So this isnt really a question regarding the rules but just something i couldnt find a better place post about.
Combat cantrips level up at total player level intervals. 5 11 and 18 Usually multiplying the original damage dice. Resulting in a firebolt at 18th level dealing 4x the damage as one at level 1. Which is fair it give casters something to do in a fight while saving spell slots. And pretty reasonable to assume an archmage would be able to push more power into a cantrip theyve had for ages. Effectively getting a free 'upcast' of their combat cantrips
But this doesn't extend to other cantrips. Granted many are harder to quantify a level up but others could grow. Maybe not as sharply as combat cantrips but certainly it still feels strange to me that these utility cantrips experience zero difference if used by a grandmaster archmage or that barbarian who just picked up magic initiate.
Dancing lights could spawn an additional orb at each incriment (and maybe for the love of god have that humanoid single light form actually be useful and shed some bright light and increase radius relative to number of orbs contained. (Honestly it bug the hell out of me that the humanoid form requires all the orbs but sheds the same light as one of them))
Guidance or resistance maybe increasing the dice tier rather than multipying dive as it levels: d4/d6/d8/d10. But i feel like that might get pretty out of hand. Im not sure if adding a d10 at level 18 to an ability check with a concentration spell would be overpowered as i havent really been able to test play at that level extensively. Increased duration is an option though. From a minute to up to an hour (odds are thats not really gonna be super useful as its free to recast but in some situations it might be handy.)
Mage hand could benefit increased range. Or slightly more carry weight. (I totally need to homebrew a feat allowing for two mage hands because i am in love with that visual. Also would be awesome for a character who has no arms)
Minor illusion technically does run off your spell save dc so that does grow in its way.
Magic stone allowing more stones to be picked/more damage maybe.
The elemental evil 'bending' cantrips control flame shape water mold earth and gust along with the druidcraft thaumaturgy prestidigitation lot are so broad in their effects that i cant think of a simple way to scale them up. Beyond allowing more "non instantaneous" effects to exist at one time. But i think that could vary broadly between ineffectual and ridiculously useful.
The light spell could ramp up in radius or allow it to be cast at ranges as it levels up or target multiple objects per cast (which is actually not a super benefit as light can be cast on as many objects as you want really just taking more time to do so. So adding a lick of action economy with it when one is casting it in combat for whatever reason i dont think would be problematic.)
And i know mage hand, minor illusion, guidance are really great cantrips already. And they all remain decently useful as you level.
It just bothers me that spells that do have space to improve, dont, when other spells do, and by neccisity often end up being relied on heavily by casters.
Anyway what do you think about this? Any other ideas for utility cantrip scaling? Do you think giving a level 18 spellcaster a mage hand that can carry more or operate at longer reach becomes unbalanced? Guidance/resistance scaling up dice does feel like it gets kind of out of hand. Unless it scales only only every second increment or something. Any insight as to why these cantrips werent given scaling to begin with?
So this isnt really a question regarding the rules but just something i couldnt find a better place post about.
Combat cantrips level up at total player level intervals. 5 11 and 18 Usually multiplying the original damage dice. Resulting in a firebolt at 18th level dealing 4x the damage as one at level 1. Which is fair it give casters something to do in a fight while saving spell slots. And pretty reasonable to assume an archmage would be able to push more power into a cantrip theyve had for ages. Effectively getting a free 'upcast' of their combat cantrips
But this doesn't extend to other cantrips. Granted many are harder to quantify a level up but others could grow. Maybe not as sharply as combat cantrips but certainly it still feels strange to me that these utility cantrips experience zero difference if used by a grandmaster archmage or that barbarian who just picked up magic initiate.
Dancing lights could spawn an additional orb at each incriment (and maybe for the love of god have that humanoid single light form actually be useful and shed some bright light and increase radius relative to number of orbs contained. (Honestly it bug the hell out of me that the humanoid form requires all the orbs but sheds the same light as one of them))
Guidance or resistance maybe increasing the dice tier rather than multipying dive as it levels: d4/d6/d8/d10. But i feel like that might get pretty out of hand. Im not sure if adding a d10 at level 18 to an ability check with a concentration spell would be overpowered as i havent really been able to test play at that level extensively. Increased duration is an option though. From a minute to up to an hour (odds are thats not really gonna be super useful as its free to recast but in some situations it might be handy.)
Mage hand could benefit increased range. Or slightly more carry weight. (I totally need to homebrew a feat allowing for two mage hands because i am in love with that visual. Also would be awesome for a character who has no arms)
Minor illusion technically does run off your spell save dc so that does grow in its way.
Magic stone allowing more stones to be picked/more damage maybe.
The elemental evil 'bending' cantrips control flame shape water mold earth and gust along with the druidcraft thaumaturgy prestidigitation lot are so broad in their effects that i cant think of a simple way to scale them up. Beyond allowing more "non instantaneous" effects to exist at one time. But i think that could vary broadly between ineffectual and ridiculously useful.
The light spell could ramp up in radius or allow it to be cast at ranges as it levels up or target multiple objects per cast (which is actually not a super benefit as light can be cast on as many objects as you want really just taking more time to do so. So adding a lick of action economy with it when one is casting it in combat for whatever reason i dont think would be problematic.)
And i know mage hand, minor illusion, guidance are really great cantrips already. And they all remain decently useful as you level.
It just bothers me that spells that do have space to improve, dont, when other spells do, and by neccisity often end up being relied on heavily by casters.
Anyway what do you think about this? Any other ideas for utility cantrip scaling? Do you think giving a level 18 spellcaster a mage hand that can carry more or operate at longer reach becomes unbalanced? Guidance/resistance scaling up dice does feel like it gets kind of out of hand. Unless it scales only only every second increment or something. Any insight as to why these cantrips werent given scaling to begin with?
Instead of higher dice, you could add a flat bonus: 1d4+1/2/3
Also, you have cantrips to boost your melee attack, but nothing for ranged attacks :(
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]Oh yeah i like that idea more. Cause it also acts as a buffer for that low roll as well