A cantrip[P.E.A.C.H];Do archmages use cantrips?

[Kernik]

I am using this as something of a test post but would like feedback on the idea of cantrips viewed as only useful as teaching tools that teachers have discovered uses for at very high casting levels. (One of my all-time favorite characters lost their wealth-by-level funds when I switched back to DMing and as an NPC was forced to get a job; I was just talking to my friend who was the alternate DM and it got me thinking about converting old homebrew spells to 3.5. I need allot of practice making things worthy of public consumption anyway.)
Dose any one think this would be balanced if I pushed the size affected up two categories? is it balanced now? Dose anyone else have any ideas for spells from apprentice days that a creative high-level caster would find useful?i
...and what should the penalty-to-hit be for a string tied to your arrow at mid-range?



Light-as-a-Feather
[Transmutation]
Level: Asn 1, Brd 0, Drd 0, Rng 1, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, F
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Targets: One held object or self; subject to size restrictions
Duration: While held, 1 round/level maximum
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) or Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

With an audible grunt your magic causes you to grow lighter, until you feel like like a strong breeze would blow you away.


The caster or an object they hold becomes much lighter, 1/100th it's normal weight; allowing the caster to carry objects they normally cannot lift or to walk across surfaces unable to support them. It has also been used as an substitute for Feather Fall by magical amateurs unable to cast first level spells, but lacks that spell's utility in emergencies as the longer casting time makes it all but useless, except when forewarned, or during very long falls, from great distances.

Light as a Feather was developed to allow a diminished apprentice to duplicate the supernatural feats of lifting exhibited by many fey of little stature, but immediate found popularity with enterprising assassins who found it allowed them to "tight-rope walk" across strings light enough to be tied to an arrow, or momentarily wield a weapon too heavy for them, and by shape-changed druids who found themselves needing to gain brief flight from vestigial wigs. The effect ends instantly if the affected object or creature touches another living or undead creature (but not unliving constructs) only allowing a single successful strike in most melee, or if it leaves the caster's grip, making it useless on ranged weapons, or indeed for throwing of any sort. While allowing heavier weapons to be wielded as if they were light, mass and momentum remain unchanged meaning that the penalty for oversized weapons is only halved (normally -2/size too big) and making exploits of balance or flight extremely difficult (apply a penalty of -4 to athletics, balance, jump or flight; flight is at a movement of 10 (poor) at best> worse with some wings but jumping distance and climbing speed are doubled).

The spell affects one inanimate object or the caster but only if the caster is of a high enough level; at caster level one a caster or object of up to fine size may be made light as a feather. At second caster level a diminutive object, a tiny one at level four, small objects for caster level eight, small at 16th.
Divine focus: bumble-bee fur; Arcane focus: Two small slivers of loadstone.

[Morph Bark]

:smallconfused: To be honest, I'd think a spell like this would have to be higher level than feather fall. Even though weight has no effect on falling speed I believe (it's still 150 feet in round 1, then 300 feet every round), it has many more uses. The penalties it gives offset it a little, I suppose. I'm not entirely convinced, but I'll say that it is a nice idea for a spell indeed.

[kryan]

Technically, that's realistic: lighter objects do not fall any slower until they're nearing terminal velocity (which will be lower than for a heavier object). So maybe instead of being Feather Fall, it could just remove a few dice worth of maximum fall damage (maybe 15d6 instead of 20d6).

[bloodtide]

Yes Archmages use cantrips.

This spell looks way too powerful for a cantrip though.

The ability for the caster to be weight less for several rounds is a nice ability, but a bit powerful for 0 level.

And then on top of that the spell can also effect objects.

This looks like a bit more of a second level spell.

You could make two 0 level spells out of this: Fey Strength-for moving things while tiny and Feather step-the one that makes you a bit lighter(maybe like half).

[DracoDei]

Actually, it sounds like you are effectively reducing the force/acceleration of gravity to 1/100 (since it explicitly states that it doesn't reduce mass for purposes of momentum), thus reducing falling damage (rather than just the cap) is perfectly reasonable.

I like this spell, since it encourages creative play. I would keep it its current level and see how it goes. Note that the Balance check for a string would be higher than that for a rope.

[Kernik]

I can't really think what the penalties for walking on a string would be... I'd like some suggestions, particularly for how I wrote this--I'm contemplating the idea that the penalty to Balance for any check (from problems with momentum) might cover some or all of the normal penalties for walking on a extra narrow path (you'd have trouble walking on the ground but would this get worse or easier than it normally would on string?). You have spent much more time thinking about this sort of thing, Oh Mighty God'sWyrm, what are your thoughts on which ways to go for mechanics? I'd like to includes rules for flight. Like most G.I.T.P.G.-nubes I have
pixies on the brain for some reason...
/_________///
\ ________\\\
...so I'm thinking about things that fly that seem like they should not to us products of forced scientific education. I'd also like to have spell to use for a "spelllike ability" when players question the wing size to gravity ratio--it would also give GMs a tool for allowing but limiting/regulating low level flight (...."What? you didn't know your raptorian had an innate spell-like ability? Why do you think that she can fly at will now? ..." can anyone think of the quote from "The Sword of Truth" where Richard contemplates draconic flight or the scene from the "Hollows" where Rachel notes that Jenks has the same wings as his pet but the pixie can pull off flight maneuvers the dragonfly can't? On that note, DracoDei, any thoughts about a prestige class for Chromatic or Metallic dragons who swallow their annoyance with your naturally talented masters of draconic flight and take some lesions?)

I think this has been two or three votes for "level is, as written, too low," one for "see how it play tests."
I wonder if every one noticed the size restrictions I put in and would like to give me feedback on them: could i get away with larger caster at lower level?


Originally Posted by bloodtide...
The ability for the caster to be weight less for several rounds is a nice ability, but a bit powerful for 0 level.
And then on top of that the spell can also effect objects.
This looks like a bit more of a second level spell.


Originally Posted by M-Bark
...I'd think a spell like this would have to be higher level than feather fall...The penalties it gives offset it a little, I suppose. I'm not entirely convinced...

I keep wanting to make what I've written a higher level, despite my intent to write a cantrip. There is, however, already a 2nd level spell to make any sized caster, of the sort of weights medium-people are, completely weightless, for all intents and purposes:
Levitate allows a willing subject to pull themselves along-a string or to run-across a celling--at range to boot! 100lbs and 10-rounds/level! And it also effects objects...and there is a 1st level that allows the same weight of any size to be carried, admittedly at max of waist high to a medium(tall) creature, for 6 times that duration!
Mage Hand would be able to duplicate most of the low caster level lifting applications, also at range.

M-bark, Kryan, do you think it should be a higher level, with the size restrictions as I wrote them? Bloodtide, same question but also how would you divide those two functions up, I'm curious; also can you, or anyone else, elaborate on Archmages using cantrips, please? I know the only two times I played the same wizard for years of real time I had gotten really used to their favorite spells and never stopped using them--but allot of people seem to think the low-level slots become a waste. Seriously, someone please contribute a few antidotes, or better yet some spells or spell ideas.

New uses for old spells at higher levels, please.

It has been a a generation since physics class but I think accelerational equilibrium, "terminal velocity," in my world, in a viscous medium (in a vacuum like DaVinchy's tube, falling,speed is uncapped) is determined by a ratio of mass to drag and is also affected by buoyancy of the object, relative to the medium. Lowering the effective mass of an object, and there for increasing its buoyancy and it's drag-surface-to-mass ratio, lowers the terminal velocity cap. Hence, halving the damage for a feather-fall-ed melee weapon and lowering it's cap for acceleration due to gravity to non damaging levels. I personally always thought this would make it easier to fly and would allow you to do it with wings of a smaller surface area. I get arguments though. I wish it was mentioned in the spell description.
What I'm tying with Light-as-a-Feather to:
1) Define a neat magical effect I have in a pre-verbal form, in useable game terms;
2) Create a less powerful spell than some already existing. I thought disassociating it from gravity was less powerful than telekinetically holding an object at a desired hight;
3) Give low level casters a tool to be creative with (thank you DracoDei, the reason that you gave for liking this is like, the highest compliment in my mind) but with DM guidelines written right in the description. I like the Grand Theft Auto games because they have the physics and the goals programed in-but not how you work with-in one to get to the other: the programers obviously didn't intend me to run the motorcycle obstacle course in a helicopter--but the goal was to get to all the places the story dictated I get to, in the time allotted. The main reason I prefer table-top RPGs is that anything at all the people playing agree is possible, can happen, even if no one ever thought of it before or it can't be programed. What I hate is looking too much up in the middle of the game when someone gets creative. This spell is similar to allot of spells I've seen put to creative use on the fly and I was tying to be thorough, which makes it seem like it dose allot, but really how much use do players get out of controlling the altitude of an object or willing (unconscious is R.A.W. willing) subject? I wanted to cover more bases,here.
4) I really do want to write a series of spells a high level wizard would find new use for when they dust them off to teach their apprentices.

Speaking of which I've rambled for far too long...here is the next spell; thank you, very much, everyone who commented; please keep giving me feedback.


Extermination
Necromancy [Death]
Level:Clr 0, Drd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components:S, M/DF
Casting time:1 standard action
Range:0
Target:All creatures with one hp or less in burst 1-ft/5 caster level, centered inside caster
Duration:Instantaneous
Saving Throw:See text
Spell Resistance:Yes


With your imperious gesture the fleas begin to drop off of you.

Exterminate instantly ends the life of the weakest of creatures, extinguishing their life force.
The spell slays 1d4 hp worth of living creatures per five caster levels (maximum 4d4), provided their full heath is not more than one hp. While the effect dose allow a Fortitude Save, the subject creatures still take 1 hp damage for every five caster levels, more than enough to reduce the weakest creature with no other protection to negative hp.*
While this spell was developed with the intent of "allowing" (forcing) the creator's apprentice to delouse before returning from market trips (it turned out to sometimes require more repeat castings than the apprentice was capable off--though they later had some success using metamagic to increase the area and killing mice in the tower-walls) it's true claim to utility (and over use by obsessive casters) came when it was discovered that, at high enough caster-levels, it apparently affects some of the invisible incorporeal creatures that cause disease. Exterminate is useless on a disease inside a subject after one day or half the incubation period, whichever comes first, doesn't affect any sort of magical, or indeed, two-thirds of other diseases-- but the third that are affected (1-2 on a d6) can be eliminated from the caster's body and the surrounding air, water and even bodies, living or dead. Often with one application. If applied during the window of opportunity by a caster above 10th level this even allows a second saving throw versus exposure (at a penalty of -1/hour since exposure). This use has lead some wizards unused to travel to memorize this cantrip whenever they leave their tower; many healers cast the orison form on any wound with debris in it. While this seems superstitious to many, it seems to greatly reduce incidental sickness in these casters.
There is a persistent school-yard legend amongst apprentice wizards that one such caster who had this spell available without a spell book, due to spell mastery, managed to somehow commit suicide with it while in prison, somehow. This is probably a phantasy as every year for as long as the most senior professor can remember, the Grand Academy's advanced scroll-creation students at have been trying to replicate this with every conceivable type of metamagic with no confirmed death-by-spell-completion items among the incoming students yet.
Material Component: A pinch of salt and a few drops of wood alcohol.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-

Speaking of spelllike abilities for little magic races (even though my main focus at this time is low-level "school-days" spells for high-level casters), can anyone good at balanced spell write-ups think of a spell, low enough level to be a starting, one-at-a-time but indefinite duration ability, for a smaller-than-standard sized-PC to have a personal extra-dimensional bedroom? l have this vision of a balanced first level party, including both the young, fresh off the farm someday hero, and their little friend: also young and off to seek their fortune, but from the family that lived under the bigger PC's family's hearth-stone, currently living, like a folklore house-gnome, in the old boot the party keeps for this purpose, like the high-fantasy version of Oscar the Grouch.
I'm thinking, a 1st level spell that creates a space, or expands a space like distance-distortion. The room inside this so-much-less-than-magnificent-mantion starts smaller than the space created by rope-trick or maybe famlure pocket, but lasts until dispelled and grows like a created demiplane.
The smaller-than-core-race's people would have developed the ability to have one-at-a time/caster of these spaces to help them live in the walls of the large creatures they live in symbiosis with; when the "big'umes" move, or when an adolescent house-elf goes off with a promising potential future homeowner, they keep their junk in, and hide from the demi-human hating world in their own brand-new personal space that their big partner keeps in their backpack.....

-==-=-=-=-=-=-=---=-=-=-=-=----=-=-=-=----=-=-

[bloodtide]

A useful Cantrip for Archmages.

Create Dust
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
School: Conjuration (Creation)
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close
Target: Effect 15-ft radius circle of dust
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No


With this Cantrip, you coat the ground in a 15ft-radius circle with a fine layer of dust. The total amount created is very small - if collected it would easily fit in a closed fist. Creatures walking across the dust will leave footprints. If cast on an area already occupied by a creature or object it will create dust on the ground beneath them unless they are attached to the ground or partially buried, in which case it will only create dust around them.

Material component-a pinch of dust


The use of dust can tell an archmage if something has been touched or moved and if someone has been in the area. And it's hard for a non-spellcaster to 'reset' the dust. And that is if they know the dust is even a 'trap'.

This nice, simple cantrip can tell the Archmage if a door was opened, for example. Without using any high level spells up.

It also has the 'trick' of making an area look 'unused'. The perfect set up for a trap. Gorm-"A look at all the dust in this room, no one has been in here for a while".

It even has the use of making an area dusty, so it needs to be cleaned. A nice one to use on apprentices(even more so in an anti-magic area, so they have to clean it for real).

[Shpadoinkle]

A useful Cantrip for Archmages.
Create Dust


Prestidigitation already states it can clean or soil something. I don't think allowing it to draw the dust out of the air (in a small area) and make it settle would be out of line.

[bloodtide]

Prestidigitation already states it can clean or soil something. I don't think allowing it to draw the dust out of the air (in a small area) and make it settle would be out of line.

Some what true.

Prestidigitation does say it can 'soil' something, but that is not exactly 'creating dust'. And to make something 'dirty and soiled' is not the same as just making it covered in dust. If you see a dirty robe on the floor, then the guy just needs to do laundry...but if the floor, bed and robe are all dust covered then the room looks abandoned.

So some DM's might be picky about it. So it's safe to simply have another spell.

[bloodtide]

Kernik, you might be taking the wrong route. You seem to want powerful cantrips with powerful effects. To make yourself and things weightless and to kill tons of vermin, plus cure bad things, are all very powerful effects.

Cantrips get their 'power' from the more simple things. Mage hand moves something light around, by it self does not do 'much'. But a clever caster can do a lot with 'moving stuff around'.

The same is true for most cantrips. Light is very useful to even an archmage.


Cantrips should be very simple. If you find yourself writing any more then a paragraph, then it's not a cantrip.

[DracoDei]

Well, I certainly didn't expect so many questions directed to me specifically, or I would have stopped back by this thread a lot sooner.


I can't really think what the penalties for walking on a string would be... I'd like some suggestions, particularly for how I wrote this--I'm contemplating the idea that the penalty to Balance for any check (from problems with momentum) might cover some or all of the normal penalties for walking on a extra narrow path (you'd have trouble walking on the ground but would this get worse or easier than it normally would on string?). You have spent much more time thinking about this sort of thing, Oh Mighty God'sWyrm, what are your thoughts on which ways to go for mechanics?
I haven't really thought about it, but -5 sounds about right. Since falling over is caused by gravity, this would give you more time to react and correct the problem. Once one got used to it, it would be EASIER to keep your balance under most circumstances I should think... changing direction, or speeding up or slowing down on the other hand would be gimped by traction problems... basically you are walking on the moon... on melting ice.

Oh... and congradulation on your Latin for getting the tense of my name right:smallwink:... a lot of people think it is "dragon god". :smalleek:

I'd like to includes rules for flight. Like most G.I.T.P.G.-nubes I have
pixies on the brain for some reason...
/_________///
\ ________\\\
Well, if Schlock Mercinary has its facts right (and it usually does), then humans should be able to fly with this with simple wooden (solid planks) wings. (The wings in the comic are higher tech, but then again it is on the Luna, which has more than .01G).



...so I'm thinking about things that fly that seem like they should not to us products of forced scientific education. I'd also like to have spell to use for a "spelllike ability" when players question the wing size to gravity ratio--it would also give GMs a tool for allowing but limiting/regulating low level flight (...."What? you didn't know your raptorian had an innate spell-like ability? Why do you think that she can fly at will now? ..." can anyone think of the quote from "The Sword of Truth" where Richard contemplates draconic flight or the scene from the "Hollows" where Rachel notes that Jenks has the same wings as his pet but the pixie can pull off flight maneuvers the dragonfly can't? On that note, DracoDei, any thoughts about a prestige class for Chromatic or Metallic dragons who swallow their annoyance with your naturally talented masters of draconic flight and take some lesions?)
Well, it isn't just general natural talent... it is a predeliction for practice... like otters "playing". Of course, the minor shapeshifting of a Wing Dragon's wings doesn't hurt either. I don't actually know if there is much room for such a PrC actually... Draconomicon already had spells Wings of Air and Wings of Air Greater I believe (but I could be slightly mistaken), a feat Improved Maneuverablity (again I could be slightly off, also there was a feat to increase flight speed, but it rather stank), and two strengths of Pectoral of Maneuverability. I never was sure if anything with both flight and tumble could tumble while flying (IE the Dogfight ability might not actually do anything). That basically means that the class would grant spells added to sorcerer casting and/or SLAs, feats (and equivalents there-of), and flight-speed increases... maybe with "Dream Flight" (You can fly in a straight line in your sleep... yippy:smallsigh:...) as a capstone. Hardly the most exciting PrC in the world I should think, although if people really want it, I could probably crank out the crunch when I have a moment. I am not saying that the abilities aren't cool, just that they are much more flavor than hard crunch... the smoke-breath, Tumble, sneak attack, Move Silently, and ability to see through fog/smoke/etc are what players are going to notice about NPC Wing Dragons in action I should think (talking to one, let alone riding one gives a different impression entirely). Come to that, if I mixed in a little Meta-breath, Supernatural ability gain, and some of the Wing Dragon's more choice SLAs (True Haste, Cat's Grace, Time Stop,... and I might as well throw Expeditious Movement in there) with a little Sneak Attack progression, it might turn a Mostly-Fluff 3 or 5 level PrC into a 12 level (Dragon PrCs tend to have 12 levels) juggernaut. Or I could do both... what do people think?



I think this has been two or three votes for "level is, as written, too low," one for "see how it play tests."
I wonder if every one noticed the size restrictions I put in and would like to give me feedback on them: could i get away with larger caster at lower level?

I intend to read everything after this point at a later time... PM me if I haven't replied within a week...





I keep wanting to make what I've written a higher level, despite my intent to write a cantrip. There is, however, already a 2nd level spell to make any sized caster, of the sort of weights medium-people are, completely weightless, for all intents and purposes:
Levitate allows a willing subject to pull themselves along-a string or to run-across a celling--at range to boot! 100lbs and 10-rounds/level! And it also effects objects...and there is a 1st level that allows the same weight of any size to be carried, admittedly at max of waist high to a medium(tall) creature, for 6 times that duration!
Mage Hand would be able to duplicate most of the low caster level lifting applications, also at range.

M-bark, Kryan, do you think it should be a higher level, with the size restrictions as I wrote them? Bloodtide, same question but also how would you divide those two functions up, I'm curious; also can you, or anyone else, elaborate on Archmages using cantrips, please? I know the only two times I played the same wizard for years of real time I had gotten really used to their favorite spells and never stopped using them--but allot of people seem to think the low-level slots become a waste. Seriously, someone please contribute a few antidotes, or better yet some spells or spell ideas.

New uses for old spells at higher levels, please.

It has been a a generation since physics class but I think accelerational equilibrium, "terminal velocity," in my world, in a viscous medium (in a vacuum like DaVinchy's tube, falling,speed is uncapped) is determined by a ratio of mass to drag and is also affected by buoyancy of the object, relative to the medium. Lowering the effective mass of an object, and there for increasing its buoyancy and it's drag-surface-to-mass ratio, lowers the terminal velocity cap. Hence, halving the damage for a feather-fall-ed melee weapon and lowering it's cap for acceleration due to gravity to non damaging levels. I personally always thought this would make it easier to fly and would allow you to do it with wings of a smaller surface area. I get arguments though. I wish it was mentioned in the spell description.
What I'm tying with Light-as-a-Feather to:
1) Define a neat magical effect I have in a pre-verbal form, in useable game terms;
2) Create a less powerful spell than some already existing. I thought disassociating it from gravity was less powerful than telekinetically holding an object at a desired hight;
3) Give low level casters a tool to be creative with (thank you DracoDei, the reason that you gave for liking this is like, the highest compliment in my mind) but with DM guidelines written right in the description. I like the Grand Theft Auto games because they have the physics and the goals programed in-but not how you work with-in one to get to the other: the programers obviously didn't intend me to run the motorcycle obstacle course in a helicopter--but the goal was to get to all the places the story dictated I get to, in the time allotted. The main reason I prefer table-top RPGs is that anything at all the people playing agree is possible, can happen, even if no one ever thought of it before or it can't be programed. What I hate is looking too much up in the middle of the game when someone gets creative. This spell is similar to allot of spells I've seen put to creative use on the fly and I was tying to be thorough, which makes it seem like it dose allot, but really how much use do players get out of controlling the altitude of an object or willing (unconscious is R.A.W. willing) subject? I wanted to cover more bases,here.
4) I really do want to write a series of spells a high level wizard would find new use for when they dust them off to teach their apprentices.

Speaking of which I've rambled for far too long...here is the next spell; thank you, very much, everyone who commented; please keep giving me feedback.


Extermination
Necromancy [Death]
Level:Clr 0, Drd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components:S, M/DF
Casting time:1 standard action
Range:0
Target:All creatures with one hp or less in burst 1-ft/5 caster level, centered inside caster
Duration:Instantaneous
Saving Throw:See text
Spell Resistance:Yes


With your imperious gesture the fleas begin to drop off of you.

Exterminate instantly ends the life of the weakest of creatures, extinguishing their life force.
The spell slays 1d4 hp worth of living creatures per five caster levels (maximum 4d4), provided their full heath is not more than one hp. While the effect dose allow a Fortitude Save, the subject creatures still take 1 hp damage for every five caster levels, more than enough to reduce the weakest creature with no other protection to negative hp.*
While this spell was developed with the intent of "allowing" (forcing) the creator's apprentice to delouse before returning from market trips (it turned out to sometimes require more repeat castings than the apprentice was capable off--though they later had some success using metamagic to increase the area and killing mice in the tower-walls) it's true claim to utility (and over use by obsessive casters) came when it was discovered that, at high enough caster-levels, it apparently affects some of the invisible incorporeal creatures that cause disease. Exterminate is useless on a disease inside a subject after one day or half the incubation period, whichever comes first, doesn't affect any sort of magical, or indeed, two-thirds of other diseases-- but the third that are affected (1-2 on a d6) can be eliminated from the caster's body and the surrounding air, water and even bodies, living or dead. Often with one application. If applied during the window of opportunity by a caster above 10th level this even allows a second saving throw versus exposure (at a penalty of -1/hour since exposure). This use has lead some wizards unused to travel to memorize this cantrip whenever they leave their tower; many healers cast the orison form on any wound with debris in it. While this seems superstitious to many, it seems to greatly reduce incidental sickness in these casters.
There is a persistent school-yard legend amongst apprentice wizards that one such caster who had this spell available without a spell book, due to spell mastery, managed to somehow commit suicide with it while in prison, somehow. This is probably a phantasy as every year for as long as the most senior professor can remember, the Grand Academy's advanced scroll-creation students at have been trying to replicate this with every conceivable type of metamagic with no confirmed death-by-spell-completion items among the incoming students yet.
Material Component: A pinch of salt and a few drops of wood alcohol.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-

Speaking of spelllike abilities for little magic races (even though my main focus at this time is low-level "school-days" spells for high-level casters), can anyone good at balanced spell write-ups think of a spell, low enough level to be a starting, one-at-a-time but indefinite duration ability, for a smaller-than-standard sized-PC to have a personal extra-dimensional bedroom? l have this vision of a balanced first level party, including both the young, fresh off the farm someday hero, and their little friend: also young and off to seek their fortune, but from the family that lived under the bigger PC's family's hearth-stone, currently living, like a folklore house-gnome, in the old boot the party keeps for this purpose, like the high-fantasy version of Oscar the Grouch.
I'm thinking, a 1st level spell that creates a space, or expands a space like distance-distortion. The room inside this so-much-less-than-magnificent-mantion starts smaller than the space created by rope-trick or maybe famlure pocket, but lasts until dispelled and grows like a created demiplane.
The smaller-than-core-race's people would have developed the ability to have one-at-a time/caster of these spaces to help them live in the walls of the large creatures they live in symbiosis with; when the "big'umes" move, or when an adolescent house-elf goes off with a promising potential future homeowner, they keep their junk in, and hide from the demi-human hating world in their own brand-new personal space that their big partner keeps in their backpack.....

-==-=-=-=-=-=-=---=-=-=-=-=----=-=-=-=----=-=-

[bloodtide]

A useful Cantrip for Archmages.

Evoke Material Component
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
School: Evocation
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This cantrip provides the energy needed form a material component worth less than 1 gold piece, allowing you to cast the spell without that actual, physical material component.

[jiriku]

Light as a Feather was developed to allow a diminished apprentice to duplicate the supernatural feats of lifting exhibited by many fey of little stature, but immediate found popularity with enterprising assassins who found it allowed them to "tight-rope walk" across strings light enough to be tied to an arrow, or momentarily wield a weapon too heavy for them, and by shape-changed druids who found themselves needing to gain brief flight from vestigial wigs.

I would like to see a druid with a vestigial wig.

[DracoDei]

Cantrips should be very simple. If you find yourself writing any more then a paragraph, then it's not a cantrip.
Yeah, gotta disagree on this one... they are all conceptually very simple, and the number of words to explain the specific mechanical effects is something I don't really see the relevance of.

A useful Cantrip for Archmages.

Evoke Material Component
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
School: Evocation
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This cantrip provides the energy needed form a material component worth less than 1 gold piece, allowing you to cast the spell without that actual, physical material component.

Kudos on avoiding cheese that I am sure exists in being able to summon the actual components.

[sreservoir]

you can still ice assassin a deity!

[bloodtide]

A useful Archmage Cantrip

Cut
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
School: Evocation (Force)
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 10 feet
Target: One non-magical object
Duration: Concentration, up to 2 rounds/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell forms a small knife of force that is used to make small cuts in visible non-magical, unattended objects. The spell causes 1 hit point of damage to the target object per round of concentration, ignoring the first 5 points of item hardness. This spell is good for cutting ropes, cloth, and even food with as much skill as the caster has with a small knife.


NotesThis cantrip gives the mage a very useful power:the ability to cut items. Naturally, this can be very useful in many ways.

[bloodtide]

Another useful cantrip:

Sterilize
Level: Clr 0, Drd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
School: Necromancy
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close
Target:
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This cantrip allows you to release a flood of negative energies that kill all of the microorganisms in Close range of your person that are not already within another living (or Undead) creature. Thus, it will not prevent disease-causing creatures from retaining their contagions or cure the sick, but it will clean and sterilize an area (such as a garbage midden or hospice) so as to reduce the chance for various diseases.

You can concentrate this negative force solely within your own body, allowing a second saving throw to purge yourself of disease, and also causing nausea (treat as Nauseated and helpless for the next round), 1 pt of temporary Con damage, queasiness (1d6 subdual damage) and infertility (lasting 24 hours if you are male or 2d8 days if you are female).

[ShriekingDrake]

Here are some I've been using that are cantrips for at least some classes:

Create Vine
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Bard 1, Druid 0, Ranger 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Up to 10 feet of vine/level
Duration: 24 hours (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You conjure a vine, which will remain in existence for 24 hours or until dismissed. The vine has 2 hp/caster level, armor class 10 + 1/caster level, and requires a strength DC of 23 + 1/caster level to burst. In all other respects, it is an ordinary, non-magical vine that will reveal no magical aura. The desired length of conjured vine will appear at a desired location within range.

Shroud
Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Assassin 1, Druid 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: S
Casting time: Swift Action
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Light emanating from the touched creature is only visible to that creature.

This spell causes light emanating from the touched creature--or from objects or effects controlled or created by the touched creature--to be invisible to all but the touched creature. The light behaves completely normally from the perspective of the touched creature, but is completely invisible to all other creatures, including the touched creature's allies. So a torch held by touched creature would shed light and create shadows only for him, but the light from a campfire near the target would shed light and create shadows for all (unless, of course, the touched creature made the fire).

Summon Nature’s Minor Ally (Adapted from Quintessential Druid II)
Conjuration (Summoning)
Level: Druid 0
Components: V, S, DF
Casting time: One round
Effect: One summoned creature
Duration: One round/level (D)
Saving throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell functions like Summon Nature’s Ally I, but it summons a Tiny or Diminutive animal of no more than ½ Hit Dice, such as a bat, cat, lizard, rat, raven, Tiny viper, toad, trout, or weasel.

[bloodtide]

A useful Cantrip for Archmages.

Conceal Writing
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
School: Illusion(Glamer)
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close
Target: 1 object
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: Yes (object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

When this spell is used, it conceals the written words, marking, runes, glyphs, etc. that are on or within a single object with an illusion of the underlying surface. This spell can be used to make a book appear to be nothing but blank pages, conceal the mystic runes on a magic sword's blade, or even hide the words etched into a massive stone tablet.

This spell cannot block the functioning of a glyph of warding or any other written magic that does not rely on being seen or read to take effect. If detect magic or similar effects are used, the entire object has a slight aura of illusion magic.

[Shpadoinkle]

A useful Archmage Cantrip

Cut
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
School: Evocation (Force)
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 10 feet
Target: One non-magical object
Duration: Concentration, up to 2 rounds/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell forms a small knife of force that is used to make small cuts in visible non-magical, unattended objects. The spell causes 1 hit point of damage to the target object per round of concentration, ignoring the first 5 points of item hardness. This spell is good for cutting ropes, cloth, and even food with as much skill as the caster has with a small knife.


NotesThis cantrip gives the mage a very useful power:the ability to cut items. Naturally, this can be very useful in many ways.

That seems pretty strong for a level 0 spell. Feels more like level 1 to me.

Now if it created a normal knife that didn't ignore hardness, then I could see it being level 0.

[bloodtide]

That seems pretty strong for a level 0 spell. Feels more like level 1 to me.

Now if it created a normal knife that didn't ignore hardness, then I could see it being level 0.


Note that Cut does not ignore hardness, it just ignores the first five points of hardness. In other words, it ignores the hardness of wood, leather and glass. And at one point of damage a round, it's not cutting much of anything.

It's good for cutting ropes, paper, glass, ice, leather, wood or even food. It does not have much combat use. sure, you could cut a battleaxe apart, if you used the force knife on it for five rounds, but that does not make it much of a combat spell.

[bloodtide]

A useful Cantrip for Archmages.

Animate Tool
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
School: Transmutation
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close
Target: 1 tool
Duration: 1 hour
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No


A single, small tool (such as a spoon, sewing needle, or small hammer) is animated by this cantrip. It will perform a single, repetitive task (such as
stirring a pot of soup, sewing the hem of a dress, or nailing boards into a house). The magic user must be able to perform the repeated action by hand himself. Weapons may not be animated by this cantrip, and objects animated may not be used as weapons.