Soiling arrows (druidcraft)

[Adresler]

Hi, new here. Been using the site for a while now to answer questions that other people have also had, but finally found one no one had come up with before and decided to make an account. Woohoo.

So, I'm designing a Kenku arcane archer and at level three they get a cantrip, either druidcraft or prestidigitation. Background info: my character is currently chaotic neutral (subject to change, but I'm usually a "further the plot" type person and wanted to mix it up) and has possibly done some side work as an assassin before. I was looking over the two cantrips and really couldn't decide which would be better, and then I noticed the whole "clean or soil an object" thing for druidcraft. Now I've read over other people's questions and understand that you aren't really able to choose how an object gets soiled, just with a sort of basic grime type dealio.

However,
A) can I soil an arrow, or at least the arrowhead? Definitely less than a cubic foot.
B) would it not be really bad to get pierced by a soiled arrow?
C) can I use either cantrip to light an arrow on fire? it says light a torch or candle, so I don't see why not if I wrapped some cloth around it.

Like from a medical standpoint who knows what could be on there. I'm just curious if I could get my DM to roll to see if the target was poisoned or whatnot. I mean it could also just be said that the grime might rub off on their clothing/armor/while flying through the air, or maybe it would be a really slow acting thing that wouldn't do a lot of damage right away, but figured I'd ask.
Thanks!

[SpanielBear]

The more experienced DM’s than me will have more to say on this, but my initial thoughts:

- The basic idea is cool, soiling arrows was definitely a thing, but to make a fast-acting poison that can be applied to objects and last a duration seems more powerful than a utility cantrip should provide. Consider that Poison Spray, which as far as I can remember is the only cantrip that does poison damage is an instant effect on one creature with only a 10ft range.

- Secondly, given that (I assume) you are acting in a medievalesque world, just rubbing some ‘dirt’ into an arrow won’t make the wound significantly more likely to become infected than just the general everyday lack of antiseptic to clean a wound.

- So the combat potential would either be op or negligible, and either way getting known for being a poisoner would have rp repercussions. That’s not a reason not to do it necessarily, but something to bear in mind.

- As for the flaming arrow idea- as long as you prepped the arrow before hand (wrapped the shaft in something flammable) I don’t see why not. You could do the same thing with a candle potentially, so using a cantrip for that seems like a neat thing to do.

Thoughts from a neophyte. :-)

[Unoriginal]

Neither Druidcraft nor Prestidigitation will give you that kind of mechanical advantage.

The "soiling" feature just make the arrow dirty. But it's not going to be dirtier than any arrow which spent one week in the quiver of an adventurer who had to run through sewers, dusty roads and green hags' swamps. Nor is it going to be dirtier than any arrow goblins salvaged on a battlefield.

That level of grim doesn't give any mechanical advantage. If the arrow kills the target, the soiling won't help, and if the target doesn't die, they're going to get enough healing the soiling isn't an issue.

Druidcraft and Prestidigitation are useful for a lot of things. Not for combat.

[ytzk]

I agree, from reading over the cantrips:
A) Yes, you can soil an arrow, but
B) No, it wouldn't make a difference, but
C) Yes, lighting a small flame is RaW.

[Unoriginal]

Note that lighting a flame that way costs you your action, and that the benefits are dubious.

In-universe the only ones noted to use flaming arrows are the Gnolls, and they use this tactic to set fire to buildings, not to fight.

[Pefgis]

You could probably hit some one with an arrow, aesthetically soiled looking or otherwise, and then use prestidigitation on a turn to soil the target's clothes to look like they are bleeding very excessively, or appear to have a diseased looking patch of discolored skin. This might freak them out and make them act irrationally ,or have a concerned ally rush over try to give them aid. As a dm, I'd allow it because it is creative, if not exactly efficient....at all, but it is the kind of thing that would probably only work a few times or just even once before the novelty wore off. A sorcerer with subtle meta magic could probably get more mileage out of it, but again, I'd say this trick would eventually have diminishing returns, if only because the other players and dm would eventually just be like "oh, this again.neat."

The best(funniest) use of prestidigitation is to make it look like someone soiled, (i.e. peed), their pants, again, best used out of combat.

[Mellack]

You can use a cantrip to soil an arrow, but it would have no game mechanical effect. Arrows are typically already pretty dirty.
I would rule that you can light an arrow on fire if you wrapped some cloth around it. You now have an improvised candle that will last maybe 10 minutes at the cost of losing your arrow. It would not do any more damage if you try to shoot it, but you may use it to light a (small) area where you shoot it.

[MaxWilson]

You don't need a cantrip to smear feces/filth on an arrow, but it's not going to be relevant if you just kill the monster in eighteen seconds anyway. It would only be relevant if the monster gets hit, survives the arrow, and later develops a disease from the bacteria in the filth, if bacteria exist in the game world.

Remember how hard it was to make Contagion relevant, pre-errata, when it did nothing for three whole rounds even to a target that failed every single save? This is moreso.

I would focus my energies on other preparations like poison and recon.

[Trustypeaches]

Am I the only one who read "soiling" and immediately thought of bowel movements?

[Jophiel]

You could poop on the arrow if you want but most combat ends with one side or the other dead so it's hard to see the mechanical benefit.

"Hah, that hill giant turned me into a stew but just wait two days when his leg wound gets infected!"

[elyktsorb]

The only thing I could think of as being useful for lighting arrows on fire. (And you know, not just lighting them before you fire the arrow.)

Is if you were trying to burn something down while being stealthy, have someone ready Druidcraft to cast, and have someone fire the arrow. Once the arrow is 20 feet away, light it, that way no one knows your exact position since you didn't light the arrow where you were firing from. Though even this is pretty weak, given any remaining trajectory could find your location.

Personally, I find the ability to know what the weather is going to be like in your area on the next day very beneficial. For all the DM's that actually care about weather in their worlds.

[JNAProductions]

Yeah, I'll echo those saying that the grime from Druidcraft wouldn't have any immediate mechanical effects.

And, while it technically might have long-term effects... What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If you REALLY want to roleplay dousing your wounds in alcohol to sanitize them, or constantly casting Lesser Restoration every time you get sick...

Since that sounds like an AWFUL time, I'd go with not doing it at all.

[sophontteks]

In the context of the spell soil is the opposite of clean. Soil is another name for the dirt and to soil something is to make it dirty. To cover it in soil. You can make the arrows dirty. That's it. You can't create blood, or poison, or fecal matter with this cantrip. Strictly raw you can argue that the alternate meaning of soil allows you to create urine and fecal matter, but I think RAI its clear what they meant by soil.

[Pefgis]

I would never seriously argue that something soiled with these spells cause any disease or infection, as others have said, roleplaying disinfecting wounds just isn't fun for anyone. I wouldn't even argue very hard that something soiled with the spell creates actual dirt (in any significant way), just the appearance of being dirty. One definition of the verb soiled I did find was a stain or discoloring mark though, which does seem to gel with the other uses of the spell. I would argue you create a mark or stain that appeared like dirt, grime, spilled wine, urine soaked pants, or a bloodstain. While you wouldn't actually make any of these things in any significant way, the sudden appearance of any of them, especially accompanied later by additional uses of the spell to create odor or , gods forbid, taste, could possibly create a distraction or concern that could be used to the caster's benefit.

Getting poisoned or diseased, or any significant mechanical advantage beyond a temporary distraction, by any of this nonsense would be a hard no from me though.

[Unoriginal]

Technically, non-magic healing probably implies disinfecting the wounds. But that's best handwaved overall.