Are you a CANtrip or a CANTrip?

[The Crimson Binome]

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.

That makes a lot of sense to me. In light of the recent thread about attack wands being overpowered, since they give you so many extra powerful spells per day; and the subsequent suggestion of wands that simply add a spell to your prepared/known list, so that you have to power it with your own slots; a wand that lets any wizard or warlock or thief cast fire bolt at-will seems like a good balance.

 

[MNblockhead]

I pronounce is CAN.trip. CANT.rip is what I say when I am sitting on a non-porous surface and have to pass gas.

Oh, wait. You're asking about something else entirely...

 

[WarpedAcorn]

Bear in mind, there are A LOT of Cantrips now with the release of these new books. While most are combative, there are a TON that are useful in the other situations. Personally, I find it hard to pick between: Light, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Mending, Minor Illusion, and Message.

 

[Riley37]

Scrolls of cantrips are Common magic items. Learn Shocking Grasp, etc. Use scrolls when you need Mending, etc.

DM to first level party: At the bottom of the treasure chest, you find your first ever magic item!
Players: Yay! What is it?
DM: A scroll of Blade Ward.
Players: Uh... can we sell it for gold?
DM: If you can find a buyer, back in town.

 

[jaelis]

I hadn't ever really paid attention to the different number of cantrips that different classes get:
Bards, druids and warlocks are lowest, starting at 2 cantrips known
Clerics and wizards are next, starting with 3
Sorcerers get the most, starting at 4

So what you want to do is be a high elf sorcerer, take magic initiate and spell sniper. That gives you 10 cantrips total once you hit level 10

 

[WarpedAcorn]

Scrolls of cantrips are Common magic items. Learn Shocking Grasp, etc. Use scrolls when you need Mending, etc.

DM to first level party: At the bottom of the treasure chest, you find your first ever magic item!
Players: Yay! What is it?
DM: A scroll of Blade Ward.
Players: Uh... can we sell it for gold?
DM: If you can find a buyer, back in town.

So funny anecdote...Our group was undertaking a secret mission on behalf of the Queen of the lands. We were meeting with one of her handmaidens in a tavern to go over the details. At the end of the meeting the handmaiden pulled out a box and said that the Queen was giving us some equipment to aid us on our mission. The DM then proceeded to roll on the magic item table a few times. Hilariously we got 3 Cantrip Scrolls including one for Blade Ward (I think we were level 5 or 6 at the time). We, the Players, stared at the DM like it was a joke and I like to think our Characters did the same to the handmaiden. I think we asked if we could just have a couple of healing potions instead.

 

[Shiroiken]

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.

by RAW, not really. Various feats and multi-classing can gain you some more cantrips, as well as some racial benefits, but in general you can't.

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?

I've used this as a homebrew option, and while it's technically fine, I never had a player even consider it. A spell slot for a cantrip, even a useful one, just isn't worth it.

For casters that prepare spells, I've also allowed them to prepare cantrips the way they do other spells. You can only prepare a number of cantrips equal to the normal ones allowed, and wizards have to have it in their spellbook. This works better in my preferred view of cantrips, which is that they are minor magics that take very little (negligible) energy to cast. However, this option greatly increases the value of prepared casters, making known spells casters weaker.

 

[Dausuul]

If you're looking for a homebrew option... how about this? You can scribe a wizard cantrip into your spellbook, at half the cost of a 1st-level spell. But, in order to use the cantrip, you have to prepare it, and it counts against your limit of prepared spells. (While you have it prepared, you can cast it at will, as usual for cantrips.)

Wizards are always pushing on the limits of their prepared spells, so there's a real cost to this. At the same time, you aren't giving up any arcane firepower - you still have as many slots as before, you just have fewer options in how you use them.

More versatility in your cantrips, against less versatility in your leveled spells, is much easier to balance than trying to weigh versatility against power.

 

[TheSword]

In Xanathars guide there is a common magic item - Wizards Hat I believe - that lets you cast a cantrips you don’t know. Useful for utility cantrips.

 

[5ekyu]

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?

Obviously a gm can rule it any way they want fir their game, but the balancing limitation for cantrips trades off unlimited use for limited numbers and i would ser for my games changing that to include a lot more options as extremely unwise on multiple fronts.

It would not be a mechanic change i would pursue myself as a gm.