Cantrips or Zero Level Spells

[Admin Pete]

Does or has anyone used cantrips or zero level spells as minor things that magic-users learned in the early years before they graduated to spells of power (Level 1 and up).

How minor is minor?
How many do you let them have?
How many times per day can they use each?
What does your list consist of?

[makofan]

I never use them

[The Red Baron]

Never use them.

If it isn't as powerful as a spell from Mazirian the Magician, I don't want it in my game.

[tetramorph]

I like Philotomy's notion of allowing cantrips as totally non-practical but adding flair:

A wizard who can light his pipe with his finger because he knows fireball.

A witch whose hair constantly blows in a magical "wind" because she has a spell by which she can blast with wind.

A wizard whose eyes glow because he knows infra vision.

Flavor. Harmless. Fun.

[scottanderson]

Absolutely use them.

Any wizard can always do some magic, just as a fighting man can always swing a weapon. The magic he can always do is called a cantrip. n fact cantrips are what common folk think of when they think of magic spells.

There are twelve common cantrips, the most useful of which by far are detect and read magic. A wizard can cast a cantrip once every exploration turn (10 minutes).

The list of can trips concludes this post.

Here is how the chapter on magic spells begins:

Chapter Five: DWEOMERS & PETITIONS

Corpus Magi

Through ritual and study, a Wizard learns to call upon Dweomers: vorpal creatures from a dimension orthogonal to our own. Mysteriously, Dweomers seek symbiosis with mortals and may dwell within a Wizard’s neural pathways as a worm shall dwell within an apple for a time.

Releasing these Dweomers in a controlled manner evokes arcane effect, which is commonly called “casting a spell” in the vulgar. Casting, so-called, demands precise memorised gestures to which a specific Dweomer is sympathetic, combined with the utterance of that Dweomer’s True Name.

The taxonomy of Dweomers (like other vorpals) reveals seven groups, based upon their complexity. The least of these, collectively called Cantrips, are harmless and are known by heart by every Wizard.

Every Dweomer called has a native vibratory frequency within neural pathways. These unpleasant vibrations put great strain upon the host mind. Therefore, when a Wizard first learns to call and bind higher Dweomers, he may only hold onto one at a time. As he gains practise, he may host more powerful Dweomers and these of a higher order.

Each Wizard keeps the instructions for calling and releasing those vorpals he knows in a spell-book. The gestures and True Names are each recorded in a kind of diagramme called asemic writing.

(An example of asemic writing.)

Each diagramme is unique to the symbiotic relationship between a particular Wizard and a particular Dweomer, and no other person can decipher the diagrammes without first calling upon Read Magic, a Cantrip of some great utility.

On the Import of a Spell-Book:

Control over Dweomers must be refreshed through a good night’s rest and an hour of ritual study of the Wizard’s spell-book. Calling forth a Dweomer without this regimen is potentially catastrophic, the most common result being complete cephalic liquefaction. Should a Wizard attempt to call forth a Dweomer without having first consulted its Asemic diagramme, he must immediately Throw a Save or die.

Spell books are cumbersome. They are 12” square and contain 100 pages, and count as 3 units of encumbrance. Travelling spell books may be manufactured which are smaller and easier to carry, counting as only one unit of encumbrance, but contain only one-fourth as much room. The Wizard is assumed to have only this second kind at the start, having been bequeathed to him by his master. Since the starting Wizard only has the asemic diagramme for one spell, he doesn’t need such a big book.

Spells of higher orders (2-6) require more pages to record. Each spell requires a page for each spell level. For instance, a Level 4 spell requires 4 pages.

Upon attaining a new Experience Level, the Wizard shall find he may inscribe a new spell into his spellbook for free & without risk. Others, he must hunt for.

Aside from this one free spell per level, the Wizard must throw to see if he can learn a spell when he finds a new one. Wizards with Inferior Intelligence must throw 8 on two dice; those with normal Intelligence must throw 7; those with Exceptional Intelligence must throw 6 or better. Should this single throw fail, the Wizard will never be able to call upon the particular Dweomer from memory (although he may do so from a scroll) or inscribe it into a spell-book or spell scroll.

In the case of a Wizard with many spell slots, he may memorise more than one “copy” of a
spell per day, each using its own spell slot of the appropriate level.

On Refreshing One’s Spells

Once a spell is cast, it is erased from the mind, as the vorpal has departed the brain. In order to be able to cast it once more, the Wizard must study the spell’s asemic diagramme for 15 minutes’ time per spell level, and must study for at least one hours’ time per diem in any case. This means higher-level spells require long study periods.

Casting a higher-order spell therefore means the Wizard may not be able to cast it again for some time, depending upon the particulars of his Adventure &c.

On Harm Taken whilst Casting:

Should the Wizard be harmed by an outside force whilst casting normally, the spell is merely spoilt as the aroused Dweomer departs harmlessly back to its own dimension. In game terms, a spell takes an entire Round to cast; preparations begin at the start of the Round and spells take effect near the end of the round and therefore may be interrupted by an opponent throwing a dagger that strikes true, for instance.


Table 5.1: Cantrips (Level 0 Spells)
Clean Item
Colour Item
Detect Magic
Float-Over
Ghost Chime
Hair Growth
Heat/Cool
Impressive Atmospherics
Invoke Rude Urges
Legerdemain
Minor Illusions
Open/Close
Read Magic
Summon Vermin

[bestialwarlust]

Interesting spell concept I use nearly the exact same thing. Spells being living entities that are "trapped within the mortal mind" I do like your flavor text for it and will probably steal some of the flavor text 

Apr 10, 2015 23:52:49 GMT -5 scottanderson said:

Absolutely use them.

Any wizard can always do some magic, just as a fighting man can always swing a weapon. The magic he can always do is called a cantrip. n fact cantrips are what common folk think of when they think of magic spells.

There are twelve common cantrips, the most useful of which by far are detect and read magic. A wizard can cast a cantrip once every exploration turn (10 minutes).

The list of can trips concludes this post.

Here is how the chapter on magic spells begins:

Chapter Five: DWEOMERS & PETITIONS

Corpus Magi

Through ritual and study, a Wizard learns to call upon Dweomers: vorpal creatures from a dimension orthogonal to our own. Mysteriously, Dweomers seek symbiosis with mortals and may dwell within a Wizard’s neural pathways as a worm shall dwell within an apple for a time.

Releasing these Dweomers in a controlled manner evokes arcane effect, which is commonly called “casting a spell” in the vulgar. Casting, so-called, demands precise memorised gestures to which a specific Dweomer is sympathetic, combined with the utterance of that Dweomer’s True Name.

The taxonomy of Dweomers (like other vorpals) reveals seven groups, based upon their complexity. The least of these, collectively called Cantrips, are harmless and are known by heart by every Wizard.

Every Dweomer called has a native vibratory frequency within neural pathways. These unpleasant vibrations put great strain upon the host mind. Therefore, when a Wizard first learns to call and bind higher Dweomers, he may only hold onto one at a time. As he gains practise, he may host more powerful Dweomers and these of a higher order.

Each Wizard keeps the instructions for calling and releasing those vorpals he knows in a spell-book. The gestures and True Names are each recorded in a kind of diagramme called asemic writing.

(An example of asemic writing.)

Each diagramme is unique to the symbiotic relationship between a particular Wizard and a particular Dweomer, and no other person can decipher the diagrammes without first calling upon Read Magic, a Cantrip of some great utility.

On the Import of a Spell-Book:

Control over Dweomers must be refreshed through a good night’s rest and an hour of ritual study of the Wizard’s spell-book. Calling forth a Dweomer without this regimen is potentially catastrophic, the most common result being complete cephalic liquefaction. Should a Wizard attempt to call forth a Dweomer without having first consulted its Asemic diagramme, he must immediately Throw a Save or die.

Spell books are cumbersome. They are 12” square and contain 100 pages, and count as 3 units of encumbrance. Travelling spell books may be manufactured which are smaller and easier to carry, counting as only one unit of encumbrance, but contain only one-fourth as much room. The Wizard is assumed to have only this second kind at the start, having been bequeathed to him by his master. Since the starting Wizard only has the asemic diagramme for one spell, he doesn’t need such a big book.

Spells of higher orders (2-6) require more pages to record. Each spell requires a page for each spell level. For instance, a Level 4 spell requires 4 pages.

Upon attaining a new Experience Level, the Wizard shall find he may inscribe a new spell into his spellbook for free & without risk. Others, he must hunt for.

Aside from this one free spell per level, the Wizard must throw to see if he can learn a spell when he finds a new one. Wizards with Inferior Intelligence must throw 8 on two dice; those with normal Intelligence must throw 7; those with Exceptional Intelligence must throw 6 or better. Should this single throw fail, the Wizard will never be able to call upon the particular Dweomer from memory (although he may do so from a scroll) or inscribe it into a spell-book or spell scroll.

In the case of a Wizard with many spell slots, he may memorise more than one “copy” of a
spell per day, each using its own spell slot of the appropriate level.

On Refreshing One’s Spells

Once a spell is cast, it is erased from the mind, as the vorpal has departed the brain. In order to be able to cast it once more, the Wizard must study the spell’s asemic diagramme for 15 minutes’ time per spell level, and must study for at least one hours’ time per diem in any case. This means higher-level spells require long study periods.

Casting a higher-order spell therefore means the Wizard may not be able to cast it again for some time, depending upon the particulars of his Adventure &c.

On Harm Taken whilst Casting:

Should the Wizard be harmed by an outside force whilst casting normally, the spell is merely spoilt as the aroused Dweomer departs harmlessly back to its own dimension. In game terms, a spell takes an entire Round to cast; preparations begin at the start of the Round and spells take effect near the end of the round and therefore may be interrupted by an opponent throwing a dagger that strikes true, for instance.


Table 5.1: Cantrips (Level 0 Spells)
Clean Item
Colour Item
Detect Magic
Float-Over
Ghost Chime
Hair Growth
Heat/Cool
Impressive Atmospherics
Invoke Rude Urges
Legerdemain
Minor Illusions
Open/Close
Read Magic
Summon Vermin

[finarvyn]

I essentially used 5E cantrips long before 5E. Well, some of them, anyway. Wewll, kind of the philosphym, anyway. Something like that.

I'm aware of the catnrips from AD&D and have allowed them on occasion, but I don't really have any formal rules to count how many a magic-user gets to cast.I tried using a spell point system for a while but counting cantrips just didn't seem worth my time. That's part of what I meant by using 5E cantrips before 5E, since in 5E you get "unlimited" cantrips.

The big issue I ran into was that my wife (who only plays Magic-user characters) thinks that a wizard with a sling or a bow or throwing rocks is just lame. So, long ago we devised a "zap" spell which would require a hit roll, and would do 1d6 damage similar to a slingstone or an arrow or a thrown rock. In other words, we adjusted the "cool factor" without really adjusting the mechanics.

I have the same philosophy with identify and read magic, but instead of on demand I've allowed them for free during a rest. I also allowed her to buy a "wizard's staff" which could allow her to cast Light as a cantrip.

Basically, in a world where many magic users are "one and done" I wanted to give a few more non-combat options.

[bestialwarlust]

In regard to the topic. I use cantrips in my game also a magic user can cast almost anything they can think of in a minor effect, using the UA cantrips as a guideline. I don't make them memorize cantrips, instead they can cast them at will as long as they have one spell memorized. A magic user sort of "siphons" off a small bit of energy of a already memorized spell to power a cantrip.

[Deleted]

I haven't used cantrips of any kind in OD&D yet. I house-rule them in AD&D as 0-level, PC-created 'researched' spells. It gets players into the spirit of playing a unique magic-user, and in thinking up creative ways to use spells.

I haven't tried putting it into OD&D, but I don't see why it couldn't be slotted in wholesale if I ever felt like it. This is the guideline sheet I give players when they first try creating a magic-user:

Level 0 minor spells
During their studies apprentice magic-users devise and research a small handful of personalized, minor spells to learn the basics of their craft (and to make their lives at the academy a little less strenuous). To reflect these rigorous studies into the arcane, a starting magic-user may create one minor spell for every 2 points of INT, using the following rules as a guideline:

1. No spell may have a casting range greater than 12”.

2. Each spell must have at least two of the three casting components (verbal, somatic, material). The material can be used up on casting or not, depending on the value of the material and the power of the spell.

3. In general, creation of something useful out of nothing is limited to Class spell lists. Remember that spells like Create Water, Purify Food, etc., are typically first level, so a minor spell that does something similar would have to be suitably diminished in power: in this case a spell like Spice Food, Create Salt, or Curdle/Spoil could work. A level 1 spell that is limited in some way (e.g., "Detect Evil Enchantments", "Dim Light"). That much being said, a very specific creation spell, like Create Rope (10'), would work as a Level 0 minor spell.

4. No spell may deal direct combat damage, or be directly lethal to a living being. For example, a Chill spell that cools the temperature of an object could be used to freeze a character to death, so against living beings that spell would be only negligably effective, enough to avoid sunstroke or make them want to go get their coat.

5. No 'effect-based' spell may last for more than 30 minutes per level (stronger spells will be in effect for less time, obviously).

The casting times of these minor spells willl be more or less instantaneous. At level 0 a magic-user may commit up to 4 minor spells to memory at any given time, and it takes 10 minutes to memorize a minor spell. As with normal spells, once used it will have to be re-memorized to be used again.