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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8702983" data-attributes="member: 6790260">Yes, I'm aware of that. I was comparing my proposed form for stormwalk to expeditious retreat, which is a bonus action spell. Being bonus action, lasting much longer (Concentration, up to 10 min), and offering a much more powerful effect (Dash as a bonus action), expeditious retreat is justified as being a full 1st-level spell, rather than a mere cantrip.My proposed stormwalk would look like this:StormwalkEvocation cantripCasting time: 1 actionRange: Self (5-foot radius)Components: V, S, M (a tiny glass rod and a piece of silk cloth)Duration: 1 turnElectricity crackles across your skin before arcing to enemies near you, and a lingering static charge briefly energizes and protects you. All other creatures in range must make a Dexterity save or take 1d6 plus your Proficiency modifier electricity damage. Any creature which takes damage from this spell is unable to make opportunity attacks against you until the end of your current turn, and any creature not affected by this spell which attempts to make an opportunity attack against you has disadvantage on that attack until the end of your current turn. Your movement is also increased by 10 feet for this turn.---So. Initially this does 1d6+2--slightly better than the 1d8 of lightning lure or ray of frost, since the average is 5.5 as opposed to 4.5, but the difference is minor. However, as soon as you hit 5th level (which is when cantrips improve, and when your prof bonus goes up), it becomes 1d6+3 vs 2d8, which is 6.5 vs 9 average damage--and that's using the "not as good" cantrips, not even considering something like fire bolt which is the go-to damage cantrip. Even 2d6 is 10.5 average vs. 6.5. Meaning, the damage is very slightly front-loaded, but hardly to an extreme degree. If you wanted to forestall that, just have it be 1d6 flat at first, and become 1d6+Prof at level 5.Again, I want to emphasize that this is a spell which should only be used when you are in a bad situation. Realistically, you should only be using it when you have at least two enemies adjacent to you. That's a situation you never ever want to happen if you're a (non-Bladesinger) Wizard or Sorcerer or (non-Valor/Swords) Bard. Even for those, though, it's clearly weaker than something like acid splash, green-flame blade, or sword burst in terms of damage potential. You won't be casting this cantrip constantly. Indeed, it's likely that you'll never want to cast it at all in many combats. Its effects are certainly useful, but restrained. I really don't think it's overpowered. It has shades of shocking grasp (narrowed to only OAs, not other reactions, but broadened to any creature which tries to OA you), expeditious retreat (far less than half the movement bonus, lasting only for a turn), and thunderclap or sword burst (AoE cantrip). Its damage scales extremely poorly (gaining only +1 damage every 4 levels!) and is of a mediocre type, only slightly less common as a resistance than cold, occasionally an immunity, but essentially never a weakness. The weak damage output means its niche effects are the primary focus, but that niche is quite narrow, such that most spellcasters will want to spend their few cantrips on something more generically useful. It really won't take the world by storm (pun absolutely intended.)</blockquote>

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