D&D 5E Cantrip nerf (house rule brainstorm)

[TwoSix]

In my low-powered sidekick game, I do this:

Cantrips cannot be cast by the spellcaster. Rather, knowledge of a cantrip allows the ability to craft a special wand that can cast that cantrip. Cantrip wands have 7 charges, and regain 2d4 charges on each short rest (6 hours).
If a wand is lost, a new one can be crafted for 5 gp of materials over a long rest. The spellcaster is the only person than can use their crafted wand.

 

[Quickleaf]

I really like the approach to cantrips taken in Beyond the Wall, a d20/OSR indie role-playing game.

Basically, you make a check whenever you cast a cantrip. Success means you cast it as desired. However, if you fail the check, then you have a choice: either you exhaust your spellcasting (no more magic until getting a full night's sleep) or your cantrip backfires as determined by the GM.

You could definitely tweak that idea to suit your views on D&D magic. For example, you might decide that instead of exhausting all spellcasting, you simply exhaust your uses of that one cantrip.

 

[DemoMonkey]

Less flippant observations.

1) I have never actually considered cantrips "unlimited". I have always considered them to take the same amount of energy out of the caster as swinging a sword (or using a shovel) would out of someone acting physically. So "unlimited" really means "as long as you can sustain activity, which is more than enough for adventuring but not enough to level a mountain".

2) Because I like the idea of physical spell focuses (perhaps the Harry Potter fan in me?) I think cantrips should be at-will as long as you have your focus. If you don't, they cost a 1st level spell slot. "Oh look, NOW the wizard cares that we were all strip searched before being tossed in the cell."

 

[CleverNickName]

Hello all,

A bugbear about 5e (for me at least) was the idea of unlimited spammable cantrips for casters. To us 'get off my lawn' grognards, this seems a touch excessive.

I had an idea for a nerf I wanted to brainstorm - Each cantrip can only be cast a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Recover all uses upon short rest.

And discuss...

I can't see anything wrong with that. It doesn't go far enough for me, but I don't think it would break the game. When you test it out, be sure to let us know how it goes...lots of other folks around here don't like spammable magic.

I'm toying around with the idea of assigning spell slots to cantrips. Something like,

Cantrip Slots = (Number of 1st level spell slots) + (Spellcasting modifier). Cantrips are considered 1/2 level for the purpose of certain class features and abilities, like Arcane Recovery.

But we'll see.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Less flippant observations.

1) I have never actually considered cantrips "unlimited". I have always considered them to take the same amount of energy out of the caster as swinging a sword (or using a shovel) would out of someone acting physically. So "unlimited" really means "as long as you can sustain activity, which is more than enough for adventuring but not enough to level a mountain".

2) Because I like the idea of physical spell focuses (perhaps the Harry Potter fan in me?) I think cantrips should be at-will as long as you have your focus. If you don't, they cost a 1st level spell slot. "Oh look, NOW the wizard cares that you were all strip searched before being tossed in the cell."

I love the second idea, it solves the issue of "throwing the pc's in jail" being a tremendously stupid thing for npcs to do, but sometimes it's the best consequence for the pc's actions.

 

[el-remmen]

What? If you want to limit at will abilities, limit at will abilities.

No one is suggesting limiting a spellcaster's ability to carry a crossbow or swing a staff.

 

[embee]

No one is suggesting limiting a spellcaster's ability to carry a crossbow or swing a staff.

That 8 in STR might disagree

 

[el-remmen]

That 8 in STR might disagree

Can't be the best at everything all the time. . .

 

[Undrave]

Can't be the best at everything all the time. . .

Instead they get to be useless most of the time?

 

[DnD Warlord]

No one is suggesting limiting a spellcaster's ability to carry a crossbow or swing a staff.

So in your mind a wizard makeing 100 attacks with a staff and isn’t winded make more sense then one that uses chill touch 20 times and not be winded ?