Prestidigitation uses

[bugsysservant]

What would you do if one of your players attempted to use prestidigitation in one of the following manners?

Create a small sphere of darkness with which to blind someone.

Create a glowing sphere of light which illuminates as a candle.

Create the illusion of a small cover around a torch or sunrod to block light if the people fail their saves.

Create a small flame (size of a thumb nail) which set an enemy on fire.

Individually, taken out of context they are all pretty minor, but can be unbalancing for a cantrip. Also, what is the best way you have ever used prestidigitation?

[Accountant]

I bluffed some dwarves into letting me into their hideout by saying I was selling cleaning supplies. Naturally, the cleaning supplies were dancing on the floor, thanks to everyone's favorite cantrip!

Does wonders for your circumstance bonus.

[DaMullet]

Firstly, Prestidigitation has set uses, and none of those are illusions or globes of darkness.

They are the abilities to clean, soil, flavor, or levitate up to one pound of material.

You don't need to worry about any of the others, because they are invalid uses of the spell.

The fire thing is a bit iffy. I'd allow it to burn inanimate objects (so they could waste a round lighting a torch before engaging the troll) but not people directly.

[Accountant]

Firstly, Prestidigitation has set uses, and none of those are illusions or globes of darkness.

They are the abilities to clean, soil, flavor, or levitate up to one pound of material.

You don't need to worry about any of the others, because they are invalid uses of the spell.

The fire thing is a bit iffy. I'd allow it to burn inanimate objects (so they could waste a round lighting a torch before engaging the troll) but not people directly.

Actually, you can create small objects, but they "look crude and artificial."
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prestidigitation.htm

[Green Bean]

Use the flavouring power to make strong beer taste like apple juice/weak beer. Great for getting other people drunk and therefore more talkative. Also fun to use on kids. :smallwink:

[Ayrynthyn]

Prestidigitations are minor tricks that novice spellcasters use for practice. Once cast, a prestidigitation spell enables you to perform simple magical effects for 1 hour. The effects are minor and have severe limitations. 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. Prestidigitation can create small objects, but they look crude and artificial. The materials created by a prestidigitation spell are extremely fragile, and they cannot be used as tools, weapons, or spell components. Finally, a prestidigitation lacks the power to duplicate any other spell effects. Any actual change to an object (beyond just moving, cleaning, or soiling it) persists only 1 hour.

general rule of thumb is that Prestidigitations should affect only fluff, and have no real bearing on crunch. I may, on a real unique use of the spell, toss a +1 circumstance bonus to a skill check... but that would be (a house rule and) about it. As far as the spell effect of your examples, see Darkness, Blindness, Light, fabricate and a few others. Also, in regards to the illusion blocking the light concept... a real quick review of Illusions (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#illusion) may be in order

[calebcom]

Change the Flavor of an ingested poison and then serve it as wine.

Watch the noble slug down 30+ doses of Poison thinking it is wine.

[tainsouvra]

What would you do if one of your players attempted to use prestidigitation in one of the following manners? None of those are possible with the spell, and this one:
Create the illusion of a small cover around a torch or sunrod to block light if the people fail their saves. Doesn't make any sense with how illusions work in the first place.

[Shatenjager]

Create a small sphere of darkness with which to blind someone.


No, you can make the sphere of darkness but it can't really do anything at all. You could possibly bluff someone into thinking it might do something if they touch it though, "Behold the Dreaded Sphere of Annialation!"



Create a glowing sphere of light which illuminates as a candle.


I would allow this. It is weaker than another cantrip they could have used instead (Light), thus is as the spell is intended.



Create the illusion of a small cover around a torch or sunrod to block light if the people fail their saves.


No. The illusion of the cover is not viable. Perhaps you could dim the light slightly but nothing with any discernable effects. Strangly though I would allow the creation of this cover physically. It weighs less than one pound and look very artificial but it does cover up the light.



Create a small flame (size of a thumb nail) which set an enemy on fire.


This one has never been clear. I certainly woundn't let you use it in combat, but if a person was wearing something particularly flammable I would allow you to set them on fire out of combat with the creation of a small ember. I also agree that it could probably light a torch as a standard action.



Also, what is the best way you have ever used prestidigitation?

Make a crappy set of iron rations taste like a delicious meal. Keep yourself well shaven, and immaculately clean. My personal favorite, use it to make the light shine off of your teeth like a lens flare (possibly with a +1 to bluff or diplomacy).

[Darrin]

This one has never been clear. I certainly woundn't let you use it in combat, but if a person was wearing something particularly flammable I would allow you to set them on fire out of combat with the creation of a small ember. I also agree that it could probably light a torch as a standard action.


Actually, this is pretty clear. Tome & Blood, page 80, "Fun with Prestidigitation". The "Firefinger" option creates a get of flame 1/2 foot long, which can be used to light flammable objects as a standard action.

[Jasper Snowe]

Our group always talked about the more comical uses such as making mud pies taste like candy.

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

I always thought the point of the spell was fun. You cast it and something entertaining to small children happens. Alternatively you can cast it to grab the keys from across the room, get in your car - horse-drawn, of course - and throw on your favorite bardic tune.

If I could cast presdigitation in real life, I think the world would be a better place. But I can't, so...

*makes a small, fragile, unrealistic and crude looking pie and throws it at the next poster*

[Wraithy]

*makes a small, fragile, unrealistic and crude looking pie and throws it at the next poster*

thanks for that.

prestididgitation should have a lvl 9 equivolent (ultimate non-xp utility spell)
The best uses for this spell are when it is combined with bluff chwecks, most non-combat ingame challenges can be handled by the use of these two things.
and unlike the previous poster I can cast it in reality, that pie might have tasted delicious, but I'm certain that aspestos isn't a proper pie ingredient.

P.S. how can any object made look "unrealistic"?

[Ayrynthyn]

yep... zachly. It was a staple of my gnomish bard who'd get the whole hair blowin in the breeze super model white light halo effect goin while he was kickin out a killer lute solo... pure fluff... good times

[Ashtar]

Unrealistic object?

I'd say fisher price look; solid color with no relief behind. In a fantasy world that would look very strange since there is always a relief or color change in metal, stone, leather, wood and other common object components.

[Ayrynthyn]

think about a three year old coming home from recreation with a "coffee cup" she made for dad out of play doh...

[Benejeseret]

What about having it levitate an alchemistsfire/tanglefoot bag etc around 10' in the air. If a monster etc comes close to you, you backtrack, leaving the spells 10' range and the flask falls....

Or you hand the servant a tangleroots bag and say, "go 15 feet that way" towards a group of monsters. Do the alchemists fire etc go off if dropped like that?

[The_Werebear]

What would you do if one of your players attempted to use prestidigitation in one of the following manners?
1-Create a small sphere of darkness with which to blind someone.
2-Create a glowing sphere of light which illuminates as a candle.
3-Create the illusion of a small cover around a torch or sunrod to block light if the people fail their saves.
4-Create a small flame (size of a thumb nail) which set an enemy on fire.
Individually, taken out of context they are all pretty minor, but can be unbalancing for a cantrip.
5-Also, what is the best way you have ever used prestidigitation?

1-No, Blindness is at least a second level effect.
2-Yes, because Light is better anyway.
3-No, illusions don't work that way and it is a fairly powerful effect. However, I would allow someone to damped a torch to put it out.
4-Partially- If they are flammable in some way, then yes. Otherwise, no. I actually had a wizard(d20 Modern) who created a small firebomb, then used Prestidigitation to ignite it once our target stepped over it.
5-Turn someone's hair bright pink while they sleep.

[Behold_the_Void]

5-Turn someone's hair bright pink while they sleep.

I do this to our ditzy Paladin a lot. Except her hair is already pink so I turn it blonde instead.

I like using it to make my cape billow dramatically and make crackling energy appear around me.

[thorgrim29]

I recently used it to make faint sound of battle when my bard was telling a war story. A favourite of my gaming group is a command word activated amulet with either prestidigitation of ghost sound in it to make effects, say, our groups name is the eagles, so whenever we say that, a eagle screech sounds out, or a guy made his cape flutter.

[Dullyanna]

I just use it to embarass others i.e. Change the BBEG's hair color, or soil his/her armor.:smallbiggrin:

[Draz74]

Create a small flame (size of a thumb nail) which set an enemy on fire.

Yes. But the flame is so small and not-hot, that it takes 4 or 5 rounds to light just about anything. 2-3 rounds for something that is extra flammable like greek fire oil. And a creature attacked in this way gets a Reflex save every round to put it out (DC 10+mod).

This still makes it viable outside of combat for lighting a campfire (if it's dry outside but nobody has any Survival ranks) or bonfire or something, or for playing a dangerous prank on a sleeping companion. But anyone would be a fool to try it in combat unless they're just mocking poor little Kobolds.

[MandibleBones]

Best use? Creating a crude, fake-looking playing card by the feet of an orc, who was playing cards with two other orcs. Combined it with ghost sound to cause one of the orcs to look under the table and see his opponent "cheating."

Hilarity ensued, and by hilarity, I mean a brawl which killed two of the orcs and made the third one much easier pickings for my lvl 1 gnome rouge back in 3.0.

[Generic PC]

best use? we had a troll in a cage. The Cleric never had to use Create food ever again. Our wizard had ranks in Profession Chef, and Craft Gourmet Meal... and, the fighter had a knife...We only cut off small pieces though...

[sophosbarbaros]

Our party wizard caught a rapscallion child pickpocketing him, Grabbed the kid and used Prestidigitation to make his own hand appear on fire and threatened to melt the kids face. Our barbarian "talked" him out of it and we were not bothered by pick pockets the rest of our time in town.

[Mewtarthio]

How about changing your own flavor? "You wouldn't want me! I taste awful! Really, just try me!"

[Machete]

Use the flavouring power to make strong beer taste like apple juice/weak beer. Great for getting other people drunk and therefore more talkative. Also fun to use on kids. :smallwink:

Thanks now I'm picturing Michael Jackson using Presdigitation to flavor beer as per soda.

"That's right children, all the soda you want!"



Although if you are building a crude underground shelter with a hole, some tarp, and some branches, the crude item part is great for insulating the cracks if too much rain seems to be getting in or if the walls seem questionably stable.

[Kurald Galain]

One of the best items a bard of mine had a long time ago was a ring of infinite prestidigitations.

In response to the OP, I suggest that prestidigitation could do all of those, but not to the extent of usefulness that is actually intended. For instance, it could create a small sphere of dimness with which to shield somebody against heavy sunlight, the way sunglasses would, or create the illusion of small cover around the sunrod that dims it by some small amount, soothing the victim but not actually ending the effect.

Lightning torches is prime cantrip material. It is also awesome. Wizard walks in, claps his hands, torches spring to light!

[leperkhaun]

In my group we put prestidigitation as anything you would see a street magician do.

Minor tricks and what not, but only limited by your imagination. With the exception of bieng able to start fires, we do not allow the spell to have any direct combat effects.

[Morty]

I once used Predistigation to dry two other player's clothes and armor after they've been forced to take a swim in a lake in cold night, so they didn't freeze to death. I don't know if it's been possible by RAW, though.

[Solo]

prestididgitation should have a lvl 9 equivolent (ultimate non-xp utility spell)


And we will call it "postidigitation "

[Green Bean]

Thanks now I'm picturing Michael Jackson using Presdigitation to flavor beer as per soda.

"That's right children, all the soda you want!"



Okay, I think we'll take away your mental image privileges now. :smalleek:

[martyboy74]

Can you use to to Color something invisible (or colorless, if you prefer than term)?

[tainsouvra]

Can you use to to Color something invisible (or colorless, if you prefer than term)? Since that's not a color, no, that doesn't really make sense.

[The_Werebear]

Can you use to to Color something invisible (or colorless, if you prefer than term)?

Yes. The invisible Mage's robes are now blaze orange. However, they are still invisible.

[tainsouvra]

Hmm...when grammar attacks, part seven. Now I'm not completely sure which of us interpreted that question correctly.

[The_Werebear]

If I understood it correctly, he wanted to know if you could change the color of an invisible object. Provided you know where it is, there is no problem with that. However, the invisible, recolored object is still invisible.

[MrNexx]

I once used Predistigation to dry two other player's clothes and armor after they've been forced to take a swim in a lake in cold night, so they didn't freeze to death. I don't know if it's been possible by RAW, though.

My rule of thumb is "Can it be accomplished by a cantrip laid out in the original UA?" In this case, that's the "Dry" cantrip, which was one of the Useful cantrips.

RE: Prestidigitation having a 9th level equivalent. There was a Dragon article, I think in 229, about the Cantrip spell, called "The Little Wish".

[Kurald Galain]

Can you use to to Color something invisible (or colorless, if you prefer than term)?

Or, if you meant that the other way around, you can certainly change an object's color to match that of the background. That won't technically make it invisible, but will make it hard to spot. I would disallow this on a big object or a creature, since we're talking cantrips here.

Making an object actually invisible? Oh I don't know, if it's a coin or a card for some parlor trick, I don't see a problem with it. I suspect a little Prestigging could make you an awesome poker player.

[Hannes]

Well. Our party sorcerer created small, colorful, heatless flames to dance around my head when I was drained to 5 wis. Hilarity ensued as the rogue didn't quite clearly make out what it was and was amused and yet disappointed by them. I spent about 5 minutes roleplaying with the flames xD

[Polarbeast]

My personal favorite, use it to make the light shine off of your teeth like a lens flare (possibly with a +1 to bluff or diplomacy).
Rad. I love it. And use Ghost Sound to add the little "ding!" of heroic perfection.

I am now going to suggest that one to one of my players, who plays a fairly charismatic wizardly type who tries to do very little dirty work (summoning Unseen Helpers and monsters, Prestidigitating his clothes clean, etc.).

I've used it to:

- Create a stain on an unpopular guard's uniform during inspection.
- Retrieve a key fallen through a sewer grate (luckily within 10').
- Sweep an area before bedding down for the night.
- Braid hair.
- Create a nicely eerie strum across a harp's strings.
- Clean blood from a sword (nice for effect).
- Make clothing look covered with blood (to aid in playing dead).

[Fax Celestis]

My favorite was the time I used it to cut the bowstring of an archer who was about to fire on one of my foes.

[Chronos]

OK, you know that tingly sensation you get, when someone targets you with a spell, but you make your saving throw? Give someone that feeling. Similarly, you could produce a green ray which just misses an opponent (but of course wouldn't have done anything if it had hit), or cause your hand to glow eerily and swing and deliberately miss your touch attack. Make your opponent think that you're using up powerful spells, when you're not.

I've also seen Prestidigitation (well, actually, second edition Cantrip, but basically the same thing) used to give someone a nosebleed (a nosebleed that lasts an hour won't actually do any damage, but it's really annoying), and to tie someone's shoelaces together (though if I were the DM, I'd probably only allow that if the person was sitting still, and still probably allow a Reflex save).

A friend of mine suggested that if you want a diplomatic meeting, or dinner party between nobles or the like to go sour, you could flavor the wine to give it a taste of bitter almond. Watch the nobles get up in arms when they think they're being poisoned. You could also use the saving-throw-tingle I mentioned above in a similar way.

And, of course, there are a lot of options for entertainment. Gandalf doing the little tricks with the smoke rings in The Hobbit, for instance, would have been using Prestidigitation. The effect in the movie when he says "Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks" might have been one, too.

[Malic]

Can you use to to Color something invisible (or colorless, if you prefer than term)?

You could possibly color it the same color's of what's behind it. That could ake it look invisible in that spot. But if you walk around it a bit it will look odly colored.

[MrNexx]

OK, you know that tingly sensation you get, when someone targets you with a spell, but you make your saving throw? Give someone that feeling.

And, ironically enough, if they save against it, well, they have that feeling, anyway.

[tainsouvra]

And, ironically enough, if they save against it, well, they have that feeling, anyway. I wonder if you can cut out the middleman and just make it a failed spell *laugh*

[Chells]

Turned about 50 cubic feet of air into light smoke. Once everyone realized that the smoke couldn't hurt them I opened an eversmoking bottle which filled the same area with thick smoke.

[Shpadoinkle]

What would you do if one of your players attempted to use prestidigitation in one of the following manners?

Create a small sphere of darkness with which to blind someone.
Never. No, you cannot duplicate a second level spell with a level 0 spell. If you want to create darkness, use the damn Darkness spell.


Create a glowing sphere of light which illuminates as a candle.
Yeah, that's fine. The Light spell illuminates as a torch, so a spell of the same level that's more versatile, but creates a lesser effect, is fine as far as Im' concerned.


Create the illusion of a small cover around a torch or sunrod to block light if the people fail their saves.
Clever... I'd allow it, but any saving against it would get a +10 bonus to thier save. It's a level 0 spell, after all.


Create a small flame (size of a thumb nail) which set an enemy on fire.
Only if the person you're setting on fire is doused in something no less flammable than napalm. Otherwise no.


My favorite was the time I used it to cut the bowstring of an archer who was about to fire on one of my foes.

I'm pretty sure you can't use Prestidigitation to affect attended objects. A bow that's about to be fired counts as an attended object.

[Zaq]

I generally rule that 1) All full casters, or at least all full arcane casters, have Prestidigitation at-will, and 2) if it's minor and gives no combat benefit, Prestidigitation can probably do it. It just makes sense to me that someone who has magic running in their veins would be able to make sparks dance around themselves for effect, or snap their fingers to clear a bunch of papers off a desk, or make their clothes billow dramatically even in an airless (not LITERALLY airless) dungeon. That said, in game I usually use it for cleaning (One of the RAW suggested uses, and one of the most reliable ways to do so in a low-technology setting), both personal grooming and keeping clothing nice. Oh, and covering up nasty smells. I figure if it can change something's flavor, it can change its smell as well. Useful for dealing with corpses, unpleasant dungeon things, and the like.

Best use? Hmm, toss-up. A friend of mine used it once to surreptitiously de-grease a really disgusting and oily nobleman once at a dinner party (he re-greased over the course of about a minute. Gross.), which was funny. However, once I had a gnome who was reduced to 0 strength for a while. Gnomes, you will recall, have Pres. as a spell-like ability, which requires no movement, simply an act of will, which a strength-drained character is more than capable of performing. The spell can slowly move 1 pound of material, and her jaw weighed a lot less than 1 pound, so she could still feed herself even though she couldn't move. I imagine it wasn't very pretty to have her mouth slowly opening, then have a bite of food slowly float inside, then have her jaw clumsily open and close via an outside force, but hey, at least she wasn't totally dependent on other people. She had her pride, if not necessarily her dignity.

[oxybe]

in 4th ed? best use prestidigitation is with the other @will cantrips

step 1 - cast light on a small speck of... something. it should be almost invisible to the naked eye
step 2 - mage hand to keep it aloft and wobbly
step 3 - ghost sound to make haunting "oooOOOOOooooOOo"
step 4 - have the mage hand slowly hover to enemy guards
step 5 - prestigitation a crude illusion of a face in pain in the light of the... light
step 6 - profit. and amusement.

and you can do this virtually whenever you want :D

irregardless of edition, prestidigitation is called "Wish, minor" in my area for a reason: it's the wizard version of "summon plot device"

[Olo Demonsbane]

As you can probably guess, Ive had quite a few rings of infinite prestidigitation.

Here's the complete list from Tome and Blood (with my added best uses):

Change: You change something Fine into something else Fine that is in the same kingdom (animal, vegtable, mineral). Best Use: Snap my fingers and change a miniscule bit of iron into a Gold coin.
Chill: Reduce the tempature of an object by 40 degrees. Best use: Freeze water, trapping a monster
Clean: You can clean 1 cubic foot per round. Best Use: Clean myself up.
Color: You can change any color from the visible spectrum, but you cannot change the patter (ie adding stripes and polka dots). Best Use: Change the color of the party mage whenever he/she changes alignment :smallbiggrin:
Dampen: You can leave an object damp to the touch for 1 hour. It has fire resistance 2 while the effect lasts. Best Use: Dampen someone's torch before they try to light it.
Firefinger: A jet of fire shoots from your finger, which ignites combustable materials. Best Use: I made a build based on this.
Flavor: You can change the flavor of an item. Best Use: Combine with color to make the noble drink a full glass of black lotus extract.
Gather: You collect numerous fine objects. Best Use: I had this going continously, gathering sticks into small tepees within 10ft of me. Then I'd use Firefinger, leaving all of these small fires showing my party which way to go.
Polish: Basically the same as clean
Sketch: You draw something, either leaving it hanging in the air or drawing it on an object such as a shield. Best Use: I drew out an entire battle-plan.
Stitch: You magically sew seams in textiles and leather. If you do not provide thread, this vanishes after an hour. Best Use: I had a tailor shop, using this spell instead of hiring workers. When a snobbly, noble woman came to get a dress made while she waited in the other room, I did not provide thread. Her dress fell apart in the middle of town. Priceless :smallbiggrin:
Tie: You can take 10 on Use Rope on items up to 10ft away.
Warm: You can increase the tempature of an object by 40 degrees. Best Use:I melted a wizard's ice castle. Very. Very. Slowly.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

One casting is usually enough to bring dead threads back to full vitality. I think it falls under the "repair" function. :smallwink:

[Waspinator]

One idea I like from Pathfinder is making it so that if you have say, four slots to prepare 0-level spells, you basically can pick four to have as at-will abilities for the day. Unlimited use of most of them won't make any real difference in combat but make things cooler otherwise. The only thing that needs to be changed is Cure/Inflict Light Wounds. If I remember right, they replaced those with spells that respectively stop and start bleeding if you're at negative HP.

[Baalthazaq]

I've seen prestidigitation used to clean his robes of Con-draining slime while he was incapacitated. (Sudden still spell).

[Swooper]

Oh dear. :smallannoyed:

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