Attack Cantrips Are The Worst

Stop Pretending Harry Potter Magic Doesn't Suck

Attack Cantrips are, by far, one of the most ill conceived leftovers from 4e's combat focused design. Truly, there is no real need for them in Fifth Edition. Nearly everything that could be looked at as a gap in design that necessitates these free damage tossers is addressed by some other aspect of the game. Here's why attack cantrips rustle all of my jimmies...

They Belittle Mundane Attackers

First thing's first. Your level1 caster doesn't expend any resources at all when they use a cantrip.  Anyone who uses ranged weaponry is suddenly at a disadvantage if they're tracking ammunition.  If you aren't tracking ammunition, there are many knockdown effects that follow, as demonstrated here: Youtube: Why Resources Matter in D&D.  What about the melee attacker who decides to throw a weapon?  Are they expected to track THAT ammunition?  Yes?  Why?  Why is it that arrows are expected to be infinite, but daggers/handaxes should be finite?  If they're all infinite, I guess... fine?

Many times, I see people suggesting that the fact that cantrips deal less damage than ranged attacks is the balancing mechanism.  To this, I offer the following counterpoints.

-For the mundane fighters, that's all they have.  Casters have incredibly powerful, world altering magic. And they're meant to be good at killing on a regular basis, casters are not.

-As written, all a caster needs to hurl projectiles several dozen to hundreds of feet is a focus held in a single hand.  This keeps them having a free hand where mundane attackers simply do not.  The fact that a caster can be a constant light source without complication, that they can acquire shield proficiency through certain build means and have a +2 AC at all times... it MORE than balances things.  A free hand is an enormous advantage.

-They can bypass mundane immunity/resistance from day one.

-They can utilize saving throw weaknesses and bypass high ACs.  A solid set of cantrips for a caster would include: an attack cantrip with an attack roll (typically Firebolt for the 120ft range and d10 damage), an attack cantrip with a saving throw (preferably WIS a la Toll the Dead or a DEX save a la Frostbite), and a utility cantrip.

-In fact, if your caster starts multiclassing, they'll get the damage bump at level5 and 11 regardless, since cantrips power up with character level, not class level.  Your martial character won't be so lucky.  Start multiclassing, you're missing out on getting your extra attack feature.

They Make Magic Feel Ubiquitous

For some, this ends up being a desired effect. I'm not going to contest that.  I enjoy more of a Sword & Sorcery vibe, to which the idea that a magic user can simply hurl magic unceasingly for a 16 hour period without any sort of issue is just ludicrous.  Typically, a Sword & Sorcery vibe would employ some sort of risk involved with using magic.  The more powerful the spell, the greater the risk.  Pre-4e D&D's Vancian (and non-sorcerer) magic followed this dynamic by forcing the player to choose what spells they were going to cast and in what quantity before they set out.  While it's not my favorite setup, it at least created a bit of risk every time you put one spell on your list rather than another, and the risk compounded after you decided to expend it.  What if a situation comes later where it would have been more useful? Kind of a tangent, so I'll get back on task.

Really, the full magnitude of Attack Cantrips really hit me when I played Neverwinter, the D&D MMO that uses 4e as its basis.  For those unaware, the Attack Cantrip is really the progression of the "At-Will Power" from 4e, which is an ability that can be used every single round.  So when I created a Cleric and started playing Neverwinter, and I found myself fighting like this... "SACRED FLAME SACRED FLAME SACRED FLAME SACRED FLAME SACRED FLAME SACRED FLAME SACRED FLAME"  Basically, it feels like The Avengers and I hate it.

I realized that even though during my time playing a Cleric in Fifth Edition I didn't PLAY like that.. I could have.  And in fact, the only reason I didn't was because I wanted to smack things with my mace when I wasn't casting utility or healing spells.  And in fact, I was far more likely to miss with my mace than I was to miss with my Sacred Flame.  And the fact that Sacred Flame does radiant damage means it almost never will be resisted. And the fact that I can do it 60 feet away through partial cover means I'm less likely to be harmed.

I then uninstalled Neverwinter and began questioning the fiction that the existence of Attack Cantrips creates.  Hell, even cantrips in general I'm starting to believe shouldn't be unlimited.

They Attack Class Niche

To be honest, many things in Fifth Edition attack class niche.  If you revisit what I said in the first section, it applies here as well.  The truth of the matter is that in earlier editions of D&D, casters were glass cannons that would need to draw a blade and skulk in the shadows when they're out of spells. Now, our dear casters have no incentive to disengage from the action at hand.  They're unceasing combatants that are consistently on par with the martial classes.  Though their single-target damage output is going to be less, it also comes with far less risk and several extra benefits.  And when dealing with large quantities of enemies... time to unleash hell.

Wrapping It Up

I get the fact that people have complained since time immemorial that casters just aren't very fun when they run out of spells.  I understand your plight.  I just think you're being a little bitch about it.  Fifth Edition is one of the EASIEST editions to use mundane ranged attacks in due to the fact that Dexterity is a super stat that you should already be loading up on anyway for your AC, and EVERY character is proficient in at least one type of ranged weapon.  This means you're no longer being held back by THAC0, or by weapon restrictions, or anything to that extent.  Shut the fuck up and pull out a crossbow.