Prestidigitation: What can it really do?

[Prospector]

So I started playing an arcane character lately, and have Prestidigitation on my spell list. I have heard people doing interesting things with it (torture for example). So I'm curious to hear what you've done or have seen others do with it.

[Tetrasodium]

So I started playing an arcane character lately, and have Prestidigitation on my spell list. I have heard people doing interesting things with it (torture for example). So I'm curious to hear what you've done or have seen others do with it.

Clean things and Make your meatshield extra "tasty"

[Nathan The Lame]

I certainly wouldn't let my player's use prestidigitation to torture someone. Maybe, MAYBE, make a bound person uncomfortable, but that's it. I wouldn't let a 0-level spell like that inflict pain, and certainly not cause damage.

[NNescio]

I certainly wouldn't let my player's use prestidigitation to torture someone. Maybe, MAYBE, make a bound person uncomfortable, but that's it. I wouldn't let a 0-level spell like that inflict pain, and certainly not cause damage.

Mental torture by performing really lame magic tricks?

[fryplink]

I remember that in one book (I don't remember which) Prestidigitation was expanded to act like a small jet of flame (candle fire) and some other neat ideas.

[Prospector]

I certainly wouldn't let my player's use prestidigitation to torture someone. Maybe, MAYBE, make a bound person uncomfortable, but that's it. I wouldn't let a 0-level spell like that inflict pain, and certainly not cause damage.

The examples of torture I've heard are things like making insects that crawl all over them and/or underneath their skin (doing no damage, just being psychologically scaring), or chinese water torture-esque things.

[Olo Demonsbane]

Tome and Blood is the book that expands its uses... I prefer to use prestidigitation for offense at low levels.

Silverbrow Human Wizard 1
Feats:
Fell Drain (1st)
Practical Metamagic (Fell Drain) (Human)
Improved Initiative (Wizard variant)

Your first level spells are Fell draining prestidigitation. Every turn, for an hour, it can shoot a small jet of fire that does 1 point of damage and inflicts a negative level.

[Nathan The Lame]

Hmm, yes, I suppose that would be within the realm of prestidigitation.

[Sarco_Phage]

Tome and Blood is the book that expands its uses... I prefer to use prestidigitation for offense at low levels.

Silverbrow Human Wizard 1
Feats:
Fell Drain (1st)
Practical Metamagic (Fell Drain) (Human)
Improved Initiative (Wizard variant)

Your first level spells are Fell draining prestidigitation. Every turn, for an hour, it can shoot a small jet of fire that does 1 point of damage and inflicts a negative level.

That sounds hideously broken. You can literally wither up anything your level within a single round.

[fryplink]

Tome and Blood is the book that expands its uses... I prefer to use prestidigitation for offense at low levels.


Is Tome and Blood official WotC 3.5?

[twas_Brillig]

Is Tome and Blood official WotC 3.5?

Tome and Blood (and the other "X and Y" books) are all official WotC 3.0. They're sort of like the "Complete" series, but paperback and with worse art.

EDIT: So, technically, the rules for Prestidigitation presented in Tome and Blood haven't been superseded by anything in 3.0. At the same time, the text for Prestidigitation wasn't expanded to include them. Really, it's very much a "your call" thing.

[Drachasor]

Cleaning is huge. Being clean is huge. HUUUGE!

Just think about the lack of change of clothes most characters have to say nothing of all the disgusting things they get covered in.

Also, the kids love magic tricks.

[big teej]

Is Tome and Blood official WotC 3.5?

it's 3.0, the predecessor to complete arcane/mage I believe.

[Ardantis]

Metamagic: Persist or Permanency

Make the party rogue's feet jingle whenever he walks. Permanently.

(Granted, this is to be used in comical "grand revenge" party antics, not out of actual spite)

[GideonRiddle]

Originally Posted by Olo Demonsbane
Tome and Blood is the book that expands its uses... I prefer to use prestidigitation for offense at low levels.

Silverbrow Human Wizard 1
Feats:
Fell Drain (1st)
Practical Metamagic (Fell Drain) (Human)
Improved Initiative (Wizard variant)

Your first level spells are Fell draining prestidigitation. Every turn, for an hour, it can shoot a small jet of fire that does 1 point of damage and inflicts a negative level.

how did you get practical metamagic at first level?

[John Cribati]

how did you get practical metamagic at first level?

Humans get 2 Feats at first level. All other races get 1

[AmberVael]

In case anyone cares, the Tome and Blood expansion of Prestidigitation can be found online, link is here. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20010707)

[Cog]

Humans get 2 Feats at first level. All other races get 1
I somehow suspect "Spellcraft 8 ranks" and "ability to spontaneously cast 3rd-level spells" were the actual questions.

[Zaq]

Clean things and Make your meatshield extra "tasty"

I swear that some day I WILL use Prestidigitation to make myself (or someone else) taste like an elf. Why? Well, I'll do it when we're fighting a bulette. Bulettes refuse to eat elves, you see. Surely it would hesitate to eat anything that tastes like an elf. (Sure, it might still maul us to death, but it oughta buy us a round, at least.)

[Acanous]

Maybe he meant to say Arcane Thesis?

Although I don't know the Prereq's on THAT one, so.

[mootoall]

Substitute Arcane Thesis (Prestidigitation) then. It's a cheesier trick to use Sonic Snap though, since it's at range and sonic, meaning anyone who doesn't have SR is boned by a no-save no-attack roll negative level from a level 1 slot. Quicken and Arcane Spellsurge to taste.

[prufock]

Just FYI everyone who is promoting the "1 point of damage flame" tricks from Tome and Blood are forgetting this clause:


It cannot deal damage
You can't apply Fell Drain to it, or any other effect that requires damage.

[sreservoir]

Substitute Arcane Thesis (Prestidigitation) then. It's a cheesier trick to use Sonic Snap though, since it's at range and sonic, meaning anyone who doesn't have SR is boned by a no-save no-attack roll negative level from a level 1 slot. Quicken and Arcane Spellsurge to taste.

arcane thesis has pretty harsh prereqs, too. namely, K (arcana) 9.

[Pancritic]

As I recall, first edition AD&D had tons of different cantrips, and the idea of prestidigitation was to collect them all under a single spell. If you can find spell descriptions for them, they might give you ideas.

[NOhara24]

In a campaign I was sitting in on once, a wizard's brother was in a drinking contest with a Dwarf. The Wizard made the Dwarf's beer taste like urine through prestidigitation. DM let it fly, seems like it was something trivial enough for prestidigitation to cover.

[Feytalist]

I've had this idea in my head for a long time now about a bard that uses prestidigitation as his Perform skill. Like a stage magician and whatnot. I wonder if that's feasible.

[mootoall]

Hmm, what are the Easy Metamagic prereqs? I remember *something* working at level 1. I guess it's that or take ... shoot, was it Precocious Apprentice? The one that gives you a second level slot, Fell Drain, and ... I dunno, a flaw for Versatile Spellcaster. That should do it.

[DoughGuy]

Isnt there something about it affecting weight. Therefore you can a massive amount of air turn any colour effectively creating non magical blindness at level 1 whenever you want.

[Feytalist]

Remember that Precocious Apprentice awards you a slot that can only hold the one 2nd level spell that you have in your spellbook. So no metamagic shenanigans with that slot.

[Andreaz]

In a campaign I was sitting in on once, a wizard's brother was in a drinking contest with a Dwarf. The Wizard made the Dwarf's beer taste like urine through prestidigitation. DM let it fly, seems like it was something trivial enough for prestidigitation to cover.

It is. Changing taste is something prestidigitation explicitly covers.
My favorite use for it has to be creating dramatic winds on my hair and cloak whenever I make an entrance.
Once I used it to snuff out a candle that I stumbled on before it hit a curtain, preventing a fire.


As far as combat potential go, I'd generally not let it really do anything. If you insist in making it useful, make it so whatever you do costs you a standard action, offers a diminished version of a level 1 spell and that would last only that round.

[Draz74]

Yeah, I think the biggest use of Prestidigitation really is just that your party -- despite their lifestyle of sleeping in mud or dungeon slime, carrying around oiled weapons and armor and alchemical nastiness, and getting covered regularly in blood and guts -- will smell nicer than most of the population around them.

And have better hygiene in general. Toilet paper wasn't a big thing in medieval times ... outhouses become much more sanitary when Prestidigitation is involved.

For these reasons, I can't imagine that every noble who could afford one wouldn't spend 1800 gp on an at-will command item of Prestidigitation. Its other uses (cleaning the castle up easily without a maid, making food taste better, random ability to make things funny colors for artistic decoration) are just perks.


Hmm, what are the Easy Metamagic prereqs? I remember *something* working at level 1. I guess it's that or take ... shoot, was it Precocious Apprentice? The one that gives you a second level slot, Fell Drain, and ... I dunno, a flaw for Versatile Spellcaster. That should do it.

I think Easy Metamagic is the one that works, but I'm not sure; I don't pay much attention to metamagic reducer cheese.

[Piggy Knowles]

And have better hygiene in general. Toilet paper wasn't a big thing in medieval times ... outhouses become much more sanitary when Prestidigitation is involved.

Yikes. If apprentice wizards all have to put in time volunteering in outhouses, maybe I finally understand why so many people decide to become fighters instead...

[tyckspoon]

I think Easy Metamagic is the one that works, but I'm not sure; I don't pay much attention to metamagic reducer cheese.

Metamagic School Focus will also work if you don't have access to Dragon material, although only 3/day (or on 3 prepped spells.) If you're using retraining or have access to Psychic Reformation it's a good starter until you can use more general or unrestricted reducers.

[TwylyghT]

I've had this idea in my head for a long time now about a bard that uses prestidigitation as his Perform skill. Like a stage magician and whatnot. I wonder if that's feasible.

At the very least, have an oboe that projects a continuous prestidigitation or minor image, and take ranks in Perform(holophonor)

[Geigan]

I believe the trick was easy metamagic(fell drain)+fell drain+sonic snap for a 1st level instakill on any human/other bonus feat race wizard(at least for single HD creatures).

Prestidigitation is useful sneaking around for brief distractions. Also keeping clean, or soiling pranks. I was once in a party where I used prestidigitation after being seen once by the town guard to change the color of my skin, hair, clothes, etc, doing the same for my paladin as well as soiling his shiny armor. Snuck around right under there noses. Almost as good as disguise self.

[Yuki Akuma]

I've had this idea in my head for a long time now about a bard that uses prestidigitation as his Perform skill. Like a stage magician and whatnot. I wonder if that's feasible.

Isn't prestidigitation (as in, mundane 'illusions) explicitly the domain of the Sleight of Hand skill?

[Xtomjames]

Prestidigitation is one of those spells that you don't think of as being affective, but can be very useful if used creatively.

For example, with it you gain for an hour 1 lb telekinesis. You can set a candle or other flammable item on fire causing normal fire damage (including clothes, candles, oil, wicks, etc) and because you're not causing direct damage with it, it doesn't break the rules of the spell.

Torture is easy, especially mental torture. You could life one lb of water out of a bucket and force it around a helpless creature's head basically doing magical water boarding. You could create dancing light orbs that float around their head unrelentingly, or create music that the person detests.

In a maze situation you could lead people astray by setting up sound and corner of the eye images with it (floating light orb again) to draw them into traps. The possibilities are fairly limited but still there.


Isn't prestidigitation (as in, mundane 'illusions) explicitly the domain of the Sleight of Hand skill?


No, it's a spell page 264 of the PHB. However in real life I suppose yes you'd be correct if we had the "sleight of hand" skill to roll for (rather than it being a matter of practice).

[Yuki Akuma]

No, it's a spell page 264 of the PHB. However in real life I suppose yes you'd be correct if we had the "sleight of hand" skill to roll for (rather than it being a matter of practice).

...

I know it's a spell. :|

But card tricks and making doves 'appear' from your sleeves, without magic, is also called 'prestidigitation', and is exlicitely not Perform.

[Slipperychicken]

I've had this idea in my head for a long time now about a bard that uses prestidigitation as his Perform skill. Like a stage magician and whatnot. I wonder if that's feasible.

It would make a lot of sense to have prestidigitation give a bonus on Sleight of Hand performances. If you want the mechanics to seem more flavorful (not an uncommon sentiment around here), you can call it Perform(Stage Magician) or Perform(Magical Entertainment). Totally feasible, just ask your GM.

[QuidEst]

Isnt there something about it affecting weight. Therefore you can a massive amount of air turn any colour effectively creating non magical blindness at level 1 whenever you want.

1) The rules for Prestidigitation actually state that it can't duplicate any other spell effects. Blinding somebody (even temporarily) could fall under that, depending on the DM's ruling.
2) You can change the color all you want- air molecules are so loosely packed that you will at best get a fog. Which would be a more direct spell copy

I would have a blank mask, and use Prestidigitation to change the colors, switching between roles for a play. You can change the color of somebody's face to make them blush or flush with anger- handy in court intrigues. You can make prison food bearable, and fine cuisine a little… off for an enemy (or to get the cook in trouble). You can reheat your dinner, or chill a bit of metal to touch against somebody's neck.

Perform(blah) can include magic tricks, etc. for the purposes of making money, so there's not much reason it couldn't be that way in general.

[Bhaakon]

Make your opponent's tears taste like pure capsicum.

[QuidEst]

If it's magically made to taste like that, I don't know that you'd actually burn their eyes. Using Prestidigitation is more fun if you can get something really in its spirit- for me at least. XP The thing I love about it is the freedom you have- one hour per cast of doing a bunch of little things.

[mootoall]

1) The rules for Prestidigitation actually state that it can't duplicate any other spell effects. Blinding somebody (even temporarily) could fall under that, depending on the DM's ruling.
2) You can change the color all you want- air molecules are so loosely packed that you will at best get a fog. Which would be a more direct spell copy


Then move one pound of air (lots and lots of volume) away from a person's square, and start them suffocating.

[Drachasor]

1) The rules for Prestidigitation actually state that it can't duplicate any other spell effects. Blinding somebody (even temporarily) could fall under that, depending on the DM's ruling.

The thing it says it CAN do could fall under that, depending on the DM's ruling. I'd say it is probably best to largely ignore that line as a matter of practice.

[hawkingbird]

1) The rules for Prestidigitation actually state that it can't duplicate any other spell effects. Blinding somebody (even temporarily) could fall under that, depending on the DM's ruling.
2) You can change the color all you want- air molecules are so loosely packed that you will at best get a fog. Which would be a more direct spell copy


Unfortunately you're further limited to a 1 ft cube :smallfrown:
So it would be a very small volume of coloured fog

[NNescio]

Then move one pound of air (lots and lots of volume) away from a person's square, and start them suffocating.


...slowly lift 1 pound of material...

All you would do is to create a mild breeze. Bear in mind that any movement of air will cause air from other places to move as well. This is how a fan works, after all.

[Dalebert]

Then move one pound of air (lots and lots of volume) away from a person's square, and start them suffocating.

Okay, so you moved about 400 cubic feet of air, give or take depending on pressure and temperature (http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99510.htm). How are you keeping surrounding air from naturally flowing in to replace the air that moved away? Oh, this was a joke. I've ruined the joke by explaining it.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

In Pathfinder, you can make a decent amount of money as a clothes washer with Prestidigitation: the cost of cleaning it is 1 gp per outfit, compared to the normal few silver. And, you do it faster; the trouble is finding customers. If you have a stringent DM that would disallow bodily cleaning (since it only cleans 'objects' per the spell definition), take a wash rag with you, clean using that, and prestidigitize the rag clean ever few minutes.

[Segev]

Interestingly, Prestidigitation cannot purify water, but it can "clean" it. So it could take dirty water and make it clean enough for washing with, but not make it potable. (This isn't entirely nonsensical, but it is interesting.)

[Dalebert]

I home-brewed an item in my game that does that. It's a small towel with nice embroidery. When you snap it, it cleans itself and becomes moist with mildly soapy water. When you wring it out, it magically cleans and dries itself. The PCs have found multiples of these as they're fairly common amongst the wealthy. I'm not sure expensive bathing services would be that popular when wealthy people can buy magic items to do the same forever.

I've made an attempt to fill in what seem like gaps in spells and magic items (mostly items) for practical things that wealthy people would want magic for. For instance, I also made a magic chamber pot / trash can that disposes of small things put into it. Unfortunately, the way it does that is by teleporting it 100 ft away in a random direction. :smallbiggrin:

[Sartharina]

Make your opponent's tears taste like pure capsicum.
You can't do that, because the 'flavor' of Capsicum isn't a flavor, but an intense body reaction. At best, you'd get something annoyingly bitter.

[Chronos]

Note: "Capsicum" is the name of the fruit, also sometimes called a "pepper" or a "chili" (any of which terms include non-spicy varieties such as bell). "Capsaicin" is the name of the chemical found in many capsicums which makes them spicy, at least as perceived by mammals.