The Prestidigitation Cantrip in D&D 5e: How It Works & Best Ways to Use It

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An in-depth look at Prestidigitation’s utility & creative possibilities
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Are you about to choose your D&D character’s cantrips and wondering if Prestidigitation is worth considering? We’re here to help. Prestidigitation is a fairly unique cantrip that creates minor magical effects of your choice. It doesn’t deal damage or have much combat utility, yet it has a wide range of open-ended uses when exploring or navigating social challenges. Read on for a complete guide to the Prestidigitation cantrip, including tips and ideas on how to use it creatively.

Prestidigitation in D&D 5e: Cantrip Overview

Prestidigitation is a transmutation cantrip that creates simple magical tricks. It can light or snuff out small flames, create harmless sensory effects, clean or soil objects, flavor materials, make marks or symbols appear, and even create nonmagical trinkets or illusory images.

Section 1 of 5:

What is Prestidigitation in D&D 5e?

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  1. Casting Prestidigitation can create one of six types of minor magical tricks of your choice within the spell's range. Furthermore, if you cast it multiple times, you can have as many as 3 non-instantaneous effects active at a time (and dismiss them as an action). Prestidigitation is a flexible yet simple spell with an impressive range of uses. [1]
    • Casting time : 1 action
    • Range : 10 feet
    • Duration : Up to 1 hour
    • Components : Verbal and somatic
    • School : Transmutation
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Section 2 of 5:

How does Prestidigitation work?

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  1. Since there are many things the cantrip can potentially do, it’s up to you to decide how you want to use it—and when. Tell the DM what effect the spell has when your character casts it, and let the gameplay proceed from there. Prestidigitation can do the following: [2]
    • Instantly create a harmless sensory effect, including a shower of sparks, puff of wind, faint musical notes, or strange odor.
    • Instantly light or snuff out a candle, torch, or small campfire.
    • Instantly clean or soil an object as large as 1 cubic foot.
    • Chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for an hour.
    • Make a color, small mark, or symbol appear on an object or surface for an hour.
    • Create a nonmagical trinket or illusory image that fits in your hand and lasts until the end of your next turn.
Section 3 of 5:

Practical & Creative Ways to Use Prestidigitation

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  1. The beauty of Prestidigitation is that you get to be creative with it and use it in any way you can think of (within the bounds of the spell’s rules). So, if you need to distract some guards or clear an area, why not create a “harmless sensory effect” to do it? For example, you could: [3]
    • Make it sound like there are footsteps echoing in another direction
    • Create the sound of someone calling for help further away
    • Conjure an unpleasant smell to make people leave a room
    • Snuff out the torches to darken a room and set up an ambush
  2. While the rules of Prestidigitation specify the objects you create must be “trinkets” that fit in your hand, you’re free to conjure anything fitting that open-ended description—from something on the trinket table in the Player’s Handbook or something you think of yourself. You could: [4]
    • Make a small knife to throw at an enemy, or use as a tool
    • Recreate a key to break into a locked room or building without being seen
    • Forge a seal, badge, or symbol to infiltrate a restricted area
    • Summon a piece of jewelry or gem to catch someone’s attention
    • Show someone an image—of a missing item, person, or creature
  3. Since Prestidigitation can affect the heat and flavor of food, you can make bland items taste delicious—or make a poisoned item smell appetizing to an enemy you’re targeting. For example, you could: [5]
    • Ensure a poisoned glass of wine doesn’t smell strange or different
    • Spice up the rations your party eats while traveling
    • Convince someone to eat a magical or enchanted treat by making it taste better than usual
  4. Prestidigitation can create illusions, lights, colors, symbols, and sensory effects—all of which you could use in clever ways while trying to talk to a character, make a speech to a crowd, or even act something out. For example, you could: [6]
    • Create sparks or smoke to make yourself seem intimidating
    • Make music play or wind blow dramatically as you make a performance check
    • Clean up your appearance to hide signs of a fight (or crime) before talking to authorities
    • Make a faction symbol appear on your clothing so other faction members will speak to you
  5. In a game like Dungeons & Dragons, you’ll inevitably find yourself exploring a few maze-like caves, dungeons, and other areas. If you need to find your way, keep track of progress, or walk unnoticed, Prestidigitation can help. You can: [7]
    • Mark hallways or rooms you’ve already explored with a symbol
    • Leave small marks along your path so you don’t get lost
    • Extinguish small fires and torches to create a hiding spot for yourself
  6. Finally, there’s always time for a little fun in D&D. In between all the swords, sorcery, and intrigue, don’t be afraid to use Prestidigitation to make people laugh, whether you’re playing a prank on a fellow player’s character or your least favorite NPC (non-player character). For example, you can: [8]
    • Make it look like a stuck-up noble spilled food on himself
    • Create a mark or symbol on a party member’s skin to make it look like they got a spontaneous tattoo
    • Give someone’s food a strange flavor so they’re surprised when they bite into it
    • Soil someone’s shoes (or face) by surprise, then clean them after
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Section 4 of 5:

Is Prestidigitation a good cantrip?

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  1. It doesn’t deal damage or harm enemies, so it’s not the sort of cantrip you’ll likely use in a fight. However, it’s worth having in your arsenal. After all, combat is only a part of the D&D experience—and with at least 6 different functions, Prestidigitation’s flexibility can truly shine outside of battle during exploration and social situations. [9]
    • A couple of other cantrips (Thaumaturgy and Druidcraft) can also create minor magical effects like Prestidigitation, but they’re a little more specific to the classes that use them.
    • Thaumaturgy is a cleric cantrip that can cause your voice to boom, create harmless tremors, create instant sounds, or cause a flame to flicker, brighten, or dim.
    • Druidcraft is a druid cantrip that can create an effect by predicting the weather, making a flower blossom, creating a harmless sensory effect, or lighting and snuffing out small fires.
    • Minor Illusion also overlaps with Prestidigitation (although Prestidigitation is still more versatile). Minor Illusion is a cantrip that can create a sound or an image of an object.
Section 5 of 5:

Which classes can use Prestidigitation?

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  1. All of the aforementioned classes can learn Prestidigitation right away from the 1st level, and use it at will (since cantrips don’t consume spell slots). Additionally, other subclasses can choose to learn Prestidigitation, although some have to reach higher levels first. [10]
    • Arcana Domain clerics can learn Prestidigitation at the 1st level.
    • Eldritch Knight fighters can learn Prestidigitation at the 3rd level.
    • Arcane Trickster rogues can also learn Prestidigitation at the 3rd level.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/spellcasting/spells/prestidigitation/
      2. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/spellcasting/spells/prestidigitation/
      3. ↑ https://www.caverns-and-creatures.com/5e-spells/prestidigitation
      4. ↑ https://www.caverns-and-creatures.com/5e-spells/prestidigitation
      5. ↑ https://blackcitadelrpg.com/spells/prestidigitation-5e/
      6. ↑ https://blackcitadelrpg.com/spells/prestidigitation-5e/
      7. ↑ https://blackcitadelrpg.com/spells/prestidigitation-5e/
      8. ↑ https://www.caverns-and-creatures.com/5e-spells/prestidigitation
      9. ↑ https://dicecove.com/spells/transmutation/prestidigitation/
      1. ↑ https://dicecove.com/spells/transmutation/prestidigitation/

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