How about some speculation on what powers waking up the Shard of Ka'Mort will grant Ashton.
This list is compiled based on the abilities of the Titanstone Knuckles, Earth Elementals, and just general earth/rock-themed spells pulled from the Druid spell list.
I, in no way, expect Ashton to pick up even half of these. It's just a fun exercise in possibilities. And a very long post.
From the Titanstone Knuckles:
I'm gonna use their Exalted state for the full ability list. And while I don't think Matt's going to go one-for-one with the Shard, I won't be surprised if there's a fair bit of overlap given the Knuckles were crafted from a fragment of an earth titan's heartstone.
Increase Strength Score to 26
Honestly, considering the Quintessence Array is supposed to boost Stat Scores from other items and such, I expect some Stat boost. And given that the basic earth genasi racial boost goes to Constitution and Strength, those are the ones I'd expect it for. And a big strength one like this given a) Belts of [Type] Giant Strength give similar boosts and a titan, who is essentially a walking mountain, should be stronger, and b) Evontra'vir literally said "the dormant strength of the empress."
I would personally like to see Ashton's Constitution restored to what it was, if not further boosted. But also understand that it's probably not gonna happen because that was their (further) punishment for trying something crazy and stupid.
Double Damage to objects and structures (siege damage)
Considering this is also in the Earth Elemental abilities, I think Ashton should get siege damage. It's very situational, but definitely could be useful down the road seeing as Destroy the Malleus Key is on the To Do List. And it's helpful for the bane of all adventuring parties: Doors!
Once a day Enlarge/Reduce, though they may only choose the enlarge effect. The spell lasts for 10 minutes rather than the usual 1 minute
Very much a take it or leave it ability. Titans are impossibly huge, being able to take on a very small fraction of that size makes sense. But the bonuses besides size/weight it offers are kind of meh for a barbarian when Rage already offers advantage on Strength roles, so only a d4 of extra damage is new.
Resistance to cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage while enlarged
I honestly doubt Matt is going to give Ashton Resistances. Certainly not multiple ones like this unless it strictly follows the Knuckles' rules or some other similar restrictions on use.
From the Earth Elemental:
Guardian Pillars: The guardian creates pillars of stone. Allied creatures within 5 feet of the pillars are protected in some way.
So this was shown by the Earth Guardian Elemental that Abbadina summoned for the assault on the Dawnfather Temple. We don't know what protection the pillars offered, but this is an Earth Elemental ability and Ashton does want to protect Bells Hells, so I think this would be a fun one to pick up.
Darkvision60 ft. Can see in the dark within a specific radius. Can see in dim light within the radius as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
More Darkvision for the party is always good. And, in the more recent release for genasi (Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse vs Elemental Evil Player's Companion, which Ashton was built off of), they do just get Darkvision. So not a bad little upgrade to slip Ashton.
Tremorsense60 ft. Can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within a specific radius, provided that the monster and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance. Tremorsense can't be used to detect flying or incorporeal creatures.
Basically an earth-based Blindsight. Useful for keeping an eye out for invisible enemies following them and navigating and keeping an eye out when using Earth Glide. I would think Ashton would only get Tremorsense if they also got Earth Glide.
Earth Glide: The elemental can burrow at a speed of 30 ft through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone. While doing so, the elemental doesn't disturb the material it moves through.
This could be an interesting ability for Ashton to pick up too. It can open up some interesting mobility work, both in and out of battles. Definitely some potential for sneaking around some places if Ashton can semi-walk through walls at will.
Slam Attack: Melee Weapon Attack:+8to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.2d8 + 5(STR bonus?) bludgeoning damage
I mostly put this in as a different/upgrade to an Unarmed Strike for Ashton's new arm. Very doubtful it will happen.
Siege Monster: double damage to objects and structures
As mentioned up in the Titanstone Knuckles, it's an easy gimme that has very situational good use.
Damage Immunities:Poison
Considering I think Ashton getting Damage Resistances is low, I also doubt he'll get Damage Immunities.
Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Unconscious
I could see the Immunity to Petrified happening, since Ashton is, technically, already made of stone. I really doubt any of the other Condition Immunities would happen.
From general earth-themed spells pulled from the Druid spell list:
I don't expect many, if any, spells to be picked up. Ashton can't use them while Raging. And no spell above 6th level at the moment since that's as high as Imogen and FCG can go currently. But I also wanted a full list, so here we are.
Cantrips
Magic Stone:
You touch one to three pebbles and imbue them with magic. You or someone else can make a ranged spell attack with one of the pebbles by throwing it or hurling it with a sling. If thrown, it has a range of 60 feet. If someone else attacks with the pebble, that attacker adds your spellcasting ability modifier, not the attacker’s, to the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your spellcasting ability modifier. Hit or miss, the spell then ends on the stone.If you cast this spell again, the spell ends early on any pebbles still affected by it.
Use a bonus action to make magic rocks to throw at people. Semi-useful, and it provides a range option with a bit of prep time since Ashton can't cast while Raging.
Mold Earth:
You choose a portion of dirt or stone that you can see within range and that fits within a 5-foot cube. You manipulate it in one of the following ways:1) If you target an area of loose earth, you can instantaneously excavate it, move it along the ground, and deposit it up to 5 feet away. This movement doesn’t have enough force to cause damage.2)You cause shapes, colors, or both to appear on the dirt or stone, spelling out words, creating images, or shaping patterns. The changes last for 1 hour.3)If the dirt or stone you target is on the ground, you cause it to become difficult terrain. Alternatively, you can cause the ground to become normal terrain if it is already difficult terrain. This change lasts for 1 hour.If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have no more than two of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.
Definitely strikes me as a powerful, primal entity of earth ability to do some shaping of earth to your will. Good for traps, brief navigational markers, and easing travel for the party or making it difficult for pursuers.
1st Level
Earth Tremor:
You cause a tremor in the ground in a 10-foot radius. Each creature other than you in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. If the ground in that area is loose earth or stone, it becomes difficult terrain until cleared.
Another one that definitely makes sense. A titan shakes the ground with its mere footsteps. This also has the potential for crowd control by making a decent sized circle of them all fall down.
2nd Level
Dust Devil:
Choose an unoccupied 5-foot cube of air that you can see within range. An elemental force that resembles a dust devil appears in the cube and lasts for the spell’s duration.Any creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of the dust devil must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage and is pushed 10 feet away. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed.As a bonus action, you can move the dust devil up to 30 feet in any direction. If the dust devil moves over sand, dust, loose dirt, or small gravel, it sucks up the material and forms a 10-foot-radius cloud of debris around itself that lasts until the start of your next turn. The cloud heavily obscures its area.
Useful for distractions and a bit of ranged coverage. Also calls back to Ashton being spat out in a desert when they were teleported upon receiving the Shard.
3rd Level
Erupting Earth:
Choose a point you can see on the ground within range. A fountain of churned earth and stone erupts in a 20-foot cube centered on that point. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d12 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Additionally, the ground in that area becomes difficult terrain until cleared away. Each 5-foot-square portion of the area requires at least 1 minute to clear by hand.
Heaving earth always makes sense to me as something a titan can do, and thus an ability one would grant.
Meld into Stone:
You step into a stone object or surface large enough to fully contain your body, melding yourself and all the equipment you carry with the stone for the duration. Using your movement, you step into the stone at a point you can touch. Nothing of your presence remains visible or otherwise detectable by nonmagical senses.While merged with the stone, you can’t see what occurs outside it, and any Wisdom (Perception) checks you make to hear sounds outside it are made with disadvantage. You remain aware of the passage of time and can cast spells on yourself while merged in the stone. You can use your movement to leave the stone where you entered it, which ends the spell. You otherwise can’t move.
If Ashton gets Earth Glide, this is useless. And honestly? Pretty low value for Ashton in general.
4th Level
Conjure Minor Elementals:
You summon elementals that appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within 90 feet. You choose one the following options for what appears:One elemental of challenge rating 2 or lowerTwo elementals of challenge rating 1 or lowerFour elementals of challenge rating 1/2 or lowerEight elementals of challenge rating 1/4 or lowerAn elemental summoned by this spell disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.The summoned creatures are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which has its own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions. The DM has the creatures’ statistics.
Considering the Spark idly spat out the Doompa Loompas, which probably fit in this category of Elementals, I think it wouldn't be out of the question for Ashton to get their own minions once the Shard awakens. Number games are useful. So are scouts.
Stone Shape:
You touch a stone object of Medium size or smaller or a section of stone no more than 5 feet in any dimension and form it into any shape that suits your purpose. So, for example, you could shape a large rock into a weapon, idol, or coffer, or make a small passage through a wall, as long as the wall is less than 5 feet thick. You could also shape a stone door or its frame to seal the door shut. The object you create can have up to two hinges and a latch, but finer mechanical detail isn’t possible.
Shaping earth feels like a titan thing. And this can take some burden off of Fearne and FCG to have this spell prepared.
5th Level
Conjure Elemental:
You call forth an elemental servant. Choose an area of air, earth, fire, or water that fills a 10-foot cube within range. An elemental of challenge rating 5 or lower appropriate to the area you chose appears in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of it. For example, a fire elemental emerges from a bonfire, and an earth elemental rises up from the ground. The elemental disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.The elemental is friendly to you and your companions for the duration. Roll initiative for the elemental, which has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to the elemental, it defends itself from hostile creatures but otherwise takes no actions.If your concentration is broken, the elemental doesn’t disappear. Instead, you lose control of the elemental, it becomes hostile toward you and your companions, and it might attack. An uncontrolled elemental can’t be dismissed by you, and it disappears 1 hour after you summoned it. The DM has the elemental’s statistics.
A titan probably should be able to whistle up a full Elemental. And given what happened in Hearthdell, I feel like it wouldn't be impossible that Ashton wouldn't have to worry about Concentration since he's higher up the Elemental food chain as a baby titan. But if Ashton gets a summon ability, it's probably going to be one or the other on full or minor.
Transmute Stone:
You choose an area of stone or mud that you can see that fits within a 40-foot cube and that is within 120 feet, and choose one of the following effects.Transmute Rock to Mud.Nonmagical rock of any sort in the area becomes an equal volume of thick and flowing mud that remains for the spell’s duration.If you cast the spell on an area of ground, it becomes muddy enough that creatures can sink into it. Each foot that a creature moves through the mud costs 4 feet of movement, and any creature on the ground when you cast the spell must make a Strength saving throw. A creature must also make this save the first time it enters the area on a turn or ends its turn there. On a failed save, a creature sinks into the mud and is restrained, though it can use an action to end the restrained condition on itself by pulling itself free of the mud.If you cast the spell on a ceiling, the mud falls. Any creature under the mud when it falls must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 4d8 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.Transmute Mud to Rock.Nonmagical mud or quicksand in the area no more than 10 feet deep transforms into soft stone for the spell’s duration. Any creature in the mud when it transforms must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature becomes restrained by the rock. The restrained creature can use an action to try to break free by succeeding on a Strength check (DC 20) or by dealing 25 damage to the rock around it. On a successful save, a creature is shunted safely to the surface to an unoccupied space.
Again, shaping and manipulating earth is very much in the titan wheelhouse. Could be useful for ambushes.
Wall of Stone:
A nonmagical wall of solid stone springs into existence at a point you choose within range. The wall is 6 inches thick and is composed of ten 10-foot-by-10-foot panels. Each panel must be contiguous with at least on other panel. Alternatively, you can create 10-foot-by-20-foot panels that are only 3 inches thick.If the wall cuts through a creature’s space when it appears, the creature is pushed to one side of the wall (your choice). If a creature would be surrounded on all sides by the wall (or the wall and another solid surface), that creature can make a Dexterity saving throw. On a success, it can use its reaction to move up to its speed so that it is no longer enclosed by the wall.The wall can have any shape you desire, though it can’t occupy the same space as a creature or object. the wall doesn’t need to be vertical or resting on any firm foundation. It must, however, merge with and be solidly supported by existing stone. Thus you can use this spell to bridge a chasm or create a ramp.If you create a span greater than 20 feet in length, you must halve the size of each panel to create supports. You can crudely shape the wall to create crenelations, battlements, and so on.The wall is an object made of stone that can be damaged and thus breached. Each panel has AC 15 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness. Reducing a panel to 0 hit points destroys it and might cause connected panels to collapse at the DM’s discretion.If you maintain your concentration on this spell for 10 minutes, the wall becomes permanent and can’t be dispelled. Otherwise, the wall disappears when the spell ends.
More earth manipulation. And hey! Potential camping spell. Could make a little rock tent to protect everyone while camping. ...And potentially destroy it really easily with siege damage in the morning.
6th Level
Bones of the Earth:
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 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. The rubble lasts until cleared.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 saving throw DC. On a success, the creature is no longer restrained and must either move off the pillar or fall off it.
This is, essentially, the Guardian Pillars from the Earth Elemental section. Just without whatever protection those were supposed to offer.
Investiture of Stone:
Until the spell ends, bits of rock spread across your body, and you gain the following benefits:You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.You can use your action to create a small earthquake on the ground in a 15-foot radius centered on you. Other creatures on that ground must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without spending extra movement. You can move through solid earth or stone as if it was air and without destabilizing it, but you can’t end your movement there. If you do so, you are ejected to the nearest unoccupied space, this spell ends, and you are stunned until the end of your next turn.
Honestly, this offers a mix from earlier spells and abilities as well as some of Ashton's barbarian abilities. So it's got potential to be highly redundant. So probably not this spell, but maybe the small earthquake ability in general.
Move Earth:
Choose an area of terrain no larger than 40 feet on a side within 120 feet. You can reshape dirt, sand, or clay in the area in any manner you choose for up to 2 hours. You can raise or lower the area’s elevation, create or fill in a trench, erect or flatten a wall, or form a pillar. The extent of any such changes can’t exceed half the area’s largest dimension. So, if you affect a 40-foot square, you can create a pillar up to 20 feet high, raise or lower the square’s elevation by up to 20 feet, dig a trench up to 20 feet deep, and so on. It takes 10 minutes for these changes to complete.At the end of every 10 minutes you spend concentrating on the spell, you can choose a new area of terrain to affect.Because the terrain’s transformation occurs slowly, creatures in the area can’t usually be trapped or injured by the ground’s movement.This spell can’t manipulate natural stone or stone construction. Rocks and structures shift to accommodate the new terrain. If the way you shape the terrain would make a structure unstable, it might collapse.Similarly, this spell doesn’t directly affect plant growth. The moved earth carries any plants along with it.
Yet more earth manipulation. Also another potential camp spell, though honestly more limited in such applicability than Wall of Stone.
8th Level
Earthquake:
You create a seismic disturbance at a point on the ground that you can see within 500 feet. For up to 1 minute, an intense tremor rips through the ground in a 100-foot-radius circle centered on that point and shakes creatures and structures in contact with the ground in that area.The ground in the area becomes difficult terrain. Each creature on the ground that is concentrating must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s concentration is broken.When you cast this spell and at the end of each turn you spend concentrating on it, each creature on the ground in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone.This spell can have additional effects depending on the terrain in the area, as determined by the DM.Fissures.Fissures open throughout the spell’s area at the start of your next turn after you cast the spell. A total of 1d6 such fissures open in locations chosen by the DM. Each is 1d10 x 10 feet deep, 10 feet wide, and extends from one edge of the spell’s area to the opposite side. A creature standing on a spot where a fissure opens must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall in. A creature that successfully saves moves with the fissure’s edge as it opens.A fissure that opens beneath a structure causes it to automatically collapse (see below).Structures.The tremor deals 50 bludgeoning damage to any structure in contact with the ground in the area when you cast the spell and at the start of each of your turns until the spell ends. If a structure drops to 0 hit points, it collapses and potentially damages nearby creatures. A creature within half the distance of a structure’s height must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 5d6 bludgeoning damage, is knocked prone, and is buried in the rubble, requiring a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check as an action to escape. The DM can adjust the DC higher or lower, depending on the nature of the rubble. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and doesn’t fall prone or become buried.
Ah, the big earth spell. I'd love to see Ashton become an earthshaker with this spell, but also know that if the Shard is going to give them access to this, it's not going to be until they're at a level that the full casters can use 8th Level spells.
