D&D 5E (2014) What are the 3 best cantrips a Tomelock can choose?

[gyor]

Gust, Control Fire, Shape Water, Bonfire, and Mold Earth are under rated cantrips.

 

[Satyrn]

I can't understand why Guidance is popular but not Resistance. It seems like saves come up more than ability checks. Am I missing something? Guidance works on skill checks?

Aye. The rules consider a "skill check" to be an ability check you added your proficiency bonus to.

 

[Dessert Nomad]

Shocking Grasp - kinda weak for your needs, but sometimes a get-out-of-melee free spell

I am not a fan of shocking grasp. It's not actually a get-out-of-melee-free spell - it's a get-out-of-melee-with-one-enemy-if-you-hit spell. Disengage is free gets you out of melee with everyone with no AOOs, if you just want to get away it's the better option. To get someone away from you, you can also use Eldritch Blast with Repelling Blast; you'll be at disadvantage but can get more than one at higher levels. I thought about taking it, but I realized I would pretty much always rather take either the sure thing with disengage or the risky choice with bouncy EB. I have seen other casters use shocking grasp through an owl familiar to give other people free chances to disengage, but for a Walock I'd rather use EB movement.

Also if you have a Great Old Ones pact, Dissonant Whispers is one of the best 'stop meleeing me' tools around, but it does take a spell slot. Making your enemy provoke AOOs is really handy.

 

[Guest 6801328]

The Druid list has the best cantrips, imo.

As somebody mentioned above, some of the elemental spells are great.

Gust has pushed many a distant attacker into something bad (and some DM's will let you hold action and cast Gust to impose Disadvantage on a ranged attacker.)

Shape Water and Mold Earth have all kinds of clever uses.

Create Bonfire in a bottleneck is great fun.

 

[Stalker0]

Aye. The rules consider a "skill check" to be an ability check you added your proficiency bonus to.

Yep. You also get the bonus to Initiative checks and Dispel Checks.

 

[Eltab]

Playing with other classes, Message and Mage Hand are great ways to start trouble or buy time until trouble starts anyways. I expect a Warlock can do same with them.
If your group's classes require coordination, Message is a must-have.

Vicious Mockery is useful if you are fighting enemies who retaliate against melee blows.

If you want to play against type, search out a cantrip that heals or provides THP, even if only a trickle. The DM (and therefore also the monsters) will be surprised when you help somebody else get back on their feet and into the fight.

 

[gyor]

I like Control Flame and Shape Water, you can do some really cool things with them if your creative. Like using Shape water to freeze you own sweat to keep you cool, redirect water in the air to a bottle, use control fire to put out fires, or animate fires and other cleaver things.

 

[Charlaquin]

Prestodigitation, Druidcraft, Thaaturgy

 

[clearstream]

For their Book of Shadows, I should clarify.

I was thinking Guidance, Message and Resistance. Any other opinions?

Guidance is one of the strongest cantrips. On par with Eldritch Blast (but obviously in the exploration and social pillars, not combat).

Other damage-dealing cantrips won't match Eldritch Blast of course, so it is their secondary effects that are of any interest. With that in mind - Frostbite?

Resistance is good but uses your concentration, which I believe can be problematic. Blade Ward is occasionally useful.

I like Mending and Message, but when it comes to utility I think Mage Hand is pretty... handy...

 

[rgoodbb]

Stick my oar in to an old thread.

Thorn Whip (great control), Mould Earth (I find this cantrip extremely useful), and Primal Savagery (prefer to Shillelagh) for an overall druidic/fey feel.