#spell archive

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Spell Archive: Conjure Barrage

Aha! I bet you thought we were going to talk about Hunter’s Mark for Ranger week huh? Think again! Have you ever met a ranger that didn’t pick up Hunter’s Mark as one of their spells? It’s basically the Eldritch Blast equivalent to rangers. Which is why today we’re going to be talking about a different Ranger-only spell…

Conjure Barrage

3rd-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range:  Self (60-foot cone)

Components:  V, S, M (one piece of ammunition or a thrown weapon)

Duration:  Instantaneous

You throw a nonmagical weapon or fire a piece of nonmagical ammunition into the air to create a cone of identical weapons that shoot forward and then disappear. Each creature in a 60-foot cone must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage type is the same as that of the weapon or ammunition used as a component.

Spell Talk

Alright! So casting this spell will cost us a 3rd level spellslot which is actually quite a bit of an investment for a half-caster. By the time we reach level 9 and unlock 3rd level spells 3d8 might not sound like a lot, but we have to keep in mind that this attack will affect everything in a 60ft cone, even if some of the enemies do make the save. Speaking of 60ft range, while this distance pales in comparison to the usual longbow range, notice that the spell only asks for non-magical weapons, which means we could turn our measly dagger range into something wonderful. Since we’re on the topic of daggers though, do keep in mind that this spell affects everything in a 60ft cone…that definitely includes your allies!

Last but not least, it’s also a good idea to remember that DEX saves are one of the most common types of saves in the games and a such many monsters have pretty decent dexterity scores.

Tips and Tricks

…which is exactly why you should consider having the wizard slow your enemies before you cast this. You know, if the stars align for it. At the very least you should keep an eye out for meaty creatures that look like they might have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, these will be your safest bet to hit. On the other hand, you’d do well to avoid using this spell against dexterous creatures, but even then, depending on the number of targets it might still totally be a worthy investment.

Imagine Cloud of Daggers, but better..

Now let’s backtrack a little, you know that bit that doesn’t specify the kind of weapon you can use for this as long as it isn’t magical? That bit? How would you feel about making it rain…. chairs. All you gotta do is take the Tavern Brawler feat and you’ll be able to use just about any mundane item for this spell since they will all technically be considered weapons for you.

Reflavor

The beauty of this spell is that you don’t even need to go out of your way to reflavor it since you can technically use any weapon for it, especially if you do go with Tavern Brawler. This opens up untold possibilities of customization for all flavors of rangers. You want to make it rain shurikens? Easy. But even if you choose to lean more towards the magic aspect of the spell it could still be reflavored as just about any type of damage that can take the shape of a cone (with your DMs approval of course). If on the other hand you’re playing a more tech-savvy character, this spell is early reflavored as some sort of special projectile that splits into multiples.

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Spell Archive: Galder's Tower

Welcome back to another Spell Archive! The spell we will be discussing today is probably one of my favorite spells, if only for the flavor it brings to any game. As will all spells, there are limitations and drawbacks to it but I think it’s definitely a great for any wizards out there!

Galder’s Tower

3rd-level conjuration (Wizards only)

Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a fragment of stone, wood, or other building material) Duration: 24 hours

You conjure a two-story tower made of stone, wood, or similar suitably sturdy materials. The tower can be round or square in shape. Each level of the tower is 10 feet tall and has an area of up to 100 square feet. Access between levels consists of a simple ladder and hatch. Each level takes one of the following forms, chosen by you when you cast the spell:

• A bedroom with a bed, chairs, chest, and magical fireplace • A study with desks, books, bookshelves, parchments, ink, and ink pens • A dining space with a table, chairs, magical fireplace, containers, and cooking utensils • A lounge with couches, armchairs, side tables and footstools • A washroom with toilets, washtubs, a magical brazier, and sauna benches • An observatory with a telescope and maps of the night sky • An unfurnished, empty room

The interior of the tower is warm and dry, regardless of conditions outside. Any equipment or furnishings conjured with the tower dissipate into smoke if removed from it. At the end of the spell’s duration, all creatures and objects within the tower that were not created by the spell appear safely outside on the ground, and all traces of the tower and its furnishings disappear.

You can cast this spell again while it is active to maintain the tower’s existence for another 24 hours. You can create a permanent tower by casting this spell in the same location and with the same configuration every day for one year.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the tower can have one additional story for each slot level beyond 3rd.

Spell Talk

Alright, I know what you’re thinking, “Why would I take this spell when I can take Leomund’s Tiny Hut at the same level?” Well, I don’t really want to turn this article into a comparison piece but here are some of the key differences: For starters, you unfortunately cannot cast Galder’s Tower as a ritual, and technically it is just a plain old building made of whatever your chosen material is, but I think it’s still very much worth the ink and parchment and here’s why: with the right Dungeon Master, it can be a lesser version of Magnificent Mansion, and unless you’re expecting to be attacked in the middle of the night, it certainly offers a lot more than a little bubble of space. It’s the perfect spell for adventurers to catch a break between missions when on the road.

The possibilities for flavor are also very cool even if your DM asks you to stick with the pre-built rooms. As a wizard only spell, I think this has the markings of a staple for the class. After all, what’s a wizard without his wizard’s tower?

Tips and Tricks

I just want to put an emphasis on “or other building materials”. While there’s innate magical protection that comes with this spell, there’s nothing stopping you from making it so, especially since the material isn’t even consumed. When you think about it this way, there’s nothing stopping you from making a tower built out of adamantine.

The second bit of word I want to take a look at is the possibility to conjure inks and parchment as part of the premade study room. This might be a bit of a stretch and definitely something to talk to your DM about (and possibly bribe them with baked goodies) but what if you could use some of those to transcribe your spells? That alone would be worth taking the spell, if you ask me.

Reflavors

When I cast this spell with my wizard, I like to imagine it looking a little bit like earthbending from Avatar (or Full Metal Alchemist if that’s your cup of tea). But the way that you cast it is certainly not the only thing you can reflavor about this spell. Maybe your wizard has a traveling shop full of trinkets and curiosities that they just set up on the outskirts of new towns with the help of this spell. Ultimately, this is the kind of spell that is only limited by your group’s imagination.

Checkout our new post over at https://lichlair.com/spell-archive-bones-of-the-earth

Spell Archive: Bones of the Earth

Not all of the books found in the Spell Archive are well-worn. Today we talk about a bit of an obscure spell that I must admit I myself hadn’t heard of before. I believe this also our very first druids only entry and I’m very excited to find out what sort of potential it holds.

Bones of the Earth

6th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

You cause up to six pillars of stone to burst from places on the ground that you can see within range. Each pillar is a cylinder that has a diameter of 5 feet and a height of up to 30 feet. The ground where a pillar appears must be wide enough for its diameter, and you can target the ground under a creature if that creature is Medium or smaller. Each pillar has AC 5 and 30 hit points. When reduced to 0 hit points, a pillar crumbles into rubble, which creates an area of difficult terrain with a 10-foot radius that lasts until the rubble is cleared. Each 5-foot-diameter portion of the area requires at least 1 minute to clear by hand.If a pillar is created under a creature, that creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be lifted by the pillar. A creature can choose to fail the save.If a pillar is prevented from reaching its full height because of a ceiling or other obstacle, a creature on the pillar takes 6d6 bludgeoning damage and is restrained, pinched between the pillar and the obstacle. The restrained creature can use an action to make a Strength or Dexterity check (the creature’s choice) against the spell’s save DC. On a success, the creature is no longer restrained and must either move off the pillar or fall off it.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, you can create two additional pillars for each slot level above 6th.

Spell Talk

Alright, firs off, I’m kind of surprised there’s not a lot to be found on this spell online. It looks to me like the kind of spell that could turn out to be a multi purpose tool for creative players. The fact that creatures can choose to fail the save to be affected by it makes it obvious that the intent of this spell isn’t simply to damage enemies.

But it isn’t just the creative aspect of the spell that has potential; this transmutation spell already comes with a multitude of useful effects that can be exploited in various circumstances (which we will cover in more detail for our tips and tricks section), but as it is, restraining and causing difficult terrain are nice as is, especially if you’re playing a druid or a ranger.

As much as I like the flavor and possibilities that come with this spell, I do have two minor gripes with it, the first being that, despite the aforementioned possibilities, 6th level just seems a bit too costly for what we get in return, I think the magic number for this one would be around 4th level instead. My second issue with this spell (which only furthers the first) is that 30ft just won’t do the trick on many occasions, it would have been interesting to have the spell function similarly to spells like Wall of Fire where there is a max limit but the construction of the spell is up to you; I feel like this would have worked out nicely with creating different numbers of pillars as well.

Tips and Tricks

As I mentioned previously, the great thing about this spell isthat it can very much be used creatively. Yes, sure, you can also use it to incapacitate your enemies in what’s probably one of the coolest fashions, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Let’s face it, no one was as cool as Toph.

You could very much use this spell as an easy way to to get over obstacles or even propel yourself (or your friends) to where you want to be like in this gif:

Or if you’re looking for something a little more combat/strategy oriented you could use them as a way to modify combat areas to your advantage; I’m sure the party rogue will be grateful for all the new places they can hide to get their sneak on.

Want to give the casters/ ranger a bird’s eye view while also keeping them away from harm? This could pair very well with feather falling, and is sure to have your enemies waste at least one of their turns to get rid of it.

Reflavors

An interesting idea you could play with is checking to see if your Dungeon Master would allow you to reskin this as other elements; columns of water or pressurized air could make this the perfect spell for druid Genasi.

All in all, although technically not a reflavor, if you’ve ever wanted to play an Earthbender from AtlA, this spell is most definitely a must.