Water Wall 5e Guide: How It Works and Top 7 Uses - Creature College (2023)

It's that time of the week again! It's time to delve into the underrated spell of DnD. This week we're taking a closer look at the Wall of Water in 5e Dungeons and Dragons. This spell is one of my favorites as a dungeon master, and after reading this guide, you'll definitely know why.

If you like reading about spells that are not used often, but can have a huge impact on the course of battle in the game, I recommend that you check outarticle about fake death spell. This is another amazing thing to use that has far more potential than most people realize.

In this guide, I will explain how to make Wall of Waterworks in 5e. Next, I'll explain to you what makes this spell so great and what its downsides are. I will also give some examples of using it as a player or as a DM.

What is the wall of water in 5e?

In short: the water wall is therea third-level spell that requires an action to cast. It has a range of 60 feet and has a verbal component, a somatic component, and you're going to need material, in this case a drop of water. The spell is a concentration spell and can last up to 10 minutes.

Detailed explanation of the requirements.

Here's a little more information on the spell and what all that information means or implies.

enchantment level:To cast a wall of water, you need a level 3 spell slot. You can also assign it to a higher spell slot. In this case, the spell will be stronger.

Audition time:It takes 1 action to cast this spell. This is your main action this turn. You can still take your extra action and move action if you choose to spend your action to cast this spell.

Range:The range of the water wall is 60 feet. That's pretty good for a spell like this. Range means you can hit most targets at medium speed before they reach you. For example,horror helmets have a speed of 30 feet.

Verbal: The spell has a verbal component. This means that it must be able to make audible sounds. You cannot cast a spell if your mouth and/or voice is limited.

Somatic"Your hands must be free to cast this spell." So you won't be able to drop it if you're handcuffed. You also won't be able to move your hands to perform magic moves (or whatever you do) ifyou sleep because of e.g. Catnapor a spell that paralyzed you.

Material– Water Wall requires you to have at least one Drop of Water to cast the spell. It can be any type of water. So if you want you can also use something special like holy water.

Duration“The spell is a concentration spell. This means you cannot cast another spell, otherwise the spell will be automatically canceled. If you do not break your concentration, the spell will last up to 10 minutes.

What happens when you throw a wall of water?

So imagine that you start saying words, making movements with your hands and taking a drop or more of water. A wall of water will start conjuring up a spot where you point with your hands, as long as that point is within range.

The wall will be up to 30 feet long, 10 feet high and one foot thick. You can also make a ring-shaped wall. This ring can be up to 20 feet in diameter and 20 feet high. Like a normal wall, it is a foot thick.

The wall has an interesting mechanic whereby any ranged water that gets into or hits the wall has a negative effect on the attack roll. Moreover, the damage you take from fire is halved ifthe fire spell creates a bonfirehe is hit by a wall of water.

The coolest effect is when a cold damage spell passes through a wall of water. When this happens, the area the spell passed through will freeze. The area that freezes is at least 5 square feet. One section has AC 5 and 15 hit points. To destroy it, you must bring it to 0 health points. The section will collapse and not fill with water.

What classes can use the water wall?

druids

Druids have it on their spell list. No wonder, because they are professionals at summoning the forces of the elements to defeat their enemies. They do not claim ownership of the forces of nature, but see themselves as an extension of them. That's why druids are greatcast spells such as life transfer to heal teammates.

witches

This won't be a surprise either, thoughwitchescan throw a wall of water. They use their power over cosmic forces to summon the powers of the universe. Thus, the sorcerer has a lot of raw magic at his disposal.

wizards

No wonder theseusers of the highest magic have access to this wonderful spell. Their magic can turn the tide of battle, and they can summon monsters and items from other planes to aid them in battle.

Of course you can also create a Homebrew class with specific built-in and cast spells like this.

Pros and cons of using this spell

advantages

Versatility of use

There is much more to a water wall than meets the eye. Below this chapter, I have collected 7 of my favorite uses, so keep reading.

The spell really glows, slowing down people or objects and defending against fire spells. I also like the fact that you can conjure a wall of ice if you have another player who can use ice spells. You also cansummons a planar ally that uses ice spellsto help you before casting the spell.

Attack debugging

The spell perfectly protects you and your party from ranged attacks, and even more so if those attacks are fire based. Melee attacks will also have a hard time getting to you as quickly as possible.

While there may be better general defense spells out there, using a niche can be very useful ifplay your cardsGOOD.

control the area

This is the main advantage of this spell. You can defeat a whole bunch of creatures with the sheer size of this spell. Of course, you can keep them away from you, but thanks to the ability to circulate, you can also catch them for up to 10 minutes.

You can also go to Moses on your enemies and give them only a narrow path to you. That way, they can't overwhelm you so easily.

contrasts

Concentration

This is a huge disadvantage of any spell. Concentration means you cannot use any other spell or it will be canceled. So you need to plan accordingly if you want to keep this spell for a long time. The duration of 10 minutes, even if you concentrate, is also not very long.

niche application

wall of wateris great with fire, ice and ranged attacks. However, the wall is not very long or very high. So the flying fire dragon can fly over or around it. The spell is also useless against melee attacks or attacks that cause conditions such as poison.

7 best uses of Wall of Water 5e

kill fire elementals

Fire and water do not go together, and when they collide, the fire attracts the short end of the stick. So the next time your Dm sends a fire element or a fire dragon at you, just hit it with a wall of water.

stop ranged attacks

Ranged attacks have a throwing disadvantage when there is a wall of water between them and the target. However, because the wall is so big, you can stop the mighty volleys of arrows.

Create a wall of ice

If you have an ally ora familiar who can use ice spells, I strongly recommend freezing some parts of the walls. These parts will likely survive 1-2 hits that would otherwise hit you.

water surfing

Do you want to cross a large body of water? Well, just shoot your wall of water and make sure you can cross it in seconds.

control area

The water wall is very large and can be usedslow down the horde of undead enemies. You can also create a filter to make sure monsters can't overwhelm you.

stopping the vampires

You can use a drop of water to cast this spell, but you can also use holy water. So put those vampires at a disadvantage with this spell.

Fighting with fire

Is the house on fire? Crops that caught fire? This spell can protect your party or stop fire for up to 10 minutes.

How to prepare a homemade water wall

While this spell is already quite powerful, if you use it properly, there are a few things you can do to make it optimal for home play.

One of my players came up with the idea to first conjure piranhas on dry land and then cast a wall of water. So now any monster or NPC that wants to go through the wall also has to endure a piranha bite. Another great idea I've seen ishiding a conjured water elementalin the water for a sneak attack.

Another less extreme homespun idea I used in a campaign I was running was this: I noticed my players were using fire attacks and throwing a wall. one of mineplayers fired another fireballjust to check the amount of water. What I did was turn up the temperature of the wall due to the heat from the fire spell. Anyone who tries to walk through the wall will not only be late, but will also be damaged by the almost boiling water.

Final thoughts on this beloved D&D spell

There are tons of niche uses for a 5e water wall. However, I think this spell is one of those underrated moves that both the DM and the player can do to turn the tide of the battle.

The fact that the spell is so big and has a chance to stop fire and ranged elemental enemies is very helpful. You can also freeze the wall if you want another layer of defense for your team.

No one is stopping you from creating a spell at home and making it a bit more powerful and useful in a wider range of situations.

Frequently asked questions about the water wall in 5e