Prestidigitation Clarification

[JET73L]

Has there been any word on whether the "chill, warm, or flavor" effect of Prestidigitation counts as one effect or three? This wasn't a problem back when Prestidigitation allowed the caster to create numerous effects within the 1-hour duration of the spell, but now it's the difference between "giving sulfur-tainted icy water the temperature and flavour of hot tea" and "having to choose between hot water and cold tea".

The specific wordings (apart from the irrelevant effects) are:

You create one of the following effects within range:
• <Sensory effect>
• <Firelighter/put-outer>
• <Dry-cleaning>
• You chill, warm, or flavor up to one cubic foot of nonliving material for one hour.
• <Colour or mark>
• <Handtrinket>


I think what it boils down to is: "Does the entirety of any non-mutually-exclusive text under each bullet point count as a single effect, or are they categories containing single effects?"

[GiantOctopodes]

Has there been any word on whether the "chill, warm, or flavor" effect of Prestidigitation counts as one effect or three? This wasn't a problem back when Prestidigitation allowed the caster to create numerous effects within the 1-hour duration of the spell, but now it's the difference between "giving sulfur-tainted icy water the temperature and flavour of hot tea" and "having to choose between hot water and cold tea".

The specific wordings (apart from the irrelevant effects) are:


I think what it boils down to is: "Does the entirety of any non-mutually-exclusive text under each bullet point count as a single effect, or are they categories containing single effects?"

Presdigitation is a cantrip which doesn't require concentration. Though I would certainly require two actions (castings) of presdigitation to both warm and flavor your water into tea, unless you only have 6 seconds when would that ever be a problem? You can cast it an unlimited number of times.

[silveralen]

I mean.... I doubt anyone is going to argue that with you ever. It is simply such a small thing, I can't honestly imagine someone actually abusing it in a serious manner.

[JET73L]

Fair enough. I was thinking from the point of view of a Ritual Caster (so far, I've only done a Druid and a couple of non-Wizard classes with Druid dips). I forgot that an ACTUAL Bard or Wizard would be able to cast it all day in six-second intervals :smalleek:

(It might make a difference when used as a distraction during a battle or while pulling a trick on an NPC, but that's not why I asked. I mostly asked for fluff reasons, for when I inevitably play a Sorc/Bard/Wiz.)

[GiantOctopodes]

I mean.... I doubt anyone is going to argue that with you ever. It is simply such a small thing, I can't honestly imagine someone actually abusing it in a serious manner.

I dunno, that soldier whose day old cold gruel you turn into a piping hot treat with the flavor of bananas foster or blueberry cobbler might not think it such a small thing :smallwink: Thinking about it, people would eat fantastically awesome food in the d&d world, with master chefs being those with a mastery of texture and access to presdigitation (and possibly a way to manage smells as well, depending on how you interpret the sensory effect).

But yeah, agreed.

[JET73L]

Thinking about it, people would eat fantastically awesome food in the d&d world, with master chefs being those with a mastery of texture and access to presdigitation (and possibly a way to manage smells as well, depending on how you interpret the sensory effect).

Endless Rations bundled with a Ring of Prestidigitation would sell like hotcakes among the affluent and magic-possessing ^_^

[Person_Man]

The point of Prestidigitation and Druidcraft is to allow players to do minor magical stuff that you see magical characters do in books/tv/movies/etc. They exist to make the characters feel more real and less hidebound by legalistic rules.

[Dalebert]

It's a little bit relevant since you can only have three such effects going at the same time. If you want to make hot "tea" for multiple people, you better cast it on the pot and then pour it into mugs. And it still won't have the anti-oxidant effects of tea since it's just tea-flavored water. :)


If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three o f its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dism iss such an effect as an action

[JAL_1138]

Also consider from a worldbuilding perspective that it could make spice trade almost (but not utterly and completely) obsolete. Think of how much earth history has been shaped by spices--how much exploration has been done, how much whole economies and societies have been based around flavoring commodities--and consider that anyone who can cast prestidigitation has utterly no need of any of them once they've had a fairly small sample and know what it tastes like. Or, for that matter, have had food prepared by someone else who knew what a given spice tastes like and replicated it well with prestidigitation themselves...

[silveralen]

Also consider from a worldbuilding perspective that it could make spice trade almost (but not utterly and completely) obsolete. Think of how much earth history has been shaped by spices--how much exploration has been done, how much whole economies and societies have been based around flavoring commodities--and consider that anyone who can cast prestidigitation has utterly no need of any of them once they've had a fairly small sample and know what it tastes like. Or, for that matter, have had food prepared by someone else who knew what a given spice tastes like and replicated it well with prestidigitation themselves...

Well, that still leaves issues. For example, someone rich enough to hire a private wizard cook is probably going to occasionally host large gatherings, or might want more than three dishes made.

Unless magic is just absurdly common (eberron) it won't change much.

[Myzz]

Well, that still leaves issues. For example, someone rich enough to hire a private wizard cook is probably going to occasionally host large gatherings, or might want more than three dishes made.

Unless magic is just absurdly common (eberron) it won't change much.


It does change its market value a little. The elitist peeps that horde money are not going to spend tons on spices that they can have their pet wizard cast for them (most likely one of the wizards apprentices for this very reason).

That leaves minor nobles, merchants and commoners to set market value, not the absurdly rich. Would it still be worth it? Heck yeah. Value per weight is extremely high for normal shipping. Include merchants who have access to teleportation circles and cost goes down drastically...

[Dalebert]

It's not going to destroy the economy. Wizards (and really any character with levels) have better things to be doing with their time so their time is going to cost a lot more than what it's worth to hire them as a cook and save on some spices. At most, it's going to be a handy thing for an elderly solitary wizard in a hut in the woods so the squirrel he just caught is palatable.

[JAL_1138]

Well, that still leaves issues. For example, someone rich enough to hire a private wizard cook is probably going to occasionally host large gatherings, or might want more than three dishes made.

Unless magic is just absurdly common (eberron) it won't change much.

AFB, but it's a cantrip, yes? It can be cast at-will once per 6 seconds all day long. One cubic foot of food being flavored and warmed/chilled per six seconds is an awful lot of food.

Also: high elves get a free cantrip, yes? As do variant humans with Magic Initiate? Bear in mind these are racial options, not class levels. Most people who would be buying spices in enough quantity to support a shipping industry would find it cheaper to hire an elf or a dabbler in the arcane than pay for spices that could, in some cases, be more valuable than gold by weight.

Which is simpler and cheaper: "hey, you, pointy-ears, go learn Prestidigitation and I'll hire you as cook for good money" or "charter a shipping company, have them send dozens of fully-stocked and crewed merchant ships to explore the globe, have overland merchants travel to exotic locales, hire or enslave local labor to gather the materials, buy enough barrels and crates to transport them, and then pay exorbitant sums to said merchants, etc., etc., so on and so forth"...?

It's a wonder any caster who can learn transmutation cantrips ever goes adventuring when they can undercut the spice merchants (if any even get chartered) and make a decent living for next to no effort by casting the simplest spell they know a couple dozen times (or less), taking a grand total of less than five minutes thrice a day.

I may be wrong about how easy it is for a variant human to learn; my PHB is currently in another state and I don't remember the full text of Magic Initiate. All High Elves can learn Prestidigitation (or any one other cantrip off the wizard list) as a racial feature before they get a single class level.

[silveralen]

AFB, but it's a cantrip, yes? It can be cast at-will once per 6 seconds all day long. One cubic foot of food being flavored and warmed/chilled per six seconds is an awful lot of food.

Well... yes.... but after 18 seconds you are done.

Maybe I misunderstood, are you saying that, because it is the same effect type, it counts as the same effect an you can have an infinite number of flavored foods at a time?

[goto124]

And it still won't have the anti-oxidant effects of tea since it's just tea-flavored water. :)

But I can make vegetables taste like bacon! Real bacon!

[JAL_1138]

Well... yes.... but after 18 seconds you are done.

Maybe I misunderstood, are you saying that, because it is the same effect type, it counts as the same effect an you can have an infinite number of flavored foods at a time?

Nope! Ignore everything I just said. Don't have my PHB handy and utterly forgot about the "up to three" limit. Derp. I feel quite silly now.

[Kinneus]

I always thought Prestidigitation would be handy for masking the taste of the poison you just poured into the Duke's wine...

[JAL_1138]

I always thought Prestidigitation would be handy for masking the taste of the poison you just poured into the Duke's wine...

Now that I could see...you could even go for broke and hand someone a nice glass of nothing but poison that's been prestidigitation-ed into looking, smelling, and tasting exactly like wine.

...incidentally, that sort of thing is why my character(s) in AD&D never drank anything anyone gave them, ever. I'd make up BS religious rules on the spot to explain it to anyone who might take offense.