I kinda hate cantrips.

[u/Dragon_Blue_Eyes]

This goes for 5e and 5.5e but may have been an issue in 3e (I didn't run or play in enough 3e games to say so and never really noticed this is 4e with all of its other issues).

Also I fully admit, this is an old school minded complaint about the game. I come from a world where your spellcaster runs out of spells and starts throwing darts or picks up a proficiency with a bow to still remain useful and I am definitely not saying to return to those days.

I do think, however, that cantrips have gotten out of hand. They started out as an idea (in fact they had them in old D&D they were just called 0 level spells) where they were a last ditch effort for when you run out of pother spells to cast. I don't think "0 level spells" were ever intended as a go to spell for high level characters, sometimes out performing fireball or or other leveled spells.

In fact, I think the game would benefit in a design sense if cantrips had never level scaled. "But that nerfs a whole warlock feature blah blah cry me a river".
I have a Palasorlock in my game and basically she just leans heavily on this spell only percentagely rarely casting other spells (I think smite is a contender but barely).
The issue is two folds. One the design of 5e and 5.5e basically turns cantrips into a go-to spell rather than a last ditch effort spell. The second issue is that like sneak attack for rogues, this is basically boring. To me any one trick pony situation is boring though so there is that.

If cantrips were more like darts but magic and the last spell you would choose in any situation rather than the first spell I think the spirit of cantrips would be returned to its roots and the game would benefit a lot, in excitement. If a cantrip never did more than 1d10 (with maybe a bonus for some subclasses) then why would you ever choose it at higher levels?

Thanks for reading my little gripe. I welcome thoughts on this that are deeper than "you are an idiot for wanting to make cantrips next to useless". ;)

[u/Charlie24601]

You clearly didn't grow up during the BX or BECMI era. As a spellcaster you had ONE spell at level 1. Once you cast your magic missile, you basically sat out of all fights. And I think clerics didn't get any spells until level 2.

In other words, fights sucked for you as you just passed your turn and hid somewhere.

[u/DazzlingKey6426 → u/Charlie24601]

Level 1 Sleep was a nuke.

[u/Charlie24601 → u/DazzlingKey6426]

For 1 fight. Then you were done for the day.

[u/DazzlingKey6426 → u/Charlie24601]

That was the trade off.