Uses for Prestidigitation

[sambouchah]

While rolling my Bard for our new campaign I decided I liked the idea of Prestidigitation being used for scams and theft but I'm not sure how to do it.

[Thattaman]

Take something and replace it with a fake created by prestidignation. Noises that are distracting. Sudden effecs. Prestidignation can do anything.

[Ravens_cry]

Take something and replace it with a fake created by prestidignation. Noises that are distracting. Sudden effecs. Prestidignation can do anything.
Prestidigitation explicitly can't replicate other spells, and that sounds like ghost sound. Furthermore, the objects made by prestidigitation obviously "look crude and artificial. "
You might be able to use the lifting part for 3 cups, one ball betting by lifting the ball into the cup before lifting, it and use the recolour for a variation on three card monty.

[TheifofZ]

Even if it looks crude and artificial, as long as nobody is looking too closely at it, it should be fine. Of course, you can't use it for anything complex, but basic tricks are fine. Just be aware of the power limits of the spell and don't try anything too fancy.

[Ravens_cry]

Even if it looks crude and artificial, as long as nobody is looking too closely at it, it should be fine. Of course, you can't use it for anything complex, but basic tricks are fine. Just be aware of the power limits of the spell and don't try anything too fancy.
Making sure people don't look too closely would be a slight of hand and/or bluff check I would think.

[BowStreetRunner]

After you use sleight of hand to steal something - say a small object in a display case - then use prestidigitation to create a crude copy so that it takes longer for anyone to notice the object is gone.

Use prestidigitation to soil or color something in a way that makes it look spoiled or damaged. Then con the seller into reducing the price or even giving the 'flawed' goods away free.

When you go into town to sell the loot from your last haul, take the handful of gems (or similar small valuables) you scored and create a bunch of crude stones to go with them. Then, as the merchant appraises the gems, use sleight of hand to keep switching the fakes for the real ones so he keeps appraising stones with real value. He will end up paying for more stones than you actually gave him.

[AttilaTheGeek]

It can lift small things (want to make a distraction without Ghost Sound? Just lift and drop a pebble or something), create fake objects, clean/soil something...there's not much it can't do. *points to sig*

[Zanthy1]

I always enjoy having a small fireworks display, and then doing all the magic tricks I can think of for an adoring audience. You become the distraction, while someone else in the party does all the thieving :)

[ahenobarbi]

Buy barrel of water. Cast prestidigitation. Change color to look like expansive wine. Change flavor to match expensive wine. Sell before prestidigitation runs out. Make sure buyers don't find you.

Buy some lead and make it look like gold.

[White_Drake]

Use prestidigitation to soil or color something in a way that makes it look spoiled or damaged. Then con the seller into reducing the price or even giving the 'flawed' goods away free.

You better make it silent stilled prestidigitation, otherwise I don't think merchants take kindly to people ruining their goods.

[ahenobarbi]

You better make it silent stilled prestidigitation, otherwise I don't think merchants take kindly to people ruining their goods.

Not a problem. You can perform tricks for an hour after casting prestidigitation.

[White_Drake]

*checks the SRD*

And so you can. I guess that that's a valid tactic after all.

[Pandiano]

My favorite use?

Make the uniform of that annoying guard dirty, let him smell of beaverage.
Then ask loudly in front of the other guards if he is drunk in duty.

Make the pants of the arrogant official dark between his legs and smell of pee. Then lean back and enjoy the show.

More? :-D

[Cranthis]

My favorite use?

Make the uniform of that annoying guard dirty, let him smell of beaverage.
Then ask loudly in front of the other guards if he is drunk in duty.

Make the pants of the arrogant official dark between his legs and smell of pee. Then lean back and enjoy the show.

More? :-D

Beaverage. I couldn't help but imagine the man rubbing himself with beavers.

[Pandiano]

Beaverage. I couldn't help but imagine the man rubbing himself with beavers.

Damned foreign languages. :-)

Beverage, beer, schnaps....

[INoKnowNames]

Beaverage. I couldn't help but imagine the man rubbing himself with beavers.

Oww... my sides... they hurt with laughter...

[Jeraa]

Prestidigitation explicitly can't replicate other spells, and that sounds like ghost sound.

Ghost Sound produces effects equal to 4 humans/level. If you stay below that, prestidigitation should work fine.

Ghost sound can make the sound of a swarm of rats. Prestidigitation should be able to make the sound of a single (or a couple) or rats just fine. Ghost sound can make the sound of a squad of patrolling guards, prestidigitation should be able to handle the sound of a single patrolling guard.

[Rubik]

My favorite use?

Make the uniform of that annoying guard dirty, let him smell of beaverage.
Then ask loudly in front of the other guards if he is drunk in duty....I don't think that word means what you think it means.

[Darth Stabber]

My favorite use?

Make the uniform of that annoying guard dirty, let him smell of beaverage.
Then ask loudly in front of the other guards if he is drunk in duty.

Make the pants of the arrogant official dark between his legs and smell of pee. Then lean back and enjoy the show.

More? :-D

Which is why you should hire low charisma guards. They are less likely to successfully negotiate a pay raise, and they will have less chance aquiring... that... during a work shift.

[Pandiano]

...I don't think that word means what you think it means.

Jeah, found that out :-) But you know what I wanted to say.

[Kaeso]

My favorite use for prestidigation? It's an un-tested, highly theoretical approach that will end up with books being thrown at your head.

Let's go to the description of the spell

A prestidigitation can slowly lift 1 pound of material. It can color, clean, or soil items in a 1-foot cube each round. It can chill, warm, or flavor 1 pound of nonliving material. It cannot deal damage or affect the concentration of spellcasters.

The limits of the spell seem to be 1 pound, 1 cubic foot and non-living matter. This includes atoms, which can be split and fused by prestidigation according to RAW. Really though questions have a DC of 20 or 30 under the knowledge rules, so a wizard who invests a lot of points into knowledge (nature) would probably learn of the existance of atoms. Then, the plan enters into play.

1: Prepare greater teleport (2x), scrying, prestidigation and contingency
2: Make a contingency: as soon as atoms are split through magical means, teleport me (using one of the greater teleports) to this very location
3: Scry the location of the BBEG
4: Teleport to his sweet crib
5: Split and fuse atoms.

This atomic level manipulation should activate your contingency, teleporting you to a safe spot as the chain of reactions causes an explosion. You've literally nuked the BBEG, his hench(wo)men and all he holds dear out of existence. Sure, the land is uninhabitable for a century or so, but you can't make an ommelette without breaking an egg. :smallwink:

[Ryulin18]

I was running an urban campaign where players had to find a way of making their money between adventures. They were ingenious in doing so;

They rolled into town, set up a stall on a sewer line and opened the sewer grate that was there. the barbarian and fighter fished out "matter", passed it to the wizard who used a permanent prestidigitation effect to make it smell and taste of strawberries as well as turn pink.

After the effects took hold, they passed it to the bard and rogue who cut and sold it cheap to the adoring public! It was the cheapest and nicest sweets that even the poor could afford, they were flocked everyday and never ran out of stock.

They became very popular. The campaign ended before anyone found out.

[Wookie-ranger]

My favorite use for prestidigation? It's an un-tested, highly theoretical approach that will end up with books being thrown at your head.

Let's go to the description of the spell


The limits of the spell seem to be 1 pound, 1 cubic foot and non-living matter. This includes atoms, which can be split and fused by prestidigation according to RAW. Really though questions have a DC of 20 or 30 under the knowledge rules, so a wizard who invests a lot of points into knowledge (nature) would probably learn of the existance of atoms. Then, the plan enters into play.

1: Prepare greater teleport (2x), scrying, prestidigation and contingency
2: Make a contingency: as soon as atoms are split through magical means, teleport me (using one of the greater teleports) to this very location
3: Scry the location of the BBEG
4: Teleport to his sweet crib
5: Split and fuse atoms.

This atomic level manipulation should activate your contingency, teleporting you to a safe spot as the chain of reactions causes an explosion. You've literally nuked the BBEG, his hench(wo)men and all he holds dear out of existence. Sure, the land is uninhabitable for a century or so, but you can't make an ommelette without breaking an egg. :smallwink:

heard of that one, sounds good. Unfortunately atoms split all the time around us. The create Thermonuclear reaction akin to a Atom Bomb you need very specific materials, precise amounts of material and closely controlled circumstances.
however, i just thought of something else reading your post.


A prestidigitation can slowly lift 1 pound of material. It can color, clean, or soil items in a 1-foot cube each round. It can chill, warm, or flavor 1 pound of nonliving material.
sooo... undead?
You could fake body heat. or make tasty undead? :smallamused:

[Darth Stabber]

My favorite use for prestidigation? It's an un-tested, highly theoretical approach that will end up with books being thrown at your head.

Let's go to the description of the spell


The limits of the spell seem to be 1 pound, 1 cubic foot and non-living matter. This includes atoms, which can be split and fused by prestidigation according to RAW. Really though questions have a DC of 20 or 30 under the knowledge rules, so a wizard who invests a lot of points into knowledge (nature) would probably learn of the existance of atoms. Then, the plan enters into play.

1: Prepare greater teleport (2x), scrying, prestidigation and contingency
2: Make a contingency: as soon as atoms are split through magical means, teleport me (using one of the greater teleports) to this very location
3: Scry the location of the BBEG
4: Teleport to his sweet crib
5: Split and fuse atoms.

This atomic level manipulation should activate your contingency, teleporting you to a safe spot as the chain of reactions causes an explosion. You've literally nuked the BBEG, his hench(wo)men and all he holds dear out of existence. Sure, the land is uninhabitable for a century or so, but you can't make an ommelette without breaking an egg. :smallwink:

It would take significantly more than 1lb of force to overcome enough of the strong force to enable a nuclear blast. They don't call it the strong force for nothing, gravity and EM can't even remotely compare.


sooo... undead?
You could fake body heat. or make tasty undead? :smallamused:

Actually the fake body heat would be useful for a vampire or recently changed lich. Plus who wouldn't want to make undead delicious, trick animals into eating them and getting a nasty tummy ache (seriously, even if the rules don't specifically call for it, I can't imagine that negative energy charged necrotic flesh would be particularly healthy).

[Story]

They became very popular. The campaign ended before anyone found out.

It only lasts an hour.

[Ryulin18]

the wizard who used a permanent prestidigitation effect to make it smell and taste of strawberries as well as turn pink.


It only lasts an hour.

unless it was made permanent. I made it permanent because the wizard used it ingeniously numerous times and I thought he deserved it.

[Yomega]

In a game I played we had a couple guys with prestitigitation and wherever we went we had brooms and mops and such dancing around like the old micky mouse movies and altho all it sucsessfuly did was constantly drag the game to an absolute halt having all of us doo doo doo the old tune it was fun as hell and one of my favorite game memorys.

Best part is whenever we did it the dm would just say "I hate you guys"
It was ausome

[AuraTwilight]

Your DM allowed Prestidigitation to work as Animate Object?

[BowStreetRunner]

Your DM allowed Prestidigitation to work as Animate Object?

Or unseen servant?

[ShriekingDrake]

This (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20010707) might be useful to you.

[avr]

The original cantrips which prestigitation is based on included the ability to create puffs of smoke. This could be useful for the basic distraction technique of yelling Fire! and pointing.