10 Biggest Cantrip Changes in the 2024 Player’s Handbook

Almost every cantrip in the U.S 2024 Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook is changed from its original form, either in wording or mechanics. Some changes are minor, while others completely change the effect of the spell. And most of the changes are big, Give spellcasters different ways to use their low-level magical resources.

Ten changes in particular stand out in about a dozen chants, all of which come back in one way or another from a previous rulebook. While some alterations may make the spells less appealing for certain builds, others Completely fix cantrips that have been unusable since their inception. One in particular has seen major improvements that leave it nearly unrecognizable, and will likely please players who want more versatility from their cantrip selection.

10

Vicious Taunt receives a minor damage increase

A small change to a staple spell, but a welcome one

The first change is a minor one, but important all the same, especially for bards. Vicious Taunt, their damaging cantrip of choice that allows them to hurt enemies with insults and jokes, now deals slightly more damage than before. His damage dice has been upgraded from a maze d4 to a d6And the damage now scales up at higher levels, as it does with other damaging cantrips.

This doesn’t make Vicious Taunt a hard-hitting powerhouse, nor is it intended to, but it does make the psychic damage it deals a little more significant. that is, Other damaging cantrips are now available on the bard list: Thunderclap and Starry Wisp. Each of them is better for raw damage, so this change might not make much of a difference for most players. Still, it shows that WotC didn’t forget about this cheeky spell.

9

Spare the dying gets a bigger range

Healers have a little more reach when saving their allies

Spare the die has never been a particularly exciting spell, simply Allowing clerics and druids to pull dying allies back from the brink and stabilize them. Higher-level spells like Healing Word are usually preferred, as they have a greater range than touch and really bring allies back into the fight. One of the problems with the cantrip has now been solved, since Spare the dying now has a range of 15 feet.

It’s nothing impressive, but it’s better than getting all the way to a fallen ally to save their life, and makes the cantrip a bit more useful. moreover, Spare the dying’s range extends into higher levelsFrom 15 to 30 feet, and eventually 60 and 120 feet. While healing a downed ally is almost always the better option, sparing the dying is great for healers in a bind and low spells who just want to make sure their party members aren’t gone for good.

8

Mending can finally fix things at a reasonable pace

Although it still can not restore magical power

Mending is certainly a more niche spell than some of the others, simply put Used to repair certain items when they suffer damage. There have always been very specific restrictions applied to it, keeping it from repairing anything too damaged and could not repair magic items. But the spell has become a little more useful, now being Being able to fix things instantly rather than over a minute.

This change is minimal, but at least it makes Mending usable during combat, should the need ever arise. Other than that, much of the wording surrounding the spell is the exact same: it can repair one part of a broken item, tears and holes cannot exceed a certain size, and while it can repair magical items if they have physical damage, it can Do not regain their power if they have lost it. There is one change in wording here: Manning no longer specifically states that it can be used to fix a constructA task now relegated to certain tools.

7

Resistance and blade ward take on new roles in a caster’s arsenal

Trading short-term protection for longer-lasting durability

Resistance and Blade Ward are two spells that have served different but thematically similar roles for a wide range of casters in the game thus far. Blade Ward may be cast to grant resistance to non-magical physical damage for one roundWhile resistance applied a short 1d4 buff to one saving throw. Now, the roles of the cantrip are almost reversed in a strange way.

Blade ward now applies a 1d4 penalty to enemy attack rolls against the caster for one minute. This lasts longer than the duration of the original spell, though since many casters have a relatively low armor class, it may be less effective at blocking damage. yet, It stacks with effects of spells like BaneWhich is fine.

Resistance can be cast on a creature to protect it from any damage type except force and psychic. For one minute, whenever the protected creature takes damage of the chosen type, they subtract 1d4 from the total. This can be useful when players know they are up against a creature that uses a certain element and can preemptively set it up. But both cantrips now cost the caster’s concentration to maintain, making them less tempting as choices.

6

Poison Spray and Chill Touch are getting massive range changes

One is a blessing, the other a curse

Poison Spray and Chill Touch are both primarily damage cantrips, though one has historically been held in higher regard than the other. Chill Touch deals decent necrotic damage and can shut down enemies healing, while Poison Spray deals poison damage, which is often countered, and has a very short range. An adjustment to the range of both these spells has changed their status immensely.

Poison Spray once had a pathetic range of 10 feet; Now, it can hit enemies up to 30 feet away, and works as an attack roll instead of a saving throw. In general, cantrips have a better chance of dealing damage than an attack roll, so that’s another point in favor of poison spray. The poison damage is still not ideal, but the changes make the spell at least viable.

Chill touch, once able to hit enemies up to 60 feet away, is now reduced to a range of touch. This may make sense given the name of the cantrip, but it severely hinders its usefulness to casters who usually want to stay as far away from hostile creatures as possible. The increased damage, from a d8 to a d10, doesn’t make up for the decrease in range, and it makes it hard to know if many players will still consider this spell an option.

5

Acid splash is finally a true spell

No more weird range restrictions

Acid Splash has long suffered from its odd rule stipulations that keep it from functioning as players might expect. The spell sprays acid in an area, so theoretically, there should always have been an AoE. instead, The old rules specified that acid splashes could hit one creature, or two if they were within 5 feet of one another.

The new rules fix this very simply, by changing the spell to have a 5-foot radius of effect and damage all creatures within that radius. This means This spell can theoretically affect three or four creatures with one castAnd while the damage remains somewhat unimpressive, being able to hit multiple creatures like this with a cantrip is good. It feels like acid splash can finally be used as it was intended to be.

4

Elementalism takes the role of four previous cantrips

Casters now have an easier time manipulating the elements

Xanathar’s guide to everything Once added four unique cantrips to D&DEach themed around manipulating air, earth, water or fire. While these spells didn’t do direct damage, they offered players creative ways to use their surroundings to their advantage and feel like an elemental warrior. The four cantrips are not in the 2024 FebInstead replaced with elementalism.

Elementalism covers a wide range of control over each of the four elements, specifying that it can be used to produce many of the same effects of the Xanathar S Cantrips. Instead of focusing on one element or having to capture four separate cantrips, This makes it pretty easy for players to bend the elements to their will. The new cantrip is available to a wide range of spellcasters and even a certain monk, making it very accessible.

3

Friends get a massive debuff

Friendships are now a little harder to forge

Friends is a bit of a strange contraption, previously able to provide a short charm-like effect that allowed for the manipulation of other people, but definitely did not make them friendly to players in the long run. Basically, it acted as a sort of alternative to charm man that Requires concentration, lasts a short time, and leaves people angry after. And importantly, friends did not require a saving throw to take effect. That is no longer the case with these 2024 Feb.

now, The spell has a wisdom saving throw attached Much like your man, meaning it has a chance of failure. It also specifies that the friend’s cantrip doesn’t just grant advantage on Charisma checks, but applies the full charm condition. Unlike a charming person, however, Friends dissipates if the caster makes an attack or damages anyone (not just the target) or forces anyone to make a saving throw. The spell still has all its old restrictions and rules, but also a shorter range of 10 feet. This cantrip definitely gets the harshest treatment in the new book.

2

Guidance becomes more specific

A great cantrip makes a huge trade-off

Baldur’s Gate 3 Showed the world how powerful guidance can be when used effectively. In its traditional form, Guidance is a cantrip clerics and druids can cast to give themselves or an ally a 1d4 bonus on their next ability check. This is great because, outside of combat, support casters can basically just stop casting this before every skill check they or a teammate makes, and as long as they have time to do it between each check, That’s an average of 2 to 3 points added to each skill check the party makes.

Players anticipated that a nerf would come for guidance with the new rules, but honestly, it wasn’t as big a change as it could have been. Guidance can still be cast outside of combat to artificially improve player skill checksIt just works a little differently now. Guidance now lasts for one minute and adds 1d4 to one type of skill check a character makes each time they do so during the duration. Obviously, the intention here was to make it less of a spell that could only apply to every check in the game, while still being useful.

Unfortunately for DMs looking to balance this spell, There is still no limit on the number of times a player can throw it per day. Meaning a spellcaster could just end it early and cast it again when necessary for a new kind of skill check. As long as the players know what kind of check they need to make at least one turn before they each make it, the guidance can work basically the same as before.

1

Shillelagh and True Strike become better melee options for casters

The worst cantrip ever is now pretty good

Shillelagh gets some changes, but the real surprise here is that True Strike is no longer objectively useless. For years, the spell has been the target of never-ending criticism because, According to the old rules, it’s basically nothing but a waste of a turn and is literally never worth using. But with the new one D&D PHBIt’s actually a good spell.

Instead of giving a player advantage on one weapon attack roll on their next turn, True Strike now allows casters to make a weapon attack with their spellcasting stat for the attack and damage modifier. Not only that, but they can choose to make the attack radiant damage, and at higher levels, it deals extra radiant damage.

This makes it similar to a druid’s shillelagh, which lets them use their wisdom modifier for attack and damage rolls with clubs or quarterstaffs. Shillelagh in the 2024 Feb Can also deal force damage instead of bludgeoningAnd its damage die gets better at higher levels. Of course, both of these melee options will be worse than weapon attacks that martial classes can do past level five, but the damage they produce now actually competes with cantrip damage, and at early levels, these are really good options for spellcasters to use on their turn. .