Michael's RPG Shelf: I Gotta Have My Cantrips!, Part Three - "Everybody Was Cantrip Fighting!"

"Hey, that's a new image you haven't used before! What's up with this article?"

Well, it just so happens that, after concluding my epic article on creative uses for cantrips, it occured to me that I had another hardcover which introduced some new, fun, and potentially game-breaking options in the form of 0-level magic. That book is Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the deluxe edition of which you can see right here. Ain't it a beauty? Yeah, I sprung for the collector's edition--if you've got a problem with that, roll for initiative, chump.

Xanathar is a powerful, enigmatic, and only slightly insane Beholder, who hates everything except his pet fish. He's striving to make sense of the world, and this hardcover collects 192 new pages of races, classes, magic items, gear, names, traps, spells, and other goodies and options the designers couldn't squeeze into the original Player's Handbook. Technically it's all official content, but as always, check with your DM before you decide to just roll up a new character race/class combo, or add a new spell to your books to make sure it's kosher. Most DMs can be bribed by purchasing a new book or boxed set to add to their sagging RPG shelves, so consider purchasing and donating a copy to your local DM if you want to get access to a specific object, spell, trait, or other piece of ephemera. Today though, we're only interested in the twenty-five pages that comprise Chapter 3: Spells. There are only a handful of new cantrips, but some of them are exceptionally fun, a few have the potential to make your DM check into a stress center, and all of them are worth getting to know in case one (or more) are just what you're looking for to pad out your caster's resources (especially if you're a Druid). Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Control Flames

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This Transmutation cantrip is available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. It allows the caster to target any non-magical flame within 60' which fits within a 5-foot cube, to affect in any of the following ways:

• Instantaneously expand the flame 5 feet in one direction, provided there is wood or some other type of fuel present in the new location.
• Instantaneously extinguish all the flames within the 5-foot cube.
• Double or halve the area of bright light and dim light cast by the flame, change its color, or both, with the change lasting for an hour.
• Cause simple shapes, like the outline of a creature, an inanimate object, or a particular location, to appear within the flames and animate as you like, for an hour.

The spell can be cast multiple times, with each casting consuming a single action, allowing for up to three of the non-instantaneous effects active at the same time. It does not require concentration, and any of the effects can be dismissed with another use of your action for the round.

Wow! What a cantrip! As you know, I'm a huge fan of simple spells with tons of roleplaying application, and "Control Flames" has this in spade, providing some of the same effects as "Prestidigitation", "Druidcraft", and "Thaumaturgy", but lots of new options as well. Combined with any of the previously-named cantrips, this is an insane addition to the repertoire of any butting pyromaniac, flame-caster, or Smokey the Bear cosplayer.

The biggest thing "Control Flames" has going for it is the range: while "Prestidigitation" and "Thaumaturgy" have 10-foot ranges, and "Druidcraft" has a range of 30 feet, "Control Flames" blows all of these out of the water, and with expanded range come expanded options. The ability to instantly douse a fire from that far away has enormous implications for stealth missions, and can even allow the caster to extinguish light sources carried by enemies, plunging a potential battlefield into darkness before the targets realize what's going on. Combine this with the ability to double the range of dim light cast by any source of fire, and you can produce effects similar to "Dancing Lights" where a party of Darkvision or Blindfighting PCs can utterly trounce a group lacking these abilities.

But if you want to cause chaos, that first option's going to be your best friend. Imagine causing a flickering candle to set a nearby tapestry on fire, jump the flames from a campfire out of its ring and into a pile of dried leaves, or spread an otherwise-contained fire across a fire-break, patch of water, or anything else. As long as there's a fire already burning, and a source of fuel, using nothing but hand gestures and a few actions, you can turn a single room into a raging inferno while you and your friends escape in the confusion.

DM Discretion: Unlike other fire-based cantrips, "Control Flames" does not specifically disallow the spell from igniting things being worn or carried in its description text. This means it has the potential to target flammable things on living targets and set them ablaze, meaning you could target a backpack, a creature's hair, something doused in oil, and so forth if they are within five feet of open flame. If this is the case, this is absurdly over-powered. As a DM myself, I'd be tempted to disallow this (with the exception of something covered in oil or another flammable substance), since catching actual people or creatures on fire is not within the spirit of the cantrip. Ask your DM anyway--he might have a different interpretation!

And, of course, for your downtime, you can always use this cantrip to increase your storytelling abilities: brighten up a dark tavern by targeting the fireplace, dim the lights from an overhead chandelier to affect mood and ambiance, animate a couple of warriors to do battle in the flames while your Bard regales the onlookers with tales of your recent struggles...the only thing this cantrip can't do is start a fire where none exists, but it's not like there aren't plenty of other ways to get that effect. Just remember it can't effect magical fires, so mixing it with this next cantrip isn't allowed.

Create Bonfire

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Available to Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards, this Conjuration cantrip lets the caster create a magical bonfire on the ground anywhere the caster can see within 60 feet. For the duration of the caster's concentration, up to one full minute, the bonfire fills a five-foot cube. Any creature in the bonfire's space when it's created, or which moves into or ends it turn on the square where the bonfire burns has to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or suffer 1d8 fire damage. The bonfire ignites flammable objects in the area which are not being carried or worn. Like other damage cantrips, it gets a boost to 2d8 damage at level 5, 3d8 at level 11, and 4d8 at level 17.

"Create Bonfire" initially looks like a direct damage sort of cantrip, but its more interesting options involve battlefield control, since by casting this and maintaining concentration, you can effectively make one square on the battle mat off-limits for several rounds. The downside is that you have to be able to see the ground in order to sprout the fire, so you can't use it to flush enemies out from behind cover unless you can somehow get above them and look down, or the cover they are behind can be seen through partially, like light bushes. The most effective way to use this spell is create a barrier (like within a doorway or other choke point) that enemies have to pass through in order to reach you, but even in the open it can be an annoyance, splitting up smaller groups and forcing them to expend more movement to reach you. It can also be used to cut off an avenue of escape, block off a part of a corridor while your party retreats, or cause dreadful mischief inside a stables, library, or other building with lots of flammable objects. Finally, most animals don't care for fire, so this could be used against horses to unseat their riders among other things.

The best part about "Create Bonfire" is that it requires zero kindling, meaning you can use it to start a fire even on solid rock, roiling sand, an icy glacier, or any other ground. The worst part about "Create Bonfire" is that it creates magical fire, meaning many other cantrips can't interact with the initial blaze, so you can't route it around with "Control Flames", put it out with "Druidcraft", and so forth. But look on the bright side: that means enemy spellcasters can't mess with it using their cantrips either. Joke's on them.

Frostbite

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A cantrip for Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards, "Frostbite" causes numbing frost to appear on one creature within sixty feet that the caster can see. The target makes a Constitution saving throw; if it fails, it takes 1d6 cold damage, and has disadvantage on the next weapon attack it makes before the end of its next turn. As with other damage cantrips, the damage output increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

If you looked at "Chill Touch" and decided against it due to one of its secondary powers only affecting undead, "Frostbite" might be the cantrip for you. While it doesn't prevent healing the way "Chill Touch" does, it expands on this power by granting Disadvantage to any creature's next attack, including Undead. On the downside, "Chill Touch" hits a little harder. Ultimately it's up to you--"Chill Touch" is nastier when facing undead and can lock down a target to prevent it from healing, but "Frostbite" is more broadly applicable. There aren't a lot of options for cantrips which deal cold damage, so if that's your forte, pick one or the other, but you probably don't need both.

Gust

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Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards can all choose this cantrip. When cast, "Gust" enables the caster to pick one of three different effects to happen within 30 feet:

• One Medium or smaller creatures of your choice has to succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to five feet away from you.
• You create a small blast of air capable of moving one object which is neither held nor carried and that weighs no more than five pounds. The object moves up to 10 feet away from you, but not violently enough to cause damage from the pushing.
• You create a harmless sensory effect using air, such as causing leaves to rustle, wind to slam shutters closed, or your clothing to ripple in the breeze.

While it doesn't do any damage itself, there are few cantrips that permit the caster to potentially move objects or creatures around the battlefield. "Thorn Whip" allows the caster to pull an enemy closer, but "Gust" lets you shove them away, and sometimes this can be more useful. While the spell itself doesn't cause damage, you could use it to push enemies into situations that could cause damage, such as into traps, onto caltrops, off ledges, into a bonfire, out of a tree, into range for an attack of opportunity by a PC with reach, and so on. Pushing objects around likewise has limited but potentially interesting applications, like rolling lit torches into flammable items, knocking items off shelves, pushing a dropped weapon a little further out of reach, or scooting an item like a healing potion between the caster and another party member without leaving cover.

Its third effect duplicates some of what "Druidcraft" can do, offering up some role-playing options outside of combat, but make no mistake, "Gust" is first and foremost a battlefield control type of cantrip. It requires some coordination in terms of placement to make it most effective, but for tactically-minded individuals, or as a way to put some needed distance between you and a close foe, "Gust" has plenty of applications.

Infestation

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Druids, Warlocks, and Wizards can all pick up this Conjuration cantrip, which calls up a cloud of fleas, mites, or other annoying insects anywhere the caster can see within thirty feet to cause a sudden infestation upon the target. If the target fails a Constitution saving throw, it takes 1d6 poison damage and moves five feet in a random direction (assuming it can move, and its speed is at least five feet). Moving in this way doesn't provoke an attacks of opportunity, and if the random direction is blocked, the creature doesn't go anywhere. Damage scales to 2d6 at level 5, 3d6 at level 11, and 4d6 at level 17.

"Infestation" is definitely meant for Druids, given that it uses nature to inflict damage. There's no reason at all for Warlocks or Wizards to pick this up, as there are far more useful cantrips available to them, although chaotic casters might dig the element of randomness introduced by this spell for role-playing purposes. It's one of the few direct damage cantrips available to a Druid, although I'm not sure I'm sold on taking it over "Thorn Whip" or "Produce Flame", both of which have either better battlefield control options or uses outside of combat. It is interesting in that it deals poison damage, and at a greater distance than "Poison Spray" at that, but lots of monsters resist or are immune to poison, including a lot of common ones like undead. If it hit harder or had greater range, there might be something to recommend this cantrip. Sadly this is not the case.

Magic Stone

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Oh, how I love this cantrip. The Druid or Warlock infuses up to three pebbles with magical energy for one minute. As a standard action, the caster (or anyone she gives the pebbles to) can use one to make a ranged attack either as a thrown object (with a range of 60') or from a sling, with a bonus based on the caster's spellcasting ability modifier to-hit. A successful hit delivers 1d6+spellcaster's ability modifier points of bludgeoning damage. The magic on the stone fades whether the attack is successful or not.

While this cantrip may not sound all that impressive, the casting time for it is one bonus action, meaning a Druid or Warlock carrying around a pouch of rocks is never at a loss for a ranged weapon--they can cast the spell and immediately hurl the stone at a target, or they can infuse more than one rock and pass them out to party members to launch simultaneous ranged attacks without expending normal ammo. Subsequent castings of the spell nullify the magical properties of any unused stones, but the caster can still keep one or two rocks in their hand for use in later rounds, thus freeing up their bonus action for something else.

The other unique thing about this cantrip besides its casting time is the damage type. It's the only cantrip which deals bludgeoning damage, making it especially useful for dealing with skeletons and ice mephits while staying out of melee range. With "Magic Stone", you're never out of ammo for your sling, and the stones deal more damage than standard bullets anyway.

DM Discretion: The text of the cantrip specifically states the pebbles are imbued with magic, but it does not specifically make them "magic weapons" for the purpose of overcoming standard damage resistance, immunity, and the like. The argument could be made either way, but ask your DM for a ruling on this the first time they are used so you're both on the same page.

The down-side to Magic Stone is that unlike other damage cantrips, the damage doesn't scale the same way. Instead of boosting damage by d6, the damage scales with the caster's spellcasting ability modifier--for most PCs, that means a maximum of 1d6+5 damage per hit. It'll never be as powerful as Fire Bolt or Chill Touch, so by higher levels you'll probably want to swap it out for something else. Still, this is the best ranged attack cantrip option a Druid can take, and it relies on rocks which can be found literally everywhere, so you're never in danger of running out of ammo.

Mold Earth

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Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards can all use this cantrip which, at first glace, seems relatively benign until you realize that, with a little creative application and planning, you can use it to some insane ends. For the cost of one action, the caster targets a 5-foot cubic area within 30 feet of herself and produces one of three possible effects:

• If the target area is loose earth, the caster excavates it, moves it, and deposits it up to five feet away from its original position. The movement is instantaneous, but doesn't contain enough force to cause damage to anything in the target square.

• Shapes, colors, or both to appear on dirt or stone, spelling out words, creating images, or shaping patterns. The changes made to the surface last for an hour.

• If the dirt or stone targeted is on the ground, the caster can cause it to become difficult terrain. If the terrain is already difficult, the caster can instead cause the area to become normal terrain. This effect also lasts for an hour.

With enough time, planning, and forethought, it's possible for a caster to cause a phenomenal amount of mischief, five cubic feet at a time. And while the earth so molded doesn't cause damage, that doesn't mean the result of shifting the ground around can't cause problems by destabilizing structures, eroding cliffsides to cause avalanches, quickly burying an object to hide it from view, extinguishing a campfire, and the like.

For budding Geomancers, there's no better cantrip than this, as it has plenty of role-playing effects. You could use "Mold Earth" to cover a wooden wall to make it less susceptible to fire; run a part-time gravedigging gig; unscrupulously loot the local cemetery; leave a short-term message to other people as a warning, missive, or note; write indelible insults ("Guard Captain Gilroy molests skunks!") on public walls; excavate a moat, ditch, irrigation canal, or other waterway; carve out foxholes to protect troops from artillery strikes; dig or cover field latrines; elevate a section of flat terrain to give you cover; flatten out a patch of ground to deny cover to an enemy; rough up terrain you know an enemy has to pass over within the next 60 minutes to make it impossible for them to charge; or deliver 20d6 points of damage to a single unwary creature at level 1.

Wait, what?!

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You heard me. With nothing more than some baskets, ropes, pulleys, and ladders (not to mention enough time to cast it repeatedly), "Mold Earth" can turn a five-foot cube area of earth into a pit of misery and woe. In D&D, for every 10 feet fallen, a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage upon impact. This maxes out at 20d6 for holes that are two hundred or more feet deep, and doesn't take into account spikes, lava, Spheres of Annihilation, or anything else nasty that could lace the bottom. But by shifting the earth in 5-foot cube segments over a number of actions, it's possible to hollow out a hole some two hundred feet deep by moving down in a Minecraft-style stair-step pattern, then fill in the sides with your previously-excavated earth leaving it as a single stupidly-deep shaft. Cover it with some woven branches, a rug, or even an illusion and you have the potential to deal a horrifying amount of damage to a single creature that stumbles into it. From then on, you can use other means to push, pull, shove, and otherwise move others into the hole, creating a death drop from which those who fall can never escape.

Is it stupid to take "Mold Earth" just to abuse it in this fashion? Yes, absolutely. Is it worth it just to watch your DM clutch his head and wonder where everything went pear-shaped? Again: yes, absolutely.

Primal Savagery

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A Druid-only cantrip, in case the name wasn't a dead enough giveaway. This spell makes the caster's teeth or fingernails elongate and sharpen into wicked points, capable of dealing 1d10 points of acid damage to one creature within five feet as a melee spell attack. After the attack, the caster's features return to normal. The damage increases to 2d10 at level 5, 3d10 at level 11, and 4d10 at level 17.

For Druids who intend to take a more up-close and personal approach to cleansing evil from their forests, "Primal Savagery" is just the ticket. No Druid direct damage cantrip causes as much damage as this one, and acid as noted in previous articles is an uncommon resistance among monsters. The down side, of course, is that with a range of only 5 feet, whoever you use this on is already threatening to bash you in the groin with its very next action. Druids, unfortunately, can tend towards the squishier side of character classes, especially at lower levels, so staying out of combat as much as possible is greatly desired. Sure, it deals some savage damage, especially for a cantrip, but if your enemy's already on top of you and hammering away, you've very little to gain by standing and fighting instead of running away.

Roleplay-wise, this cantrip is suitable for Druids who were raised by wolves or have otherwise surrendered to Nature's more savage side. Otherwise, you're better off taking something with ranged applications and leaving this one for the suicidal, even though the damage boost is nice at higher levels, and hits far harder than any normal melee attack you could make.

Shape Water

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Much like "Mold Earth" only without the ability to tear comically-huge holes in the ground, "Shape Water" permits a Driud, Sorcerer, or Wizard to target a five-foot cubic space of water within thirty feet and cause one of the following changes:

• Instantly move or change the flow of of the water as you direct, up to five feet in any direction. The movement of the water in this way doesn't have enough force to cause damage.
• Cause the water to form into simple shapes and animate at your direction.
• Alter the water's color or opacity. All the water in the 5-foot cube must be changed the same way throughout.
• Freeze the water, provided the are no creatures in it.

The first effect happens instantly, the other three have a duration of one hour, though you can have two different hour-long effects running in tandem if you cast the spell repeatedly.

This cantrip is all about the role-playing potential, since it can't be used specifically to attack or cause damage and unlike "Mold Earth", water's ephemeral shape and nature means its effects are more limited, especially if the body of water is moving, like a river or stream. Some creative uses for this cantrip include freezing a 5-10 cubic foot area of water for use as an ice bridge; throwing water from a container like a bucket, waterskin, keg, barrel, and so forth to wet down a given surface or extinguish a fire; shaping the water into a hand, thereby allowing it to grasp nearby items or possibly restrain creatures; creating a 'drinking fountain' effect for ease in filling up canteens, cups, or whatnot; using the ability to discolor/alter the opacity of water in a flask or jar so as to pass it off as contaminated, purified, or some other liquid entirely; altering the physics of a fountain to make it flow backward for a time; arc the water from one barrel to another then back again to create a continual water archway; causing a bunch of ripples, splashes, or other effects to make it seem like invisible creatures are splashing through it; using the water to create counterweights or other engineering feats; diverting a supply of water into a catapult and freezing it, creating ice missiles that can be hurled at enemy armies; freezing a massive block of water to the floor in front of a door, holding it closed (or open); creating some ice balls to roll down hallways to test for traps; moving a large amount of water into an area to reveal the footsteps of sneaking or invisible creatures; testing a particular substance to make sure it really is water as opposed to acid, poison, an illusion, etc...; sweeping a hallway clear of debris, caltrops, or other impediments; and more.

Five cubic feet of water weighs almost eight thousand pounds, and while you can't drop it to cause damage, the fact remains this cantrip can move nearly one thousand gallons from one place to another instantly. If you can't figure out some way to bend this to your advantage (especially in conjunction with "Mold Earth"), you should consider rolling up a Barbarian instead.

Thunderclap

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Bards, Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards all can learn this one. The caster, with just a somatic gesture, creates a tremendous clap of thunderous sound audible up to 100 feet away. Each creature within range, except for the caster, has to succeed on a Constitution save or take 1d6 thunder damage. Like other damage cantrips, this boosts to 2d6 at level 5, 3d6 at level 11, and 4d6 at level 17.

There's no cantrip anywhere that can equal this one's potential damage output, since it could hit up to eight Medium-sized opponents with a single casting (the spell focuses on the caster, and radiates in a five-foot sphere around her). Despite this cantrip's damage-dealing aspect, its range, the fact Constitution saves are among the easiest for monsters to make, and the fact it affects friend as well as foe makes it a hard sell for the battlefield. Unless your spellcaster is in the habit of running into the center of a cluster of enemies and firing this off...and if that's the case, how in the name of Pelor's grace is she still alive?

Toll The Dead

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Clerics, Warlocks, and Wizards who enjoy cavorting with dead things, I have found your new favorite cantrip. Nominate a creature within 60 feet, and if it fails a Wisdom save, it takes 1d8 necrotic damage--unless it's missing any HP, in which case that damage bumps to 1d12. Like other damage cantrips, this one boosts at 5th, 11th, and 17th levels.

"Toll the Dead" is a wicked, wicked spell. It hits automatically, so no attack roll necessary meaning if something's given you Disadvantage on your next attack, you don't have to worry about that. Wisdom saves, depending on the creature, can be hard to make, necrotic damage is not easily resisted by most enemies, and while a d8 ranged attack is wicked, a d12 ranged attack is extremely nasty. Using this, a spellcaster can double-team an enemy with another PC without leaving cover as long as he has eyes on the target. Even if your target is at full HP the first time the spell hits, the second time will get the damage boost, and the scale keeps this a reasonable addition to your arsenal long after most other damage cantrips have exhausted their potential at higher levels.

Clerics, between this and "Sacred Flame", you've got two absurdly powerful ranged damage cantrips usable in almost any situation imaginable. Warlocks, you probably still want "Eldritch Blast" over this, and even then you would want a different damage type cantrip instead of picking this one up as well, in case you encounter monsters that resist necrotic damage. Wizards? If you're opposed to "Fire Bolt" for some reason, or want a backup ranged damage dealer, "Toll the Dead" ain't a bad secondary choice.

Word of Radiance

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The sole Cleric-only cantrip introduced in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. This one's got potential, but only if you're playing a melee-heavy Cleric. With "Word of Radiance", every creature of your choice within five feet of you is bathed in holy light, taking 1d6 radiant damage unless they make a successful Constitution save. Damage boosts to 2d6 at level 5, 3d6 at level 11, and 4d6 at level 17.

The upsides to "Word of Radiance" are obvious: no attack roll necessary, can target multiple enemies, and unlike other cantrips like "Thunderclap", you can specify your allies don't get hit. Radiant damage is a very uncommonly-resisted damage type, and most creatures that have resistance/immunity are good-aligned beings that PCs aren't likely to fight.

The downsides, however, are fairly serious. First of all, with a range of only five feet, its use is limited to enemies right on top of you. It's also limited to creatures you can see, which means invisible or hidden enemies, as well as any that happen to be behind you, are immune to its effects even if they are within the 5' range. Just being aware of their presence isn't enough--they have to be within your field of vision, so at the most you'd be able to target 4-5 foes, which assumes you're surrounded. Unless you're engaging in full-on, front-line melee, this cantrip is a last-ditch chance to save your bacon. Finally, Constitution saves generally aren't that tough for most monsters to make, so expect most of the creatures you hit to shrug off the damage.

That said, if you are armed and armored up to be your party's secondary tank, as is totally possible for a Cleric in ways it usually isn't for other spellcasting classes, "Word of Radiance" could have a place in your arsenal. Against low-level monsters like goblins and kobolds it could be devastating, and the damage scaling gives it potential as you face more powerful foes. Between this or "Sacred Flame", I'd probably stick with "Sacred Flame", but for particularly battle-minded holy warriors who don't want to roll up a Paladin, "Word of Radiance" makes for a flashy, effective demonstration against swarming foes.

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And with that, we've covered the pros and cons of each cantrip in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Druids especially get a huge boost potential, as half the cantrips introduced here appear on their spell lists. Bards and Clerics not so much, with one one and two new cantrips available to them respectively, but "Toll the Dead" is so massively useful that it's all a Cleric needs. Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards all get a nice bit of padding to their spell options. If you're serious about that 5E campaign, you'll want Xanathar's Guide in the library of at least one player in your group.

Got your own ideas for how some of these cantrips could be used creatively? Think I'm mistaken in my assessment? Just want to be contrary and throw down, like @blewitt? Roll for initiative, then hop into the comments and commence with the melee. And as always, thanks for reading, loyal minions!