Prestidigitation, Scent, and mites

[Mark Hoover 330]

Insidious GM time here: mites have the Scent monster ability. They can also use Prestidigitation at will. Can Prestidigitation

1. lay a "strong scent" on an object or person?
2. cause a breeze strong enough indoors to waft smells towards the mite?

I ask these b/c as I understand Scent, this ability lets you know the presence of something, even if you can't pinpoint it, within 30' of you regardless of stealth or invisibility, unless their smell is masked somehow. Also a "strong scent" will double this range to 60'. finally if your quarry is upwind from you (in other words, the wind is carrying their smell right into your face) the range is doubled.

My thought was that mites, guarding their lair, could use some kind of Prestidigitation at the entrance to mark an intruder and then keep the prevailing underground breezes blowing towards them so that they can always tell when foes are within 120' of them.

[ryric]

You have to be careful with prestidigitation to make sure it doesn't give too many bonuses or copy other, more powerful spells. I would allow it to make someone more stinky - but - it would have to be directly targeted, I'd allow a save, and the odor would be noticeable even to those without scent.

I would not allow it to create enough of a breeze to double scent range.

[toastedamphibian]

The thing your doing, does it have a mechanical benefit? Then it is too powerful for Prestidigitation. Is it momentarily irritating to an NPC or fellow player on the level of a "pull my finger" joke? Then it's probably Prestidigitation.

[Cpt_kirstov]

I could see "soiling" the ground 75 feet away (1 square per mite) with a large amount of bat guano or something. So it gets on the adventurers shoes and when they get within 60 feet the mites smell it. I don't think "smell" is a valid target for the movement part of the spell, and "air" would be too large, as a single target it would be all of the air in the hemisphere.

[toastedamphibian]

They don't need prestidigitation to fill their cave with scat. "Summon Guano" is beyond the proper effects of a general use cantrip.

What you all are describing is a trap. Traps can be seen, disarmed, can miss, cost money or time and award XP. "Prestidigitation = At Will Trap with No Save for Free" does not set a good precedence.

This trap, in particular: Musk Shower

Mites are trap makers. Have them make traps.