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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 9431749" data-attributes="member: 6877472">I don't really have any problem with cantrips scaling, but I can see a few issues with them.1- ammunition.  Now, I don't personally think tracking arrows and bolts is a big deal, and I use a variant system that, as long as the group remains supplied, they can shoot ranged weapons to their heart's content.  But if you do play a game that tracks ammunition, then having to lug around multiple quivers of arrows when the Sorcerer can spam firebolt is a bit unfair.  Sure, ranged weapons can have very long ranges, but that probably doesn't come up enough to justify the beancounting.2- elemental damage is often just superior to weapon damage, as not only are a lot of creatures resistant to nonmagical weapons, but occasionally you need that elemental damage to trigger vulnerabilities or turn off regeneration, and ranged weapons don't offer these options at all!  My first 5e character was an archer, and d6+3/2 from my shortbow feels pretty sad vs. d10 from firebolt.3- about those ranged penalties- spells don't have them!  Sure, maybe the range is limited, but never having to worry about disadvantage due to distance is pretty keen.4- rather than just upping the weapon damage as you level up, 4e style, martial classes have to have extra special powers to increase damage, with things like extra attack or sneak attack.  Monsters are perfectly fine with abilities that say "add one die to weapon damage", ala the Gladiator, but PC's are strangely bound to this one die of damage.  Sure, 2 x d8+4 blows 2d10 out of the water, but it also burns twice as much ammunition!5- the fact that there is no special ability required to boost cantrips, it just sort of happens.  You can be a 5th level High Elf Fighter with no training in Wizardry at all and have a 2d10 firebolt!  And that's not getting into those classes who can add an ability score to their cantrip damage (the most egregious being Warlocks).6- critical hits.  Since most of the time, you're just rolling another weapon die, a critical hit doesn't always feel that impressive- but 6d10 off a firebolt is a whole other story!7- maybe it strikes you as odd that that leveled spells only get better if you upcast them, using more of your energy, but cantrips just improve?  It doesn't take long before you're not even using 1st level slots for damage anymore when you have this ol' reliable cantrip that does way more damage!I would have preferred a system where you could get more uses of low level spells or even something like spell mastery at much lower levels. I mean, think about this.   By the time I could cast magic missile all day long, I have a 4d10 firebolt!  This seems backwards, I'd much rather be like "oh hey, you're 7th level?  Great, now you can use basic magic missile all day long!".8- there's also the utility.  You need to light a fire in a raging blizzard? Firebolt has you covered- in fact, it has every "light on fire" situation you might have covered (unless the damage burns something to a crisp, lol) at serious range!  Sure, not all attack cantrips can affect objects (for, uh, reasons), but a creative spellcaster will get a lot of mileage out of this.  It also leads to un-fun interactions like:DM: "You are unable to get past the arcane locked door."Player: "Who has two thumbs and can cast a cantrip every round?  This guy!"9- and finally, if you're the kind of person who likes the "limited great power" flavor for spellcasters, where the unwary wizard can find himself throwing darts if he's not cautious, well, have no fear, you apparently have a limitless source of magical energy...which makes no sense.  Not that spell slots make tons of sense to begin with ("Why do I have three 3rd level spell slots and one 4th?  Why couldn't I turn the 4th into a 1st and a 3rd level spell?"), but it really highlights how much of a gamist element they are and might be difficult to explain in-universe.</blockquote>

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