Dirge of Doom casting

[Ivy Thiven]

I saw a video that recommended Dirge of Doom for bards, so I looked it up and am confused if it can actually be used effectively. It's a cantrip 3 with the focus trait, but only lasts one round. Since focus points don't come back until after a short rest, this seems to be of limited use most of the time. You can make enemies frightened 1 for one round. Based on this interpretation, this doesn't seem like it would be a good use of a feat and a focus spell.

However, as a cantrip, it also has the "at will" trait. So is the "at will" only as long as the focus points hold out/refresh or is it "as many times as you want", regardless of focus points?

If it's my original interpretation, I will probably not waste the feat on something with such limited usefulness. So, any clarification or advice would be helpful before I cast it in stone.

[Ivy Thiven]

Since it's a concentration spell, can it be continued without using additional focus points? I think that's my real question.

[HammerJack]

1. Dirge of Doom doesn't cost a focus point.

2. The concentrate trait doesn't mean anything like that. It has nothing to do with keeping spells going. It is just a trait with no direct effects of its own that other rules can trigger off of (like barbarian's Rage preventing Concentrate actions, or inventor's Distracting Explosion being trigger by an enemy using a concentrate action.)

[Sibelius Eos Owm]

To add to Hammerjack's excellent and accurate start, Bards gain both Composition Spells (which are Focus spells) and Composition Cantrips (which are not). In many ways "Spells (using slots)", "Focus Spells" and "Cantrips" are treated as three distinct but very similar things.

As far as I know, no cantrip requires a focus point to cast--and for that matter I don't actually see that Dirge of Doom has the Focus trait at all.

[Easl]

Whether you think it's worth it is entirely up to you.

Most other forms of Fear-giving spells and abilities target only one enemy and give them a save. This one targets every enemy within 30', no save. It's also one action, whereas most spells (including the comparable focus spell Spiral of Horrors) are two. Being a one action cantrip, it doesn't need to be sustained because recasting it every round is exactly the same action cost as sustaining it would be.

[Ivy Thiven]

Thanks for the great answers. Looks like I'll be keeping it. This isn't actually for my own character, though. It's for a minion assigned to the party as their "face" in a tough AP. I'm probably building the character too well, but he's become a beloved party member.

[Finoan]

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

As far as I know, no cantrip requires a focus point to cast--and for that matter I don't actually see that Dirge of Doom has the Focus trait at all.

Indeed. That is something that I hadn't noticed before. I checked a couple of the Witch Hex Cantrips as well. Focus Cantrips don't seem to have the Focus trait.

Which makes sense because the Focus trait says that it is for spells that cost a focus point to cast, and Cantrips don't cost resources.

Also, specifically for Bard:

Composition Cantrips wrote:

Composition cantrips are special composition spells that don't cost Focus Points, so you can use them as often as you like.

Even if Focus Cantrips did normally require a focus point to cast, Bard specific rules would override that.

[Baarogue]

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So, I know they're introduced in the composition spells and hex spells sections of bard and witch, which are focus spells, and they're described in the focus spells section of the spells chapter of the book, but they're not called "focus cantrips" anywhere I could find. I feel like calling them that instead of what they're called in the books has the potential to cause more confusion and delay rather than relieve it. Just sayin'