D&D 5E Limiting Cantrips?

[Baron Opal II]

Aren't you making them 1/2 fighters at that point, however?

It is a delicate balance.

 

[Seramus]

You could always remove Cantrips entirely and sprinkle more Wands into treasure. It's a little more bookkeeping tracking charges, but you can spice things up with higher level cantrip wands. Imagine finding a nice 5th level Firebolt Wand with 4 charges per day, an 11th level Frost Bolt Wand with 2 charges per day, and wand of Prestidigitation that can clean a whole 20x20 room with 1 charge per day. The party can pass them around, mix and match, use them sparingly, and you can modify the cantrips to make them more unique and flavorful.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Aren't you making them 1/2 fighters at that point, however?

It is a delicate balance.

IMO not if:

A. They fall back on weapons when magic is not needed or not available,
B. They don't use magic (at least not primarily) to augment weapon attacks of their own, and
C. They have no (or very few) other features that have anything to do with weapon attacks.

There are always exceptions, of course, like I imagine a War Domain cleric being better at weapon attacks then they are in RAW. Giving them a fighting style or something would make sense. They aren't 1/2 fighters, but certainly something akin to a counter to EK and 1/3-fighters instead of 1/3-casters. I see the Bladesinger as a 1/3-caster as well.

 

[Aldarc]

There’s an OSR game called Beyond the Wall, where casters have at-will cantrips but each casting requires a check. Failing the check means either a) no more magic for the rest of the day or b) you botch the cantrip and cause a negative result.

I like how BtWaOA as well as TSL separate magic into Cantrips, Spells, and Rituals. It also meant that some classes got Cantrips and Rituals, but not Spells while some classes get Spells but neither Cantrips nor Rituals.

 

[TwoSix]

I like how BtWaOA as well as TSL separate magic into Cantrips, Spells, and Rituals. It also meant that some classes got Cantrips and Rituals, but not Spells while some classes get Spells but neither Cantrips nor Rituals.

Yea, the BtW chassis is a great lightweight system that feels like D&D but has some real innovation. Probably the only thing I don't like is they kept the old-school saves.

 

[Stormonu]

I like how BtWaOA as well as TSL separate magic into Cantrips, Spells, and Rituals. It also meant that some classes got Cantrips and Rituals, but not Spells while some classes get Spells but neither Cantrips nor Rituals.

Bwhat and TShuh?

 

[Aldarc]

Bwhat and TShuh?

Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures and Through Sunken Lands and Other Adventures.

Beyond the Wall is an OSR emulation of more young adult Bildungsroman fantasy (e.g., Ursula LeGuin, Lloyd Alexander, etc.) while Through Sunken Lands is an OSR emulation of more sword and sorcery fantasy (e.g., Fritz Leiber, Michael Moorcock, etc.).

 

[DND_Reborn]

Bwhat and TShuh?

Bless you!

 

[toucanbuzz]

Jinxes are usable 1 + spellcasting ability modifier per short rest.
Cantrips are at will.

Gives me something to chat with the group about this weekend. Thanks.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Gives me something to chat with the group about this weekend. Thanks.

Cool, let me know how it goes!