D&D: Five Handy Tricks You Can Pull With a Single Cantrip
Cantrips are indispensable spells, but Minor Illusion might be a little more indispensable than all the rest. Here are five reasons why.
In D&D 5th Edition, cantrips are spells that every magic user masters to the point of being able to cast them by rote. Now many cantrips out there will throw a bolt of fire or a ray of frost at an enemy. And while those are great to have, one Cantrip opens the door to myriad possibilities, both in and out of combat.
And that spell? Minor Illusion.
It’s one of the best cantrips in the game. Not because any one thing it does is so powerful, but because it’s one spell that lets you do a whole lot, just take a look.
Minor Illusion – Cover When You Need It
Minor Illusion can create many things with a wave of your hand and a bit of fleece. No magic words are required, which is always a plus. But one of the easiest things to do for Minor Illusion is to create a cover for yourself whenever and wherever you need it.
First of all, did you know you could even take cover in D&D? You can! Just create an illusion of an object (up to a 5×5 cube, which your character fits inside) and you can give yourself anywhere from half cover (+2 to AC and Dex Saves) to total cover (can’t be targeted directly by an attack or spell). Because you’ll know the spell is an illusion (and thus will be able to see through it) but your enemies won’t.
So if they can’t see you, they have to either waste an action proving that it’s an illusion (to disbelieve) or target someone else. Leave yourself an arrow slit or whatever, and you can attack from within it at the expense of only giving yourself a +5 bonus to AC and Dex saves.
The Perfect Escape
Likewise, you can use the spell to give yourself a good enough sort of invisibility. Turn a corner, cast Minor Illusion to hide in an innocent piece of terrain that would never be out of place. Just make sure you’ve got a good Stealth score so you can take the Hide action and not be found out.
If you have the time, cast Minor Illusion again to leave a set of footprints that looks like you went past where you’re hiding and/or in the opposite direction so that whoever’s in pursuit follows them. Because how often do you stop to interact physically with footprints when you’re in hot pursuit?
A Distraction When You Need It
Sometimes you really really need someone to be looking the other way. And when you do, the best thing you can do is use Minor Illusion to give them something more exciting to try and see. And the best way to do that is by making them think something’s over there when actually it’s nothing.
Minor Illusion is a silent spell by default, but you can use it to create a sound that can range from “a whisper to a scream.” Depending on where you’re trying to sneak by, you could create the illusion of whispering conspirators trying to keep quiet (a sound sure to draw off any suspicious guards) or a scream for help to attract the attention of the more heroically-minded types.
Losing the Fight? The Cavalry is a Minor Illusion Away
With a single casting of Minor Illusion you can create a sound that either continues unabated for a minute or that changes as you make “discrete sounds” at different times before the spell ends (this doesn’t take an action, as written).
So you could, for instance, create the illusion of a squad of guards about to turn the corner, shouting about how they hear fighting. Or you could create a lion’s road (verbatim from the spell) to frighten off those goblins or that hungry-looking wolf.
Who Needs Flares When You Have Minor Illusion?
Minor Illusion can create the image of an object. But what an object is can be all sorts of things. Including “a chair, muddy footprints, or a small chest”. This means you can use Minor Illusion to send signals of all sorts. Create a giant floating arrow. Or a sign with writing on it that’s as big as a five foot cube hanging in the air.
Mark important targets. Communicate silently with your companions without needing to cast Message.
And that’s just barely scratching the surface – what’s YOUR favorite/most creative use of Minor Illusion?
