Summarizing the question into parts here. I am looking for abilities that do one of the following regarding walls.

  1. Increasing the size of the wall
  2. Changing the shape of a wall
  3. Allow for the moving of a wall

The area of a wall is usually determined by Caster level. Aside from increasing the caster level, is there a way to increase the area of the wall?

Some walls have a distinct shape they need to be formed in while others have the shape-change ability. Is there a way to give these walls the shape-change ability or to add another shape the wall can form into?

Is there anything that could let me move a wall after it's created? Such as having a Wall of Stone slide along the ground towards a target or to have a Wall of Fire (ring shaped) close in around something?

I can only use first party stuff but the ability can come from any where. Feats, magic item, class feature, etc. are all fair game.

Also does not need to be a Wall of X spell. Spells like Rampart or Forcecage that create a semi-permanent area that restricts or confines movement work as well.

For background I'm making a "Wizard of the Walls" type character. The Wizard's primary form of combat utilizes walls to corner enemies and forcing them into DoT spells like Flaming Sphere. As such, he scorns the use of any Temporary magic that exists for only the moment it's cast, such as fireball. So I'm searching for ways to add versatility to the walls he casts.


Changing area

Centered Spell (Legacy of the First World) allows you to exclude yourself (and your familiar, if any) from the effect of the spell, while also making it centered on you. This should work for most Wall spells.

Sadly, most Wall spells are not bursts, spreads, or emanations, and thus cannot be Widened, but it would work on a Globe Of Invulnerability and similar. And as far as I know, there is nothing like the old 3.5's Sculp Spell (Complete Arcane), which allowed you to freely modify the area of spells.

Changing shape

Changing the shape of wall spells will depend on which spell we are talking about, Stone Shape can certainly change the shape of a Wall of Stone. Snow Shape, similarly, may also change the shape of a Wall of Ice. And a Wall of Thorns may also be modified by Wood Shape.

The Gloves of Shaping will allow you to change the shape of most Wall spell effects, but it is probably much slower than you are looking for (1 cubic foor per round).

Finally, the Mountainshaper's Girdle allows a character with a Ki Pool (like monks or ninjas) to shape metal as if using Stone Shape.

Moving spells

I am also not aware of any methods of moving the area of a spell that doesn't already include this ability in its effects. Considering that most wall spells are either instantaneous or have a long duration (in minutes), they were not designed with repositioning in mind.

Pit spells

However, this may be a stretch, but I would suggest adding the Pit spells (Create Pit, Acid Pit, Hungry Pit, etc) to your grimoire, as those not only work incredibly well with spells like Flaming Sphere or Geyser, but also with Wall spells. This will work even better if a teammate takes Tactical Reposition. Later on, you can combo your Pits with any other spell of 3rd level or lower in the same casting, using the Rod of Perilous Pits.


Well, not exactly what you are looking for, but illusions allow you to freely define the shape of whatever you are creating, the affected creatures will not be able to resist the illusion unless they interact with it (trying to climb or break the wall) and some illusions are particularly more resistant to attempts, like creating a wall of fire, as the target won't be willing to cross the wall unless they have a good reason to.

Those spells allow you to target low Will characters, and some of them have a duration that lasts while you are concentrating, allowing you to modify its effects, including form and position.

I have personally used this to create "fiery pits" that prevented the PCs from crossing an area, getting them stuck in melee range with the enemy that cast it (an Ifrit), they didn't even realize the pits were fake because they were fighting on the top of a tower. So, no Will checks were made.

  • \$\begingroup\$ Both Wall of Thorns and Wall of Stone already have the shapechange. I believe this means they can already be created in any contiguous shape that matches the area of the spell, which already matches my criteria. \$\endgroup\$ – Balefire Liege May 23 at 14:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ That second part of the question was primarily about walls without Shapechange, like Wall of Ice or Wall of fire. However, at the earliest casting of Wall of Ice (7th level) a 5-ft section must be at least 5ft wide, 10ft tall, and 7in thick which puts it at a Cubic volume of ~29 ft per 5-ft section. Snow Shape can only affect 5 Cubic ft + 1 Cubic ft/level, at 7th level this would only move 12 Cubic ft per casting. While this still works, it's wouldn't be feasible in a combat setting. \$\endgroup\$ – Balefire Liege May 23 at 14:25

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