Not Used: Cantrip suggestions

Like most players, I have my own set of house rules that I favor, and some of them have to do with spells. While I don't know if others are all that interested in them, I thought I might offer up some ideas for the cantrips, to make them at least somewhat useful. I don't know if these can even be implemented in NWN, but here they are.

Cure Minor Wounds - heals 2-5 hp
Asis CMW - heals 5 hp

Inflict Minor Wounds - harms 2-5 hp
Ragnor IMW - harms 5 hp

Virtue - gives 2-5 temp hp
______ Virtue - gives 5 temp hp (don't know which god... Torgat? Lysis? Dalix?)

Resistance - lasts 24 hours

Light - lasts 24 hours

Daze - lasts 6 rounds - HD (ex. 4 HD victim would last 6-4 = 2 rounds)

Flare - blinded for 2 rounds

Acid Splash / Electric Jolt / Ray of Frost - become Elemental Sting, 2-5 damage of chosen element on casting, no save.


The first three spells I changed because one point of anything is completely worthless. Healing, hurting or temping for 1 hp is insulting to the caster. "Huzzah, after a decade of intense study, training and dedication, I can now hurt people for one whole hit point! Plus I can do it three times a day! Who's laughing now fighter, eh?"

Cantrips are "half-spells", so it's understandable that half a Cure Light would be d4 instead of d8. If you look at healing items, you'll note that a Cure Serious Wounds potion has caster level 5, CMW cl 3, and CLW cl 2. That leaves CMW at cl 1. I then carried that over for the harm and temp versions. Currently Virtue spells stack (betcha didn't know that didja? 'Cause you never cast it, didja?), but a few temp hp are worthless. However, if we do 2-5 temp hp per casting instead of one, those extra hp could be very useful for low levels taking on a boss, or any other tough opponent.

Resistance and Light are protective spells. Resistance doesn't stack with items of Resistance, so it's only useful for low levels. Light also is only for low levels, since many magic items have a light effect built in. Given how fast time passes here, I think 24 hours would make them a viable option, since 1 hour per level is over before you know it for low levels. As an aside, I would also suggest making Wands of Light usable by all classes, even if the spell itself is restricted. If we're going to have restoration scrolls usable by everybody, why not light wands?

Flare is useless with it's -1 to hit. If we increase the effect to blinding for two rounds, giving enough time for the caster to do something else or run away, it becomes useful. Most creatures will save anyways, so I think a short-lived blind effect is good.

The trio of damage spells for mages I merge to make it more versatile. You could also add fire and sonic if you wanted. I also increase the damage to 2-5, in keeping with the first three spells. Seriously, even kobolds aren't scared of 1-3 damage. 2-5 isn't much better, and I would let it cause much more damage, but that ties in with adjusting many other spells, and I'm sticking to cantrips here.

I assume Neumann's Companion (sp?) is only meant for trap springing, correct? I can't see any other use for a neutral, non-allied creature on the battlefield.

I don't go overboard with flares, but I kinda prefer the -1 to hit vs blinding. Blindness as the effect kind of seems a bit overpowered for a cantrip as well. 50% miss chance, -4 to attack rolls, even at just a 3 or 4 rounds, that's a hefty effect. It's an effective improved invisibility coupled with a good taunt roll or a number of spells stacked for the -4 to attack.

Having the other spells beef up a bit isn't too bad an idea.... the spell description for CMW states 1 to 4 HP already... unfortunately it only heals one (and I for one (pun intended) keep forgetting to bug report that).

I agree with manny here on the flare blinding effect.... blindness is a devastating debuff. If you have the panther familiar, and your flare blinds a target, you now gave that panther 2 full rounds of sneak attacks... as blinded opponents lose their dex bonus.

The rest of the suggestions are primo, I think.

Don't forget that creatures can save against it. Also, while I understand people think of cantrips as weak, I'm opposed to having cantrips be useless. Casters can only cast cantrips a few times a day, so there's a limit on what you can do, and casters ARE supposed to be dangerous with magic, even low level spells.

If two rounds seems too much, what about one round? As it stands, I personally don't think -1 to hit is at all useful. Do you really cast it Manny?

Oh, dont get me wrong, i agree that -1 to hit is sucky.... and useless....

I just meant to say that blinding is a bit much, even for 1 round.... maybe -4 to attacks for 2 rounds?

While these are decent suggestions, I probably won't use them simply because Aenea is set at the D&D Hardcore difficulty setting...I do want it to feel more like my PnP game than the default NWN.

cure minor wounds description: probably a relic of the original game setting. Under D&D Hardcore, spells and other things act more like they do in standard 3rd Edition D&D, where cure minor wounds only ever heals 1 hitpoint of damage. It's the lowest possible spell level, so it has the lowest possible healing effect...1 point.

For low level wizards and sorcerers that want to hurt things with magic after running out of 1st and 2nd level spells, there are the Arcane Attack feats. They cost a hit point each use, but they're ranged touch (no save), doing at least 1d6+1 elemental damage on a hit. (And yes, I know the electrical one is still bugged. There's a script file issue that won't let me edit the script, so there's a fix coming in the next updates hak)

Plus, at levels 3 & 4, all characters can rest as often as they like to regain hitpoints and spells.

Cantrips as a concept are meant to be the weakest form of spell around, castable by apprentices that have yet to even master a single 1st level spell. Even an average person with only a 10 intelligence (and 1 level/0 xp in wizard) can fire off several cantrips per day.

The only things I think would be worthy of being altered is Resistance. It lasts only a few turns no matter your level, so unless you cast it the very second you need it, its pointless.

Light already lasts 1 hour a level. Thats very good right there.

Daze from my knowledge stops working at all on creatures with higher hitdice, meaning while you could cast it on a level1 goblin and have a possibility of it working, a level5 goblin or a level2orc is practically immune, even with their poor saves.

Make daze improve not in duration or effect, but by who and what it can effect, based on caster level.

And btw, the flare idea sounds awfully painful and powerful, it already can effect anyone of any level and hitdice so long as the mage is a decent level. So having an opponent that is a level 15 fighter hit less often with flare is good, blinding them, that is just cheep. Never change flare or any spell so drastically like that when they are already too powerful for its level (I'm surprised flare is a cantrip!).

Extend spell on resistance, double it's duration. Even if cast normally, it's not bad at all at 2 turns, especially when you get to higher levels and aren't using the other cantrips at all... fill up all the lv0 slots with resistance