PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next 5e homebrew: New Cantrips



Applefritter
2020-12-15, 09:28 PM
I hold in my hand a list of ten new (mostly) utility cantrips. As the creator, I'll likely be missing some obvious flaws <koff koff healing spirit>, so any advice or constructive criticism is fine. Hell, curse me out for being a terrible spell designer and person, as long as you specify how it could be improved.

Enjoy!

Accelerate
Enchantment cantrip
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Touch
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You slightly speed up one person, making them move faster for a short period of time. Whenever the creature you touch moves, increase the distance it moves by 5 feet. This has no effect if the creature's speed is 0, or if they are otherwise unable to move. The creature you touch does not have to be willing. Creatures might not be aware they are under the effects of the spell. This does not apply to small movements, like taking a single step forward and stopping.

Convergence of Ideals
Enchantment cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 round

The creature you touch must make a Wisdom save -2 DC. If they fail, the next attack they make is against a target you choose (Not itself or a creature of the same species).

Dive
Evocation cantrip

Casting time: 1 action

Range: Self

Components: V, M (a merfolk scale)

Duration: 1 minute

You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed and become amphibious for 1 minute. You may not cast this spell while any part of you is in water or any liquid.

Forward Thinking
Divination cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: self
Components: None (still requires your action)
Duration: Instantaneous

You glimpse into the possible futures of an outcome and tamper with then slightly, increasing the odds in your favor- although this effect drains you slightly, worsening your abilities otherwise. The next ability check you do has advantage. Then roll 1d6. If you roll a 3 or less, you have disadvantage on the next ability check you make after the one you have advantage on.

Fresh Air
Conjuration cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: S
Duration: 1 minute

You may only cast this spell twice a day. Target creature you touch can breathe both on land and underwater. This spell does not protect against gas-based damaging spells, such as *cloudkill*.

In Range
Transmutation cantrip

Casting Time:1 action or reaction (in response to an ally making a melee weapon attack)
Range: 30 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

You make an arcane gesture and the weapon your ally wields cuts with a new length. Increase the range of an ally's reach by 5 feet on their next attack.

Overcome
Abjuration cantrip
___
Casting Time:1 reaction, in response to an ally being moved against their will
Range: 30 feet
Components:
Duration: Instantaneous

You reduce the range target creature allied with you would be moved against their will by 5 feet.

Preemptive Strike
Divination cantrip

Casting Time: 1 reaction, in response to an attack being declared against you
Range: Touch
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

Before you are attacked but after the attack has been declared, you may make an attack roll against the creature attacking you as if you were making a melee attack, adding your spellcasting ability modifier instead of adding Strength. If the attack hits, the target takes 1d4 damage and continues to attack as normal. You cannot cast this spell if your speed is 0 or if you are incapacitated.

Splinter Pull
Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 20 foot square centered you
Components: V, S, M (a piece of wood worth at least 5 GP in good condition, which the spell consumes)
Duration: Instantaneous

The wooden shard that you use to cast the spell breaks into many shards and rains down around you. All other creatures within range must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d10 piercing damage.

Tale
Enchantment cantrip

Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 30 feet
Components: V
Duration: 1 day

Choose any numbers of creatures within range. Each creature must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the creatures will spread word of you or something you choose for the duration of the spell, although not going out of their way to do so. For example, if you wanted to spread word of a revolution one of the people affected by your spell might tell the butcher they buy meat from later that day. On a successful save, nothing happens. Either way, the creature's don't know that they've been magically influenced.


All right, that wraps it up. Have a great evening! :)

MoiMagnus
2020-12-16, 11:18 AM
I like a lot of them, but they tend to have very weird details in them.

Accelerate:
Why is it worded like that? Why not just increase all the creature's movement speed unless they are 0? Is there some intended combo with pushing the creature around?

Convergence of Ideals
"Save -2" is not something that exists in 5e. Use instead "Save - prof bonus" or "Save - d4" for more consistency with the existing effects.
The restriction on species should not be there, the restriction should be "not an trustworthy ally" or something alike. I don't see why Mr Aristocrat will be forbidden to backstab a random barbarian mercenary just because this mercenary is technically human, but would totally backstab his childhood friend aristocratic Elf which share the same value and culture as him.
=> Alternatively, a restriction on alignment instead could work quite well, though that would make detecting alignement too easier than usual.

Dive
The restriction to not have any part of you in a liquid is very weird and arbitrary. Does having wet socks prevent you from casting this spell?
If the goal is to prevent chaining them to get unlimited swimming, I'd rather increase the casting time (like 1min) or move this spell to a 1st level ritual (so 10min casting time).

Forward Thinking
5e usually use d20 for heads or tails (see the blinking spell).
Penalties to the "next ability check" don't work very well in 5e, because contrary to attacks or saves, the number of ability checks you get is very DM dependent. (e.g arguably, making a pun while striking the enemy is a Performance check that doesn't consume any action and has no mechanical effect when successful or failed)

Fresh Air
If an ability is limited per day, it's not a cantrip, and you're trying to include in cantrips effects that are not supposed to be cantrip. That's probably an effect part of a feat or an half-feat.
The only similar effect is Prestidigitation that restrict the number of copy of the spell you can maintain at once, but not the number you can cast per day.

In Range
I suppose you cannot target yourself with that.
It's particularly strong (too strong?) in the first level, but reasonable as soon as peoples start to have two attacks per round.

Overcome
Sure. Probably too circumstantial (and does it works with forced teleportation?). A d4 bonus against being grabbed would probably make it interesting enough.

Preemptive Strike
Very complex wording. Just say it is a melee spell attack of range 5ft (see thorn whip for another spell making a melee spell attack).

Splinter Pull
I like it.

Tale
That sound way too effective for a cantrip, especially with the clause saying that they don't notice it.
That basically mean that if you go to a celebration of some sort, you can spam this spells for few hours and affect everybody. At the bare minimum, you need to state that if the spell fail you can't affect them again for one day. But even then it might still be too strong. (Though as for all enchantment spells, balancing is a hot mess depending on the DM).