Since cantrips are not expended at cast can I use the same cantrip several times on the same encounter? Do I have to prepare my cantrips every day if I want to keep using the same ones I used "yesterday"?
scenario: I used all my today spell. I went to bed after 3 hours of sleep a mob enter my room. Can I cast a cantrip to defend myself?
To answer your questions in order: Yes, no, yes.
Once you've prepared your cantrips, they're the ones you've got in your arsenal until you change them out for new ones. So when the goblins raid your party's camp, you can acid splash or ray of frost to your heart's content.
Yes you can use prepared cantrips as much as you want.
For example: you have 4 prepared cantrips today. You memorize detect magic, prestidigitation, acid splash, and read magic. You can use acid splash (or any of the memorized cantrips) once per round indefinitely.
Yes, you can use the cantrip to defend yourself after 3 hours of sleep although that may present a corner case where you cannot memorize something else in it's place the next morning.
- Gauss
Got it! Thanks!
Wizard has to memorize all spells including cantrips. So while a wizard may know an unlimited number of cantrips they can only memorize the number listed on the chart. For example, a 1st level wizard can memorize 3 cantrips. He memorizes 3 cantrips and can cast the memorized cantrips an unlimited number of times.
A sorcerer or other spontaneous caster has a very limited number of spells known including cantirps. But they can cast any spell they know as long as they have slots of the appropriate level available. That means a sorcerer can canst any cantrip they know an unlimited number of times per day. For example, a sorcerer knows 4 cantrips at 1st level. That means he can cast those 4 cantrips an unlimited number of times per day.
The wizard can change out the cantrips he memorizes on a daily basis but does not get to memorize a lot of cantrips. The sorcerer as he gains level learns new cantrips and can cast those an unlimited number of times per day. A wizard maxes out at 4 cantrips per day no matter how many levels he gains. A sorcerer usually maxes out at 9 cantrips but can sometimes learn more through favored class bonus or feats. The sorcerer can cast any cantrip they know an unlimited
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Cantrips: Wizards can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table 3–16 under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. A wizard can prepare a cantrip from an opposed school, but it uses up two of his available slots (see below).
Note that wizards can cast an unlimited number of 0-level spells per day. The number on Table 3–16 indicates the number that can be prepared each day.
An easy way to look at wiz\sorc cantrip (and spells) is to think of them as real toys vs something akin to a game console.
wizard has all kinds of toys at home, but can only pick a specific number of them to take along each day. what he takes with him is what he can play with until they break or he replace them. toys of level 1+ get ruined after use, level 0 are sturdy enough to last.
leveling up mean he gain a bigger bag to carry his toys in, gaining more spells in his book is akin to buying more toys to store in his home.
sorcerer have a game console that he carry which can have only a limited amount of games in it's memory (and it's hard to switch them) but he can access them all at will. level 0 games take little to no energy and can be played all day. level 1+ take up a lot of the battery and can only be played for a little bit each (but he can decide what to play). he can also use the energy the is meant for a higher game for a lower one (sorcerer can cast lower level spells with a higher level spell slot). but not the other way around (without the right abilities).
leveling up is akin to upgrading the console's battery and downloading more games.
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An easy way to look at wiz\sorc cantrip (and spells) is to think of them as real toys vs something akin to a game console.
wizard has all kinds of toys at home, but can only pick a specific number of them to take along each day. what he takes with him is what he can play with until they break or he replace them. toys of level 1+ get ruined after use, level 0 are sturdy enough to last.
leveling up mean he gain a bigger bag to carry his toys in, gaining more spells in his book is akin to buying more toys to store in his home.sorcerer have a game console that he carry which can have only a limited amount of games in it's memory (and it's hard to switch them) but he can access them all at will. level 0 games take little to no energy and can be played all day. level 1+ take up a lot of the battery and can only be played for a little bit each (but he can decide what to play). he can also use the energy the is meant for a higher game for a lower one (sorcerer can cast lower level spells with a higher level spell slot). but not the other way around (without the right abilities).
leveling up is akin to upgrading the console's battery and downloading more games.
I recall one variant I saw once where as spell casters levelled up they slowly got more unlimited spells per day at various levels never they're most powerful. I think casters with a max of 9th level spells had unlimited 4th level and below casts per day they just memorized what spells they had that day.