D&D 5E GFB-Inspired Cantrips

[Hawk Diesel]

So in general, it seems the cantrips from SCAG follow a fairly simple formula. You give up one die of damage to use your weapon and add an effect to it. So I pondered some variants that might be solid but balanced choices in comparison to Green-Flame Blade and Booming Blade.

Vitriolic Blade
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 5 feet
Components: V, M (a weapon)
Duration: 1 round

As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects, and the target is splashed with burning acid. At the beginning of the target's next turn, they take 1d4 acid damage.

This spell's damage increases when you reach higher levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d4 acid damage to the target, and the damage the target takes at the beginning of its next turn increases to 2d4. Both damage rolls increase by 1d4 at 11th level and 17th level.

Vampiric Blade
Necromancy cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 5 feet
Components: V, M (a weapon)
Duration: 1 round

As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects, and necromantic energies devour the target’s life force to empower your own, granting you gain 2 temporary hit points.

This spell's damage increases when you reach higher levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals extra necrotic damage equal to 1d8, and the temporary hit points you gain increases to 4. The necrotic damage increases an additional 1d8 and the temporary hit points increase by 2 at 11th level and 17th level.

 

[Leatherhead]

Comparing the Blade spells, single target, no conditional damage.

Greenflame/Booming/Vampiric Blade

• W
• W+1d8 (5.5)
• W+2d8 (11)
• W+3d8 (16.5)

Vitriolic Blade

• W+1d4 (2.5)
• W+3d4 (7.5)
• W+5d4 (12.5)
• w+7d4 (17.5)

For a bit of comparison, this is what I thought of when I was toying with this idea before I scrapped it due to not having enough bite:

Envenomed Blade
Conjuration cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 5 feet
Components: V, M (a weapon)
Duration: 1 round

As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects, and takes additional poison damage equal to 1d6 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.

This spell's damage increases when you reach higher levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d6 poison damage to the target, and the damage the target takes at the beginning of its next turn increases to 1d6. Both damage rolls increase by 1d6 at 11th level and 17th level.

Envenomed Blade (assuming a +3 mod, leveled up over time)

• W+1d6+C (6.5)
• W+2d6+C (10)
• Ability bump W+3d6+C (14.5)
• Ability bump W+4d6+C (19)

So basically, Vitriolic Blade is kinda weak compared to it's peers, even ignoring the hackjob I just posted. It does marginally more damage, and has no interesting riders or crowd control options.
Vampiric Blade is nifty though.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Interesting work

Vampiric blade might ba a bit strong compared to greenflame and booming blade, since for those spells the rider is conditional, while Vampiric Blade always gives temp HP. Maybe drop the spell damage to d6?

I think the deferred damage of Vitriolic Blade just adds extra bookkeeping, there's little benefit in applying a conditon that won't have any effect on the target's decision making. The target will take the damage before it gets to act again anyway, so there's little difference if it comes when hit or on the start of the turn. You might drop any extra damage on a hit, but have the spell apply disadvantage to the targets NeXT attack instead, like a melee delivered Vicious mockery.

 

[Horwath]

Mage strike;
Evocation cantrip
Standard action,
S,M(melee weapon),

As a part of the casting action you make melee weapon attack. You must be proficient with weapon. You use your spellcasting stat for attack and damage.
If you hit, you also push the target 5ft.
at lvl 5 you deal extra 1W damage
at lvl11 extra 2W damage,
at lvl17 extra 3W damage,

 

[Ahrimon]

Granted there is a small sample size, but the current spells each have a unique rider to them. GFB adds damage to an adjacent opponent equal to the number of bonus dice plus the spellcasting ability modifier. Against only one opponent this bonus is lost. Booming blade adds a rider that if the opponent moves they suffer the bonus damage plus an additional d8.

So, should the design space make it so that the weapon cantrips additional affects are avoidable or situational? I can think of a few that I would like to see.

• Chill blade: On a hit target suffers necrotic damage equal to their spell casting ability modifier and can't regenerate hit points until the end of their next turn. Increase the damage by 1d8 at the usual spots. This is situational since the target doesn't necessarily regenerate and fits well with the situational theme.
• Vampiric blade: on a hit the caster gains their spell casting ability in temporary hit points. This is an always on effect so should be limited in my opinion. Perhaps add 1d8 necrotic damage at the usual points but only increase the temp HP by two. "As you gain power the small amount of life you steal from your opponent is ripped out more violently causing them agonizing pain..."
• Lightning blade: On a hit deal lightning damage equal to your spell casting ability modifier and your target cannot take reactions until it's next turn. This damage increases by 1d8 at the usual levels. This one is situational too in that it's not guaranteed that the opponent would be taking a reaction. Damage wise this is very close to the spell shocking grasp, and can even surpass it once you consider the weapon damage so it is perhaps too powerful. But it also doesn't get the shocking grasp's advantage against opponents in metal armor. Perhaps reducing the damage to 1d6 would be more appropriate.
• Sacred Strike: I'm leaning towards just a no on this one. While I would love to have it, most melee clerics already receive a bonus to their damage in order to help keep them competative. Adding a cantrip to the mix could push them past the non-spell casting warriors. This also steps on the Paladins toes a bit.

I really want to see more weapon cantrips since gishes and melee casters are one of my favorite types of characters, but it's something we have to be careful with I think.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Mage strike;
Evocation cantrip
Standard action,
S,M(melee weapon),

As a part of the casting action you make melee weapon attack. You must be proficient with weapon. You use your spellcasting stat for attack and damage.
If you hit, you also push the target 5ft.
at lvl 5 you deal extra 1W damage
at lvl11 extra 2W damage,
at lvl17 extra 3W damage,

I'd be very leery about this cantrip. The reason being it steps on the toes of cantrips like Shillelagh and Magic Stone, while doing a great deal more damage and always pushing the target back 5'.

As for the comments about Vitriolic Blade, I do agree. It does add for extra book-keeping, and the damage was purposely half of Booming Blade due to the situational element versus the guaranteed damage. I agree that this is the weaker my proposed cantrips in terms of concept.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Granted there is a small sample size, but the current spells each have a unique rider to them. GFB adds damage to an adjacent opponent equal to the number of bonus dice plus the spellcasting ability modifier. Against only one opponent this bonus is lost. Booming blade adds a rider that if the opponent moves they suffer the bonus damage plus an additional d8.

So, should the design space make it so that the weapon cantrips additional affects are avoidable or situational? I can think of a few that I would like to see.

• Chill blade: On a hit target suffers necrotic damage equal to their spell casting ability modifier and can't regenerate hit points until the end of their next turn. Increase the damage by 1d8 at the usual spots. This is situational since the target doesn't necessarily regenerate and fits well with the situational theme.
• Vampiric blade: on a hit the caster gains their spell casting ability in temporary hit points. This is an always on effect so should be limited in my opinion. Perhaps add 1d8 necrotic damage at the usual points but only increase the temp HP by two. "As you gain power the small amount of life you steal from your opponent is ripped out more violently causing them agonizing pain..."
• Lightning blade: On a hit deal lightning damage equal to your spell casting ability modifier and your target cannot take reactions until it's next turn. This damage increases by 1d8 at the usual levels. This one is situational too in that it's not guaranteed that the opponent would be taking a reaction. Damage wise this is very close to the spell shocking grasp, and can even surpass it once you consider the weapon damage so it is perhaps too powerful. But it also doesn't get the shocking grasp's advantage against opponents in metal armor. Perhaps reducing the damage to 1d6 would be more appropriate.
• Sacred Strike: I'm leaning towards just a no on this one. While I would love to have it, most melee clerics already receive a bonus to their damage in order to help keep them competative. Adding a cantrip to the mix could push them past the non-spell casting warriors. This also steps on the Paladins toes a bit.

I really want to see more weapon cantrips since gishes and melee casters are one of my favorite types of characters, but it's something we have to be careful with I think.

I like these concepts for the most part. I think Chill Blade would be too situational, given the number of monsters likely to be encountered that regenerate. I think making it more general to any healing, as Chill Touch, would be appropriate.

With Sacred Strike, you could just have the cantrip transform the caster's normal weapon damage into radiant energy. No need to add more damage into the cantrip if they tend to have other ways to gain bonus damage.

 

[Leatherhead]

This thread made me suddenly realize there is no "Greenflame Arrow" or the like spells for the Arcane Archer Types. I suppose that is mostly due to the Ranger not having cantrips.

Now to spitball some ideas for effects.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

*initially read "BFG-Inspired Cantrips" *

*clicks thread*

*is disappointed*

 

[Leatherhead]

*initially read "BFG-Inspired Cantrips" *

*clicks thread*

*is disappointed*

But the BFG is an endgame weapon that does extreme AoE damage, that would be a massively overpowered cantrip.