There's a cantrip for everything

[JonahFalcon]

So, what's the strangest cantrip you've heard of? I hadn't heard of seasoning cantrips but I don't doubt they exist.

[Peelee]

So, what's the strangest cantrip you've heard of? I hadn't heard of seasoning cantrips but I don't doubt they exist.

There's a 0th level Wish spell. If you can't do it with that, you're not really trying hard enough.
Pertinent bit bolded

Prestidigitation

Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Prestidigitations are minor tricks that novice spellcasters use for practice. Once cast, a prestidigitation spell enables you to perform simple magical effects for 1 hour. The effects are minor and have severe limitations. A prestidigitation can slowly lift 1 pound of material. It can color, clean, or soil items in a 1-foot cube each round. It can chill, warm, or flavor 1 pound of nonliving material. It cannot deal damage or affect the concentration of spellcasters. Prestidigitation can create small objects, but they look crude and artificial. The materials created by a prestidigitation spell are extremely fragile, and they cannot be used as tools, weapons, or spell components. Finally, a prestidigitation lacks the power to duplicate any other spell effects. Any actual change to an object (beyond just moving, cleaning, or soiling it) persists only 1 hour.

[King of Nowhere]

however, you only have four 0th level spell slots, so a wizard has a hard time preparing enough of those cantrips unless sacrificing higher level spells.
considering that V has already the spell to keep the mosquitos away when he flies, and the cat retrieving hand, he should be watching his cantrip allotment

[KorvinStarmast]

however, you only have four 0th level spell slots, so a wizard has a hard time preparing enough of those cantrips unless sacrificing higher level spells.
considering that V has already the spell to keep the mosquitos away when he flies, and the cat retrieving hand, he should be watching his cantrip allotment

I was under the impression that the cat retrieving hand was a leveled spell related to Bugsby, and the joke was on "why did V keep preparing that spell?"

[Doug Lampert]

I was under the impression that the cat retrieving hand was a leveled spell related to Bugsby, and the joke was on "why did V keep preparing that spell?"

Mage hand is a cantrip and will lift an unattended object of up to 5 lb, but a cat is a creature (which in D&D land makes it not a object and also not unattended), and can easily be more than 5 lb. So that won't work.

Interposing hand (level 5), Forceful hand (level 6), Grasping hand (level 7), clinched fist (level 8), and Crushing hand (level 9) are the "Bigby's" hand spells 3rd edition.

Even if "Bugsby's Cat-Retrieving Hand" is lower level than any of these, it would probably still not be a cantrip if it is part of the spoof Bigby's Bugsby's hand line.

[MultitudeMan]

Mage hand is a cantrip and will lift an unattended object of up to 5 lb, but a cat is a creature (which in D&D land makes it not a object and also not unattended), and can easily be more than 5 lb. So that won't work.

Interposing hand (level 5), Forceful hand (level 6), Grasping hand (level 7), clinched fist (level 8), and Crushing hand (level 9) are the "Bigby's" hand spells 3rd edition.

Even if "Bugsby's Cat-Retrieving Hand" is lower level than any of these, it would probably still not be a cantrip if it is part of the spoof Bigby's Bugsby's hand line.

I thought the joke was that V was using Interposing Hand to pick up a cat, which is not the most efficient use of a 5th-level spell. Rich is kinda flexible about characters having to say the exact name of the spell being cast anyway.

[GrayGriffin]

however, you only have four 0th level spell slots, so a wizard has a hard time preparing enough of those cantrips unless sacrificing higher level spells.
considering that V has already the spell to keep the mosquitos away when he flies, and the cat retrieving hand, he should be watching his cantrip allotment

I thought the whole point of cantrips was that they were mostly "utility" spells that you could use freely as much as you want?

[MultitudeMan]

I thought the whole point of cantrips was that they were mostly "utility" spells that you could use freely as much as you want?

Both PF and 5th edition have a variant of this, but 3.5 cantrips are normal Vancian spells, with spell slots, and forgotten for the day after use. V of course has an extra cantrip slot, due to being an Evoker, but in an annoying 3.5 quirk, doesn't get bonus cantrip slots due to a high INT modifier, so has 5 cantrip slots, but at least 7 1st-level slots (8 if V's INT has raised to 28 by now).

[Jannoire]

however, you only have four 0th level spell slots, so a wizard has a hard time preparing enough of those cantrips unless sacrificing higher level spells.
considering that V has already the spell to keep the mosquitos away when he flies, and the cat retrieving hand, he should be watching his cantrip allotment

Why can't you use prestidigitation to clean away the flies? In 5e at least it can be utilized to clean an object, IIRC. So I'd wager, this was the cantrip V referred to in the scene with bandana

[Scizor]

Why can't you use prestidigitation to clean away the flies? In 5e at least it can be utilized to clean an object, IIRC. So I'd wager, this was the cantrip V referred to in the scene with bandana

Indeed, but unlike 5e, in 3.5e he can only cast it 4 (5?) times max. It does do almost the exact same thing though. There's a reason prestidigitation is called Least Wish

[RatElemental]

Prestidigitation is also technically a buff spell. Lasts for an hour, and lets you do the listed things for the duration. So V can flavor the entire crew's meals for them with a single casting and probably still have some time left.

[Doug Lampert]

I thought the joke was that V was using Interposing Hand to pick up a cat, which is not the most efficient use of a 5th-level spell. Rich is kinda flexible about characters having to say the exact name of the spell being cast anyway.

That's how I've always interpreted it (that he used a high level hand spell and just renamed it for the use). But if the question is "is that a cantrip" then you need to examine the plausible cantrips, which are far too weak to do the observed action.

[KorvinStarmast]

Mage hand is a cantrip and will lift an unattended object of up to 5 lb, but a cat is a creature (which in D&D land makes it not a object and also not unattended), and can easily be more than 5 lb. So that won't work.

Interposing hand (level 5), Forceful hand (level 6), Grasping hand (level 7), clinched fist (level 8), and Crushing hand (level 9) are the "Bigby's" hand spells 3rd edition.

Even if "Bugsby's Cat-Retrieving Hand" is lower level than any of these, it would probably still not be a cantrip if it is part of the spoof Bigby's Bugsby's hand line.

I find myself in violent agreement with you and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Rollin]

Prestidigitation can create small objects, but they look crude and artificial. The materials created by a prestidigitation spell are extremely fragile

Should I be envisioning a damp cardboard box with the word "espresto" written on it in crayon?

[Peelee]

Should I be envisioning a damp cardboard box with the word "espresto" written on it in crayon?

I really want to say yes.

[Debatra]

I once convinced a DM to let me pick locks with Prestidigitation because there's no way most tumblers weigh five pounds. (It wasn't an auto-success like with Knock, but I wound up being better at it than the party Rogue because he let me add both my Caster Level and my Int bonus to the roll.) It really is mainly limited by your imagination.

Stepping away from the MacGyver spell for a moment, there is a cantrip called Stick which acts as a very weak glue. A stiff breeze can detach what you use it on, and creatures don't even need to make the easiest of Strength checks.

[Quizatzhaderac]

OotSverse also has a birth control cantrip (technically orson). That Durkon didn't prepare.

[P.LOC]

and the cat retrieving hand,

Shouldn't this spell be a CATtrip?


Ok, this joke sounds better in italian, since can(e) means dog...

[Seward]

So, what's the strangest cantrip you've heard of? I hadn't heard of seasoning cantrips but I don't doubt they exist.

Indeed, the "Flavor" cantrip goes all the way back to 1st edition Unearthed Arcana. In that edition there were no cantrip slots, but you could choose 4 cantrips on a single 1st level "slot" memorization. Flavor and Clean were actually pretty popular choices. That edition had some stinkers of first level spells that should have been cantrips (Erase and Push anybody?). In 3.x some 1st level spells became cantrips (Light and Dancing Lights off the top of my head but probably some others)

In the version played by the Stickverse, "Prestidigitation" covers a bunch of the original cantrips (clean, dry, moisten, flavor, color, etc).

The one that V uses to clean out bugs from V's teeth after flying is probably also prestidigitation, one of the "clean" usage type.

I'm trying to think of any truly unusual cantrips and coming up blank. Most were pretty utilitarian, and the 3.x cantrips have found plenty of uses over the years, even moreso in Pathfinder when cantrips can be cast infinite times per day.

[Psyren]

Both PF and 5th edition have a variant of this, but 3.5 cantrips are normal Vancian spells, with spell slots, and forgotten for the day after use. V of course has an extra cantrip slot, due to being an Evoker, but in an annoying 3.5 quirk, doesn't get bonus cantrip slots due to a high INT modifier, so has 5 cantrip slots, but at least 7 1st-level slots (8 if V's INT has raised to 28 by now).

Indeed, but unlike 5e, in 3.5e he can only cast it 4 (5?) times max. It does do almost the exact same thing though. There's a reason prestidigitation is called Least Wish

Friendly reminder that if you really want more uses of your cantrips in a day in 3.5, you can just prepare them in higher-level slots. It's not like V is using all those 1st-level slots for much else every day anyway.

[Khedrac]

Interposing hand (level 5), Forceful hand (level 6), Grasping hand (level 7), clenched fist (level 8), and Crushing hand (level 9) are the "Bigby's" hand spells 3rd edition.

In 3.0 yes, but in 3.5 you can add:

Bigby's Helpful Hand (1st)
Bigby's Tripping Hand (1st)
Bigby's Slapping Hand (2nd)
Bigby's Striking Fist (2nd)
Bigby's Warding Hand (2nd)
Bigby's Disrupting Hand (3rd)