I disagree. Cantrips remain your action to do something useful while saving spell slots. It's just now cantrips would actually be inferior to any given spell as opposed to being nearly equivalent to many of them.
I don't see it. Using your action at level 10 to do a cantrip that only deal 1d6/8/10 damage is pretty weak, as it is dealing double then that is already pretty weak.
the eldritch knight ability to use a cantrip and bonus action attack is still better than just extra attack in the same level range it always was. It's still inferior to extra attack in the level 11+ range just like always. It's just won't be as much better than extra attack in the level 7-10 range as it is now.
an eldritch knight in my game uses the cantrip attack over multi attack at levels 11+ all the time... his base longsword is 1d8+7, his green flame blade is 2d8+7 to main target, and secondary targets take 2d8+3 (maybe 4 does he get the focus I don't remember) then he attacks for the 1d8+7... your way the choice would be 3 attacks for 1d8+7 or make 1 attack that deals 1d8+7 and secondary targets take 3 (maybe 4 again need to check) then make a 1d8+7 attack...
or he could swordburst… right now that is 3d6+1 damage AOE then an attack for 1d8+7, your way is eaither 3 attacks at 1d8+7 or 1 attack at 3d8+7 plus a 1d6+1 AOE
or he could use shocking grasp (he never does I don't know why he even has it) to deal 3d8+1 lightning damage and make an attack for 1d8+7 or your way 3 attacks at 1d8+7 or 1 of those plus a 1d8+1 attack
so the full attack is 3d8+21... or about 34 damage (this wont change with your change)
green flame blade with 1 adj target prime takes 4d8+10 (or 11) and secondary takes 2d8+3(or4) or your way prime target takes 2d8+10 (or11) and secondary take 3 (or4)
so GFB orginal deals 28ish damage primary and 12ish damage secondary
The GFB your way deals 19ish damage primary and 3ish 2nddary...
But as it stands right now eldritch knights would be compensated with extra spell slots anyways. Personally I think the spell slots would actually make them a little better than scaling cantrips but in any case I don't see the balance really changing to a degree that warrants any worry.
the spells in this case may work that way...but that class feature will feel pretty uselsess
If they already have more than they can cast then adding extra can't hurt anything. They will just have more left over spells they can't cast.
this is not at all what I said, I compaired having 1/2-2/3 of the rounds casting spells to 3/4 the rounds casting spells...and remember no cantrip is as powerful as tasha's laugh spell...none ever.
So if anything the wizard with firebolt would do an extra 8d10 attacks worth of damage with scaling cantrips.
yup, over the course of the day that is about right
I would instead be giving him a level 1 spellslot a level 2 spell slot and a level 3 spellslot in complensation.
a tasha's laughter, hold person and counterspell… so 2 'take someone out of the fight' spells and 1 stop the NPC action spell... seems ALOT more powerful then 8d10, and that is if they use the d10...ray of frost is only d6s...
Honestly it sounds to me like that's a slight improvement.
it sounds to me like it is 3 rounds of super power (maybe 2 after all counter spell can be used same round as one of the others) being traded for 8 rounds of useful but not too powerful... and since there are 5 rounds (or 6) not having those spells in general you have given them MORE big spells and less lasting ability to contribute.
Is it enough of an improvement to cause significant balance issues? I personally don't think so but maybe I'm missing something.
it depends on what you want form the game... it CHANGES the balance significantly. It gives casters more big guns in eaxhange for not having there little ones scale to be useful. It excaserbates the issue of "ALL POWERFUL" or "WEAK KITTEN" and nothing inbetween (starting in or around 7th level...with an extra 1s,2nd,3rd, and 4th slot)
If I am I can easily adjust the spell slots such that he gains them at a slightly different rate. There has to be some number of additional spell slots that you think would be a fair trade for non-scaling cantrips right?
yea, I can see it... maybe take lower level spells and let them make them quisi cantrips... like at level 3,5,9,11,15,and 17...
at level 3 choose 1 damage (not misc defenseive or SOD) 1st level spell and you know and cast it once as if using a 1st level slot without using a slot, you can't do so again until you take a short rest
at level 5 choose any 1 1st level spell and it always counts as prepped without taking a slot and you can cast it once as if using a 1st level slot without using a slot, you can't do so again until you take a short rest.
at level 9 the 2 1st level spells you choose now can be used a total of 3 times between them without using a slot, and choose 1 damage 2nd level spell that you can use 1/per short rest without using a slot...all 3 of these spells count as prepped all the time
at level 11 the 1st spell you choose can now be cast at will as if a cantrip, the other 2 (1 1st 1 2nd damage causing) can be used 3 times between them per short rest...
I don't know if that quite works or not...but I would also add at level 5 cantrips that cause damage add caster mod stat to damamge...it might work but not sure.
edit: I also like the idea of if doing so let every caster just have detect magic x/short rest...like sensing magic should be like a default...not cost a slot.