So this has been discussed several times and there have been multiple reasons that have been discussed why magic missile makes a terrible cantrip. The 2 general reasons are that autohit cantrips are too powerful and they magic missile specifically causes 3 concentration saves when targeting spell casters. So the auto hit cantrip idea to me kinda falls flat because Evokers get Potent Cantrip and essentially get an auto-hit cantrip at level 6. So with a magic missile cantrip I do agree that 3 con saves in incredible and well beyond that of a cantrip aswell as coupling with with empowered evocation for evokers. But what about a magic missile cantrip that just had 1 missile that scaled like other cantrips? One that either does 1d4+1 or 1d6? the AVG would be the same, 1d4+1 has better minimum damage but lower max but 1d6 is more consistent with other cantrips and had a lower minimum damage and higher max damage. Or if auto-hit isn't too much, would it need to be 1d4 to really make sense? Or is the consensus still that a magic missile type cantrip is still just too unbalanced?
The auto hit feature is the the problem with this idea. You may say the idea falls flat because Evokers can potent cantrip at level 6, but you are talking 1 subclass out of how many spell casting subclasses in total?
Just because 1 subclass out the many casting subclasses get a 'auto hit' cantrip ability does not mean everybody else needs or should get something like it. That's the whole point of taking the Evoker subclass: to get that ability among others that is unique to that subclass.
Also Magic Missile has a natural foil in the form of the Shield spell. If you create a Magic Missile type cantrip would you then need to create a similar foil to it in cantrip form?
I doubt that firing off a single magic missile for 1d4 damage would be a huge balance concern. But also ask yourself: why is this fun/necessary to add into the game? Either you add it because it's fun - and rolling a guaranteed 1d4 damage is less fun for most than making an attack roll for potentially stronger effects - or you add it because there's a hole in the game design and you need to fill it. I don't see it as fulfilling either of these roles, and if it's not fun or necessary then I don't really see what it's for.
To answer the primary questions brought up, Yes the shield spell would block it just like primary magic missile.
As for why... consistent damage. Just like level 1 magic missile... it may not do a lot of damage but it will almost always do some and in some situations that's better than nothing.
If you are really tying to make it maybe do it as a Baby Missile that do only 1 damage per bolt starting at 1 bolt. This make it more as a annoying spell to try to break concentration DC10. You then add bolts as you level, two bolts at 5th level, three bolts at 11th level, and four bolts at 17th level.
This make it more about breaking concentration as the damage would only be 4 at 17 but would force 4 cheaks.
It would Also level Magic Missle in as a 1st level spell when you want to hit for more damage.
I do not care for the 1d4-2 (min 0) and I think a d2 or 1d4-2 (min 1) would be better here but other then that it looks nice.
P.S. The reason I do not like the 1d4-2 is 50% of the time it does 0 damage, 25% it does 1 and 25% it does 2. The 0 damage is the part that does not feel right.
I do not care for the 1d4-2 (min 0) and I think a d2 or 1d4-2 (min 1) would be better here but other then that it looks nice.
P.S. The reason I do not like the 1d4-2 is 50% of the time it does 0 damage, 25% it does 1 and 25% it does 2. The 0 damage is the part that does not feel right.
That’s the only part that makes it anywhere close to balanced as a Cantrip. That’s the whole point. If it was 1d2, or “Min 1,” it would be OP for a cantrip. As is having it automatically hit for 0 damage is pushing things because if anything can buff the spell “on a hit” (like the Arcana Domain cleric Feature), the buff would still automatically apply even if the spell does no damage. That’s why an auto-hitting cantrip is so dangerous. It isn’t the automatic damage, it’s the automatic “hit” that’s so dangerous.
BTW, there technically already is a cantrip level version of magic missile, it’s called eldritch blast. The reason it does more damage but requires an attack roll is because brute force is easier than fine-tuned finesse.
So this has been discussed several times and there have been multiple reasons that have been discussed why magic missile makes a terrible cantrip. The 2 general reasons are that autohit cantrips are too powerful and they magic missile specifically causes 3 concentration saves when targeting spell casters. So the auto hit cantrip idea to me kinda falls flat because Evokers get Potent Cantrip and essentially get an auto-hit cantrip at level 6. So with a magic missile cantrip I do agree that 3 con saves in incredible and well beyond that of a cantrip aswell as coupling with with empowered evocation for evokers. But what about a magic missile cantrip that just had 1 missile that scaled like other cantrips? One that either does 1d4+1 or 1d6? the AVG would be the same, 1d4+1 has better minimum damage but lower max but 1d6 is more consistent with other cantrips and had a lower minimum damage and higher max damage. Or if auto-hit isn't too much, would it need to be 1d4 to really make sense? Or is the consensus still that a magic missile type cantrip is still just too unbalanced?
The auto hit feature is the the problem with this idea. You may say the idea falls flat because Evokers can potent cantrip at level 6, but you are talking 1 subclass out of how many spell casting subclasses in total?
Just because 1 subclass out the many casting subclasses get a 'auto hit' cantrip ability does not mean everybody else needs or should get something like it. That's the whole point of taking the Evoker subclass: to get that ability among others that is unique to that subclass.
Also Magic Missile has a natural foil in the form of the Shield spell. If you create a Magic Missile type cantrip would you then need to create a similar foil to it in cantrip form?
I doubt that firing off a single magic missile for 1d4 damage would be a huge balance concern. But also ask yourself: why is this fun/necessary to add into the game? Either you add it because it's fun - and rolling a guaranteed 1d4 damage is less fun for most than making an attack roll for potentially stronger effects - or you add it because there's a hole in the game design and you need to fill it. I don't see it as fulfilling either of these roles, and if it's not fun or necessary then I don't really see what it's for.
To answer the primary questions brought up, Yes the shield spell would block it just like primary magic missile.
As for why... consistent damage. Just like level 1 magic missile... it may not do a lot of damage but it will almost always do some and in some situations that's better than nothing.
If you are really tying to make it maybe do it as a Baby Missile that do only 1 damage per bolt starting at 1 bolt. This make it more as a annoying spell to try to break concentration DC10. You then add bolts as you level, two bolts at 5th level, three bolts at 11th level, and four bolts at 17th level.
This make it more about breaking concentration as the damage would only be 4 at 17 but would force 4 cheaks.
It would Also level Magic Missle in as a 1st level spell when you want to hit for more damage.
I spell Goodly.
This was my attempt at a Magic Missile Cantrip, it has enjoyed some popularity as Private homebrew:
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I do not care for the 1d4-2 (min 0) and I think a d2 or 1d4-2 (min 1) would be better here but other then that it looks nice.
P.S. The reason I do not like the 1d4-2 is 50% of the time it does 0 damage, 25% it does 1 and 25% it does 2. The 0 damage is the part that does not feel right.
I spell Goodly.
That’s the only part that makes it anywhere close to balanced as a Cantrip. That’s the whole point. If it was 1d2, or “Min 1,” it would be OP for a cantrip. As is having it automatically hit for 0 damage is pushing things because if anything can buff the spell “on a hit” (like the Arcana Domain cleric Feature), the buff would still automatically apply even if the spell does no damage. That’s why an auto-hitting cantrip is so dangerous. It isn’t the automatic damage, it’s the automatic “hit” that’s so dangerous.
BTW, there technically already is a cantrip level version of magic missile, it’s called eldritch blast. The reason it does more damage but requires an attack roll is because brute force is easier than fine-tuned finesse.
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I think it would be better then to do it as the low damage and state no class ability or magical items can increases then.
I spell Goodly.
The automatic damage is still too much IMO. 🤷♂️
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