Call Stone + Create Pit

[Hebetron]

I have a player who is using create pit and stone call together to attempt to trap creatures who fall in the pit at the bottom of it until the spell has expired or has been dispelled. There have been several discussions as to what exactly the full penalties would be for anyone trapped at the bottom yet I'm still not 100% certain as to what would be the most in line with the rules.

The character casting the spells was attempting to supplement the "cave in" rules from the game arguing that because the creature would be trapped at the bottom of a 30 ft pit with 20 ft of dirt, gravel, and small pebbles on top of them they would essentially be buried for the few rounds the stone call spell was in place. Meaning they would have to make strength checks DC 25 just to move without the help of others each round, though they would take no initial damage from a cave in like the rules state.

I thought that was excessive but I could see how he thought it was appropriate. I felt that while the creature would in fact be effected by the stone call spell they would not totally buried and so they would simply take movement penalties meaning they could at least climb 5 ft their turn or 10 ft if that is all they did that round.

Another player argued that because of the climbing speed restriction for climbing the added movement penalty for stone call would limited the creatures moment to single 5 ft movement per round as a full round action.

So I'm at a bit of a loss as to what would be the most in line with the rules and the fairest option to go with. And if any of us are even close.

Thanks for your help.

[Drejk]

Where he did get 20 feet of dirt and gravel?! Stone call does not produce 20-ft. of stone, dirt and gravel - it would inflict much more than mere 2d6 points of damage.

Ok, I suspect where he did that got (by riddiculosly misunderstanding the spell description). The spell area is a cylinder with 40-ft. radius and 20-ft height. Except, it does not mean that the spell creates 20-ft of stones. It means that the stones created by the spell fall from the height of 20 feet creating a thin coverage of the 40-ft. radius area.

[Jiggy]

Where is the player getting the idea that stone call would fill the pit? Does he expect it to bury everyone else in the area too? The spell only makes enough debris to create difficult terrain. You'd have to be pretty damn small for that to be comparable to a cave-in.

[Amsheagar]

it would be a miss reading of Stone Call. However, if he made a pit with "Stone to Mud" and then cast "Mud to Stone" the creature would be trapped within said stone.

[Jiggy]

Or use create pit, then when the creature's in it, put wall of stone across the top and wait for the pit's duration to expire.

[Hebetron]

I'm almost sure he got the 20 ft from the spell area as suggested which is why I thought it was a large leap to make on his part so to speak. But the main issue wasn't really about it being a cave in or not it was more about what the total penalty for anyone inside the pit would be if stone call was cost over or in the pit.

Boiled down, what would be the movement restrictions for anyone attempting to climb out of the pit if it was considered difficult terrain? Assuming it is applied to climbing.

How far can they move a round?

[Jiggy]

Pretty sure the walls aren't difficult terrain, as the rubble is not coated in glue and will therefore land at the bottom rather than stick to the sides.

[Finlanderboy]

i think if they were coated in glue it would make it easier to climb. Although if they were in th emiddle of climbing and rocks fell on their head it may knock them down again.

[Hebetron]

I thought so to but then I wasn't sure why a height would be added to the area of the spell if that was the case. It would function just by adding a width. I had also thought about slightly increasing the DC of the climb check as an option.

[Jiggy]

Hebetron wrote:

I thought so to but then I wasn't sure why a height would be added to the area of the spell if that was the case. It would function just by adding a width.

With a height specified, you can tell whether or not you catch a flying creature within the initial damage.