D&D 5E Question on prestidigitation cooling and heating matter

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

As has been said, it depends on the DM and the table.

I allow broad discretion with prestidigitation and its counterparts on the druid and cleric lists, because I know my players aren't going to try and create death rays with them or anything.

In a public or tournament game, I'd be a lot pickier.

But for me, who first heard about cantrips when Gygax introduced them in Dragon magazine, I take his original intent to heart that there are a lot of things minor magic can do that, as long as it doesn't infringe on the more powerful effects that spell slots take, are fine. If you want your wizard to always be cool and dry while walking through the swamps, they can be, until the temperatures get to the point where they're dangerous and need a higher level spell.

If you want to give the evil lord a hotfoot to make them look silly in court, you can, but if you actually want to damage them, there are specific spells for that.

 

[Smackpixi]

I think the key is that while you can use prestidigitation make water in a goldfish bowl warm, or hot, that heat isn’t real and doesn’t transfer to other objects, especially living objects. A living creature can feel the heat, but not actually be warmed. You can’t cheat the inability to warm up living matter, for example Xanathar’s goldfish, by heating up the water in his bowl and thereby heat the goldfish. The inability to affect living matter is there to deny non- illusory effects. It’s a trick, it’s not real heat.

You will, however make Sylgar feel very uncomfortable, even if you can’t suffocate him by truely heating the water and driving off it’s oxygen. For this offense, Xanathar will surely disintegrate everyone in the room, and by that metric, Prestidigitation is insanely overpowered.

 

[seebs]

If memory serves, original Unearthed Arcana cantrips were taken by memorizing four of them using a first-level spell slot. 3E added cantrip slots to standard loadouts. It wasn't until Pathfinder that we saw "yeah cantrips are unlimited-use" show up.