How Powerful are Cantrips?
Cantrips are incredibly powerful spells that don’t use slots and can be cast an infinite number of times without costing resources, making them a valuable asset to any spellcaster. The power of cantrips lies in their versatility and convenience, allowing spellcasters to perform a wide range of actions, from dealing damage to creating light, without expending valuable spell slots.
Understanding Cantrips
Cantrips are level 0 spells that are always automatically heightened to half the spellcaster’s level, rounded up, which means their damage and effectiveness increase as the spellcaster gains levels. This makes them a great option for spellcasters of all levels, from low-level characters to high-level wizards.
FAQs
Q1: What are the most powerful cantrips?
The most powerful cantrips are those that provide the most utility or damage, such as Fire Bolt, which is one of the best cantrips for dealing damage, and Spare the Dying, which is invaluable for keeping allies alive.
Q2: Why are cantrips good?
Cantrips are good because they are incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide range of situations, from combat to exploration, and they scale with character level, making them useful at all levels.
Q3: Can you use cantrips infinitely?
Yes, any character can cast any cantrips they know at will and an unlimited number of times, unless the feature that lets them cast it specifically says otherwise.
Q4: Do cantrips always hit?
No, many cantrips require a saving throw instead of an attack roll, in which case the difficulty class (DC) of the caster must be met to avoid the spell’s damage and/or conditions.
Q5: Are cantrips worth it?
Yes, cantrips are worth it because they can be cast whenever you want, as many times as you want, making them a valuable asset to any spellcaster.
Q6: Can you cast 2 cantrips in one turn?
The only restriction is if you use a bonus action to cast any spell, the only other spell you can cast in the same turn is a cantrip with a casting time of one action.
Q7: Do cantrips stop invisibility?
No, you remain invisible unless the duration has run out or something else ends it, and casting a cantrip like Message or Sending does not count as an attack.
Q8: How many cantrips can you cast in a day?
As a Sorcerer, you know 5 cantrips and can cast each of those 5 as many times as you want per day.
Q9: Can I spam cantrips?
Yes, cantrips are the caster’s equivalent to the basic melee attack, and spamming them is literally what they are for.
Q10: How long do cantrips last?
If it’s not instantaneous, generally a cantrip lasts either one round, one minute, ten minutes, or one hour, with Encode Thoughts being a notable exception that lasts 8 hours.
Q11: Does cantrip damage increase?
Yes, cantrips scale off of character level, and their damage increases as the spellcaster gains levels.
Q12: Do cantrips get bonus damage?
Yes, cantrips get a bonus to attack, which equals the spellcasting ability modifier + the proficiency bonus.
Q13: Are cantrips level 0?
Yes, cantrips are level 0 spells, but in 3.5e, they were limited by the number of level-0 spell slots available.
Q14: Can cantrips be switched?
No, there is no way to change cantrips in all classes, but there is a variant rule that gives the option to swap one cantrip within the “swap 1 spell at level up” feature for all spellcasters.
Q15: Can you cast a cantrip and then a spell?
You can’t cast another spell during the same turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action, if you cast any spell as a bonus action.