Vote on the poll and explain why you chose that cantrip on this thread.
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The Circle of Hedgehogs Druid Beholder/Animated Armor Level -20 Bardof the OIADSB Cult, here are our rules.Sig.Also a sauce council member, but it's been dead for a while.
Guidance is by far my favorite cantrip and probably the best cantrip in the game unless you have a feature that improves them like Repelling Blast. With Guidance you basically get a +2.5 bonus to all skill checks out of combat except for impromptu charisma interactions, which is huge for hitting hard DCs on important things like helping the Wizard understand the magic item, or prepare the Barbarian to shatter that huge door. It’s a great spell, and I take it on every Druid, Cleric, Tomelock, or Cantrip Style Paladin/Ranger that I can.
Edit: Shillelagh is a great cantrip, but I assumed we were considering a monoclassed Druid, where it is a pretty bad cantrip starting at level 5. It’s really good when picked up through feat/multiclass/etc on a martial class like a ranger, making it a close contender with Guidance in that case.
I think mold earth takes the case here for pure utility. Who needs a shovel when you can move 125 cubic feet of earth as an action? One spellcaster can dig a trench in an hour that might take a crew of men a whole day or more.
I know it seems narrow in scope, but it fundamentally changes how you can interact with the world in a way that I don't think any other cantrip does.
I think mold earth takes the case here for pure utility. Who needs a shovel when you can move 125 cubic feet of earth as an action? One spellcaster can dig a trench in an hour that might take a crew of men a whole day or more.
I know it seems narrow in scope, but it fundamentally changes how you can interact with the world in a way that I don't think any other cantrip does.
It's also useful in combat as you can create/destroy difficult terrain made of rocks/dirt/sand as an action. It also doesn't wear off or require concentration to keep up. It's really great if you're setting up a battlefield for defense!
I love Thorn Whip. It feels so Druid-y. For my sea elf druid, I've reflavored Thorn Whip to be a long stretch of prickly seaweed. Love the image, plus the pull effect.
Honorable mentions: Shillelagh (unique to Druids) and Shape Water (so versatile). Guidance is great too - though I prefer using it with clerics.
Mold Earth can't hold a candle to Shape Water. I can't remember the last time I spent a serious amount of adventuring time anywhere near loose earth, which is the prerequisite for the primary use-case for mold earth - while shape water will scale from being useful with your waterskin to being astounding with a Decanter of Endless Water.
Shillelagh if you hit people yourself, Magic Stone if you have access to good minions, like Tiny Servant or Animate Dead, capable of obeying orders without consuming your action economy so you can make the stones and be done with it, ideally (as in the examples just listed) without also consuming concentration.
I've used Mold Earth to build walls to fortify our long rest position, to build traps for things that were tracking us, to bury important items quickly so as to hide them... Shape Water isn't capable of those things. Shape Water seems most useful as a method for creating difficult terrain maybe on demand (depends if the water won't seep through the floor before you can freeze it) or for busting open locks, and that second one is even DM dependent. Meanwhile Mold Earth can erect cover for a player on demand and can offer tons of benefits for fortification. Oh yeah, and it can create difficult terrain on demand in a lot of situations -- practically anything not in a building/on a ship.
Mold Earth can't hold a candle to Shape Water. I can't remember the last time I spent a serious amount of adventuring time anywhere near loose earth, which is the prerequisite for the primary use-case for mold earth - while shape water will scale from being useful with your waterskin to being astounding with a Decanter of Endless Water.
Shillelagh if you hit people yourself, Magic Stone if you have access to good minions, like Tiny Servant or Animate Dead, capable of obeying orders without consuming your action economy so you can make the stones and be done with it, ideally (as in the examples just listed) without also consuming concentration.
I mean, loose earth is everywhere. If you're outside, you're pretty much either on water, rock, sand, or loose earth.
Thorn whip is, IMO, the most thematic. Guidance might be mechanically best, but it doesn't have the same evocative value.
Although its only a d6, Thorn Whip is quite strong (and unique) in that it is an attack roll (generally better than save), it does a seldom resisted damage type, and it can move the target a significant distance. In short, it's versatile.
As suggested, take one of the elemental utility spells, Mold Earth or Control Water.. or if neither fit your RP image for the character, there's always the party favorite Guidence..
If you're a human and dont have darkvision, Produce Flame is super useful and has a very neat image for RP flavor, but uses in combat arent anything special outside slightly more damage than Thorn Whip.
Just make sure you realize that damage is not the main point of Cantrips, and to pick up a utility one. Shileigh and Savage strike are nice damage, but you need to ask whether you want to be up front to use them. You'll also have plenty of other uses for concentration, so i would recommend avoiding Creating Bonfire
Novelgazer and MrMurderBasket, pertaining to Thornwhip... For the purpose of pulling them into a hazard.
Example.. you cast moonbeam, which damages them on the beginning of their turn or if they enter the beam on A turn... they take damage at the start of their turn and then move out of moonbeam at the end of their turn, but because they are in a melee, can only move 5 or 10 feet away. You thorn whip ON your turn, pulling back into the hazard, and they immediately take damage, and damage again at the start of their turn.
Sure, closer to you can be bad if they end in melee range, but pulling them into a hazard is awesome and having them take damage twice per round on that hazard is great! Also you can move before or after using an action, and split your movement as well
Note, some hazards like firewall only do damage if they Enter the area or END their turn within range of it, so be mindful of when it is most beneficial
Yup. That's part of it. You can also pull enemies off of your allies, allowing them to move away without having to disengage.
If your DM is open to creative uses of abilities, you can sometimes use thorn whip for utility. For example, you might be able to swing across a chasm using Thorn Whip Indiana Jones style. Or you might grab an object and pull it to you with thorn whip. Technically this isn't RAW, but I have seen several DM's do this kind of thing.
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Vote on the poll and explain why you chose that cantrip on this thread.
The Circle of Hedgehogs Druid Beholder/Animated Armor Level -20 Bard of the OIADSB Cult, here are our rules. Sig. Also a sauce council member, but it's been dead for a while.
Guidance is by far my favorite cantrip and probably the best cantrip in the game unless you have a feature that improves them like Repelling Blast. With Guidance you basically get a +2.5 bonus to all skill checks out of combat except for impromptu charisma interactions, which is huge for hitting hard DCs on important things like helping the Wizard understand the magic item, or prepare the Barbarian to shatter that huge door. It’s a great spell, and I take it on every Druid, Cleric, Tomelock, or Cantrip Style Paladin/Ranger that I can.
Edit: Shillelagh is a great cantrip, but I assumed we were considering a monoclassed Druid, where it is a pretty bad cantrip starting at level 5. It’s really good when picked up through feat/multiclass/etc on a martial class like a ranger, making it a close contender with Guidance in that case.
I agree with Flare about Guidance. Primal savagery (not listed) is a good melee cantrip too.
I think mold earth takes the case here for pure utility. Who needs a shovel when you can move 125 cubic feet of earth as an action? One spellcaster can dig a trench in an hour that might take a crew of men a whole day or more.
I know it seems narrow in scope, but it fundamentally changes how you can interact with the world in a way that I don't think any other cantrip does.
It's also useful in combat as you can create/destroy difficult terrain made of rocks/dirt/sand as an action. It also doesn't wear off or require concentration to keep up. It's really great if you're setting up a battlefield for defense!
I like guidance because it has such good synergy with druids in both metagaming as a support role and in rp as communities of secret knowledge.
I love Thorn Whip. It feels so Druid-y. For my sea elf druid, I've reflavored Thorn Whip to be a long stretch of prickly seaweed. Love the image, plus the pull effect.
Honorable mentions: Shillelagh (unique to Druids) and Shape Water (so versatile). Guidance is great too - though I prefer using it with clerics.
Thorn Whip for combat... Shape water for utility
Mold Earth can't hold a candle to Shape Water. I can't remember the last time I spent a serious amount of adventuring time anywhere near loose earth, which is the prerequisite for the primary use-case for mold earth - while shape water will scale from being useful with your waterskin to being astounding with a Decanter of Endless Water.
Top 5, in order:
Mold Earth first, Shape Water a distant second.
I've used Mold Earth to build walls to fortify our long rest position, to build traps for things that were tracking us, to bury important items quickly so as to hide them... Shape Water isn't capable of those things. Shape Water seems most useful as a method for creating difficult terrain maybe on demand (depends if the water won't seep through the floor before you can freeze it) or for busting open locks, and that second one is even DM dependent. Meanwhile Mold Earth can erect cover for a player on demand and can offer tons of benefits for fortification. Oh yeah, and it can create difficult terrain on demand in a lot of situations -- practically anything not in a building/on a ship.
I mean, loose earth is everywhere. If you're outside, you're pretty much either on water, rock, sand, or loose earth.
2&3 may swap depending on campaign.
Thorn whip is, IMO, the most thematic. Guidance might be mechanically best, but it doesn't have the same evocative value.
Although its only a d6, Thorn Whip is quite strong (and unique) in that it is an attack roll (generally better than save), it does a seldom resisted damage type, and it can move the target a significant distance. In short, it's versatile.
I like create bonfire, but produce flame (not listed) is my favorite. Some honorable mentions are shillelagh and guidance.
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I'm creating a druid and I'm not sure what to put as my second cantrip after thorn whip, do you guys have any suggestions?
As suggested, take one of the elemental utility spells, Mold Earth or Control Water.. or if neither fit your RP image for the character, there's always the party favorite Guidence..
If you're a human and dont have darkvision, Produce Flame is super useful and has a very neat image for RP flavor, but uses in combat arent anything special outside slightly more damage than Thorn Whip.
Just make sure you realize that damage is not the main point of Cantrips, and to pick up a utility one. Shileigh and Savage strike are nice damage, but you need to ask whether you want to be up front to use them. You'll also have plenty of other uses for concentration, so i would recommend avoiding Creating Bonfire
This.
Thorn whip similarly raises the question, "Why would I want that attacker closer?" :)
good point actually
Novelgazer and MrMurderBasket, pertaining to Thornwhip... For the purpose of pulling them into a hazard.
Example.. you cast moonbeam, which damages them on the beginning of their turn or if they enter the beam on A turn... they take damage at the start of their turn and then move out of moonbeam at the end of their turn, but because they are in a melee, can only move 5 or 10 feet away. You thorn whip ON your turn, pulling back into the hazard, and they immediately take damage, and damage again at the start of their turn.
Sure, closer to you can be bad if they end in melee range, but pulling them into a hazard is awesome and having them take damage twice per round on that hazard is great! Also you can move before or after using an action, and split your movement as well
Note, some hazards like firewall only do damage if they Enter the area or END their turn within range of it, so be mindful of when it is most beneficial
Yup. That's part of it. You can also pull enemies off of your allies, allowing them to move away without having to disengage.
If your DM is open to creative uses of abilities, you can sometimes use thorn whip for utility. For example, you might be able to swing across a chasm using Thorn Whip Indiana Jones style. Or you might grab an object and pull it to you with thorn whip. Technically this isn't RAW, but I have seen several DM's do this kind of thing.