Usefulness of Cantrips? (free actions?)

[ThomasBJJ]

I have been pondering a whole slew of house rules for my campaign. During this process, I recalled that VERY FEW cantrips are ever used in combat. Even the low level spell casters usually have better things to do than cast any cantrips.

How often have PC's (or NPC's for that matter) used cantrips like "Guidance", "Resistance", "Virtue" , or "Flare"?

Never in any games I've played in or DM'ed

I like all those spells, but the simple matter is that the real "cost" of those spells is a use of one of your actions for the round. Unfortunately, the effects are so minor, that they are hardly worth the time used.

I'm leaning toward making a few of the cantrips (like the 4 listed above) have a casting time equal to a "free action", or possibly a "move equivalent action".

I'd like to know how the masses feel about cantrips. Do you use them? Why or Why not? Do you think allowing 1 cantrip/round as a free action would disrupt play balance?

 

[MarauderX]

I love to use cantrips, and until my wizard croaked I was using them more often than the 1st level spells.

Having them as a free/move equal action would make them really appealing to high level wizards, but could upset a lower level campaign. Fights last a while, and when a wizard expends all of her spells the enemy tends to go down more quickly. And if the fight lingers on for a while, a 1st level wizard becomes pretty useless except as a target towards the end.

Dancing lights came in handy when facing some dogs, and delayed the pooches long enough to deal with their deadly trainer. Flare is decent, and resistance is often times just overlooked. Once you get into the high levels the cantrip selection tends to be prestidigitation and other utility spells that don't give bonuses to the PCs as they already have plenty from items and such.

 

[candidus_cogitens]

What else would your wizard be doing with his (standard) action, if he's casting a cantrip as a free action? Attacking with his dagger?

I don't like the idea of a wizard casting more than one spell in a round. So you might want to consider limiting your house rule so that only actions other than casting would be allowed in the round where your quick-cantrip rule is used.