Druid utility cantrips

[nickl_2000]

So yesterday I posted asking for creative uses of Druidcraft and got a whopping 1 answer (not a criticism of the members here at all). I'm taking this as the community telling me that Druidcraft is really not that useful of a spell in most cases. I already have Chill touch, Produce Flame, and Shilleigh as my current cantrips and want a utility cantrip now. So, I am left with a choice for my Moon Druid for the level 4 cantrip of mending, guidance, control flames, shape water, or mold earth.

No one in the party has any of these spells, and we don't have a bard in the party. Also I am the only one in the party who will be able to get guidance, while we have an EK, Sorcerer, and Warlock who could get others. So, I am leaning towards Guidance since it's helpful in the most situation, but others seems like they would be fun and grant unique solutions to problems. Any thoughts on your experience of which would be used more.

[Sir cryosin]

Your going to get more use out of guidance then any other cantrip.

[Emay Ecks]

Guidance is an amazing cantrip. Druidcraft hardly does anything practical (I've really only seen it taken for flavor reasons, and then never been used). Shape water and mold earth have fun and creative uses, but are very situational. I've seen mending come in handy, but as long as one person in the party has it you're fine (and you're still probably fine if no one has it).

Guidance gives you an average of 2.5 increase to every out of combat ability check you make. It's phenomenal for passing perception checks, investigation checks, knowledge checks, and survival checks. Myself and most other dms I've played with do not allow it for charisma and stealth because there is a vocal and somatic component which makes it obvious you are magically enhancing yourself.

[Azgeroth]

sorry i missed your first thread, heres a few uses for druidcraft.

start a camp fire! stop a camp fire! as long as its small...

make a rose for that NPC you like

cause apples/pears/oranges/banannas? to instantly grow and ripen for you to pluck and eat on the go! (basically, free fresh food for you and as many others as you like, provided you can find a fruit or nut tree/bush. or make one grow with plant growth.)

make a garland.

thats about it really..

of the others, for utility, guidance is amazing, +1d4 to any ability check.. note that is NOT attack/saving throws, but for any stealth check, persuasion check, athletics, arcana, etc etc. + 1 - 4 is great.

[nickl_2000]

Interesting on guidance being used for all ability checks. Since it's an ability check, it could very easily be used prior to entering a room where you expect combat to take place. Initiative is considered an ability check, so someone 1d4 higher in init can make a huge difference in combat.

[Tetrasodium]

Guidance is great for checks you can expect & plan ahead on. you missed thorn whip, it's got a lot more utility than you might think though. Pull things off ledges/bridges/ceilings, pull your buddy out of a flying critter's grip before they can be hauled off & savaged alone/dropped far far down, disrupt enemy lines, pull things away from your squishy glass cannon friends friends so they can run like a screaming little girl & attack instead of disengage/get AoO'd before they run.

[nickl_2000]

Guidance is great for checks you can expect & plan ahead on. you missed thorn whip, it's got a lot more utility than you might think though. Pull things off ledges/bridges/ceilings, pull your buddy out of a flying critter's grip before they can be hauled off & savaged alone/dropped far far down, disrupt enemy lines, pull things away from your squishy glass cannon friends friends so they can run like a screaming little girl & attack instead of disengage/get AoO'd before they run.

I appreciate the mention, I didn't forget it since the Gish Sorcerer has lightning lure already and that is effectively the same spell. So, I was planning for different utility.

[Drackolus]

I've made a few characters with minor illusion, prestidigitation, thaumaturgy, and druidcraft, and use them in that order... I honestly think I've never found something useful to do with druidcraft. You can detect weather, but none of my dm's have really used weather.
And I'll second that the best utility cantrips are guidance and minor illusion. They are practically class features in of themselves.

[Brawnspear]

My players have used druidcraft to mask smells, cause distractions, and to aid in their food gathering. Its a fun flavor cantrip, but not necessarily a good utility one.

While guidance is definitely your mechanically best bet, I like shape water and move earth as well. Never know when you'll have to dig a hole fast, or want to grant yourself some ready made cover. I have a goliath bearbarian with access to shape water, I carry around a barrel of it in many situations. Its primo for a desert trip, just shape it into an ice collar to keep you cool.

[Renduaz]

I already gave you the best use you're ever going to get for Druidcraft in that thread, OP, perhaps you've missed it:

To a minor extent, "You instantly make a flower boom", and to a much greater extent, "You instantly make a leaf bud blossom" can be used to make gold with edible leaves such as cabbage or more expensively, difficult to grow cooking herbs by obtaining/purchasing the seeds and foregoing what would normally be the cost of watering, fertilizing and especially the massive amount of time needed, not to mention the risk factor of a poor season or drought, by simply blossoming all of their leaves instantly as soon as you have the buds. Can also lend your service to any farmers you pass by, "Hey sir, how about I make your entire cabbage field/herb garden all blossom instantly instead of you toiling for a few months and risking poor crops which didn't grow or bad weather and fertilization, for a small price?"

With the expensive, exotic spicing herbs or flowers like Lotus, Anise and so forth which would normally be a huge pain in the ass to grow properly under the right climate, you could make a lot of gold by just blossoming their buds instantly. Not to mention also blooming various flowers used for perfumes, medicinal herbs, and so forth.



sorry i missed your first thread, heres a few uses for druidcraft.

start a camp fire! stop a camp fire! as long as its small...

make a rose for that NPC you like

cause apples/pears/oranges/banannas? to instantly grow and ripen for you to pluck and eat on the go! (basically, free fresh food for you and as many others as you like, provided you can find a fruit or nut tree/bush. or make one grow with plant growth.)

make a garland.

thats about it really..

of the others, for utility, guidance is amazing, +1d4 to any ability check.. note that is NOT attack/saving throws, but for any stealth check, persuasion check, athletics, arcana, etc etc. + 1 - 4 is great.

You can't grow fruit. Druidcraft only makes flowers blossom, seed pods open, and leaf buds bloom. You also technically can't create a rose out of nothing, you would need one already, but you could just make it blossom. You could also make a garland but you'd need all the leaf buds.

[nickl_2000]

I already gave you the best use you're ever going to get for Druidcraft in that thread, OP, perhaps you've missed it:

To a minor extent, "You instantly make a flower boom", and to a much greater extent, "You instantly make a leaf bud blossom" can be used to make gold with edible leaves such as cabbage or more expensively, difficult to grow cooking herbs by obtaining/purchasing the seeds and foregoing what would normally be the cost of watering, fertilizing and especially the massive amount of time needed, not to mention the risk factor of a poor season or drought, by simply blossoming all of their leaves instantly as soon as you have the buds. Can also lend your service to any farmers you pass by, "Hey sir, how about I make your entire cabbage field/herb garden all blossom instantly instead of you toiling for a few months and risking poor crops which didn't grow or bad weather and fertilization, for a small price?"

With the expensive, exotic spicing herbs or flowers like Lotus, Anise and so forth which would normally be a huge pain in the ass to grow properly under the right climate, you could make a lot of gold by just blossoming their buds instantly. Not to mention also blooming various flowers used for perfumes, medicinal herbs, and so forth.



I did see you post, and it was my mistake in saying 1 response, I got two responses. While your suggestion is great and certainly the best possible application of druidcraft, it isn't something that comes up at my table very often and it pales in comparison to the creative uses and out of combat utility of the other spells mentioned.

So, please don't think I was unappreciative, I do truly appreciate the response and the ideas.

[Renduaz]

I did see you post, and it was my mistake in saying 1 response, I got two responses. While your suggestion is a great one, it isn't something that comes up at my table very often and it pales in comparison to the creative uses and out of combat utility of the other spells mentioned.

So, please don't think I was unappreciative, I do truly appreciate the response and the ideas.

Well, it could be a nice way of procuring gold, but I guess "Prestidigitation" does that better too. Druid cantrips just can't be exploited very greatly.

[nickl_2000]

Well, it could be a nice way of procuring gold, but I guess "Prestidigitation" does that better too. Druid cantrips just can't be exploited very greatly.

It probably is a better way to earn gold than prestidigation is, however once you hit level 5 or so you usually have enough gold that you don't even need to really think about it

[SpamCreateWater]

It probably is a better way to earn gold than prestidigation is, however once you hit level 5 or so you usually have enough gold that you don't even need to really think about it

With some very simplified napkin mathematics and, in game, help from an Unseen Servant or two you could make $780/hour from selling saffron.

This is assuming a few things:

Each saffron seed creates 3 flowers to cultivate.
It takes 150 flowers to create 1 gram of dried saffron - it will take less if you sell it moist and freshly harvested, but will probably sell for a smaller amount.
Dried (I think) saffron sells for $65/gram at present - it should be (relatively) higher in value if you're playing faux-medieval times due to our better harvesting knowledge, inflation, and automation of parts of the production process (still labour intensive even today). You also don't have to smother the fields in manure! Less overheads, yay.


If you can cast it on 1 plant per round, and each plant creates 3 flowers... you're getting 1 gram every 5 minutes, and 12 grams an hour.

Obviously, there needs to be a lot more work involved, but you get the idea. It's very profitable and, as a claim to fame, you can market them as "picked as they bloom" - saffron harvesting is time sensitive. The flowers wilt quickly over the course of a day after they bloom at dawn - so you can charge a premium for your speedy harvest times.

[Basement Cat]

I missed your Druidcraft thread, too.

Ideas for it:

*Produce a little whirlwind that can be used to clean floors.
*Create minor rainbows.
*Create animal tracks to deceive trackers.
*Use it as Bug Repellent to spare you from mosquitoes, gnats, ants and other nasties in the air and on the ground.
*Spoil foods or refresh them back to being healthily edible. (or is this a Leveled spell? Don't recall.)
*Manipulate pooled water for minor tricks like faking a small "water snake" or making it splash.
*Manipulate fire to form a ring while you karaoke "I Fell into a Burning Ring of Fire".

[SpamCreateWater]

I missed your Druidcraft thread, too.

Ideas for it:

*Produce a little whirlwind that can be used to clean floors.
*Create minor rainbows.
*Create animal tracks to deceive trackers.
*Use it as Bug Repellent to spare you from mosquitoes, gnats, ants and other nasties in the air and on the ground.
*Spoil foods or refresh them back to being healthily edible. (or is this a Leveled spell? Don't recall.)
*Manipulate pooled water for minor tricks like faking a small "water snake" or making it splash.
*Manipulate fire to form a ring while you karaoke "I Fell into a Burning Ring of Fire".

Your reply made me review the description of Druidcraft.

"A harmless sensory effect" is really broad - don't think you're limited to 5 senses, either.
Temperature, balance, and time are all senses we have. And then there's sense we don't have that can be messed with, like a bat/dolphin's echolocation or infrared 'vision'.

[Basement Cat]

My first list was of my own making but here are some additional suggestions for Druidcraft I looked up.


* Identify the species of any natural plant or animal (as 1e/2e druid power)
* Identify water that is pure and safe to drink (as 1e/2e druid power)
* Sense the general emotional state and motivation of an animal within 25ft (hungry, afraid, protective, etc).
* Convince an animal within 25ft that is attacking due to hunger or protectiveness not to do so. This will not calm down animals that are trained to attack and are obeying the commands of their handlers.
* Offset prevailing natural weather conditions for a single creature, granting advantage on saving throws against heatstroke, hypothermia, catching a cold, etc

And a separate list with some repetition from prior examples. One says my water snake suggestion is a No-no so a ruling by others would be welcome.

- Instantaneous sound that originates from a point of choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, or any animal up to medium size (is medium too much?)
- Earth: Harmless tremors in the ground for 1 minute, shape mud or rock no more than a 5 ft cube... Can't think of other simple earth themed effects
- Fire: Create or snuff flames, cause flames to flicker, brighten or dim (not change colour as that isn't "natural")
- Air: soft breeze, raise or lower the temperature in a 5 ft cube (a change no bigger than 5º C), blow leaves
- Water: Make waves in a body of water, make something float in a direction of your choosing. (no water creation though)
- Shape dead wood, or twist and weave living branches or ground vegetation

EDIT: Another use for Druidcraft of my own: Grow hair (including beard hair). Contrary-wise use it to cause yourself or someone to shed their hair. I have a character that uses it both for shaving and manicuring his mutton chop beard.

[Zene]

I appreciate the mention, I didn't forget it since the Gish Sorcerer has lightning lure already and that is effectively the same spell. So, I was planning for different utility.

They try to do the same thing, but thorn whip is straight-up better at it. Due mostly to better range, and partly to melee spell attack instead of dex saving throw. Also, sorcerer gishes will almost never use it, because they'll have the option of using gfb/bb to do a lot more damage, or a ranged damaging spell to do a ton more damage or better effect.

My vote is for guidance as it's the most useful cantrip in the game. But both characters I have Thorn Whip on use it way more than I thought they would; and my character with Lightning Lure uses it way less than I thought it would.

[JackPhoenix]

Can also lend your service to any farmers you pass by, "Hey sir, how about I make your entire cabbage field/herb garden all blossom instantly instead of you toiling for a few months and risking poor crops which didn't grow or bad weather and fertilization, for a small price?"

Instantly, one leaf/blossom at a time... so, far from instant, really.

[nickl_2000]

Instantly, one leaf/blossom at a time... so, far from instant, really.

The third level Plant Growth works incredibly well for that though

[Tetrasodium]

My first list was of my own making but here are some additional suggestions for Druidcraft I looked up.


* Identify the species of any natural plant or animal (as 1e/2e druid power)
* Identify water that is pure and safe to drink (as 1e/2e druid power)
* Sense the general emotional state and motivation of an animal within 25ft (hungry, afraid, protective, etc).
* Convince an animal within 25ft that is attacking due to hunger or protectiveness not to do so. This will not calm down animals that are trained to attack and are obeying the commands of their handlers.
* Offset prevailing natural weather conditions for a single creature, granting advantage on saving throws against heatstroke, hypothermia, catching a cold, etc

And a separate list with some repetition from prior examples. One says my water snake suggestion is a No-no so a ruling by others would be welcome.

- Instantaneous sound that originates from a point of choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, or any animal up to medium size (is medium too much?)
- Earth: Harmless tremors in the ground for 1 minute, shape mud or rock no more than a 5 ft cube... Can't think of other simple earth themed effects
- Fire: Create or snuff flames, cause flames to flicker, brighten or dim (not change colour as that isn't "natural")
- Air: soft breeze, raise or lower the temperature in a 5 ft cube (a change no bigger than 5º C), blow leaves
- Water: Make waves in a body of water, make something float in a direction of your choosing. (no water creation though)
- Shape dead wood, or twist and weave living branches or ground vegetation

EDIT: Another use for Druidcraft of my own: Grow hair (including beard hair). Contrary-wise use it to cause yourself or someone to shed their hair. I have a character that uses it both for shaving and manicuring his mutton chop beard.


Uhh... very little of what you mention is even possible with druidcraft...


D r u i d c r a f t
Transmutation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Whispering to the spirits of nature, you create one of the following effects within range:
• You create a tiny, harm less sensory effect that predicts what the weather will be at your location for the next 24 hours. The effect might manifest as a golden orbfor clear skies, a cloud for rain, falling snowflakes for snow, and so on. This effect persists for 1 round.
• You instantly make a flower blossom, a seed pod open, or a leaf bud bloom.
• You create an instantaneous, harm less sensory effect, such as falling leaves, a puff of wind, the sound of a small animal, or the faint odor of skunk. The effect must fit in a 5-foot cube.
• You instantly light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.

[Beelzebubba]

Remember you can Thorn Whip monsters into your Moonbeam for combo damage. Supported by Sage Advice (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/rules-answers-april-2016).

[Vogie]

My first list was of my own making but here are some additional suggestions for Druidcraft I looked up.


* Identify the species of any natural plant or animal (as 1e/2e druid power)
* Identify water that is pure and safe to drink (as 1e/2e druid power)
* Sense the general emotional state and motivation of an animal within 25ft (hungry, afraid, protective, etc).
* Convince an animal within 25ft that is attacking due to hunger or protectiveness not to do so. This will not calm down animals that are trained to attack and are obeying the commands of their handlers.
* Offset prevailing natural weather conditions for a single creature, granting advantage on saving throws against heatstroke, hypothermia, catching a cold, etc

And a separate list with some repetition from prior examples. One says my water snake suggestion is a No-no so a ruling by others would be welcome.

- Instantaneous sound that originates from a point of choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, or any animal up to medium size (is medium too much?)
- Earth: Harmless tremors in the ground for 1 minute, shape mud or rock no more than a 5 ft cube... Can't think of other simple earth themed effects
- Fire: Create or snuff flames, cause flames to flicker, brighten or dim (not change colour as that isn't "natural")
- Air: soft breeze, raise or lower the temperature in a 5 ft cube (a change no bigger than 5º C), blow leaves
- Water: Make waves in a body of water, make something float in a direction of your choosing. (no water creation though)
- Shape dead wood, or twist and weave living branches or ground vegetation

EDIT: Another use for Druidcraft of my own: Grow hair (including beard hair). Contrary-wise use it to cause yourself or someone to shed their hair. I have a character that uses it both for shaving and manicuring his mutton chop beard.

These are some pretty good suggestions of what could be added to the effect.

Convincing animals not to attack if hungry seems likely too powerful, unless you're referring to insects. "Shaping dead wood" is probably too much like Warp Wood, so I'd drop that, but allowing Druidcraft to let you make little dioramas out of nearby living vegetation to display information or act as a "war room map" would be cool.