Larius Firetongue's School of Sorcery Excerpt: Cantrips

Artist Unknown

A common trope in fantasy worlds is the idea of a wizard who can use minor magic at will. Barring rituals and high-end supernatural techniques, the creation of a simple illusion, telekinesis of a small object, and the like is something a wizard can do without expounding any significant effort. The standard Vancian system of magic as a precious resource a 1st-level apprentice can only do once per day does not lend itself to what many people think of when it comes to a magic school setting. It precludes fun scenarios like pranksters setting off minor illusions while running away from prefects, classmates using their magic to do competitive games with multiple tries, and similar things which can only be simulated by piling additional levels onto characters.

Albeit originally presented in 3rd Edition D&D in the form of Reserve feats, at-will spells became standardized in further games such as 4th Edition, Pathfinder, and now 5th Edition. Swords & Wizardry as-is does not have at-will spells (at least not in the hands of anyone but monsters), so I got around to thinking of how to transport them to an OSR framework.

Although a few are converted from other D&D Editions and clones, I made sure that they didn't invalidate already existing 1st-level spells: in Pathfinder/5th Edition the light spell is a cantrip, but in Swords & Wizardry it is a 1st-level spell. In the case of new spells, I made sure to have their effects be interesting magical gimmicks which would not unbalance the game due to indefinite use. Spellbolt works no differently than a mundane ranged weapon, but is inferior to magic missile because it has an inferior range, does not auto-hit, and the caster cannot generate multiple "bolts" for attacking in the same round.

Cantrips: Cantrips are a special type of spell mastered by dabblers and apprentices before moving on to true magic.  They require such a trifling amount of power that they can be effectively cast all day long without the spellcaster running out of magical energy (although physical exhaustion may set in far earlier!).

Any class with access to spells per day is capable of learning cantrips.  They follow the rules of typical spells, except that once prepared they never run out and can be cast an infinite number of times.  However, a spellcaster must still perform the regular rites of their class (spellbook study, prayer, etc) every day to switch them out in favor of new ones, and they can only prepare a limited amount per day.  Some cantrips can be prepared twice as though they were two different spells, granting greater effects in exchange for less versatility.

Spellcasters can prepare 2 cantrips at 1st level, three at 4th level, and 4 at 7th level.  Magic-users and classes which utilize a spellbook begin play with 2 cantrips in their spellbook.

Flash

Range: 30 feet

Duration: 1 round

This cantrip creates a burst of bright light equivalent to torchlight for a split-second.  If conjured in an enemy’s face, the target must make a saving throw or suffer a -1 penalty on all attack rolls for 1 round.  This cantrip can be prepared twice to create overwhelming sensations of any of the four other common senses instead, being potentially able to effect blind and sightless creatures.

Note: This cantrip’s use as a light source is inferior to the light spell in that its duration is too brief to allow for detailed study.

Ghost Sound

Range: 30 feet

Duration: 1 round

This spell creates illusory sounds of the caster’s choice within the range, although they cannot be any louder than a roaring lion or power saw (114 decibels).  Evidence which proves the sound’s false nature allows the victim a saving throw to disbelieve at the Referee’s discretion.

Mage Hand

Range: 30 feet

Duration: Until concentration ceases

This spell allows the caster to remotely lift and move a single object weighing up to 5 pounds within the range of the spell.  If the spellcaster concentrates on the cantrip, they can move any such object up to 15 feet per round in any direction.  Preparing this cantrip twice allows this telekinetic force to be precise enough to perform delicate tasks  such as lock-picking and surgery.

Manifest Shield/Weapon

Range: Personal

Duration: Until Dispelled

This spell causes a shield or weapon made of transparent energy to materialize in the caster’s hand, using the game statistics as said object.  The equipment must be something the caster is proficient with and be aware of its existence.  Should a spellcaster wish to use this cantrip to manifest two weapons in each hand or a shield and a weapon, they must prepare this cantrip twice.  Two-handed weapons count as one cantrip for these purposes.

Mending

Range: 10 feet

Duration: Instantaneous

This cantrip makes minor repairs to objects of up to 5 cubic feet in size.  It is capable of removing minor levels of rust, straightening out bends, fusing cracks and splits back together on small objects, and the like.  It is up to the Referee’s discretion on the extent of the repairs, but as a guideline it can equal the effort of 10 minutes worth of work by a trained artisan with proper tools or restore 1d4 hit points worth of damage.

Repeated castings on the same equipment or piece of material have no further effect until at least 24 hours have passed.

Message

Range: 100 feet

Duration: 1 turn (10 minutes)

This spell allows the caster to whisper long-range messages to a single target within the spell’s range and line of sight.  You cannot carry a two-way conversation unless the subject also has this cantrip prepared.  This cantrip can be prepared twice to affect as many targets within the spell range as the spellcaster wishes.

Parlor Tricks

Range: 10 feet

Duration: 1 hour

Upon casting, this cantrip allows the caster to perform minor harmless tricks.  These can be all sorts of miscellaneous magical effects, but are severely limited in what they can do. Here are some guidelines:

Illusions are transparent and obviously unreal, and can only be 1 cubic foot in size or less.

Only 1 pound of material can be moved, cleaned, soiled, recolored, or have its temperature mildly changed.

Created objects can only weigh up to 1 pound and are too fragile and of poor quality to be used as proper tools or be passed off as the real thing.

The effects of this cantrip, be it creation, illusions, or alterations only last for 1 hour.

Spellbolt

Range: 30 feet

Duration: Instantaneous

The spellcaster’s finger or held implement (holy symbol, wand, etc) fizzles with energy which can be used as a ranged weapon against a target within 30 feet.  It deals 1d6 points of damage, and its visual effects can be versatile (screaming skulls, acidic balls, etc) but do not deal any special type of damage and once chosen this form is always the same.  If the spellcaster wishes to manifest different kinds of visual effects with every casting, they can prepare this cantrip twice.