Infestation: If You Hate Someone, Set Them Fleas
Usable By: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Spell Level: 0 (cantrip)
School: Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Duration: Instantaneous
Components: V, S, M (a living flea)
You cause a cloud of mites, fleas, and other parasites to appear momentarily on one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or it takes 1d6 poison damage and moves 5 feet in a random direction if it can move and its speed is at least 5 feet. Roll a d4 for the direction: 1, north; 2, south; 3, east; or 4, west. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, and if the direction rolled is blocked, the target doesn't move.
At Higher Levels. The spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).
Review by Sam West, @CrierKobold
The base damage characters tend to want on their damaging cantrips is 1d10. High utility cantrips like Mind Sliver and Vicious Mockery offer solid repeatable conditional effects with lower dice sizes. Infestation supposedly fits into the latter category, but doesn’t actually offer solid repeatable conditional effects. A five foot step isn’t an effect that can really be all that useful.
1d6 damage puts this in the second lowest damage tier of cantrips. It won’t ever scale well for this reason, especially considering the utility of it doesn’t scale with level. You then need to really want the random five foot move for this to be worth it; I don’t think most times that will be something you’re looking for. The movement is forced, so it doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. The random direction very rarely is going to move a creature off a cliff or into a hole. At its best, I see Infestation acting as a free disengage for an endangered ally, but even then the threatening creature needs to fail the save AND roll to step in a direction that leaves the threat range AND act after the engaged ally in initiative. A five foot step likely is going to have only one or two outcomes where that will occur, leaving this is wildly inconsistent even in its best case scenario usage. In its best situation, this is about as unreliable as it gets. If the creature is surrounded, this effect does literally nothing.
I will say this spell visually is pretty silly, and I do love some silly D&D. An enemy goliath oath of conquest paladin garbed in black, metal armor wielding a massive bone-splitting ax dancing about uncomfortably as a bunch of tiny insects start nibbling is a great image. The effect that comes with said nibbling is unremarkable, and probably not worth the damage trade-off.
If you like the thematics and visuals of the spell, that’s the only great reason to take it. Otherwise, occasionally forcing a 5 ft. move against a creature within 30 feet is rarely going to change any element of a fight. You’ll do better with Acid Splash, which isn’t something you often hear, nor something that bodes well for the power this spell is offering. If it did a smidge more damage it would fall in the same category as Sacred Flame; something you cast as a damage spell with an upside that’ll pop up once in a while. As is, this is probably the worst damaging utility cantrip offered. Try Thorn Whip or Frostbite if a hybrid damage/condition spell is something you’re looking for.
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