Infestation Cantrip uses

[Aaedimus]

The infestation cantrip is pretty cool, and I'm sure there are allot of niche uses that when added up could make it useful. I was hoping we could come up with a list (Which I will add to this post in edits) to help with that. Part of the issue with the usefulness/viability (although it can add to the fun) is the randomness. So I've added 3 categories to separate potential situations:

Direction Dependant Benefits
1) make someone leave partial cover
2) make someone fall into a trap/off a cliff
3) avoid opportunity attacks
4) battleground control (move in/out spell/attack ranges)
5) break pack tactics up
6) remove ranged attack disadvantage for teammate (can be read as avoiding opportunity attacks)

Benefits regardless of Direction
1) use with spike growth
2) unblock a doorway

DM ruling dependant uses
1) break grapples
2) make someone fall off mount

[Aaedimus]

No other ideas?

[Man_Over_Game]

The thing is, Infestation's damage is really low, and it doesn't have any particularly useful traits about it. Random chance is not in the favor for those who want to survive, and that's what it relies on. You could position an enemy into a favorable advantage, or give him opportunity to now move without risking an Attack of Opportunity.

Nobody uses Infestation enough for there to be interesting moments with it. You can't plan around it, and you can't trust it. Unlike Chaos Bolt, it doesn't deal enough damage to be worthwhile on that front when Toll the Dead or Booming Blade are options.

I would like to see some classes be able to utilize it more, but there just might not be a big enough sample size amongst players to give you anything you haven't already thought of.

[Aaedimus]

Yeah, I think cantrip heavy multiclasses are the most likely to benefit, because they have the opportunity to pad a highly situational cantrip with more generally viable ones

[Dr. Cliché]

I know this isn't what you're asking for, but it seems much more useful as a DM tool than a player one. Something to emphasise a caster with ties to death/decay/plague/insects.

To be honest, it's the sort of thing I'd be tempted to give to an undead creature as an automatic effect. Like, at the beginning of its turn, the creature effectively auto-casts this at everyone within range (rather than materialising, the insects spread out in a swarm from the undead creature's rotting body). I'm not sure I'd even have it as the spell, I'd just use this as a guide for damage/effect.

[RickAsWritten]

Benefits regardless of Direction
1) use with spike growth


This is the best use of Infestation that I can see. Use it the round after you drop the Spike Growth if you can't reach them with a Thorn Whip.

[Slyascooper]

No other ideas?
This might depend on your DM, but you can dip your finger in water, or in any drink, summon diahrrea or even brain parasites, and serve it to your enemy.

On top of that, you can summon termites to eat doors, so you can access areas with discretion and without the need for thieves tools.

[Vogie]

If you wanted to buff Infestation and make it viable in a game, you could do a number of things
If you want it to be a decent damaging cantrip:

Change it to 2d4 (scaling to 8d4) instead of 1d6 (scaling to 4d6) damage, then allow the caster to choose one of the d4s rolled to indicate direction moved.
Change the damage type to acid.
using that "chaos bolt" style of "more than damage" die, and giving it a decent damage type, you solve most of the issues.

On the other hand, if you want it to be a niche pick that can be used in interesting ways:
Have it deal 1d6+1d4 poison damage, with the d4 indicating direction. It'll scale up to 4d6+1d4 damage.
Allow the movement to provoke opportunity attacks as they flail and swat the bugs.
That will increase the actual damage of the cantrip indirectly. Even though, in most cases, the damage of the cantrip won't matter - it's the ability for it to potentially make a target provoke opportunity attacks that is the real power of the cantrip

[Dalebert]

It's stupid that this doesn't provoke opportunity attacks. The target is using it's own movement AND is terribly distracted. That alone would be a big step in the direction of making it a maybe-pick instead of a never-pick due to the low dmg and horrible dmg type.

[Balyano]

The best use for the Infestation cantrip is to ''ask'' a brothel for your cut. If they don't pay up hide somewhere nearby and cast infestation on the customers as they leave.

[Dalebert]

The best use for the Infestation cantrip is to ''ask'' a brothel for your cut. If they don't pay up hide somewhere nearby and cast infestation on the customers as they leave.

I Grant you inspiration.

[Haruki-kun]

The Winged Mod: Closing for Thread Necromancy. You may start a new thread on the topic if you still want to discuss this.