Are you a CANtrip or a CANTrip?

[WarpedAcorn]

Silly title aside, I do have a question about Cantrips that I'm pretty sure I know the answer to.

Can you add more Cantrips to your list in any way?

There are a lot of Cantrips in the game, and if you're a Wizard then you can add a lot of spells to your Spellbook. So limiting yourself to 4 Cantrips seems odd.


Follow up: Assuming there is no legal way to add more Cantrips to your arsenal, would you say its fair to add a Homebrew option to cast any "known" Cantrip outside of base Cantrips known by using up a 1st Spell Slot?

 

[BluejayJunior]

I think Magic Initiate gives cantrips, but other than that, I don't think there is any way to add more.

I don't see anything wrong with your option.
You could also let people change out cantrips during a long rest. Or a level up, if you feel the LR flexibility is too much. I don't think changing out cantrips after leveling would be game breaking at all.

 

[DEFCON 1]

You take the Magic Initiate feat in the class you already are. You'll get two more cantrips and another 1st level spell.

 

[Warpiglet]

magic initiate, spell sniper, multiclassing...

 

[jaelis]

Spell sniper also gives a cantrip. And of course you could multiclass, with all kinds of possibilities.

School of illusion gives you an extra cantrip, as does being a high elf. (Perhaps get yourself reincarnated over and over until you land on elf? Depending on your DM, a true polymorph might work.)

would you say its fair to add a Homebrew option to cast any "known" Cantrip outside of base Cantrips known by using up a 1st Spell Slot?

What defines a "known" cantrip? I might allow this for wizard cantrips only. But bear in mind that at high levels, a cantrip often does more damage than a first-level spell.

 

[Jester David]

Silly title aside, I do have a question about Cantrips that I'm pretty sure I know the answer to.

Can you add more Cantrips to your list in any way?

Your spell list? No.
(Unless they're a new cantrip in a book or a homebrew one being added.)

Your spells known/prepared? Also "no".
Only what you gain by level, unless you have a DM that will grant you one as a bonus, or one from a magic item.

Except for the aforementioned feat or taking a level in another spellcasting class.

There are a lot of Cantrips in the game, and if you're a Wizard then you can add a lot of spells to your Spellbook. So limiting yourself to 4 Cantrips seems odd.
They're pretty useful and being able to pick-and-choose your at-will damage is potent. Being able to drop light when you're in a well lit dungeon or only prepping prestidigitation between adventures would greatly increase your utility.

Follow up: Assuming there is no legal way to add more Cantrips to your arsenal, would you say its fair to add a Homebrew option to cast any "known" Cantrip outside of base Cantrips known by using up a 1st Spell Slot?

It seems good on paper, because a 1st-level spell slot is higher than a 0-level spell. But after 5th level, cantrips get more potent. When fighting a creature that's immune or resistant to the damage of your cantrip and prepared 1st-level spells, a cantrip is suddenly a much stronger choice. And gets stronger at 11th level.

Maybe as a ritual. Burn a spell slot and spend 10 minutes to replicate the effect of an unknown cantrip. That negates the combat usage but lets you get some magical utility when you really need it.

 

[Nevvur]

You might also approach your DM about crafting/buying/discovering a magical item like a wand that can cast a cantrip. As a DM, I would prefer doing this to homebrew class mechanics.

 

[WarpedAcorn]

I don't necessarily like the Feat option. The reason is, lets say you're an adventuring Wizard and find a Scroll of Light and a Scroll of Mage Armor. As a Wizard you can scribe that Mage Armor into your book and you've got it. But the Light Scroll is only something you can cast...you can never hope to decipher the complexities of that Light Scroll. I understand Magic Initiate could get you that spell, but you would learn it from a Feat and not the Scroll like you normally would.


This also got me thinking. How about this Houserule: If you have a Cantrip Scroll you can learn the Cantrip as per the Downtime Activity to learn Proficiency with a new Tool. This would represent the character spending the time necessary to master the Cantrip Magic, and it would be a time and money investment. Does that sound fair?

For reference I am the DM and trying to anticipate a question from one of my players (and possibly add some justification for when I roll a Cantrip Scroll for loot!).

 

[jaelis]

I don't necessarily like the Feat option. The reason is, lets say you're an adventuring Wizard and find a Scroll of Light and a Scroll of Mage Armor. As a Wizard you can scribe that Mage Armor into your book and you've got it. But the Light Scroll is only something you can cast...you can never hope to decipher the complexities of that Light Scroll. I understand Magic Initiate could get you that spell, but you would learn it from a Feat and not the Scroll like you normally would.


This also got me thinking. How about this Houserule: If you have a Cantrip Scroll you can learn the Cantrip as per the Downtime Activity to learn Proficiency with a new Tool. This would represent the character spending the time necessary to master the Cantrip Magic, and it would be a time and money investment. Does that sound fair?

For reference I am the DM and trying to anticipate a question from one of my players (and possibly add some justification for when I roll a Cantrip Scroll for loot!).

I would not simply let you add the new cantrip, that is quite powerful. I would let you swap a cantrip you know for the one on the scroll, following the same downtime rules.

It is not about deciphering the mysteries of the the cantrip scroll. It is about how many different cantrips at a time you can have learned by heart.

 

[AmerginLiath]

This thread title sounds like something a teacher at a magic school would say to a failing student. I love it!