09 May Druid Cantrips: “Nature -vs- Nurture”
If you’re a druid, you want to know what cantrips you can use to help you in a fight, give aid to your party, or get practical things done. There’s a wide range of little druid spells you can be using that will be excellent tools in your arsenal of tricks and attacks.
Are Cantrips bonus actions?
With any spells in Dungeons and Dragons, not all cantrips are bonus actions, but some of them are. Look at what it says under “casting time” to know if a cantrips or spells takes an action.
Are Cantrips unlimited?
Yes. You can do as many cantrips as your hearts content, provided you have the actions (and components) to spend on them! So you don’t have to hold back and save your slot for that one high level spell you want to use; cantrips don’t get in the way, whatever your level.
Do Druids get Cantrips? What are Druid Cantrips?
Oh yes! Check out this spell list table of the possibilities:
Druid Cantrips
| Spell Name | School | Casting Time | Range | Duration | Components |
| Control Flames | Transmutation | 1 Action | 60 Feet | Instantaneous or 1 hour | S |
| Create Bonfire | Conjuration | 1 Action | 60 Feet | Concentration up to 1 minute | V, S |
| Druidcraft | Transmutation | 1 Action | 30 Feet | Instantaneous | V, S |
| Frostbite | Evocation | 1 Action | 60 Feet | Instantaneous | V, S |
| Guidance | Divination | 1 Action | Touch | Concentration up to 1 minute | V, S |
| Gust | Transmutation | 1 Action | 30 Feet | Instantaneous | V, S |
| Infestation | Conjuration | 1 Action | 30 Feet | Instantaneous | V, S, M |
| Magic Stone | Transmutation | 1 Bonus Action | Touch | 1 minute | V, S |
| Mending | Transmutation | 1 Minute | Touch | Instantaneous | V, S, M |
| Mold Earth | Transmutation | 1 Action | 30 feet | Instantaneous or 1 hour | S |
| Poison Spray | Conjuration | 1 Action | 10 feet | Instantaneous | V, S |
| Primal Savagery | Transmutation | 1 Action | Self | Self | S |
| Produce Flame | Conjuration | 1 Action | Self | 10 minutes | V, S |
| Resistance | Abjuration | 1 Action | Touch | Concentration up to 1 minute | V, S, M |
| Shape Water | Transmutation | 1 Action | 30 feet | Instantaneous or 1 hour | S |
| Shillelagh | Transmutation | 1 Bonus Action | Touch | 1 minute | V, S, M |
| Thorn Whip | Transmutation | 1 Action | 30 feet | Instantaneous | V, S, M |
| Thunderclap | Evocation | 1 Action | Self (5-foot radius) | Instantaneous | S |
Cantrips and Spells Per Level (Druid)
| Level | Prof Bonus | Cantrips | 1st level spells | 2nd level spells | 3rd level spells | 4th level spells | 5th level spells | 6th level spells | 7th level spells | 8th level spells | 9th level spells | Class Features |
| 1st | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Druidic, Spellcasting |
| 2nd | 2 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Wild Shape, Druid Circle |
| 3nd | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4th | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Wild Shape Improvement, Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6th | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Druid Circle feature |
| 7th | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8th | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | Wild Shape Improvement, Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | Druid Circle feature |
| 11th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 12th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 14th | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | Druid Circle feature |
| 15th | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 16th | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 18th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Timeless Body, Beast Spells |
| 19th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Archdruid |
How do Cantrips work?
Cantrips are bits of little magic. They’re usually nothing too impressive, so they don’t take much out of you to cast. While they are a spellcasting ability, they don’t take up a spell slot, so you can cast them as much as you want, unless you don’t have the components or the time.
How do Druid Cantrips work?
Each cantrip has a little something to offer. Which ones you pick can add flavor to your druid; do you want to go all in on one kind, or do a few very different things? Here are some groupings for you to consider in the “nature -vs- nurture” divergence with your druid.
The Low-Carb Avatar Option
So you want to be a bender and control the elements? Have a look at these four druid cantrips (Gust, Mold Earth, Control Flames, Shape Water):
Gust
You seize the air and compel it to create one of the following effects:
- One Medium or smaller creature that you choose must succeed on a Str saving throw or be pushed up to 5 feet away from you.
- You create a small blast of air capable of moving one object that is neither held nor carried, weighing no more than 5 pounds. The object is pushed up to 10 feet away from you. It isn’t pushed with enough force to cause damage.
- You create a harmless sensory effect using air, such as causing leaves to rustle, wind to slam shutters shut, or your clothing to ripple in a breeze.
Mold Earth
You choose some dirt or a stone and manipulate it in one of the following ways:
- If you target an area of loose earth, you can instantaneously excavate it, move it along the ground, and deposit it up to 5 feet away. This movement doesn’t have enough force to cause damage.
- You cause shapes, colors, or both to appear on the dirt or stone, spelling out words, creating images, or shaping patterns. The changes last for 1 hour.
- If the dirt or stone you target is on the ground, you cause it to become difficult terrain. Alternatively, you can cause the ground to become normal terrain if it is already difficult terrain. This change lasts for 1 hour.
If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have no more than two of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.
Control Flames
You pick a small flame that you can see within range to affect in one of the following ways:
- You instantaneously expand the flame 5 feet in one direction, provided that something burnable is in the new area.
- You put out the flame.
- You double or halve the area of bright light and dim light cast by the flame, change its color, or both. The change lasts for 1 hour.
- You cause simple shapes—such as the vague form of a creature, an inanimate object, or a location—to appear within the flames and animate as you like. The shapes last for 1 hour.
If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.
Controlling fire can be used to cause a distraction, to gaslight someone, and for more mundane lighting purposes.
Shape Water
You choose some water (5 ft x 5 ft cube) and manipulate it in one of the following ways:
- You instantaneously move or otherwise change the flow of the water as you direct, up to 5 feet in any direction (not enough force to cause damage).
- You cause the water to form into simple shapes and animate at your direction (lasts for 1 hour).
- You change the water’s color or opacity. The water must be changed in the same way throughout (lasts for 1 hour).
- You freeze the water, provided that there are no creatures in it (unfreezes in 1 hour).
If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have no more than two of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.
The Super-Druid Option
You want to be one with nature and use cantrips that will affect plants and animals? Consider Druidcraft, Thorn Whip, and Infestation:
Druidcraft
Whispering in your druidic ways to the spirits of nature, you create one of the following effects:
- You create a tiny, harmless sensory effect that predicts what the weather will be at your location for the next 24 hours. The effect might manifest as a golden orb for clear skies, a cloud for rain, falling snowflakes for snow, and so on. This effect persists for 1 round.
- You instantly make a flower blossom, a seed pod open, or a leaf bud bloom.
- You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as falling leaves, a puff of wind, the sound of a small animal, or the faint odor of skunk. The effect must fit in a 5-foot cube.
- You instantly light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.
Thorn Whip
You create a long, vine-like whip covered in thorns that lashes out toward your target. Make a melee spell attack; if it hits, the creature takes 1d6 piercing damage, and if the creature is Large or smaller, you pull the creature up to 10 feet closer to you.
You’ve basically got a low-carb plant version of Roadhog’s hook from Overwatch; use it well!
Infestation
You use bugs as a weapon. You cause a cloud of mites, fleas, and other parasites to appear momentarily on a creature. If the target must fail a Con saving throw, you deal 1d6 poison damage and move 5 feet in a random direction if it can move.
Roll a d4 for the direction: 1, north; 2, south; 3, east; or 4, west. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, and if the direction rolled is blocked, the target doesn’t move.
Surprise, you’re covered in bugs. That’d make creatures jump, game or no game.
The Helper
Cantrips that will let you support your party in their rolls and abilities are Guidance, Mending, and Resistance:
Guidance
You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends.
So a creature, say, one of your party members, can be like “Hey can you help me out here?” and you’re like “You got this” and then they try and they don’t got this, but you’re like “Hey yeah actually you DO got this” and they get a little boost that can make them got this. Neat!
Mending
This spell repairs a single break or tear in an object you touch, such as a broken necklace, two halves of a broken key, a torn bootstrap, or a leaking wineskin. As long as the break or tear is no larger than 1 foot in any dimension, you mend it, leaving no trace of the former damage.
Resistance
You touch one willing creature and it rolls a d4 to then add the number rolled to one saving throw of its choice. It can roll the die before or after the saving throw. The spell then ends. So you can help your friends a little with their saving throws! Good moral support there druid friend.
Are you Bubbly or Dry?
Whichever cantrips you choose, you will have the option to use them whenever you want. When you’re not in combat, are you the kind of player that is constantly fiddling with magic? Holding a flame in your hand while you’re picking out groceries? Using a gust of wind to help with the dusting? Or do you hold back, keeping it for battle or for tricky situations?
Wizards of the Coast leaves you a lot of room. How you play the game is up to you, and the point of the rules is not to dictate how much you use cantrips; only you can decide what kind of druid you are.
Stavros
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