Orisons and Cantrips: how to exploit

[Brendan]

So, I was thinking about some various threads from a while ago, like one about "mini-wish" (prestididgitation) and the like. I started to wonder what arethe best ways to exploit the zero level spells. I created a class that, while unable to cast anything but zero level spell, can use multiple ones at once, and exploit their abilities. Anyways, I was wondering how to exploit these spells.
Here is what I have already:
mage hand: mess up target's brain, killing the enemy, or squeeze an artery.
create water, followed by purify food and drink: take large chunk out of earth elemental or ground.
Summon instrument: summon piano atop enemy's head
Prestidigitation: easy, there is a whole thread on it.
Lullabye+touch of fatigue+open/close (eyes): sleep time
Terrify: inflict minor wounds: Making a will save is always scary, but then taking one damage makes them be just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
etc
What else is there, what can be done?

[olelia]

So, I was thinking about some various threads from a while ago, like one about "mini-wish" (prestididgitation) and the like. I started to wonder what arethe best ways to exploit the zero level spells. I created a class that, while unable to cast anything but zero level spell, can use multiple ones at once, and exploit their abilities. Anyways, I was wondering how to exploit these spells.
Here is what I have already:
mage hand: mess up target's brain, killing the enemy, or squeeze an artery.
create water, followed by purify food and drink: take large chunk out of earth elemental or ground.
Summon instrument: summon piano atop enemy's head
Prestidigitation: easy, there is a whole thread on it.
Lullabye+touch of fatigue+open/close (eyes): sleep time
Terrify: inflict minor wounds: Making a will save is always scary, but then taking one damage makes them be just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
etc
What else is there, what can be done?

Summon Instrument
Conjuration (Summoning)
Level: Brd 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: One summoned handheld musical instrument
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell summons one handheld musical instrument of your choice. This instrument appears in your hands or at your feet (your choice). The instrument is typical for its type. Only one instrument appears per casting, and it will play only for you. You can’t summon an instrument too large to be held in two hands.

Bolded for convenience.

[Tengu_temp]

Most of the "exploits" you listen don't work by RAW, and no sane DM will ever allow them either. Sorry.

[Douglas]

mage hand: mess up target's brain, killing the enemy, or squeeze an artery.

Not a valid target. Mage Hand works only on objects. Even for a similar but higher level spell that could target creatures, unless specifically stated otherwise you can only ever target an entire creature, not part of one.

create water, followed by purify food and drink: take large chunk out of earth elemental or ground.

Allow me to quote the spell description: "the spell has no effect on creatures of any type". As for using it on the ground, that's like saying you want a meal with your fortune cookie. The ground is very obviously the greater portion here, and I doubt most DMs would allow you to consider it as "contaminated water" rather than wet dirt.

Summon instrument: summon piano atop enemy's head

Two failures here: You can’t summon an instrument too large to be held in two hands. and A creature or object brought into being or transported to your location by a conjuration spell cannot appear inside another creature or object, nor can it appear floating in an empty space. It must arrive in an open location on a surface capable of supporting it.

Prestidigitation: easy, there is a whole thread on it.

And pretty much every abusive use of it I have ever seen listed is not actually valid.

Lullabye+touch of fatigue+open/close (eyes): sleep time

Open/close does not work on creatures or parts of creatures. As for the other two, ok you've made someone very temporarily tired.

Terrify: inflict minor wounds: Making a will save is always scary, but then taking one damage makes them be just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

This depends on the target being very unfamiliar with magic and suspicious. Unless your DM regularly homebrews spells that do something similar with a nasty "other shoe", your target will just shrug, slightly confused, and go "is that all?"

Before you try abusing cantrips, please actually read the rules involved. Almost everything you can do with cantrips that is actually RAW valid is not abusive.

[Brendan]

Summon Instrument
Conjuration (Summoning)
Level: Brd 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: One summoned handheld musical instrument
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell summons one handheld musical instrument of your choice. This instrument appears in your hands or at your feet (your choice). The instrument is typical for its type. Only one instrument appears per casting, and it will play only for you. You can’t summon an instrument too large to be held in two hands.

Oh, right. a while ago it got past my dm, so it is now used by us, so I guess I forgot that it was a house rule.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Bolded for convenience.

Just have a high strength then.

[Lycanthromancer]

There's a darkness cantrip in BoVD that is impenetrable by anything but darkvision, and a ring of the darkhidden from MIC makes you invisible to darkvision. Constant invisibility for 2000 gp and a cantrip.

Sneak attack with ray of frost/acid splash.

Use purify food and drink on a flesh to stone/rock to mud'd creature to turn it into a pool of water, which you then dispose of.

Ghost sound to lead pursuers away from you after you hide (footsteps walking down the corridor, etc), or to scare someone with the faint sound of breathing right over their shoulder. Pass messages to someone over some distance away when you wouldn't want to shout at them for various reasons.

Mending would be useful on massive broken objects (weighing up to 4000 lbs) that have had shrink item cast on them (nice for fixing that "tinfoil hat" [see: adamantine hat] that just got cleaved in twain by the barbarian you just squashed).

Create water could very well be used with control water to make more water. Good if you also have some way of freezing water, such as if your DM rules that other cold spells (and alchemical items) have additional effects. Also note that it's an instantaneous duration spell, meaning you can get as much water as you want over time. Fill up your portable hole (potable hole?) to bull-rush enemies into before sealing up. Let 'em drown.

[The Gilded Duke]

Message is great for spy missions, burglaries, or black ops in general.
Prestigitation for cleaning up crime scenes
Ghost sound to throw off pursuers.

And at low levels, Daze is the best thing ever. Daze has prevented TPKs on multiple occasions in my group.

[awa]

its amazing how often someone suggest summoning something heavy over someones head

[Kobold-Bard]

...I created a class that, while unable to cast anything but zero level spell, can use multiple ones at once, and exploit their abilities....

It was in a 3rd party thing that I can't find atm, but the Hedge Wizard it had did just that. He was a Wizard who preferred to be a big fish in a small pond (rural vilage), rather than studying in a fancy dan city Mage Academy.

He esentially gave up anything higher than a single 5th level spell slot at 20th level, in exchange for the power to cast all Cantrips spontaneously, infinitely and later metamagicked for free. It also had a load of new Cantrips, my favourite (and the most useless being Sour: any cow this is cast on produces only sour milk for 1 month ).

[Lycanthromancer]

its amazing how often someone suggest summoning something heavy over someones head

While you can't summon something over someone's head, you CAN teleport into midair.

And, of course, I can hold a pianoforté with 2 hands, even if I can't pick one up (though with a high enough Strength I could).

Also, I do believe you can use a saw as an instrument.

...or a bard.

[ericgrau]

Summon instrument specifically says that the instrument appears in your hands or at your feet. Summoning in general has other restrictions in the casting rules which prevent the common summon whale above his head tricks for multiple reasons.

If you can spam cantrips then multi-class to rogue and spam sneak attacks.

[deuxhero]

Caltrops is a easy battlefield control so long as the foes don't fly yet.

[TheLaughingLich]

And, of course, I can hold a pianoforté with 2 hands, even if I can't pick one up (though with a high enough Strength I could).

It also never specifies your two hands.

[nekomata2]

Launch Bolt, the bolt is the material component for the spell. One Eschew materials later, you magically create bolts to launch...make em bigger. You have that whole gold piece, so use a larger bolt.

[Sliver]

It was in a 3rd party thing that I can't find atm, but the Hedge Wizard it had did just that. He was a Wizard who preferred to be a big fish in a small pond (rural vilage), rather than studying in a fancy dan city Mage Academy.

Mongoose!

After getting unlimited cantrips, he gets at level 16 "A Better Cantrip". Sounds awesome, right?

[awa]

it actually does specify your hands

[Ravens_cry]

its amazing how often someone suggest summoning something heavy over someones head

I home-brewed a spell SPECIFICALLY to do that. It was anvils though, not pianos.
And that's all folks!

[Volkov]

it actually does specify your hands

What if you are a mountain giant? :P

[awa]

then your still better off just picking up a rock and throwing it

[Volkov]

then your still better off just picking up a rock and throwing it

You could use a huge giant's piano. Which would probably be as big as an elephant.

[Darrin]

Just have a high strength then.

Actually, just have a high strength and a level of Hulking Hurler. A 201-lb church bell can be held/played in both hands, and also thrown as an improvised weapon for 5d6 damage.

[Starbuck_II]

What if you are a mountain giant? :P

It would size appropriate so it is huge or Colossal.

[Mongoose87]

It would size appropriate so it is huge or Colossal.

So you summon an electric piano.

[Brendan]

Does it summon a specific instrument or just any? if any, than start a successful business by summoning and selling lots of instruments. I bet it is one specific one. They never would have let that get past them.
A few of my teammates did once get into an arguement over you can summon a monster into someone's liver. It technically can survive there for some time. Not much, but some.

[Shyftir]

"Ya gotta know the territory!"

It goes away after a certain amount of time, selling summoned instruments would be a good way of being chased out of town by an angry mob.

[Pluto]

Does it summon a specific instrument or just any? if any, than start a successful business by summoning and selling lots of instruments. I bet it is one specific one. They never would have let that get past them.

It has a 1-minute/level duration... good luck with that.

[Brendan]

It can take maybe a minute or so to make the transaction and then run once they're out of sight.

[Douglas]

"it will play only for you"

Good luck convincing someone to buy it without trying it out first.

[PhoenixRivers]

This depends on the target being very unfamiliar with magic and suspicious. Unless your DM regularly homebrews spells that do something similar with a nasty "other shoe", your target will just shrug, slightly confused, and go "is that all?"

There are RAW spells that do effects that are not readily apparent. Backbiter, for example.

I believe Fell Drain and Sonic Snap makes the lowest level guaranteed level drain.