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Contest: Cool Cantrip Concepts
- Thread starter Gerion of Mercadia
- Start date
Cheiromancer
Adventurer
I'm sad that Celebrim took down his cantrips. 
At least he could have put up one of his favorites as an entry to the contest.
At least he could have put up one of his favorites as an entry to the contest.
Sigurd
First Post
More is Better
Having no illusions of retiring or growing famous on my winnings, I applaud more cantrips -- however they are posted.
I posted one because I could think of one at the time. Please return whatever cantrips have been denied their moment of fame.
Arkhandus, If you are threatened by too many cantrips in one entry than, for my part, I declare you 0 level wizard emeritas. You have my vote for superlative cantrips.
Other people let us continue the contest for second place. Feel free to post and post some more.
Sigurd
2 cantrips.
1. Embroider Signature.
Transmutation\conjuration
level 0
With this spell a wizard enbroiders in minutes what would take a craftsman hours - but only a monogram. The stitching can impart no structural value. A wizard asks up to 3 different colours of embroidery thread to form the shape of his concentration. The embroidery is limited to what could be accomplished in 3hrs +1 hr per caster level. The thread\floss etc enters the fabric of its own accord guided by tiny invisible hands. The spell can only be cast once on the same garment\fabric.
2. Sign with flourish!
Evocation\summoning
This spell callls into being a floating quill that signs the target object in flaming ink. The signature must be the casters.
NB Many wizards acquired this spell when it was given away as advertisement for its big brother "flaming Quill" which is a first level spell capable of writing a whole page on any available parchment. These spells have a EULA that requires a wizard never share this spell with anyone and that all improvements of the spell become the property of MAGICSOFT Scriptorium.
Sigurd
Having no illusions of retiring or growing famous on my winnings, I applaud more cantrips -- however they are posted.
I posted one because I could think of one at the time. Please return whatever cantrips have been denied their moment of fame.
Arkhandus, If you are threatened by too many cantrips in one entry than, for my part, I declare you 0 level wizard emeritas. You have my vote for superlative cantrips.
Other people let us continue the contest for second place. Feel free to post and post some more.
Sigurd
2 cantrips.
1. Embroider Signature.
Transmutation\conjuration
level 0
With this spell a wizard enbroiders in minutes what would take a craftsman hours - but only a monogram. The stitching can impart no structural value. A wizard asks up to 3 different colours of embroidery thread to form the shape of his concentration. The embroidery is limited to what could be accomplished in 3hrs +1 hr per caster level. The thread\floss etc enters the fabric of its own accord guided by tiny invisible hands. The spell can only be cast once on the same garment\fabric.
2. Sign with flourish!
Evocation\summoning
This spell callls into being a floating quill that signs the target object in flaming ink. The signature must be the casters.
NB Many wizards acquired this spell when it was given away as advertisement for its big brother "flaming Quill" which is a first level spell capable of writing a whole page on any available parchment. These spells have a EULA that requires a wizard never share this spell with anyone and that all improvements of the spell become the property of MAGICSOFT Scriptorium.
Sigurd
Arkhandus
First Post
Jeez, such temperamental responses to my own minor response to Celebrim. :\
I never meant anything rude by it, just pointed out that the OP's intent seemed to be a presentation of an interesting cantrip from each person, not a submission of every cantrip we've ever made, regardless of how interesting or ordinary each one was.
And now Celebrim's removed everything he had put in just like that, as if I were snapping his head off. And another poster's insulting me too over it.
The intent of the thread seemed from the start to be, each person submitting one of their cantrips that they think is neat. That's all I meant by my post. And now I have people getting all childishly mad at me just for mentioning that Celebrim ignored the original poster's introduction. Thanks for reminding me why I have such a low opinion of humanity's maturity.
I never meant anything rude by it, just pointed out that the OP's intent seemed to be a presentation of an interesting cantrip from each person, not a submission of every cantrip we've ever made, regardless of how interesting or ordinary each one was.
And now Celebrim's removed everything he had put in just like that, as if I were snapping his head off. And another poster's insulting me too over it.
The intent of the thread seemed from the start to be, each person submitting one of their cantrips that they think is neat. That's all I meant by my post. And now I have people getting all childishly mad at me just for mentioning that Celebrim ignored the original poster's introduction. Thanks for reminding me why I have such a low opinion of humanity's maturity.
Cure Hangover
Transmutation
Level: Sor 0, Wiz 0, Clr 0
Components: VS
Casting Time: Full Round
Range/Effect: Single touched target
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None.
Instantly cures a hangover. The somatic component for casting this spell requires making a large, continuous banging noise (such as could be made by successively striking pots and pans together) and it must be cast outside, in direct sunlight. As a result, the casting of this spell is too taxing for it to be cast by anyone who is actually suffering from a hangover.
...
I've hinted at this spell in my campaign and the players are quite eager to acquire it. The Priest of Blood was quite excited about this until he realized he couldn't cast it while hungover but he then realized that the party has in its possession a gem of spell storing which could be used to store the spell.
Transmutation
Level: Sor 0, Wiz 0, Clr 0
Components: VS
Casting Time: Full Round
Range/Effect: Single touched target
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None.
Instantly cures a hangover. The somatic component for casting this spell requires making a large, continuous banging noise (such as could be made by successively striking pots and pans together) and it must be cast outside, in direct sunlight. As a result, the casting of this spell is too taxing for it to be cast by anyone who is actually suffering from a hangover.
...
I've hinted at this spell in my campaign and the players are quite eager to acquire it. The Priest of Blood was quite excited about this until he realized he couldn't cast it while hungover but he then realized that the party has in its possession a gem of spell storing which could be used to store the spell.
Gerion of Mercadia
First Post
Basically correct, The cantrip merely "isolates" the supression provided from Prot from Alignment spells. The duration is identical to those spells.
Well, I don't subscribe to the argument that "Prot from" Spells are "too strong" for first level. I DO subscribe to the school of thought that a spell that deals damage and doesn't award a save or require an attack roll is unbalancing... but Magic Missile does just that.
I can't see making it a second level spell when you have first level spells that achieve the same effect and then some (with the AC bonuses and the like).
As far as duration, Prot from evil (the base spell) is 1 min/level as well. To make the spell a duration of rounds/level invites complications similar to 3.0 "True Strike" especially if the spell has a duration of 1 round at any caster level. However, I COULD see an argument for making the spell duration simply 1 minute as a bone to the Prot from Align spells are too powerful crowd.
The origonal "contest" was for 1 submission per poster, but if you DO have multiples - please just provide a link to them or a downloadable file. Asking a Father which of his children he loves the most is simply unfair.
Celebrim
Legend
Gerion of Mercadia said:Asking a Father which of his children he loves the most is simply unfair.
Yes, that's basically the problem. Someone suggested that they liked power leak. I'll post that one.
Power Leak
Universal
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: Spell effect
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None
You disrupt an ongoing spell effect by draining a small part of its energy away harmlessly. This spell has no effect on spells of instantaneous or permanent duration. In order to target the spell effect, you must know that it exists either through means like detect magic or by having seen it being cast and recognizing it with a successful spell craft check. For the spell to work, you must make a caster level check against DC of 10 + the targeted spell’s caster level. If you succeed, the duration of the spell is reduced by one round.
No matter what, it's not a cantrip. A cantrip might let you know that someone was trying to do something like that. Or it might give you a +1 or +2 to a save. But not this. Cantrips are all designed as marginally useful at best and this defeats rather high powered magic putting it far past "marginal" utility.
Gerion of Mercadia
First Post
Well, just how "marginal" are detect magic and read magic? Considering what is in the wizard class about how a wizard can prepare read magic, I disagree. If you subscribe to the fact that Prot From (align) spells as written at level 1 are balanced, then this follows the maxim of "single function" fo a multi function spell being a lower level effect.
@ Celebrim
- Dumb question about Power Leak, How does it work against a spell that says "until Discharged". If this thing can pop glyphs of warding and/or explosive runes without setting them off, I like it.
Gerion of Mercadia said:
Umm, yes, Read Magic and Detect Magic are marginal. They are basically handout abilities that are given to sorcs/wizards because they don't matter a whole lot but can be cast fairly often to give low level sorcs something to do.
Just look at the other cantrips in the core book. They aren't single function versions of 1st level spells, they are nice little pittances that don't do much but, hey, they're 0th level spells so that's fine. +1 to a roll. A ranged touch attack, that, well, does the same damage as a thrown rock. A spell to mend a broken bauble. Not a counter to a full school's worth of spells.
Annnnnnnyway.
