What low level spells and abilities would be most beneficial for a non adventurer?

[kingcheesepants]

So I've been trying to have some more believeable and fleshed out NPCs in my games and one of the things that I've been thinking about is what kind of spells and abilities might they have. I know that most NPCs won't have any, (they're called commoners for a reason) but even if PC classes are rare, there are still some people with a level or two of cleric or fighter or wizard or whatever. (The acolyte, guard/knight/bandit, apprentice/mage etc. NPC stat blocks attest to this). So what kinds of spells might a wizard who isn't expecting to fight or explore a dungeon learn and prepare, or the priest of the local village temple, or the druid who just tends to his patch of the forest and has never had and isn't expecting any trouble. I can't help but think that if I were a wizard in a generally peaceful setting I would probably want to have prestidigitation and mold earth as my cantrips and floating disk and unseen servant as my prepared spells. Those seem generally useful for lots of day to day things. Or if I were a druid, guidance and mold earth and create/destroy water and goodberry. I'm sure you get the picture.
Basically what would a non adventuring person with spellcasting or a class feature actually want to have for their day to day life?

[Jerrykhor]

Minor Illusion. "How does it look like?"

Mage Hand. Extra hand to help in doing house work.

Mending. Can reuse ropes that were cut, fix torn clothes, waterskins, bags, etc.

Produce flame. Because fire is important.

Shape water. Easy chilled beer, showers, can be used to entertain children.

[rel]

Don't forget prestidigitation which we should really just start calling least wish.

Also identify, find familiar, comprehend languages, detect magic, unseen servant. maybe charm person.

And for clerics guidance, thumaturgy, spare the dying, detect poison, create water, purify food. sanctuary?

[Eldariel]

Basically all the non-damage cantrips and even some of the damage ones are indeed amazing. Predicting weather or opening doors or producing images (maps, patterns, etc.) are obviously great. The list would be too long but the same stuff that's great for adventurers can be even better for non-adventurers; Guidance, Shape Water, Mold Earth, Control Flame, Prestidigitation, etc. take the cake but even something as simple as Dancing Lights, Light or Resistance can have implications. And of course fire-damage cantrips for burning or heating stuff up or such, cold damage cantrips for putting out fires, freezing water, etc. are all obviously useful.

Out of the leveled spells, Familiars can talk with animals of their kind which opens up all sorts of stuff for anyone interacting with wildlife (which is more or less everyone in a pseudo-medieval community). Druid list as a whole has a whole lot of stuff that's quite useful for anyone but a warrior (fitting as Druids are more of tenders than anything): Goodberry, Animal Friendship, Create Water, Charm Person, Cure Wounds, Purify Food and Drink, Speak with Animals, Detect Poison and Disease, and even Detect Magic all have obvious, benign uses in a community and in many occupations. Much the same goes for the Cleric list and even the Wizard list has spells like Unseen Servant, Floating Disk, Silent Image, Longstrider, Expeditious Retreat, Jump, Feather Fall, Illusory Script, Grease, etc. which don't take terribly much creativity to use depending on the particular occupation.


But certainly, due to their repeated castability cantrips are the huge ones out there; Mold Earth makes all manner of excavation much more important with one person being able to do the work of a hundred effortlessly in any manner of loose earth and Shape Water enables creating pretty much anything out of ice (same kinda goes for Prestidigitation but only for a moment).

Then a lot of spells are good for enhancing performances of all kind and obviously enchantments are also useful socially used against others even if you aren't someone who fights. People still continuously need something out of others that the others might not be inclined to give easily.

[JackPhoenix]

And of course fire-damage cantrips for burning or heating stuff up or such, cold damage cantrips for putting out fires, freezing water, etc. are all obviously useful.

Not unless "stuff" means "creatures". Only Fire Bolt and Create Bonfire can affect objects. There's no cold damage cantrip that can.


Out of the leveled spells, Familiars can talk with animals of their kind which opens up all sorts of stuff for anyone interacting with wildlife (which is more or less everyone in a pseudo-medieval community).

They can't.

[Eldariel]

Not unless "stuff" means "creatures". Only Fire Bolt and Create Bonfire can affect objects. There's no cold damage cantrip that can.

Fair, that's strict RAW but it's probably something most DMs would be okay with.


They can't.

By this I guess you mean "it's not explicitly spelled out in RAW" but if it takes the form of one such creature, essentially gaining their statblock and complete proficiency in related movement and what-not, I see little reason to assume they couldn't also communicate in species-typical manner.

[KorvinStarmast]

By this I guess you mean "it's not explicitly spelled out in RAW" but if it takes the form of one such creature, essentially gaining their statblock and complete proficiency in related movement and what-not, I see little reason to assume they couldn't also communicate in species-typical manner. Our DM has ruled that they can, but only 'owl to owl' not 'owl to hungry wolf'

[Eldariel]

Our DM has ruled that they can, but only 'owl to owl' not 'owl to hungry wolf'

Indeed, "animals of their kind".

[cutlery]

Mage hand - dear god, mage hand.
Prestidigitation
Mending
Unseen servant
Detect Thoughts
Invisibility
Goodberry
Healing Word
Protection from poison (hangovers!)

[jojosskul]

Magical Tinkering from Artificer would be great day to day. Night lights, noise machines, making things smell more pleasant, leaving messages (written and voice), drawing pictures, theft protection (voice on money pouch to scream "I sure hope that I'm touching this and not someone else!")

Sure, a commoner/low level NPC may only be able to do one or two at a time that stick, but unlike most cantrips the effect is permanent until dispelled or replaced by another effect.