D&D 5E Creative ways to use spells

[Bleys Icefalcon]

I had a Druid recently cast a Purify Water on a Water Elemental. There wasn't anything wrong with the Elemental, she just wanted to "give it a hug". Without asking for a boon, the Elemental touched her gently in return and she learned "Aquan."

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Want to scare the NPCs?
Minor illusion your face into Galadriel-refusing-the-Ring effects - that'll help your Intimidation check.

Want to augment your bard's storytelling to big-up your party to the king?
Minor illusion images of the heroes in your tale.
Use Mage Hand to float an object in the air just as the story calls for it.
Unseen Servant to shake the tables as you tell of the giant's footsteps.
That'll impress them into giving you patronage.

Slap that goblin archer with your Mage Hand just as he's about to shoot your friend.

Carry more treasure from the lair with the help of your invisible buddy.

Minor illusion a brightly-covered ball rolling into the guardroom. While the guards watch it in disbelief, your buddies can swoop in and stab their distracted faces.

Want to make an 80s music video? Mage Hand can wave itself vigorously to give that hair-blown look.

Just use your imagination.

 

[Onussen]

I've found that Mage Hand to be incredibly useful, more so than any of the other cantrips available to wizards.

Drape a white sheet over it and walk along behind it making wailing sounds. Instant scary Ghost. Boo! Pour a vial of acid on something from a safe distance... lift open potentially booby trapped chests... so many possibilities. Cast it on the other side of a barred door, and open sesame, provided the bar is 10 pounds or less... Also, possibly unlock the door--not pick the lock though-- if there is a key or some such present...

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

My DM sometimes give my character (a Tiefling Feylock) advantage on Intimidation checks when I come up with creative descriptions for using Thaumaturgy.

 

[Inoeex]

Want to scare the NPCs?
Minor illusion your face into Galadriel-refusing-the-Ring effects - that'll help your Intimidation check.

Want to augment your bard's storytelling to big-up your party to the king?
Minor illusion images of the heroes in your tale.
Use Mage Hand to float an object in the air just as the story calls for it.
Unseen Servant to shake the tables as you tell of the giant's footsteps.
That'll impress them into giving you patronage.

Slap that goblin archer with your Mage Hand just as he's about to shoot your friend.

Carry more treasure from the lair with the help of your invisible buddy.

Minor illusion a brightly-covered ball rolling into the guardroom. While the guards watch it in disbelief, your buddies can swoop in and stab their distracted faces.

Want to make an 80s music video? Mage Hand can wave itself vigorously to give that hair-blown look.

Just use your imagination.

I've found that Mage Hand to be incredibly useful, more so than any of the other cantrips available to wizards.

Drape a white sheet over it and walk along behind it making wailing sounds. Instant scary Ghost. Boo! Pour a vial of acid on something from a safe distance... lift open potentially booby trapped chests... so many possibilities. Cast it on the other side of a barred door, and open sesame, provided the bar is 10 pounds or less... Also, possibly unlock the door--not pick the lock though-- if there is a key or some such present...

Thank you for these neat samples : )
If you guys had to choose between Minor Illusion and Mage Hand as a Bard, what would your choice be ?

I had a Druid recently cast a Purify Water on a Water Elemental. There wasn't anything wrong with the Elemental, she just wanted to "give it a hug". Without asking for a boon, the Elemental touched her gently in return and she learned "Aquan."

Thats very cool : D So rewarding omg !

 

[Gnashtooth]

I once killed a BBEG with Knock. It explicitly states it will open chests, so I opened his. There is no save.

My half orc companion once sliced off the fingers of an orc. I used Mage Hand to float them around. The orc began to vomit, and I then placed them in his mouth, stopping the vomit and choking the orc to death on his own vomit and severed fingers. My roommate then said simply, "you have a f---d' up mind."

Used Mage Hand to continually undo an opponent's fly.

Used Tenser's Floating Disc to lift an enemy out of attack range, forcing him to crouch and stab under the top of a door jamb at disadvantage

Made Isteval smell like urine/fish by casting minor illusion on him, then making him slip in grease.

 

[psychophipps]

As an Arcan Trickster, I have already been busting out the Mage Hand bonus action tricks for moving my bullseye lantern around to great effect.

 

[Bayonet]

I ran a one-shot awhile back, and introduced one of my friends who played a pre-gen Bard. He really went to town with using the Dancing Lights cantrip; lit up multiple enemies or areas of interest at once, talked about (but didn't get a chance to) use the lights to ruin the night-vision of distant enemies, distracted enemies by making a glowing, running humanoid shape that would variously charge or flee,etc. I worked in some effects and advantage for a lot of these, since I like rewarding creative play, and I really enjoyed the way he was pushing the boundaries.

As long as you have a good DM, you should be able to try whatever you want.

 

[psychophipps]

Our wizard used Catapult pumped to 2nd level on a ball bearing to push the floating rocks in the first dungeon of the Princes campaign. They weigh less than 5 lbs, but there is nothing about the rocks not having any mass once they got going. Each boulder blew out two cultists with 4d8 damage per casting.

 

[77IM]

I allow players to commit blatant rules violations with an appropriate ability check.

For example, a few sessions ago the party cleric wanted zone of truth to affect a corpse animated by speak with dead. By a strict reading of the rules, it cannot. But instead of getting into that debate, I said, "Give me an Intelligence check, DC10, and we'll say that you figured out how to make that work."