D&D 5E What "attack"-oriented cantrips do you like the most?

[Benjamin Olson]

Greenflame blade uses a melee attack so you can sneak attack or smite with it. I've always been confised as to the attraction to Booming blade. More damage if you move? Hard to visualize. IMHO

The draws of Booming Blade over Green Flame Blade are that: 1) There won't always be someone next to the target, but d8s will always be bigger than d6s, 2) Fire resistance is a lot more common than Thunder resistance, 3) for those people who have it and some sort of easy disengage (like an Arcane Trickster) it makes their disengaging seem more awesome, 4) I don't have to deal with the DM who says "oh, but the only other creature next to the target is you" (RAI you can choose to have it go nowhere, but still it's a worry), and finally 5) I can theorycraft an elaborate character build around how I'm going to be disengaging all over the place more easily than I can theorycraft around how I'm going to make my enemies always clump right next to each other.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Missing from the list: Shileighleigh from the druid list (which I'd have picked if it was there).

 

[DND_Reborn]

Missing from the list: Shileighleigh from the druid list (which I'd have picked if it was there).

Its a great spell, but in the OP I clarify why it (along with Magic Stone) weren't included, as neither requires an attack roll or saving throw as part of the spell.

 

[ccooke]

Produce Flame
This spell has a great mix of utility and combat value. Sure, Light illuminates a larger radius, Prestidigitation does more tricks, and Firebolt has a bigger damage die, but if you’re short on cantrip slots and need something that can fill multiple roles, this spell will do that for you, and do it in style. The mental image of a spellcaster not merely shooting fire from a wand or a staff, but conjuring it in their hand, walking around with it, using it to light their way, and then hucking it when the fight breaks out is so much cooler. Combine it with Control Flames and you can increase the illuminated radius and make it animate and change color and stuff.

I was literally scrolling through this thread to make sure someone made my point. Produce Flame is definitely a favourite of mine, for a lovely mix of theme and utility

 

[shadowoflameth]

Agree that Shillelagh ought to be there. It's one of the few opportunities to use an unusual ability as an attack stat. Warlock Hexblade can do Charisma, Shillelagh can use Wisdom with a quarterstaff or club, but there's not a lot else. Some builds that are MAD can benefit from these.

 

[DND_Reborn]

UPDATE:

Due to interest and a desire to allow people to vote as they wish, I've added both Magic Stone and Shillelagh to the list of options.


Since you can change your votes, I encourage people who wanted to vote for either of these cantrips to do so.

 

[Helldritch]

Eldritch Blast, Toll the dead and SHILLELAGH! Yep, Shillelagh. A lot of clerics takes that one (with magic initiate) for the ability to attack with wisdom and to change the die from a d6 to a d8. Then they usually take Guidance as their second cantrip and charm person as their 1st level spell (or faerie fire or entangle).

Eldritch blast is a no brainer. Many that are taking a feat and that are using charisma as their ability are taking this one. I saw a few Palladins take magic initiate feat just to have EB and Hex... The second cantrip is almost invariably prestidigitation for RP purpose.

Toll the dead is way better than sacred flame so again, it is a no brainer. If the paladin does not go with the warlock list, he invariably takes this one. Druids are also taking this one with the magic initiate feat.

 

[Vael]

I voted Firebolt, Eldritch Blast and Vicious Mockery. They're all fun and the latter two are so class defining that they make Magic Initiate worth taking for access to those cantrips alone.

Some other notes on Cantrips:

I do wish there was a simple generic cantrip that deals force damage for Artificers and Wizards. Damage type immunity is a thing, and Artificers are really crunched for cantrip slots.

Picking Cantrips for an Artificer in general is tough. And I do wish they had a couple of unique ones, and got Mending for free.

Second everything about Produce Flame, I love an attack spell that also provides utility. Same for Create Bonfire.

Shillelagh is overrated, it's great until level 5, but once all the other cantrips start scaling up, it's a bad choice.

There needs to be a better ranged Lightning-based one.

 

[Dausuul]

Toll the dead is the best attack cantrip for non-warlocks; it targets a Wisdom save, which is usually a weaker defense than AC, and pretty reliably deals d12 damage (by the time you are down to throwing cantrips, you can almost always find an injured target).

Eldritch blast is of course the warlock's bread and butter, but it's also a powerhouse cantrip for non-warlocks if you have some way to get it. Its damage is on par with fire bolt, it can be split among multiple targets at higher levels, and the damage type is among the least-resisted in the game.

Fire bolt is inferior to the other two from a pure combat perspective, but for non-warlocks without EB, it makes a good backup to toll the dead (in case the enemy is necrotic resistant or you are forced to target an uninjured foe). In addition, it has one crucial but often-overlooked virtue: Unlike many attack spells, it can target objects, and flammable objects are automatically set on fire. An at-will incendiary with a range of 120 feet is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Undrave]

Second everything about Produce Flame, I love an attack spell that also provides utility. Same for Create Bonfire.

I love the style of Create Bonfire, but it's biggest problem is that it's a Concentration spell, and the Druid who gets it is almost 90% concentration spells.