can cast again to add a second cube... ah, this is how you get the water bending. So you could move up to 5ft cube 5 ft per turn... starting with the second turn of casting. - Colour or opacity. Within that targeted 5ft cube, any water present is affected. Water that leaves would revert to normal, and water that enters would adopt the colour. So you could have a bright yellow spot in a river... but you could not have a bright yellow spot flowing down river, unless you did it over multiple turns and the DM allowed animating the colour effect. DM might rule it like freezing, where the effect is instant but the colour lasts. In that case, a yellow spot in a river would instantly start flowing with the river... but also break apart as the water mixes with others. If you want to see this in action, just pour some muddy water into flowing clean water. Or pour some food-colouring dyed water into flowing water. - Freeze water. This one is special. The 5ft cube is instantly frozen... but the freeze lasts an hour. So you could freeze a cube in a flowing river... and then that cube flows down river. No new water gets frozen in that hour at that targeted 5ft cube location... and the frozen water doesn't melt due to leaving the 5ft cube of space.
If I shape the water into a large, thin triangle which lasts for 1 hour and then recast the cantrip and freeze it into ice wouldn't that serve as a make-shift hang-glider?
You indicated you wouldn't allow the spell to manipulate blood but would allow it to manipulate things that are mostly water and even indicated 51% as your criteria. Blood is made up of about 51-55% water. You don't have to bust a lock to open a door/container with shape water. You just need to fill the seams of the door/container with water then freeze it. You should be able to see the crack between the door and the door frame and fill it with water and be on freeze it, this would basically pry the door open similar to using a crowbar. Then simply pull/push the door while unfreezing and it should pop right open. One of the easiest ways to pop a door open is with a crowbar in this fashion. Another use is to keep provisions or other things cool. Fire example aimply freeze that unused meat in a layer of water and repeat every hour. You have a portable freezer letting your food fresh. You can also use it to keep cool while traveling in a hot environment. Partial filled water skin that's frozen is like walking around with ice packs. Just hold them against your core/neck and you shouldn't have to make any really endurance checks or at least get advantage on the ones you do make. I would argue that dropping an ice block is done in 2 rounds. Once you freeze water you should no longer be able to animate it so it should instantly fall. Requiring a 3rd round to dismiss the animation effect implies that you can animate ice which the spell cannot do. Fyi fire magic would probably not melt water the way people think. Look up the Leidenfrost effect. Or look up the video of a flamethrower being used to melt a block of ice in a game of thrones promo video. It took over an hour to melt that block of ice with a constant flame against it. That's because of the Leidenfrost effect. That's basically why Iceman would always win in a fight with a flame foe like Pyro. Lol I would argue that moving water against a row boat would move the boat and you could also use the moving water to do things like clean a floor by sweeping all the dirt and dust away. Basically if you can move nearly 4 tons of water it should move relatively light objects with it. FYI moving 30 feet per round is a whopping 3.4mph so you're not breaking any speed records. That's walking speed. The movement speeds in this game are ridiculously slow. To achieve Olympic sprinter speeds you basically have to have haste and longstrider and mobility feat and dash. That's just to get in the low 20's mph Lol.
Much like Kitara's reuse of her bending water (canonical, Sokka complains when he has to drink it), isn't this a great way to have holy water always on hand? For instance, you could freeze it into a spear and pass it to the paladin to use in battle against fiends and undead. At the end of the fight you simply melt it back into a container
Its hard to say what counts as a simple shape. But I suppose you could get yourself thrown in jail with nothing, then the next time you have to pee there's your lockpick. Shape water could also help with swimming in a strong current. Cast it over and over again, always changing the direction of the current in your own cube so that the water pushes you in the direction you wanted to go anyway. The spell allows up to 2 non-instantaneous effects, like freezing. Two blocks of ice, put together, could make a battering ram big enough for the whole party to pick up and use against a large door. Again, this might be pushing the limits of what counts as a simple shape. Suppose someone else is using a decanter of endless water to shoot a geyser at someone. You could freeze bits of the water, so the high-pressure stream also includes chunks of ice. The holy water idea in the video might work, but remember that just a vial is created with 25 gold of silver dust. Even a dagger would take at least a few vials, so maybe an arrowhead would be better. If you hit target, the arrowhead can melt inside the wound.
Wait, so a Sorcerer fighter multiclass could crush someone with ice? Quicken spell to cast Shape Water Twice, then action surge to end the first effect and have it drop! 1 Sorcery point and your 1/rest use of action surge to deal probably a 1st or 2nd level spell worth of damage (probably? How much damage would 5f square of ice so?) Worth it? Absolutely!
shape water doesn't ignore gravity. If you move the water on the first use, then action surge, and feeze the water, gravity makes it drop you don't need to drop the first effect. so given the wording is a 5 foot cube of water and not 5 cubic feet. that means you're moving 5x5x5 or 125 cubic feet of water when you freeze that it becomes a 7800 lb block of ice that just falls. crushing anything underneath it as part of the games natural law of physics. That's not the spell doing damage. That's natural law affecting the block of ice. 7800 lb dropped on something even 5ft above them would kill them.
Common sense would say that if you tried to use it for anything powerful enough to require a higher level spell, then it. Would. Fail. Also, boiling water is FAR cooler than hot coals - 212F compared to over 800f. Boiling water splashing would do 1d6, tops. Admittedly many of these uses are perfectly valid, but moving water then freezing it is literally useless - Move water is instantaneous, meaning it has already splashed back to the floor before you can freeze it on the following round.
Shape water is the reason why I took the druidic warrior fighting style for ranger. Also I think shape water should be able to move stuff. Mage hand can't do damage but it can still exert ten pounds of force. So I think it should allow you to clumsily push something no heavier than ten pounds.
@@nathanpetrich7309 I never said that. I literally said clumsily push something. Mage hand can finely control stuff to move it in any direction. You could use it to pick up a rope with a slipknot in it so that you can place it around an object heavier than ten pounds and then you can pull it yourself with your own strength. My suggestion was being able to push something no heavier than ten pounds (maybe five pounds would be fairer?), in a similar way as a forceful current of water could. Not carry it on the surface of a body of water you're controlling through the air. Because then we have to think about buoyancy and other complicated physics stuff like that.
I thought this cantrip would be good, but some interpretations of it could make it kind of these useless. Because the movement of water is an instantaneous effect, and you can only do one of its effects at a time.. if you require water to move, any water you move falls to the ground at the end of your action. You could then animate it on your next turn, and then freeze it. It's super lame, and kinda ruins the water-bender fantasy, but RAW you kinda just slosh water around until it's on the ground where you need it. Then you can try and do stuff with it
Once made a commando rogue(AT) who would not shut up about "being trained by Kowalski" Had one magic item: Decanter of Endless Water. Entered Kobold cave, trapped up the wazoo, practically Tucker's Kobolds. No way to walk in without having to check for traps on every square. Kowalski's training kicking in, poured some water on the entrance floor, freezing it to make it slippery, then made a perfectly round boulder out of ice, pushing it into the cave. Giant marble picks up momentum, rolling forward like an Indiana Jones death trap. Sphere is a solid 1700 kilograms, making Crepes out of the first couple of Kobolds patrolling the tunnels as they run them over. Poor bastards don't even have time to scream. Ice Boulders continue rolling in as I dismiss the ones lodged in too deep, destroying every carefully laid trap as they go, slamming into walls like wrecking balls and blowing dwellings open or completely demolishing barricades. I should have put on Fortunate Son as I did it. I really should have.
Using the higher their control water I tried to make a trench in the water to make an abolith fall but the dm said he would move with the water. So I said instead I want the option to make the water shoot off in a stream headed up.and that the abolith would by his own logic go with the water. Up. Into the air. Out of the cave. Into a river. I failed to get my fall damage lol.
i feel like getting hit by almost 150l of water should do more than a mere 1d10 damage, but then again, physics ain't exactly real in DnD for balance's sake. Because I'd rather get pelted with burning coals, small area that falls away, then getting doused in boiling water! And yay for all the waterbender references!
Could you manipulate water inside someone's body since you know, living things are mostly water. Like fill someone's lungs with water or take all the water out of someone's body
MAKING ICE LENSES TO CREATE A TELESCOPE! YEEHAAA! AND i CAN BEND IT IN Z SHAPE.... I put black water around the opponent's head. No vision, no breathing DM test needed I used water block with murder hole to shoot enemy safely with at least 3/4 cover or more. Mermen scenario had me steam my food with it bc DM let me boil that water (created Minecraft steam block effect!) I created cheap decorations onto my seaelf's clothing that also looked neat My seaelf was not allowed to have "air bubble" or air "berathing" spell so how about I walk inside a moving block of water on land? A block of water rizen above sea, another to have a "tower" and few more to scout the ships to pirate. Just have to swim up. If ladder is not enough I can freez parts of water onto surfaces to hold ropes. Then climb up, use second one to fix rope another few feet above... You can't aim while running... can you aim while sliding? Have ice-made ice skate shoes! DM test needed You can totally make spikes and attach that to the ceiling. Just undo the fixing and it falls. If the DM did not allow it to exist in mid air... maybe this will help
Shaping water into a specific form and then freezing, or moving it above the enemy's head and then freezing it, is not as simple as you described it The moving effect is instantaneous, thus yes, you can move the water into a specific shape or above someone's head but it will immediately flow away before you could freeze it, at least this is my interpretation of the rules. You can move water from a container to another, make moulds in the ground to freeze the water into the shape, but the 1 hour duration does not extend to you making levitating bodies of water. As a DM tho I would not mind allowing a player to concentrate keeping the water in the specified shape.
With bullet 2, you shape the water into a thing for 1 hour. With bullet 4, you then freeze that shaped water for 1 hour. No concentration required for either of these things -- they just stay that way for 1 hour, until you cause a 3rd non-instantaneous Shape Water effect, or use an action to dismiss it. Bullet 1 is used to move the water into a space for shaping/freezing, and you're right that this water falls onto the ground after you've moved it...until you use bullet 2 to shape it. This process takes 2+ turns, so I agree that it's not "simple" or viable in combat, but it's definitely something you can do rules as written. As to to "make an ice block over enemy head" thing, I totally agree -- apologies if that section wasn't clear, but I definitely don't think this is something players can do with Shape Water, even with a very generous reading of the rules.
I'd let an ice weapon do normal weapon damage but automatically breaks first use. Not super powerful, but for an arcane trickster who has to assassinate the noble but couldn't get any weapons into the party, it could be useful.
compression You can't do compression with shape water. So you can't do a deep sea crush to a person with it. I wonder if you could use shape water as a disguise or aid in making one. A wig does not come off as ease and body shaping . The more you a think about it the more inane this gets. 3 people with shape water in a group would wreck the game. They could make simple machines like a Trebuchet ,a wage or a small sail boat
Can't freeze creatures. Says nothing about freezing everything but a bubble around them... I have used the opacity thing to make censer bars around people, create a floating black bubble to clean myself while still keeping my modesty. Also have a water genasi who uses shape water to make improvised weapons and tools out of ice.
Heyhey, I also got that answer the first time, but a 5-foot cube is actually 125 cubic feet. Sage Advice confirmation: www.sageadvice.eu/can-i-cast-wall-of-water-spell-and-deal-a-bunch-of-damage-to-fire-elementals-using-the-volume-of-water-against-them/
@DnD Lounge Oh yeah I guess it does say 5' cube not 5ft^3... yikes that seems like a lot of water to move with one cantrip. Thanks for the clarification!
No worries! I used 37 gallons in game and in my script originally, just figured it out myself as I was researching. And for sure, it’s literally tons of water lol
Excellent video! I never really thought about what I could do with Shape Water before, and now it`s been added to my list. Keep up the good work! You know, you might want to do a video on the Magic Mouth spell. My Artificer uses it to basically replace modern electronics in all his Magitech devices, up to and including small computers. It`s best used for small portable or handheld devices. As for specific examples, just think how modern electronics would impact a medieval world... Portable alarm systems that could be set up by anyone even if they don't have magic, can detect invisible creatures as long as they don't take the hide action, tell the difference between your party members, an orc, an undead, a flying creature, and just some random passer by and react accordingly. Anti theft alarms on all your party`s gear. Sensors that can detect if one of your party members was replaced with an imposter. Fingerprint scanners, can be the trigger for the Arcane Lock spell. Devices that let you lie under a Zone of Truth spell. ( I got this one from Table Top Builds!) And the list just keeps going on, and on... If you're creative, you can use it for an awful lot of things...
Sounds like a bad ruling to me. The spell gives the ability to change waters opacity. If water itself can’t be opaque then the spell effect only has one use, making water opaque.
Dense enough water can become murky due to the water scattering light. Like applying a censored filter to water. Which is otherwise clear. I think you could use this to shift the water in such a way that it didn't scatter light. Allowing light to bounce through it unimpeded. The obvious use here is when looking for sunken treasure. You can see through the water as if it were transparent. Just sail around in the crows nest looking at patches to see if you spot what would otherwise be obscured ship wrecks. You could find them very fast with this spell.
@@binolombardi 100% agree. The RAI is very obvious, here. The "murk" is very definitely part of the water-if my DM argued otherwise, I would ask to immediately swap out Shape Water under the argument that microbes live in all bodies of water, which therefore can't be moved because the 5ft cube can't contain creatures. *big eye roll* Or idk, just move the pure water upwards. If the spell only moves water, it should leave the "murk" behind.
Heh yea, it's even heavier than that at 125 cubic feet. I've also seen the "935 cold damage to fire elementals" thread, which may actually be doable depending on which dev you like better: www.sageadvice.eu/can-i-cast-wall-of-water-spell-and-deal-a-bunch-of-damage-to-fire-elementals-using-the-volume-of-water-against-them/
I would strongly discourage DMs from using the 1d10 damage from boiling water suggested here. Never in my almost 40 years of DMing have I seen players accepting a "one off" occurrence as a one-off occurrence. If they even once get Eldritch Blast level damage from a utility centripetal, they will move heaven and earth to make sure that they always do.
Advice not criticism. There is a lot of mouth saliva smacking sounds in the audio. Changing the mic angle to your mouth may help avoid those unwanted ASMRs
One thing that we like to do is called budget lock. We shape water around the frame of a door, and then freeze it. Essentially locking it.
that might not be as effective as oyu think. I live in NOrth Dakota, where your car door freezing shut is a common occurrence in the wintertime. it _usually_ only takes moderate effort to muscle it open.
Once, my Storm Sorcerer used the water from a town's well in tandem with our party's Bard as he told the tales of our group's adventures and victories. He shaped the water to match the creatures and places in the story as it was told, and we froze it at the end in the shape of our group's namesake bird.
I’ve done this with my water Genasi bard many times lol. Our rogue helped last time I performed as he multiclassed wizard recently so there were two waters going. It was epic
Rule of thumb that I use as a DM:
- If a cantrip seems to to what higher level spells or class features and similar are doing, you are probably overestimating how the cantrip works.
- If the cantrip is somehow, and seemingly consistently, dealing a lot more damage than other cantrips are, chances are that you are using it in ways not intended. While I reward clever use, I dont let cantrips replace 2nd level spells like knock nor for minor illusions to be nearly as good as still image and higher level illusions.
For sure, it can be a fine line between not making a player feel like their choice of cantrip was a total waste and rewarding them with too much consistent power. I think the "clever use" point is important -- as long as a player understands that it's a one-off reward for a cool idea and don't try to abuse it as a 100% replicable trick, these cantrips can stay cool without getting silly power levels.
I'm with u for like 80%
Especially for the damage stuff.
But if someone finds a realistic way to unlock a door and there isn't a reason that's not meta (like balance etc) then why shouldn't they be rewarded for being creative.
Shape water can also be useful for characters that are aquatic, letting them have a magical reverse diving helm.
another great vid from a criminally underrated creator. Each one of your videos on spells is insightful and has original ideas for mechanical/role play purposes. Also, a very pleasant voice :)
Thank you, that really means a lot to me :)
My favorite use of Shape Water is making ice cream. Make ice cubes and put them in a bucket. Then add some salt to it with a metal bowl and you've got an old timey ice cream maker. Then get someone strong to stir the milk (Or possibly cream) with some honey and berries for a few hours. Just keep refreezing your ice cubes to maintain the temperature.
Love this
With Prestidignation you can even give it any flavor you want!
This is why I like to have the prestidigitation/mold earth/shape water combo whenever I can. Between these three cantrips, you can do some crazy creative things.
Hell, the drinking contest example can be made better by combining the smell and taste from prestidigitation with the color/opacity from shape water.
You are a Sorcerer with Metamagic Subtle Spell, right ? Otherwise you have the worst DM i have ever heard off and for that, im sorry :(
Since Prestidigitation has both Verbal and Somatic and Shape Water has Somatic, both take 1 action to cast.. So in a world of magic, you start chanting arcane words and waving your hands around like a Naruto wannabe.. and not expect EVERYONE know that you are casting magic & trying to cheat in the competition ?
Even a half decent DM would not allow that to go unnoticed.
@@_Lunaria Somatic components RAW only need one hand free and doesn't require any given spell to have large, articulate, or obvious gestures. I think a good DM, in a drinking contest would probably just have anyone with magical knowledge do an arcana check. And verbal components in this specific instance could be argued by the character to just be a toast like "cheers", "salud" or "prost". As with somatic components it could trigger an insight, knowledge, or arcana check. And if you're in a place without any spellcasters or people familiar with spellcasters then maybe you don't make them roll anything at all.
In any case, my point is that there are a lot more fun options to handle this than just disallowing a player from trying something inventive, especially in a situation where they're casting cantrips and the stakes are as low as a drinking contest.
Side note: I'd personally say it should be way more obvious, even to a layman, that they're casting a spell if it's like...fireball. You obviously don't want players abusing that, and it makes sense that verbal and somatic components would get more and more intricate as spells get higher in level. (but even then RAW it's not required). In any case, I certainly believe a decent DM can allow it. We're here to have fun together, and even if you wanna stick with RAW you can still encourage fun inventive play in this case.
@@investigativebatman That is actually really good point, something what im definitely gona borrow into my game :D That Somatic components get more complex the higher level spell you are trying to cast.
And as such, you could maybe try to hide the specific finger symbol with a fake sneeze or some other hand waving thing and rolling a slight of hand check.
But what i cannot accept, is that you can mask Verbal Components, not when in the DMG it very clearly says " "Verbal (V) Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The words themselves aren't the source of the spell's power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. "
So there is NO way that you can cast a spell and yell " Cheers ! " as its magical word.
Nor can you whisper the word in an attempt to "stealth cast" the spell, as it says " Pitch and Resonance "
And just like you said, even a layman would know when someone is chanting / casting a spell, so if the spell has Verbal component, EVERYONE around you would know that a spell is being cast.
Just like if you rip a fart in an elevator, people dont go "huh, i wonder if that was the stairs making weird noises" No, they will look at you with disgust. Cause its obvious what that sound is. Right ?
These effects are not instant, they last an hour. Why not just prepare the cheat in advance instead of trying to cheat on the go? It's a drinking contest, it's not funny if it's not fast
@@_Lunaria lol WTF? are you seriously implying that a DM that doesn't punish spellcasters for casting in public is the "worst DM you have ever heard of?" get off the internet you weird rule lawyer. D&D is a storytelling game, and if the DM judges that not letting the player cast spells in public, especially harmless ones, without attracting too much attention wont negatively affect the story, thats their prerogative. If anything, a DM that doesn't overvalue the rules at the expense of the quality of fun the players are having is one of the best possible DMs you could have. This is what happens when you stay on the internet too long and let it rot your brain. please go outside or talk to real humans, or touch grass or something.
Once while playing a Kobold (small) wizard, I used a combo of "shape water + earth mold", alternating them to climb up a waterfall to leave a cave system we were trapped in.. while the most apt athlete of the group got there first, my method required no rolls and I also had another kobold tagging along (we found him down there, weak and wounded and, of course, saved the poor guy)...
Bringing the rest of the group was quick as one of them had that magic rope item and I quickly shaped the rock for it to hook itself at, while the "athlete" pulled them up one at a time...
That's great, and that Kobold's halfway to being the next Avatar :D
Mold Earth specifically says it only moves loose dirt, sand, mud, etc. It is not Stone Shape, which is a 4th level spell. You can change the surface of stone with Mold Earth, but only superficially. I would rule it can't make a hook for a rope.
Pretty sure climbing pitons only cost 5cp and they come bundled with some of the starter packs. They can be used to jam doors, as well. Since it's more or less presumed that securing a rope is something PCs can do at any level, I might allow it once anyway and just speak privately with the player so they understand the limits of Mold Earth. In my opinion, it is easily one of the strongest cantrips in the game. Stone Shape is 4th level almost entirely because dungeons are typically made of stone, making Mold Earth much less useful indoors, but if you are outdoors it's like being able to cast Stone Shape at-will.
If you create an ice prism, you could use that to shine light around corners. You could also possibly create a mirror, a scope, or a looking glass if you have the right tool proficiency (Tinker's Tools?)
One use I love but have never used is Armor floatation. A few years ago I did the math & in a 5x5 square there is over tenfold more water than the weight of full plate, meaning you can freeze water around your armor making it float or just be effectively weightless in water. Thus, with this spell you can swim in full plate
To add some flair, I like the idea of freezing the ice in such a shape that it adds fins & streamlines your armor.
For years I’ve liked the idea of paying a water genasi Paladin in a sea based campaign & having this trick up my sleeve
Played as a wizard artificer multiclass once, who used mold earth to access groundwater and combined it with shape water to effectively summon a reasonable amount of potable water depending on the location.
As a DM, this spell is a great example of exploring the overall effectiveness of a cantrip; and in particular, tying it loosely to an Arcana check. There are a lot of things this spell can do that will "Work" or "not work" without ever needing to roll for it; but the real creative and experimental effects should definitely call for a roll to see how well something works they way they want it to. My party's sorcerer just picked up Shape Water when he multiclassed into a wizard (it was plot relevant and I helped reduce the limitations this introduced, don't ask, also it's working great). He wanted to use Shape Water to explore a mysterious chamber filled with water in a maze he found himself in. His plan was to use the water to form a bubble of air around his head, and then go diving. The basic principle: to breath underwater. This was definitely going to work, no need for a roll. But hey, give me an Arcana check.
I immediately started thinking of the varying degrees of success this plan could achieve. On a higher DC, he forms a perfect sphere of water around his head and freezes it solid. A moderate DC, he forms the sphere out of just water, which carries the air just fine, but may get interrupted or misshapen especially as the water pressure increases, making the dive more dangerous. On a lower DC, he can breath OK but struggles to keep his head entirely in the sphere, and although he gets where he need to go, his character is coughing up water and gasping by the end of it. All of these options let him explore the water-filled chamber, but the variability means he's able to feel more emotion behind the action. "I better be careful and not dive too deep at first" even though I'm definitely not going to kill off his character for not rolling a 20 on cantrip flavor.
A great side-effect is that players who are newer get to hear a variety of options they can specifically callout for future cantrip casting. Maybe this time he just said "I form a bubble of air" but he rolled really well. Now next time he calls it out and says "I make a bubble of air and freeze it solid", and now that extra effectiveness isn't locked behind a good roll, and we get to explore other varieties of success.
Great spell, really fun for everyone involved.
Should still be very little breathable air within the sphere
@@Twistter1310 oh yes. Cantrip level amount of air. Lol. Very short exploration
Use shape water to copy a key or other object, such as a simple tool. You could send in your familiar to clandestinely get a look at a key on a guard. Then use shape water to replicate the key. You could use it like minor illusion to create a 3d map or a bust of someone you're looking for. Since you can change the color of the water, you could even color the water to look like the person in question before you freeze it. You could use shape water as a dead-man switch. Put some frozen water in the trigger of a trap. When you dismiss the spell, it stops holding back the trigger to set it off remotely. Fill a doorway with a frozen wall of ice or brace a stone door that is closing. Dismiss the spell once your allies get through so any pursuers can't follow.
My genasi swashbuckler carried a waterskin around filled with what she called "Death screams". When she needed to intimidate or torture people she would use their mouth and throat as the container and drown them before putting it back in the water skin.
"You will tell me what I want to know or you will choke on your companions' final breaths." Becomes extra intimidating. To be most effective you have your big friend grapple your target, but even without it can still give your character a terrifying reputation.
Very fun character lol, and not even the weirdest of the crew. I would definitely bring her back.
We used shape water to make igloos for a winter campaign. We also ( with DM permission) set a road trap. We did this by finding a low place in the road and covered it with a thick shell of ice that thinned by the middle. Making it look like it was fairly flat terrain. This was of course all done during winter so the ice stayed even after the time limit. We covered it with small rocks , under brush, and snow. To hopefully not spook horses walking on it. With some good survival rolls we succeeded in making the trap. It inevitably caught the first 3 horses and riders. One took a 10’ fall ( 1d6 + prone). Another was 5’ deep in ice and snow ( horse was grappled DC 10 with rider surrounded by rough terrain. While the last in the trap had the rider make a animal handlings check ( DC 12 ) or be thrown and prone ( he failed).
Very cool, environmental traps are fun! I love when my players use terrain to their advantage...and doing the same to them :)
9:05 (thought) could use shape water then freeze to move stuff, since water expands, assuming it had something to brace against. Might make a good way to pry something away from a wall
Good point...I love when physics and magic work together :)
@@dndlounge Even if you can't break locks with it, you could definitely weaken a wooden door by soaking it and then flash freezing. Assuming the door is made out of planks of wood and not a solid piece then the expansion could potentially break the door entirely.
Once, my dm had this horror themed encounter planned where the entire party had to sneak around this sleepwalking monster while looking for clues to get out of the zone. It had a bunch of mini encounters, traps, hiding places, etc. All of that was immediately thwarted when I (The Wizard) surrounded the main boss in a ring of water that our bard proceeded to freeze into a baby-gate, the real kicker to this being that the monster never woke up and noticed the gate as my dm failed every roll while the rest of us looked for clues
I once played a Mortal Kombat themed character that had shape water, and I asked the DM if I could attack an enemy with shape water. I explained to the DM that shape water specifically says "you can't freeze water with a creature in it, but can I freeze the water inside a creature?" He allowed it as long as I made the attack roll, and since the enemy was low level, it didn't take much to kill them. It was a pretty cool moment to bring Mortal Kombat fatalities to our D&D games.
While this is not using shaped water, for similar utility I was using mold earth. But the use worked like this, using warcaster I can cast a spell as part of an attack of opportunity but can only target one creature. If DM allows, or use a readied action, I would use mold earth to dig a 5 foot hole out from under a charging or retreating opponent and make a 5 foot pile of earth to either use as a barricade or cover. As moving the five foot block of earth is part of the same action. If the DM allows interesting usage of warcaster, this allows attack of opportunities to have interesting effects such as tripping, blocking, slipping, or other uses from such versatile cantrips.
Love these cantrip videos, keep them coming please 🙂
Thank you, and will do! :D
I'm currently playing a water genasi character in a campaign set in a northern/frozen continent. My DM has allowed me to use shape water on snow, making it much more versatile and more useful for utility, and in my opinion, it fits a lot better as the hallmark ability of a water genasi. Though this has mostly been used in RP scenarios (shape water snow out of the way when trekking through frozen wasteland, making small igloos or perimeter walls when camping, etc.) and hasn't had much of an affect on combat itself.
Basically, for something like shape water: rule of cool should always apply, granted it isn't too op
I once made an Spike Ice cage around a basilisk with this.
It did 1d4 damage to break free but it gave the team the time needed to deal with the other foes on the dock before facing the basilisk on the boat.
An interesting spell to note is the tidal wave spell which can cover a 90x70ft area with water. Other spells to look out for are watery sphere at 4th level, and wall of water.
Tidal wave water vanishes instantly after the spell ends though so I don't think you can do anything with it.
I love this series! (Especially cuz I love playing spellcasters hehe.)
Will there be more videos about cantrips (like Control Flames, Light, Mage Hand etc) some time in the future? Cuz I'd love to see those :D
Don't wanna stress you tho, just wanna give ideas ^^
Much appreciated, I'll keep 'em coming :) Those cantrips are all in the cards for sure, and no stress, I love the ideas!
@@dndlounge Thanks! :D
I love your work tbh cuz I'm not that good at thinking outside the box when it comes to spells haha
Had our water genasi freeze our party’s pee into lockpicks. My rogue then failed the first check, then got a 19 and a 20 to free us from a prison cell.
the thumbnail on this video is very well designed and definitely your best one yet. 👍
Thank you :)
Fun fact water expands when it freezes this means ice is less dense than water allowing it to float, but this can also be used to do stuff like explode a jug of water or something of that nature.
My favorite application of Shape Water is to replicate freeze thaw cycles in mere minutes; make a crack, freeze water in it, unfreeze, freeze again. Water expands when frozen and this phenomenon is so fucking strong that it'll break apart whatever it's in, allowing you to just tear apart raw stone in minutes. You can tunnel very fast this way, whereas it would take a team to pick through the stone
Shape water ice gauntlets on a monk seem like a fun idea
Would this give the monk cold damage equal to his punch?
one of the best uses of Shape Water that I've found is completely DM dependent but I had so much fun doing it when my DM allowed it: I can't exactly remember what I did but let's just say that holy water is in the end water.
I definitely see potential for shape water to be used to bind a person momentarily. If you animate a thick ring around a person, or around their wrists, and freeze it, you can keep them under control for the duration, at the condition they might be able to escape with a strength check for breaking the ice. In this way, you can also blind a person by making the ice muddy for a pair of glasses or a circlet covering the eyes, or similarly gag them for a short moment until the ice is melted by their breath. All of these, however, require you to already have control over the person at hand though.
I’ve always wanted to play a fighter/spellcaster multiclass who can surround an enemy in water with Shape Water, then use their action surge to cast Ice Spike, guaranteeing a frozen enemy
this should be in the manual. good job man. just discovered the channel
Much appreciated, hope ya like the other guides too :)
Very well put together, thank you!
The combination with a decanter of endless water is insane.
The way we ruled unlocking a door with shape water is you still need the skill roll to use it. So it can give advantage to a slight of hand roll just like theifs tools but always remember you do not play alone done be a seen stealer
My favorite use of this cantrip is probably the simplest: setting up the field a minute before a combat, creating chest high walls ... and yes, with a Decanter of Endless Water
Turn 1, gather a cube full of water in a nearby square ... Turn 2, freeze the cube solid ... Turn 3, repeat turn 1s gathering ... Turn 4, repeat turn 2s freezing ... can only have two
If you have an extra couple rounds, change the color of the ice to match the surroundings, otherwise they're going to look way out of place, ruining any planned ambushes
My ruling for holy water weapons is that it does the damage of the weapon you shape it + 2d6 raid damage , at can survive a number of hits equal to the proficiency modifier of the caster
I would say it breaks on a critical hit.
One thing you didn’t mention is that shape water can be used to create concave or convex lenses in order to create makeshift binoculars, start a fire, or even be used (at dms discretion) or be used to give advantage on attack rolls as animating the water is at will and does not require a recast of the spell. So you can change the nature of your vision at will and see much farther or much closer.
I feel you should get some kind of opposed check to move water that does have creatures in it.
I'd allow it as a DM if the player had enough water to work with -- maybe using spell attack bonus instead of Athletics modifier for a Shove attempt opposed by the target's Acrobatics or Athletics check. Or, even simpler, the target makes a Strength save.
Mechanically, I think that's a fine power level for a cantrip -- Thorn Whip moves a target farther and deals damage, for instance.
Bartender makes Ice glasses. Keeps the drinks cold and doesn't need to purchase actual glassware
Most potions have water in them... if you see that enemies have potions on them, simply use shape water on the potions to separate the water. It'd remix, making the potions look normal, but not properly, Spoiling their potions and possibly even making the potions do detrimental things. Niche, sure. But then, there are some really good potions you don't want enemies drinking. Even if to just stop a healing potion
I would expect most DMs to disallow this as a matter of game balance. As for the rationale, they might say you can't affect objects that are worn or carried (even if this spell doesn't have that rider, most spells do). Or there's the question of whether you could affect the water contained in a mixture like that.
@@godsamongmen8003 the fact it doesn't carry the rider when everything else does is like a signpost saying you can do it. Which is to say, the rider is conspicuous by it's absence.
As a dm I like to reward creative play, but nothing is free, so I'd just attach an average arcana check to it.
I love the 5ft block of ice formed on a ledge or an incline. As it melts, gravity takes over and wham. Does not work on fireusers.
I have an Water Genai Paladin that is a Privateer hunting down pirates. The DM has come to call it my boarding elevator. I have also used it to move the water away from a party member that went overboard in he bright new plate mail until I could get a line down to him (rookie players lol). We also blend it into my other spells to like I use Vine Whip which is now see weed and we reskin me grappling has holding them in the extra water I carry
8:40 blood is 92% water!
OK on the ice breaking locks. Breaking with a wisdom roll of +18 with a banging sound of ~50-100 yards.
On a fail you mangle the lock and you can't pick it.
Two more situational but useful uses: UMBRELLA and TELESCOPE. For the umbrella, you animate a dome overhead, and have it track you. Your speed is then limited to 5 feet / round, so it's probably better for something like a stationary market stall or duck blind or stake-out position. For the telescope, create/animate two simple shapes, lenticular, a couple of feet apart (but less than 5'). Who needs a metal tube to hold them in place? There will be a lot of trial and error, and a lot of blur and distortion without hours of practice, but eventually you can craft a fairly gigantic refractive telescope (with lots of chromatic aberration, though).
Any plans to expand this format to items? You can get all sorts of utility from items if you think creatively. From starting your campfire(or other fires) with a flaming weapon to grappling an enemy and drowing them using a decanter of endless water(one of my players actually did this).
I hadn't thought to, but that's a good idea!
@@dndlounge almost all of these sorts of secondary uses are up to the DM to approve but most DMs reward creative thinking as long as it makes sense.
@@graywolfdracon As long as a player isn't trying to consistently break the game with something cheesy, I run with Sanderson's 0th law -- "Always err on the side of what is awesome" :)
You can also change the opacity of water to block lines of sight on demand. Very niche as you can't move it, but for instance hiding more effectively in a cave behind a waterfall, or splashing an enemy using witch bolt, or getting some privacy in the bath house.
One thing i thought of i've never seen anyone say.
You can shape ice out of water.
As long as you got water, you got gear. You can make shields armour and weapons. Temporary. But useful in niche.
More simple use of this niche. Making thrown weapons for your melee fighters.
One time use is no problem at all here.
I'd say that shaped water could knock over very light objects, kinda like how beach tides can knock over/take certain objects
8:51 what if i creat the water in a freezing settings like Icewind Dale Adventure? Creating a block of water and then it would freeze instantly by the cold temperature.
Excellent content!
Much appreciated! :)
Part 1: See comments for additional parts.
Well, I'll consider this...
I have a bit of a rules lawyer friend, so we've discussed this sort of stuff.
For these, I'm going to follow this video's implied 'water bending' effect of the cantrip. It can move 5ft per 6 seconds, even leaving the ground. And can retain that mass of water if keep casting every turn. So, very slow water bending.
This is because, it only works if the DM allows it.
Example: My DM has ruled that 'change the flow' just means change the direction it is running for those 6 seconds.
- So, it can be used as a very slow motor for a small boat on a calm lake. Or used as a support in a river, by having a 5ft cube run against the flow.
- If used to move the water upward (off the ground), it will act like a fountain and be spilling to the sides once above the 5ft effect area.
- Can be used to move water onto the bank (beach), of which it will flow wherever makes sense... likely making nearby puddles and mostly running to the side to go back into the body of water.
- Shapes and animation are constrained to within a 5ft cube, but could depart the sides... losing control if it does.
- Colour/opacity is constrained to a 5ft cube... so in a river, that location is coloured. Water flowing out reverts to normal, water flowing in adopts the colour. Basically, a colour filter on the location that only tints water.
Part 2 : Video: Water benders interpretation.
0:52 - Throw boiling water.
Mmmm.... two issues. Probably have to prepare the boiling water in advance... as I'm not seeing an 'instant boiling water' spell. And I wouldn't call '5ft per 6 seconds' a 'throw'. Best you could do is gradually move boiling water up, and then drop it on someone if you manage to get it over their head.
This use case is more something that sounds cool than it is something that is worth doing.
1:13 - Move water onto suspected traps.
Nice. Weighs a lot... but, if the GM is ruling you can make the water leave the ground and retain shape by casting every turn... then the magic is probably also going to keep the weight from triggering traps. Magic levitation is magic levitation... if it is ignoring gravity to move, then gravity won't pull it down when it is on a trigger. So you would have to let the water run away for a turn, thus losing your mass of water since you target a 5ft space... and the water will be spread over at least 15ft radius.
Benefit of the doubt: Maybe second casting you allow 10% (about 780lbs) to fall where you think the trap trigger is. If the DM allows you to intentionally take less than 5ft cube area, or slightly offset from the grid to only catch about 90% of the cube you had.
1:25 - Wash and Dry.
I like this idea. And over 5ft creature would take 2 castings to dry... but being out of combat, that is not a big deal.
Same with washing... you first need the castings to get water on them and then more to move it around for the 'wash cycle'.
1:35 - Shape/Animate
1:40 - To then freeze them
Ladders, bridges, walls, makeshift (or simple) weapons, basic tools.
I would argue that a club, dagger, or other basic simple weapons should be possible. Maybe if you think sharp edges would be hard to form, then just clubs, quarter staves and other bludgeoning options for simple weapons.
2:10 - Leave messages
This works enough, since it lasts an hour.
2:30 - Deceptive liquids
Nice. Though, you would need to prepare it in advance. But with 1 hour viability, that could work. One player starts the contest, another brings the drinks... serving their contestant the coloured water. Bonus, prestidigitation (if allowed) to fragrance each mug of water... and perhaps also to make the opponent's ale taste milder than it is.
2:48 - Look through murky water
Only works if it is less than 10ft deep (or thick). Since you can only have 2 instances of 1hr effects active. Well, 10ft per party member... with 3 people casting it, you can go up to 30ft deep, which is the max range of the spell.
2:58 - Hide stuff with opacity
If you plan on coming back within an hour, otherwise it the effect runs out. And don't forget you can only have 2 instances active... and it is an action to dismiss one of the two.
3:08 - Pretty ice sculptures
This works, as it is two effects.
Shape water and animate it to get into the desired shape and position... then second effect to freeze it. You can then dismiss the shape/animate effect since it doesn't do anything there anymore.
While you could shape/animate more water... you can't freeze that one, since you have to dismiss a previous effect to cast a new one.
3:45 - Create cover
Taking a turn per 5ft your water has to travel, and then another turn to freeze it.
Great for preparing... terrible in combat.
3:49 - Block passages
Again sounds good... but takes times to move it there and freeze it.
4:01 - Ice bridges over gaps
This is reasonable for a water bender, since if you are building a bridge you have a minute or two for getting the water in place and freezing it.
4:08 - Stepping stones on water
Yes. Freeze a spot, step onto it... then change flow to push that cube across the water. Only works in calm water, otherwise you drift with the flow and your cube might do some tumbling.
4:22 - Cannon balls and traps.
Yup, shape the cannon ball (multiple if DM allows filling the 5ft cube) and then freeze it/them.
Also, shape and freeze trap components.
Do keep in mind, this is all only useful for up to an hour... and with only one caster you can only freeze one batch... because the freeze is one of your two effects.
4:32 - Break machines
Yup. Add water, freeze... then it's a fight of how strong your ice is against that machine part.
4:50 - Plug sinking ship.
Yup. Freeze the area around the hole.
4:56 - Ice raft... personal size.
In other words... what I described for the stepping stones.
5:05 - Damage or slow a boat
Oh, good use. 30ft range means this is difficult to do unless you are on board.
But yeah, mini icebergs would do a little damage... more about the cost of repairs, than much effect.
But, a small boat could be slowed by having the water flow against them. Possibly even stopped or changed direction if the boat isn't moving fast in the first place.
5:16 - Melt water as a signal
Oh... very nice. Dismiss the freeze to signal go time. Nothing says you have to stay within range of the effect.
On the other hand, it is also an automatic timer... since it will melt after 1 hour.
I'll try to remember to use this with my next taking of this cantrip.
5:30 - Freeze running water at a choke point, aka: instant dam
I mean... this is just blocking a passage, but in an aqueduct or other narrow water flow.
Part 3 : 5:42 - Into the 'DM discretion' stuff.
Wait... what? Most of what we covered already requires some heavy DM fiat to allow it.
5:48 - Hazardous terrain
This actually sounds more plausible to allow.
Use shape/animate effect to empty a water skin and form a puddle... then second casting to freeze it. 5ft sheet of black ice (too clear to see it without looking for it).
6:11 - Ice spikes trap
Again, fairly reasonable. Pour water into the area, shape it into spikes... then freeze. Again, you are just finding water or depleting your drinking supply. Otherwise, it's just some extra time crafting branches into sharp sticks (basic stuff) and putting them in.
I'd probably keep it the 2d10... since they are spending the time to build it. This ain't like a normal cantrip where you can pop off this damage every turn. You get one use, maybe two if a second falls in or someone gets thrown in.
6:28 - Holy water weapon
Oh... guess it depends on if ruled that holy water only has effect if it coats the target. So frozen it wouldn't coat them.
There is also the possibility that it does it once only... so it has effect on first instance of damage but becomes normal water/ice after that.
Still, it would be nice (and costly) to basically allow players to create a radiant weapon... with volume available, probably a dagger. Though, could coat a normal weapon.
Normally the flask is single use... but spending 2 turns to convert it into a weapon, seems reasonable.
6:54 - Break locks
Technically, this takes a little precision... as you need to put the water in such that when it freezes it expands to press the mechanism and break it.
If you just encase the lock in water and then freeze it... it likely won't apply pressure in the way needed to break it. And frozen metal is not really that much more brittle... it has to be really frozen, which would make even regular padding (gloves, etc) not very effective against the ice it produces. The cold would also spread into surrounding area, regular freezing more water.
I would say that if the medieval style key hole can't be looked through then you can put a bit of water in it and freeze it.
Also, technically the lock is inside the 5ft cube that you can target... but that does make it debatable. Still, I would allow it if they specified using a small amount of water and then rolled a lockpick type check. I'd actually consider a character with control water and proficiency in thieves tools to be able to use water as their thieves tools... if the intent is to break the lock.
7:57 - Jam a lock.
What? Sure, they can't put a key in to unlock it... but is the door locked already? I mean, this could come up... but at this point just make it a door stop (apply to an edge and freeze) or jam the hinge (can't rotate open if a cube of ice is preventing pivoting). If you only have a little water, douse one hinge and make a 50cm cube of water sealing the hinge.
This is basically just grabbing a random plank and tacking it across the door with a couple nails... a delay, but not solid like a cross bar would be.
7:38 - Tip : Decanter of Endless Water
Good tip.
Part 4 : Rules questions
8:12 - Only liquid water.
All points apply to liquids, and a stretch to apply to solids.
8:32 - Not on other liquids.
Technically, many liquids have water... so might be allowed some influence. Might be under the 'rule of cool' and still probably take a magic check to see if you kind of do it.
I would argue tinting ale could be done, since you can colour the water content... thus applying a slight tint. Disguise that you watered down a whisky sort of thing, or make the stew for lunch look a little red so people worry it is spicy.
For the stew, if they refuse... colour the water before making the stew - same result.
8:47 - Can't single turn ice block drop.
Um... I'll argue that in my conclusion...
9:05 - Shape water can't push stuff.
Yes and no. Yes, water moving 5ft every 6 seconds can't do anything. However... in calm water if a patch of that water is moving 5ft per 6 seconds in a direction, anything in there would be slowly pushed. It would definitely be faster to use freezing to walk across... but that allows one person to walk across, while a slow push can get a raft across. If everyone has gloves and strength, probably faster to shape ice ores and paddle.
9:23 - Shape Water ice ignores environmental conditions.
What? Oh, specifically about heat. Yes... the magic maintains the ice for an hour... and after an hour, it melts instantly... period.
Part 5 : Conclusions
Video Conclusion: Yes
Clause : Water bender
My Conclusion : It's decent.
Rational : Most of the stuff given in this video is by GM fiat ruling that 'shape water is water bending'.
As the rules are written, it technically isn't.
The spell targets a 5ft cube... within that cube, you can:
- Move or change the flow.
That would mean that water that leaves the cube is no longer in the cube... and thus no longer in the effect of the magic. That moved water will flow like normal water. The water that you told to go up stream will be once again join the water trying to go down stream, thus creating a swirl in that area as the water leaving the area will be replaced by water coming in the sides of the cube. Technically, this would be more realistic to describe it as creating choppy waters for a boat... and could trap a slow moving raft or dingy at that location.
This is instant, so only lasts 6 seconds.
- Create shapes and animations.
So you can move the water as much as you want within that targeted 5ft. If you cause it to leave the 5ft... you lose control of it and it acts like regular water. It falls and will hit the ground (much like you falling off a wall) before you can cast again. On your next turn, you can cast again to add a second cube... ah, this is how you get the water bending. So you could move up to 5ft cube 5 ft per turn... starting with the second turn of casting.
- Colour or opacity.
Within that targeted 5ft cube, any water present is affected. Water that leaves would revert to normal, and water that enters would adopt the colour. So you could have a bright yellow spot in a river... but you could not have a bright yellow spot flowing down river, unless you did it over multiple turns and the DM allowed animating the colour effect.
DM might rule it like freezing, where the effect is instant but the colour lasts.
In that case, a yellow spot in a river would instantly start flowing with the river... but also break apart as the water mixes with others. If you want to see this in action, just pour some muddy water into flowing clean water. Or pour some food-colouring dyed water into flowing water.
- Freeze water.
This one is special. The 5ft cube is instantly frozen... but the freeze lasts an hour. So you could freeze a cube in a flowing river... and then that cube flows down river. No new water gets frozen in that hour at that targeted 5ft cube location... and the frozen water doesn't melt due to leaving the 5ft cube of space.
Heck my wizard is always dry in a rainstorm,
If I shape the water into a large, thin triangle which lasts for 1 hour and then recast the cantrip and freeze it into ice wouldn't that serve as a make-shift hang-glider?
You indicated you wouldn't allow the spell to manipulate blood but would allow it to manipulate things that are mostly water and even indicated 51% as your criteria. Blood is made up of about 51-55% water.
You don't have to bust a lock to open a door/container with shape water. You just need to fill the seams of the door/container with water then freeze it. You should be able to see the crack between the door and the door frame and fill it with water and be on freeze it, this would basically pry the door open similar to using a crowbar. Then simply pull/push the door while unfreezing and it should pop right open. One of the easiest ways to pop a door open is with a crowbar in this fashion.
Another use is to keep provisions or other things cool. Fire example aimply freeze that unused meat in a layer of water and repeat every hour. You have a portable freezer letting your food fresh.
You can also use it to keep cool while traveling in a hot environment. Partial filled water skin that's frozen is like walking around with ice packs. Just hold them against your core/neck and you shouldn't have to make any really endurance checks or at least get advantage on the ones you do make.
I would argue that dropping an ice block is done in 2 rounds. Once you freeze water you should no longer be able to animate it so it should instantly fall. Requiring a 3rd round to dismiss the animation effect implies that you can animate ice which the spell cannot do.
Fyi fire magic would probably not melt water the way people think. Look up the Leidenfrost effect. Or look up the video of a flamethrower being used to melt a block of ice in a game of thrones promo video. It took over an hour to melt that block of ice with a constant flame against it. That's because of the Leidenfrost effect. That's basically why Iceman would always win in a fight with a flame foe like Pyro. Lol
I would argue that moving water against a row boat would move the boat and you could also use the moving water to do things like clean a floor by sweeping all the dirt and dust away. Basically if you can move nearly 4 tons of water it should move relatively light objects with it. FYI moving 30 feet per round is a whopping 3.4mph so you're not breaking any speed records. That's walking speed. The movement speeds in this game are ridiculously slow. To achieve Olympic sprinter speeds you basically have to have haste and longstrider and mobility feat and dash. That's just to get in the low 20's mph
Lol.
One time I was playing a bard and we were fighting an aquatic monster and I used shape water to keep the creature out of the water
Much like Kitara's reuse of her bending water (canonical, Sokka complains when he has to drink it), isn't this a great way to have holy water always on hand? For instance, you could freeze it into a spear and pass it to the paladin to use in battle against fiends and undead. At the end of the fight you simply melt it back into a container
Its hard to say what counts as a simple shape. But I suppose you could get yourself thrown in jail with nothing, then the next time you have to pee there's your lockpick.
Shape water could also help with swimming in a strong current. Cast it over and over again, always changing the direction of the current in your own cube so that the water pushes you in the direction you wanted to go anyway.
The spell allows up to 2 non-instantaneous effects, like freezing. Two blocks of ice, put together, could make a battering ram big enough for the whole party to pick up and use against a large door. Again, this might be pushing the limits of what counts as a simple shape.
Suppose someone else is using a decanter of endless water to shoot a geyser at someone. You could freeze bits of the water, so the high-pressure stream also includes chunks of ice.
The holy water idea in the video might work, but remember that just a vial is created with 25 gold of silver dust. Even a dagger would take at least a few vials, so maybe an arrowhead would be better. If you hit target, the arrowhead can melt inside the wound.
Wow! This is great! I'm going to tell my players about this. Or may be not? 😜
It can also wreck a vampire if you your DM rules that animated water counts as running water.
One thing you could do is remove water from a homogenous mixture like mud, or soapy water leaving behind whatever else was a part of said mixture.
I managed to use Shape Water to temporarily blind a Merrow attacking an ally
Can u say u want the water to change color if there’s something in it like poison etc?
Wait, so a Sorcerer fighter multiclass could crush someone with ice? Quicken spell to cast Shape Water Twice, then action surge to end the first effect and have it drop!
1 Sorcery point and your 1/rest use of action surge to deal probably a 1st or 2nd level spell worth of damage (probably? How much damage would 5f square of ice so?)
Worth it? Absolutely!
shape water doesn't ignore gravity. If you move the water on the first use, then action surge, and feeze the water, gravity makes it drop you don't need to drop the first effect. so given the wording is a 5 foot cube of water and not 5 cubic feet. that means you're moving 5x5x5 or 125 cubic feet of water when you freeze that it becomes a 7800 lb block of ice that just falls. crushing anything underneath it as part of the games natural law of physics. That's not the spell doing damage. That's natural law affecting the block of ice. 7800 lb dropped on something even 5ft above them would kill them.
Common sense would say that if you tried to use it for anything powerful enough to require a higher level spell, then it. Would. Fail. Also, boiling water is FAR cooler than hot coals - 212F compared to over 800f. Boiling water splashing would do 1d6, tops. Admittedly many of these uses are perfectly valid, but moving water then freezing it is literally useless - Move water is instantaneous, meaning it has already splashed back to the floor before you can freeze it on the following round.
Shape water is the reason why I took the druidic warrior fighting style for ranger.
Also I think shape water should be able to move stuff. Mage hand can't do damage but it can still exert ten pounds of force. So I think it should allow you to clumsily push something no heavier than ten pounds.
You think Shape Water should be able to do everything Mage Hand can, and more? With no disadvantages? Why would anyone ever take Mage Hand?
@@nathanpetrich7309 I never said that. I literally said clumsily push something. Mage hand can finely control stuff to move it in any direction. You could use it to pick up a rope with a slipknot in it so that you can place it around an object heavier than ten pounds and then you can pull it yourself with your own strength.
My suggestion was being able to push something no heavier than ten pounds (maybe five pounds would be fairer?), in a similar way as a forceful current of water could. Not carry it on the surface of a body of water you're controlling through the air. Because then we have to think about buoyancy and other complicated physics stuff like that.
the way my cleric wins in dinking contests is purify food and drink Alcohol is a toxin
I just found you. Good videos.
Heyy I was wondering in roll 20 water shape dosn’t seem to have the boiling effect. Did the rules changed ?
Sorry for the misunderstanding - in the video I was referring to moving water (bullet 1) that was already boiling. Shape water cannot boil water.
Holy water frozen crossbow bolts.
I thought this cantrip would be good, but some interpretations of it could make it kind of these useless.
Because the movement of water is an instantaneous effect, and you can only do one of its effects at a time.. if you require water to move, any water you move falls to the ground at the end of your action. You could then animate it on your next turn, and then freeze it. It's super lame, and kinda ruins the water-bender fantasy, but RAW you kinda just slosh water around until it's on the ground where you need it. Then you can try and do stuff with it
Once made a commando rogue(AT) who would not shut up about "being trained by Kowalski"
Had one magic item: Decanter of Endless Water.
Entered Kobold cave, trapped up the wazoo, practically Tucker's Kobolds. No way to walk in without having to check for traps on every square.
Kowalski's training kicking in, poured some water on the entrance floor, freezing it to make it slippery, then
made a perfectly round boulder out of ice, pushing it into the cave.
Giant marble picks up momentum, rolling forward like an Indiana Jones death trap. Sphere is a solid 1700 kilograms,
making Crepes out of the first couple of Kobolds patrolling the tunnels as they run them over. Poor bastards don't even have time to scream.
Ice Boulders continue rolling in as I dismiss the ones lodged in too deep, destroying every carefully laid trap as they go, slamming into walls like wrecking balls
and blowing dwellings open or completely demolishing barricades.
I should have put on Fortunate Son as I did it. I really should have.
I might allow someone to pull water from the air in high Humidity areas.
Using the higher their control water I tried to make a trench in the water to make an abolith fall but the dm said he would move with the water. So I said instead I want the option to make the water shoot off in a stream headed up.and that the abolith would by his own logic go with the water. Up. Into the air. Out of the cave. Into a river. I failed to get my fall damage lol.
i feel like getting hit by almost 150l of water should do more than a mere 1d10 damage, but then again, physics ain't exactly real in DnD for balance's sake. Because I'd rather get pelted with burning coals, small area that falls away, then getting doused in boiling water!
And yay for all the waterbender references!
i always used it as a unbeatable lockpick, shape it into the lock and then freeze it which causes the lock to go boom because expansion
Could you manipulate water inside someone's body since you know, living things are mostly water. Like fill someone's lungs with water or take all the water out of someone's body
I've read in so many places stating you can't manipulate water inside of another creature but I think it's truly up to the DM if they will let you
MAKING ICE LENSES TO CREATE A TELESCOPE! YEEHAAA! AND i CAN BEND IT IN Z SHAPE....
I put black water around the opponent's head. No vision, no breathing DM test needed
I used water block with murder hole to shoot enemy safely with at least 3/4 cover or more.
Mermen scenario had me steam my food with it bc DM let me boil that water (created Minecraft steam block effect!)
I created cheap decorations onto my seaelf's clothing that also looked neat
My seaelf was not allowed to have "air bubble" or air "berathing" spell so how about I walk inside a moving block of water on land?
A block of water rizen above sea, another to have a "tower" and few more to scout the ships to pirate. Just have to swim up.
If ladder is not enough I can freez parts of water onto surfaces to hold ropes. Then climb up, use second one to fix rope another few feet above...
You can't aim while running... can you aim while sliding? Have ice-made ice skate shoes! DM test needed
You can totally make spikes and attach that to the ceiling. Just undo the fixing and it falls. If the DM did not allow it to exist in mid air... maybe this will help
Shaping water into a specific form and then freezing, or moving it above the enemy's head and then freezing it, is not as simple as you described it
The moving effect is instantaneous, thus yes, you can move the water into a specific shape or above someone's head but it will immediately flow away before you could freeze it, at least this is my interpretation of the rules.
You can move water from a container to another, make moulds in the ground to freeze the water into the shape, but the 1 hour duration does not extend to you making levitating bodies of water.
As a DM tho I would not mind allowing a player to concentrate keeping the water in the specified shape.
With bullet 2, you shape the water into a thing for 1 hour. With bullet 4, you then freeze that shaped water for 1 hour. No concentration required for either of these things -- they just stay that way for 1 hour, until you cause a 3rd non-instantaneous Shape Water effect, or use an action to dismiss it. Bullet 1 is used to move the water into a space for shaping/freezing, and you're right that this water falls onto the ground after you've moved it...until you use bullet 2 to shape it. This process takes 2+ turns, so I agree that it's not "simple" or viable in combat, but it's definitely something you can do rules as written.
As to to "make an ice block over enemy head" thing, I totally agree -- apologies if that section wasn't clear, but I definitely don't think this is something players can do with Shape Water, even with a very generous reading of the rules.
Maybe create a (coarse) mist?
Best lock picking spell in the game.
I'd let an ice weapon do normal weapon damage but automatically breaks first use.
Not super powerful, but for an arcane trickster who has to assassinate the noble but couldn't get any weapons into the party, it could be useful.
compression You can't do compression with shape water. So you can't do a deep sea crush to a person with it.
I wonder if you could use shape water as a disguise or aid in making one. A wig does not come off as ease and body shaping
. The more you a think about it the more inane this gets. 3 people with shape water in a group would wreck the game.
They could make simple machines like a Trebuchet ,a wage or a small sail boat
Can't freeze creatures. Says nothing about freezing everything but a bubble around them...
I have used the opacity thing to make censer bars around people, create a floating black bubble to clean myself while still keeping my modesty.
Also have a water genasi who uses shape water to make improvised weapons and tools out of ice.
I'm confused why you're saying max amount moved is 935 gallons... it's 5 cubic feet of water or ~37 gallons
Heyhey, I also got that answer the first time, but a 5-foot cube is actually 125 cubic feet. Sage Advice confirmation: www.sageadvice.eu/can-i-cast-wall-of-water-spell-and-deal-a-bunch-of-damage-to-fire-elementals-using-the-volume-of-water-against-them/
@DnD Lounge Oh yeah I guess it does say 5' cube not 5ft^3... yikes that seems like a lot of water to move with one cantrip. Thanks for the clarification!
No worries! I used 37 gallons in game and in my script originally, just figured it out myself as I was researching. And for sure, it’s literally tons of water lol
Excellent video! I never really thought about what I could do with Shape Water before, and now it`s been added to my list. Keep up the good work!
You know, you might want to do a video on the Magic Mouth spell.
My Artificer uses it to basically replace modern electronics in all his Magitech devices, up to and including small computers. It`s best used for small portable or handheld devices. As for specific examples, just think how modern electronics would impact a medieval world...
Portable alarm systems that could be set up by anyone even if they don't have magic, can detect invisible creatures as long as they don't take the hide action, tell the difference between your party members, an orc, an undead, a flying creature, and just some random passer by and react accordingly.
Anti theft alarms on all your party`s gear.
Sensors that can detect if one of your party members was replaced with an imposter.
Fingerprint scanners, can be the trigger for the Arcane Lock spell.
Devices that let you lie under a Zone of Truth spell. ( I got this one from Table Top Builds!)
And the list just keeps going on, and on...
If you're creative, you can use it for an awful lot of things...
Jeez, you just wrote half my Magic Mouth script for me -- want a producer credit? :P
@@dndlounge Nope, just come up with at least one more creative and plausible use of Magic Mouth!
@@anonymouse2675 You got it ;)
Great
You can't clear murky water, the "murk" inside it is opaque, not the water itself.
That's a good point!
Sounds like a bad ruling to me. The spell gives the ability to change waters opacity. If water itself can’t be opaque then the spell effect only has one use, making water opaque.
Dense enough water can become murky due to the water scattering light. Like applying a censored filter to water. Which is otherwise clear.
I think you could use this to shift the water in such a way that it didn't scatter light. Allowing light to bounce through it unimpeded.
The obvious use here is when looking for sunken treasure. You can see through the water as if it were transparent. Just sail around in the crows nest looking at patches to see if you spot what would otherwise be obscured ship wrecks. You could find them very fast with this spell.
@@binolombardi 100% agree. The RAI is very obvious, here.
The "murk" is very definitely part of the water-if my DM argued otherwise, I would ask to immediately swap out Shape Water under the argument that microbes live in all bodies of water, which therefore can't be moved because the 5ft cube can't contain creatures. *big eye roll*
Or idk, just move the pure water upwards. If the spell only moves water, it should leave the "murk" behind.
5 cubic feet of water is like 296 pounds. If 200+ pounds is 20d6 damage that’s half a meteor swarm for a cantrip
Heh yea, it's even heavier than that at 125 cubic feet. I've also seen the "935 cold damage to fire elementals" thread, which may actually be doable depending on which dev you like better: www.sageadvice.eu/can-i-cast-wall-of-water-spell-and-deal-a-bunch-of-damage-to-fire-elementals-using-the-volume-of-water-against-them/
Buy a mule and a barrel of water...
I would strongly discourage DMs from using the 1d10 damage from boiling water suggested here. Never in my almost 40 years of DMing have I seen players accepting a "one off" occurrence as a one-off occurrence. If they even once get Eldritch Blast level damage from a utility centripetal, they will move heaven and earth to make sure that they always do.
I can be sub zero?
It lets you move 5 square feat a t time. Explain this math you have on screen for 2 seconds. This doesn't even add
Advice not criticism.
There is a lot of mouth saliva smacking sounds in the audio. Changing the mic angle to your mouth may help avoid those unwanted ASMRs
Ring Of water breathing on the fighter.
Charm person enemy.
Shape water into a sphere around them.
Profit.
I think it's overlooked that you can use both shape water and minor Illusion in tandem very easily to spook an enemy
:)