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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 6846931" data-attributes="member: 907">The thing is that while chill touch is useful against regenerators or other monsters with in-combat healing, it's not much of a problem. That's because while cantrips don't cost any spell slots to cast, they do have two other costs: the opportunity cost of choosing them over other cantrips, and the action cost to cast them.Let's say you're a 5th level wizard. You know four cantrips. One of them is going to be prestidigitation, because you do have a modicum of self-respect. That leaves three. Are you really going to spend one of those three on chill touch, which is primarily useful against a very rare class of monsters (regenerators - oni, revenants, slaadi, trolls, vampires), when you could instead take fire bolt which deals more damage? Or shocking grasp which can get you out of melee? Or utility spells like mage hand, light, or message?And once you do know chill touch, do you want to cast that to deal 2d8 damage + prevention of healing? Or would you perhaps rather spend an actual 2nd level spell slot and deal 3x2d6 damage with scorching ray - incidentally, also blocking troll and revenant regeneration? Or perhaps a mere 1st level slot and deal 3d4+3 damage with no chance of failure?Certainly, if you do find yourself facing a creature that regenerates, chill touch might sound like a good idea. But there really aren't that many creatures that do in the MM: oni, revenants, shield guardians, slaad, trolls, and vampires and their spawn. Do you really want to pick chill touch as one of the few cantrips you know just in case you run into one of these?</blockquote>

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