"...then you really just have those utility Cantrips. I don't see those being super useful..." =/= "WarpedAcorn doesn't see any value in utility cantrips"
I see value in utility Cantrips, but I also see them as extremely situational. A Cantrip like Minor Illusion would not be something you use regularly, or even at all depending on how your DM handles Illusions. Cantrips like Light can be replicated with a Torch, while something like Spare the Dying can be replaced by a Medicine check. Mage Hand can be useful, no doubt, but how often do you NEED Mage Hand vs. it was a convenient option. Plus, you only get 2 so you had better make sure those 2 are going to be REALLY useful.
But I am definitely open to hearing some examples you might suggest for the OP for which Cantrips to take and why they would be primo picks over the Ritual Caster list.
Ritual casting takes 10 minutes. You can't use it to cast spells in higher slots, and you're limited to spells with the ritual tag. These things make it my 2nd choice between it & M.Initiate
On the + side it's expandable throughout play & doesn't use up spell slots.....
M. Initiate - I can choose any 1 1st lv spell & cast it at normal speed, & maybe in a higher slot.
The cantrips: I've only ever chosen a damage cantrip twice (firebolt - in a game where I couldn't afford/gain a bow, & Magic Stone as it simply fit the character). Otherwise I don't choose damage cantrips because there's so many cooler things I can do with even zero-lv magic.
You see utility as situational & oft replaceable by the mundane. I see utility magic as chock full of useful, fun, options.
Light: I can do sooo much more with this cantrip than I can with a torch/lantern....
Minor Illusion?: Oh Hell yeah! RAW it's awesome! To discern it's not real an action has to be spent & an INT save made. Or physical interaction can be taken vs an image. Think about it: I'm casting spells. Odds are my foes don't know how powerful I really am. So it's not at all unreasonable for me to be producing some crazy effect - like say a Wall of Stone or better, a
prismatic wall (go ahead, run through that on the odds I'm bluffing), across a doorway. I've even made images of myself 20' down the hall to lure foes.
Message, Mending? : Also great/fun options.
Mage Hand?: I've been playing D&D for 37 years. I've encountered ALOT of stuff that I don't want to have my characters grab/touch with their own hands.
Prestidigitation!: My favorite cantrip. Assorted cool F/X!, I can light small flames (wich can grow
- wich is why you don't let children play with mundane matches)!, I can chill my beer!, and I can go adventuring all day long & come back clean & fresh!. You can even remove your tracks in some circumstances.
Here's an example of how my 1/2ling Warlock uses the Magic Initiate feat:
1st lv spell = Expeditious Retreat. Yes, I could take this as a Warlock. But I found that I really only cast it about once/day, so it's not worth tying up one of my precious Warlock spell slots on. I absolutely want it available though!
Cantrip #1 = Light. I'm a 1/2ling Warlock. I don't have darkvision, I didn't take the Devil Sight invocation (too many other cool options), and Light is not a Warlock cantrip.
Cantrip #2 = Mage Hand. I'm a 1/2ling. I'm 3' tall! Do you realize how many things are out of my reach??
Well not anymore
And there's plenty of stuff I don't want to touch directly.... Yes, I could've taken this as a Warlock cantrip. But I wanted Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion, & Magic Stone (because I don't use EB as that doesn't fit this character at all) at 1st lv. instead.
