D&D 5E Changing Cantrips: Guidance, Resistance, True Strike, and Friends

[BookTenTiger]

I'm considering changing some cantrips before I start my new campaign.

I'd like to combine Guidance and Resistance into a single spell:

Divine Inspiration
Divination Cantrip
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: 100 ft
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

You perform a divine prayer, benediction, or rite, granting your allies guidance in their actions. Any number of creatures who can hear you within range are granted a d4 Divine Inspiration die. This die can be rolled and added to any ability check or saving throw made before the creature's next Long Rest. A creature can have only one Divine Inspiration die at a time.

The Divine Inspiration die increases to a d6 when you reach 5th Level, a d8 at 11th Level, and a d10 at 17th Level.


My thought is changing the spell to match the fiction of guidance provided by a divine force. A character with the spell would cast it after a Long Rest, praying to their god or performing a ritual, and then it would be up to the players to remember their own Divine Inspiration die. This way the cleric doesn't have to interrupt other actions with "Guidance! Guidance! Guidance!" I'm combining it with Resistance because I almost never see Resistance being used.

This spell lacks the ability to cast it frequently throughout the day or in the middle of a conversation or task, but it does gain some power from not needing Touch or Concentration. Also I gave it an increased die size as the spellcaster levels up.


Another spell I want to change is True Strike:

True Strike
Divination cantrip
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 120 ft.
Component: S
Duration: Instantaneous

You point a finger at a target within range. Your magic grants you brief insight into the target's weaknesses. On your next successful attack this turn, you may reroll any damage dice.



With this spell, I'm changing it to a bonus action, and changing it from granting advantage to being able to reroll damage dice. I thought this would be a fun reinterpretation of the spell, and might make it something an attack-based spellcaster would actually want to use. I also increased the range, just because I thought it would be cool.

Finally, I want to change Friends. I hate how this spell should more accurately be called Enemy because it turns a non-hostile creature hostile. Why would you ever use this spell except to intimidate someone???

Friends
Enchantment cantrip
Range: 30 ft
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You speak a short phrase that may seem innocuous but that secretly contains great arcane energy (for example, "roll up your sleeves" or "what are friends for?"). Any non-hostile creature of your choice within range who hears the phrase must make a Wisdom saving throw. You gain advantage on all Charisma checks directed at creatures who failed their saving throw for the duration of the spell. Creatures who succeed at their saving throw by more than 5 become aware that you used magic to influence their mood, and may grow suspicious of you.


I'm basing this on some ideas of Jedi Mind Tricks and hypnotism triggers, as well as one of the twists from a great video game. I took out the bit about creatures becoming hostile, and changed it to suspicious on a saving throw roll that beats the DC by 5 or more.



What do you think? Are these crazy changes that would break the game? Do they meet my goal of being more fun and more likely to be chosen by players?

 

[ezo]

My thoughts:

Divine Inspiration: This is way too good. Yes the casting time is 10 minutes, but it is a free d4 for multiple creatures, especially with a range of 100 feet! Granted, it is just for ability checks and saves, but still...

If the duration was shorter (like maybe 1 hour), the range less (like 5 or 10 feet), and a creature can benefit from it only once before requiring a rest, then it would be more balanced IMO. I do see what you are trying to do with Resistance, and frankly just combining the two into one cantrip would be fine.

FWIW, in our games Guidance is limited to once per rest (including short) per PC.

True Strike: Just a bit too strong, but not likely to do any harm. Making it a bonus action is, frankly, what we did as well. Otherwise, it is an absolutely useless feat 9 times out of 10. Rerolling damage is a good interpretation, so that's fine, but I would limit the number of dice you can reroll, instead of any/all.

This is something I could see every pew-pew caster taking. Bonus action True Strike, action 4d10 Fire Bolt, re-roll any die that is low? Changing it the way you have almost makes it a must have for such PCs.

Or, a rogue who takes it via a feat or something applying it to a 5+ d6 sneak attack??

Friends: Perfectly fine. The only odd bit is the "succeed their save by 5 or more" part since 5E generally steers away from such things. They are out there, sure, just not that common. Perhaps just make it, "You have disadvantage on any Charisma checks you make against a creature that succeeds on their saving throw as they suspect you might be using magic on you and grow somewhat suspicious." and remove the 5-point thing.

This way, the spell becomes a "Well, if it works, I get advantage; if it fails, I have disadvantage" but it doesn't automatically make the creature hostile.

 

[Kurotowa]

What do you think? Are these crazy changes that would break the game? Do they meet my goal of being more fun and more likely to be chosen by players?

For reference, are you suggesting these changes with or without knowledge of the new versions of all of these that were in the "Bastions & Cantrips" playtest UA a few months ago? Because it's one thing if you saw those and wanted something else, and another thing if you're not keeping up with the playtest and didn't see them.

 

[BookTenTiger]

For reference, are you suggesting these changes with or without knowledge of the new versions of all of these that were in the "Bastions & Cantrips" playtest UA a few months ago? Because it's one thing if you saw those and wanted something else, and another thing if you're not keeping up with the playtest and didn't see them.

I have not been keeping up with spell-related UA at all.

 

[jgsugden]

As a suggestion: Don't change - add. Keep the 'less effective' by-the-book cantrips in the game, but add new ones that PCs can select that do the types of things you suggest above. I 'test the waters' on these types of things by first introducing them via magic items that PCs can use as if they had the ability ... but that have a finite life. If it proves to be non-problematic, then I can just introduce the mechanic more widely.

As for your suggestions above:

Divine Inspiration with the escalating die is a bit much. I'd keep it at d4 at all levels.

In my campaign, however, I introduced another type of magic that characters can use. They allow you to use a cantrip or spell slot to gain an aura that is active whenever you are not unconcious. I have one that can be taken by clerics and druids in place of a cantrip that grants a +d4 bonus to all allies within a 10 foot radius on any ability check, and a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws if the ally has the blessing of the God / natural forces that grant the cleric/druid their spells. It is not problematic, at all, but a lot of people have complained about it until they've seen it in action.

Your True Strike is probably fine, but I'm not sure it would get any more use. Savage Attacker doesn't get a lot of love after all.

My new True Strike equivalent sticks with the idea that it helps you hit. It has a duration of (up to) 1 minute and requires concentration. When you roll an attack roll you can choose one of three effects:

1.) Reroll is you miss and the spell ends.
2.) If you think your attack roll hit by 5 or more you may try to convert the hit into a critical hit. If you did hit by 5 or more it works. If not, it doesn't. Either way, the spell ends.
3.) You may elect for nothing to trigger and continue concentrating on the spell to use for your next attack.

Your Friends is likely ok, but a bit convoluted.

I used an aura version in my game that gives you advantage on persuasion and deception checks on non-hostile creatures within a 10 foot aura.

If you use an action to influence a non-hostile creature within that aura, the DM will set a DC for the influencing. If you beat the DC, the creature will consider you a friend while within the 10 foot aura. Afterwards, when they leave the aura, their friendly feelings will diminish, but they will not notice it.

If you fail the DC, the creature may make an insight roll for free with a DC equal to your Spell DC. If they succeed, they are immune to your aura for 24 hours and know they have been influenced by magic. If they fail their insight check, you may attempt to influence them again.

 

[Kurotowa]

I have not been keeping up with spell-related UA at all.

You might look into it, then, if only to see what the official changes you're up against are. Guidance and Resistance are Reactions. Blade Ward is a Reaction that imposes Disadvantage on one melee attack. Friends has a number of changes, including allowing a Save and not automatically making them hostile after. True Strike is completely different; it lets you make one weapon attack using your caster stat instead of Str/Dex, and adds a d6 of damage for each higher tier similar to Green-Flame Blade and Booming Blade.