Need help for additional effect of Spell

[Razuchee]

So, in the current campaign I have a Storm sorcerer, and his player asked me he could have a ranged lightning cantrip (and no, lightning lure is aot a ranged cantrip).I like the idea of a mini lightning bolt, but I did not want copy fire bolt, so I decided on d8 damage. But I am out of original ideas for the additional effect. What do associate with being struck by electric discharge/do you have any ideas?

Spark
Evocation cantrip

Casting time: 1 Action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 Round

A quick discharge of Electricity jumps from your hand to a creature in range. Make a ranged Spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 lightning damage. In a ddition to all its hair standing up...

Now the possible additional effects:
- Against targets wearing metal armor, you have advantage on the attack roll.
- Against flying targets no to hit roll is required
- Wet creatures take double damage
- Instead of to hit, the target makes a save (Dex or Con) for full/half damage.

[Douche]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but typically something that would give the target a debuff would be a saving throw spell - IE vicious mockery, frostbite.

Making it an attack roll and giving the target a debuff stacks the odds in your favor too much... Meanwhile, making it have an attack roll and a saving throw would probably be needlessly complex.

[Razuchee]

Chill touch and Ray of frost, as well as shocking grasp roll to hit and they all debuff the target.

Concerning both: Thats why I also considered a save instead of to hit.

[SharkForce]

So, in the current campaign I have a Storm sorcerer, and his player asked me he could have a ranged lightning cantrip (and no, lightning lure is aot a ranged cantrip).I like the idea of a mini lightning bolt, but I did not want copy fire bolt, so I decided on d8 damage. But I am out of original ideas for the additional effect. What do associate with being struck by electric discharge/do you have any ideas?

Spark
Evocation cantrip

Casting time: 1 Action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 Round

A quick discharge of Electricity jumps from your hand to a creature in range. Make a ranged Spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 lightning damage. In a ddition to all its hair standing up...

Now the possible additional effects:
- Against targets wearing metal armor, you have advantage on the attack roll.
- Against flying targets no to hit roll is required
- Wet creatures take double damage
- Instead of to hit, the target makes a save (Dex or Con) for full/half damage.

have you considered stealing from acid splash as your base spell instead? lightning chaining to a second target is fairly thematic. if you want to differentiate it more, you could do Xd8 damage to the main target, and half that to second (and possibly third?) target. downside, it won't be possible to twin the power though.

anyways, a save to avoid damage should not cost anything for cantrips in power, unless the cantrip does half damage on a save (which would make this i think the only cantrip that acts that way, except in the hands of an evocation sorcerer). of the effects you've listed, advantage against metal armour is the only one that really fits mechanically with other cantrips for an attack roll spell imo.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I like "advantage against targets in metal armor" and "as Acid Splash;" maybe for the latter it could be something like "ranged spell attack deals 1d8 to the first target, and an adjacent creature must make a Dex save or take 1d4/casting modifier."

[Razuchee]

Thank you for the imput, I think I know what I am gonna do now.

[Foxhound438]

- Instead of to hit, the target makes a save (Dex or Con) for full/half damage.

cantrips generally don't do half damage on a successful save, since they don't require any resources to use


Anyways, if you are dead set on half damage on a success, I'd recommend dropping to a d6 and having that be the only effect- less damage, but with the benefit of having some guaranteed damage.