CANTRIP #26: Poison Spray (5E)

[@ChancesSpellbook]

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[@stevemorris3746]

A lot of spells that target a specific save are good against certain targets. Creatures with a low con includes most spell casters, smaller creatures and things of a generally frail nature. Spell casters tend to have limited options at close range, low hp and low con making them prime targets for a spell like this. I find that poison spells in general are best used against humanoid targets, as they seem to have the least defenses against it. It is a useful spell for picking off casters and other weak targets. Funnily enough necromancers make great use of poison spells as the humanoids the poison seems to be specialized against, are also eligible for animate and create undead. A wizard can use this spell to zone out all but the meatiest of foes. If you either want to be in the fray or find your self in close quarters against humanoids I'd pick this one up along with shocking grasp. 1d12 is a lot of damage for a cantrip and a lot of small creatures that like to swarm tend to have a low con. Poison spray will one shot a goblin or a kobold. Sorcerers can also make excellent use of the spell. Green dragon sorcerers get to add their charisma mod to the damage and distant spell can be used to improve the range. Twin spell can be used to make it hit two targets. This is a highly specialized cantrip and it excells at what it does. As you said its for extermination of pests. Like civilians, lesser creatures and mages. This cantrip can be an at will death sentence against most light monsters. It works great as a bad guy spell.

[@ChancesSpellbook]

I agree with what you're saying! I also find the flavor element to be top notch as well!

[@stevemorris3746]

@@ChancesSpellbook Imagine a necromancer gassing people in back alleys of a crowded city then carrying off the corpse. A civilian has only 4 hp I think. Goblins and kobolds have 7 and 5 hp respectively. A zombie has 22 hp. That is a serious hp buff. you can also use all three to make ghouls, wights and other undead. You cal also use it to get fresh blood for demon summoning. Poison spray is a strong spell for slaying the weaker creatures of dnd.

[@ChancesSpellbook]

@@stevemorris3746 I like it! It really seems like the perfect spell for any villain

[@stevemorris3746]

@@ChancesSpellbook Its also a great compliment for Aoe spells like fire ball and lightning bolt. Anything that survives the hit is probably not going to have much hp left and you can take them down with a poison spray or two. most things can't take the fire ball damage and the 24 potential damage from poison spray back to back. The key take away is knowing the targets to use it on to improve its success. As well as picking your spells to compliment each other.

[@isaackarr6576]

Yup humanoids and animals.

[@alanschaub147]

My Yuan-Ti Pureblood character says thank you! ☠️ 🐍

[@ChancesSpellbook]

Haha I'm happy they were able to make some use of it!

[@Cobalt_Rain]

Just made a Yuan-ti pure blood sorcerer, green Draconic bloodline

[@WolfHreda]

The Yuan-Ti Pureblood is pretty much the only character of any sort that has a reason to have this spell, because they get it for free. That and their snake charming abilities make them a pretty fun race to play just because you get that sinister edge to any character.

[@dilsoncamacho4100]

IMHO this is kind of a must for spore druids. You already rely on poison damage anyway, so it's very thematic. And it's not like you have all that many great choices of cantrips.

[@ChancesSpellbook]

I agree!

[@MrsRaccoon]

I'm creating a spore druid deep gnome who wears a mushroom costume, i was thinking about how effective this cantrip would be because of the resistance of the enemies, but at the same time it seems very nice a mushroom gnome casting a poisonous fart hahah

[@samfish2550]

I wish that it had some invocations, I've even had some ideas: Jublex's hunger- you add your charisma modifier to the damage as well as being able to decide whether you want to deal poison or acid damage when you cast this spell. Merciful miasma- you can spare a number of allies equel to half your charisma modifier from being damaged by your spell. *Alternatively make it miasmic mastery- the exact same thing but in addition you can make creatures that succeed their saves take half instead of no damage Cha mod times per short rest.... Maybe long rest depending on how useful it proves. Zugtmoi's rot- if a creature fails their spell save DC by 5 or more they are poisoned either until the end of your next turn. *May want to move the half damage on fail ability to be attached to this instead depending on how useful the poison is on its own.

[@Godzillawolf1]

My DM for the compeign I'm starting let's us have a free feat at level four (and we start at level three), so I'm just going to choose the Poisoner feat so that I can ignore poison damage entirely. Once you get that, it's good for dishing out damage and thanks to that house rule, I can get it quickly without really having to sacrifice anything.

[@chaoscommentary2179]

I like the idea of a poison master character build it’s just to bad that there isn’t that many poison spells and most enemy’s are resistant to it 😢

[@ChancesSpellbook]

I agree! It's even worse because Elemental Adept doesn't apply to Poison Damage!

[@GrondGrondGrondGrond]

There's always Homebrew. Just ask your DM if you can have Elemental Adept for Poison, and then use the UA Metamagic for chancing the element of any spell - make an acid damage Lightning Bolt, green lightning pretty much.

[@dongeonmaster8547]

If you're trying for a specific build talk to your DM about it. Together you could reskin some other spells fit your theme.

[@yudjichainho1665]

I think you can use create water tô make It rain and this cantrip to do ano acid rain

[@remor698]

Hmm, this could be an interesting one, depending on the nature of the gas itself. If it is controllable in its aspects, that would be optimal, but otherwise, I would say: If it is dense enough, it could impair someone's vision, perhaps confusing and causing them to trip. If it is clear enough, one could use it as a stealthy way of dealing damage. If its effect resides, it could be used to poison food and drinks. If it is a literal gas cloud, it could be used to eliminate many small, frail and hard to hit opponents at ones, like you said, pest control. If it can't do any of the above, then it is really quite meh, especially with how common poison resistances and immunities are.

[@ChancesSpellbook]

I really like where your heads at! I'd definitely run it past your DM, and go from there!

[@firestorm165]

Warning the following contains homebrew: I had a yuan-ti character who (with DM's ok) reflavoured this cantrip as her spitting liquid venom at her targets cobra style. I then bottled said venom and proceeded to sell it off

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Good spell for War Mage Feat perchance.

[@ahmadn2342]

I was wondering if I could combo poison spray with produce flame to make a flame thrower do you guys think it could work?

[@elvisekeh6236]

Is the saving through equal to your constitution

[@GlidyBun]

Magic fart

[@dongeonmaster8547]

...or belch. Changing the point of origin from the palms to somewhere within the caster. That would add some humor to the game. " Man, what did you eat?" "Whew."

[@mellowmae4785]

destroying a fre genasi

[@KaitouKaiju]

Use it to etch metal objects and make money

[@aimeethomson7806]

?

[@ChancesSpellbook]

?