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Journal Short Circuit's Journal: D&D: Creative use of Magic 15

Journal by Short Circuit

What are some of the more creative uses of magic you've come up with, thought about, heard of, or even discarded?

For example, Politas realized that a Permanent Gate spell could keep a waterwheel running forever.

I read somewhere (I believe it was in an old isue of Tome of Trouble) about using a combination of spells to catch people who would steal your bags.

Any more?

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D&D: Creative use of Magic More

D&D: Creative use of Magic

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  • Once had a little genius start casting monster summoning over a pit of lava to get the experience for killing the creatures. I gave him some for the idea, but didn't let him actually do it....
  • So when my cleric died, and went to some plane I forget which, I wanted to plane shift back.

    I guess these are classics, but we used to cast continual light on a copper piece and toss it in the bottom of a scroll case for a "flashlight". The other was the fire traped flask of oil: carrying too many could make certain things fatal, but when thrown the idea was they would open up and thus set off the firetrap which would ignite the oil. Both of these spells are perminant (until used, in the case of fire tra
    • continual light could be reversed back then as continual darkness. Damn how twinke these spells were. Long lasting/permenent torches with no heat or smoke, worked fine underwater. Put a continual dark enchanted object inside a fragile container. Throw where-ever soild sphere of darkness would be a tactial advanage for you. You could also make "light bombs" to use against Drow. Man, I could probably go on all day on abuses of magic in 2nd edition.
    • As I recall, create water had a range in some early verion(s) of D&D, also, thus implying you could use it as a weapon. One cubic meter of water has a mass of 1000 kg (roughly one ton). If you can put such a mass above someone by even a few tens of feet it could strike with significant force.
  • The caster would have to concentrate to keep the gate open and then only for a short time.

    Also gates can not open onto the same plane as they are created from.

    So a infinite loop gate water wheel wouldn't be practical.

    What could be made to work is enchanted rocks with shrink object.

    Attach them to a fly wheel and have them shrink when they reach the bottom and enlarge when they get to the top.

    Their mass is reduced when shrunken so they are heavier on the way down.
    • It would work if you use 2 gates. Uh, my head is spinning.
      • Yes, but you still have to have people keeping the gates open.

        From the 3.5 SRD

        Gate
        Conjuration (Creation or Calling)
        Level: Clr 9, Sor/Wiz 9
        Components: V, S, XP; see text
        Casting Time: 1 standard action
        Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
        Effect: See text
        Duration: Instantaneous or concentration (up to 1 round/level); see text
        Saving Throw: None
        Spell Resistance: No
        Casting a gate spell has two effects. First, it creates an interdimensional connection between your plane of existence and a plane you specify, al

        • I wouldn't be surprised if the discussion hinges on what version of the rules you are using. By 3.5, you are clearly right. It doesn't seem worth the effort in this case. Under 3.5 rules, is there any way to make a spell like this permanent or is it expressly forbidden by Instantaneous or concentration (up to 1 round/level)? (I had thought that the XP cost would be a problem, but it looks like that is only for calling creatures through.)

          I like what they've done with 3.5. It looks like they've put a
  • In one adventure, my 4th-level Bard was able to defeat a Beholder, as follows:

    First, he cast a "Dust and Grime" cantrip, on the 10' radius just in front of the Beholder. The Beholder failed all but two of its Reflex saves, meaning that only two of its eye-rays were functioning (I believe, Telekenesis and Slow, or some such.) After that, it was a simple matter to take it out in Melee combat before it could clear its eyes.

    That was a fun session! Another episode from that battle was when the enemy Wizard cas
  • rock with continual darkness/lightness on it, covered with clay. dry the clay, throw it in a bag.
    need a light/dark? crack off the clay.

    need to sink a ship? Dimdoor with one door underwater, one door in the ship.

    lets see.... levitate on a dead cow, push it in front of someones door, dispel it when they come out the door.

    mending someones clothing to their chair, then picking their pockets.

    wizard lock on your pockets and bags of holding to keep people out.

    any container that's sealable with oil inside and

  • 1001 uses for a portabe hole (Score:3, Interesting)

    by SB9876 ( 723368 ) on Thursday June 03, 2004 @11:48AM (#9326328)
    One of my favorite characters that I've resurrected a couple of times was an elf raised by tinker gnomes. I had her played as this wierd mix of ranger and gadget-happy nerd. In one campaign, we got a hold of a portable hole - wackiness ensues:

    1: When attacked by orcs, throw the hole on top of them, close the hole.
    2: When later attacked by goblins, throw the hole up on the ceiling and let asphyxiated orcs rain down on our oponents.
    3: In order to search a pool, throw hole into the pool and let the water drain into it, revealing a nice stash of coins.
    4: with all of the water still in it, take all the stupid coins (copper, silver) and throw those in as well (there were at least a few hundred of these coins)
    5: In the next encounter, the hole on the ceiling trick was used again, dumping a few tons of water and coins on our opponents.

    IIRC, I made it through at least 2 gaming sessions using nothing but that portable hole as a weapon.

  • Command (Score:2)

    by lpp ( 115405 )
    This one falls under 'abuse' I imagine, but we hadn't fully understood how some of the spells work at this point of our playing experience.

    We were a group of low level adventurers and had been involved in a fight on a boat. As it turns out, we attacked the captain due to a misunderstanding, were captured, and were held for law enforcement when we docked.

    When we were brought before the judge, the captain took the stand. Seeing that there was no way out of the situation, my low level cleric cast Command at

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