tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post145034603290096204..comments2024-03-24T23:21:24.747-04:00Comments on Gothridge Manor: Cantrips Love'em or Leave'em?Gothridge Manorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11371740532802642972noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post-60024540719662659902010-11-30T12:57:01.432-05:002010-11-30T12:57:01.432-05:00I always liked cantrips. I never liked having them...I always liked cantrips. I never liked having them as a trade-off for a 1st level spell, even 4:1 in Unearthed Arcana, because that Sleep is always going to be chosen instead of Belch, Gather, Hairy, and Firefinger. So I always just said you get 1 cantrip per day per "Additional Language" based on INT. For 3E games I'd say a cantrip per INT over 11 (or whatever your spellcasting stat is). No idea how 4E stat bonuses work. <br /><br />As for 3E, I think they went the wrong way with cantrips. They made them really worthwhile! My requirements for cantrips were always these: <br /><br />1: A cantrip can never cause damage, give a penalty or bonus to a roll in combat, or make someone lose an action or movement, <br />2: A cantrip can never directly make money, and as a service is only worth a few coppers,<br />3: Cantrips used against creatures always allow a saving throw to negate, <br />4: Cantrip ranges are always touch or very short (or self), <br />5: Cantrip durations are never more than 1 day<br /><br />This strictly limits what you can do with cantrips. But I feel that it's totally inside the bounds of a cantrip to cause someone to belch or sneeze, as long as it doesn't hamper their combat ability at all (making someone sneeze won't disrupt spellcasting for example). <br /><br />So what can you use cantrips for? They're for convenience and pranks. A dwarf may pay for a Hairy cantrip rather than waiting several years to regrow a singed beard. Making someone belch over and over at dinner is sometimes good for a laugh. Making someone sneeze over and over while trying to convince the gate guard that they're totally not a plague-carrier may have more dire consequences. Dry, Clean, and Polish are good for keeping your equipment nice without spending time cleaning them. Color can act as a quick disguise! Gather can be used a few times to sort coinage from a mixed treasure pile, or to get all the seeds from a pumpkin you just busted open. <br /><br />So cantrips can be really useful and fun, but they shouldn't be just a way to beef up combat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post-3405798129123363152010-11-01T22:39:42.915-04:002010-11-01T22:39:42.915-04:00noetic at zoominternet dot net
Thanks TS looking ...noetic at zoominternet dot net<br /><br />Thanks TS looking forward to it.Gothridge Manorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11371740532802642972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post-69830169193256097182010-11-01T22:34:43.413-04:002010-11-01T22:34:43.413-04:00e-mail address?e-mail address?Timeshadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09952601433965644275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post-88925141733285305322010-11-01T22:32:23.013-04:002010-11-01T22:32:23.013-04:00@TS> Absolutely. Would appreciate anything you...@TS> Absolutely. Would appreciate anything you would like to share.<br /><br />@JD> I am hoping the cantrips are helpful through out the mage's career. <br /><br />@Risus> I hope so. I'd like to see players use them in some imaginative ways.Gothridge Manorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11371740532802642972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post-28919088775530888962010-11-01T18:45:35.685-04:002010-11-01T18:45:35.685-04:00I'm a big fan of cantrips. They are a great wa...I'm a big fan of cantrips. They are a great way to give some character to low-level magic-users.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17635116929490398699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post-68267435952733545192010-11-01T16:05:33.652-04:002010-11-01T16:05:33.652-04:00I've used cantrips a few times in the past and...I've used cantrips a few times in the past and never found them terribly upsetting to the game as long as they were decidedly wimpier then even a 1/2 level spell.<br />The incredibly wimpy cantrips of mid era AD&D were fine at having low level MU feel like they were more then a 1 trick pony. IF, MUs had access to a number of them without losing a 1st level spell. 1 per poitn of INT worked but so did 1 per additional language allowed.JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1954394848487110923.post-42741611404178983712010-11-01T14:08:09.934-04:002010-11-01T14:08:09.934-04:00Would you be interested in contributions?
--Mine, ...Would you be interested in contributions?<br />--Mine, too, are Point-expenditure-based.Timeshadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09952601433965644275noreply@blogger.com