Cantrips are a spellcaster’s truest, fixed companions. And these fight cantrips will hold you within the battle when all else is spent.
Cantrips are at all times a very good time in D&D. They value you nothing however your motion – they’re helpful everytime you’re out of spell slots, or in the event you’re taking part in a bit of extra risk-averse with them, as a result of you recognize your DM is simply ready so that you can run out of spells earlier than introducing the primary villain of this arc of your marketing campaign.
And in 5.5E, many cantrips acquired a little bit of an improve. There are even some new ones which have thrilling new wrinkles. Particularly relating to fight. Listed below are 5 fight succesful cantrips that gained’t steer you fallacious.
True Strike
Let’s begin with one of the glown up cantrips on the market in 5.5E. True Strike has gone from being a waste of an motion/cantrip choice to being robust sufficient to construct a complete character round.
True Strike helps you to make an assault with a weapon as you solid the spell. Solely as a substitute of attacking as regular, you may assault along with your spellcasting stat as a substitute of Power or Dexterity, and might deal Radiant injury. At increased ranges, you may even deal bonus injury as a substitute. That is particularly good in the event you combo it with a excessive injury weapon—at fifth degree, somebody with True Strike and a Greatsword can be doing 3d6 + Spellcasting mod on a single hit, outdamaging most different cantrips.
Particularly since you may stack in most of the weapon boosting feats or magic weapon properties to extend the injury of your True Strike. It combos properly with one thing like Shillelagh, too. Talking of which…
Shillelagh
Shillelagh is nice once more! Not that it ever was actually all that unhealthy. However Shillelagh will get an enormous increase in energy from two issues: to begin with the injury scales. Your membership and/or quarterstaff will finally do a d10, a d12, after which 2d6 injury per hit, which means you would possibly hold reaching for this spell.
And secondly, the best way weapons are dealt with in 5.5E offers this just a few stealth upgrades within the type of weapon mastery properties. Golf equipment, particularly, play properly with Shillelagh—they get to do good injury and supply Sluggish and Mild as weapon mastery properties. Which means you may twin wield with a shillelagh and one other weapon with nick so you can also make additional pressure injury assaults.
Or use the quarterstaff to topple your foes and do polearm shenanigans.
Sorcerous Burst
Sorcerours Burst is the 5.5E Sorcerer’s new toy, because the title suggests. And it condenses all the pieces enjoyable about D&D injury spell into a pleasant little bundle. Right here’s what I imply: at its core, D&D is a sport about rolling cube and celebrating whenever you get the largest quantity. Nothing fairly looks like rolling that pure 20.
However a detailed second is rolling a die that explodes. Which is what Sorcerous Burst does. First, you get to choose what sort of elemental injury you’re doing along with your bust. Second, when your goal takes their 1d8 or extra injury in the event you roll an 8 on any of the cube you get to roll an additional d8, which additionally explodes.
It would really feel oh so good if you find yourself rolling 8d8 on a crit and so they simply hold exploding. Positive, there’s a restrict, you may solely ever add as much as your spellcasting capability modifier in additional d8s, however that’s nonetheless greater than sufficient to really feel superb.
Thoughts Sliver
D&D wants extra cantrips that set you up for fulfillment. There’s loads of deal with doing huge bursts of injury, however a lot much less on organising teamwork combos—although these parts do exist. Take Thoughts Sliver.
This cantrip, if it’s profitable, not solely damages your foe, it additionally makes them subtract 1d4 from the following saving throw they roll earlier than the top of your subsequent flip. Which means you or an ally can profit from a weakened goal. AND you continue to injury them.
Blade Ward
Lastly one of many few defensive cantrips. However what a protection. Blade Ward can flip successful right into a miss. Any creature that assaults you whilst you’re concentrating on this spell has to subtract 1d4 from their assault roll. All that’s with out your Response, so you may nonetheless use Protect or in the event you’re a Fighter do a Riposte or one thing wild like that.
And since it’s only a cantrip, there’s no want to worry about losing the spell in the event you lose Focus on it, or need to drop it to solid one other spell to Consider.
What are a few of your favourite fight cantrips?
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