A useful cantrip: Glimpse

[Lysander]

I really like useful 0 level spells. I think this one could be useful even at high levels.

Glimpse
Divination
Level: Brd 0, Clr 0, Drd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You briefly gain supernatural vision. Choose one and only one of the following effects upon casting the spell:

*Darkvision
*Low-light vision
*See into the ethereal plane
*Normal vision despite being blinded
*See in color with pre-existing Darkvision
*Gain a +4 modifier on spot checks to detect invisible creatures and objects. This has no effect if you can see invisible things.
*Emit light from your eyes that provides bright illumination in a 60-foot cone and shadowy illumination in a 120-foot cone. If cast this way the spell has the Light descriptor.

If the spell's duration is increased past one round, a standard action must be spent to focus your supernatural vision on any subsequent round you use it.

Material
A fleck of rainbow obsidian

[Zeta Kai]

Hey, that's actually a pretty good spell. It seems balanced, too. I like it.

ZK approved! <bonk>

PS: The proper term is shadowy illumination, FYI.

[Milskidasith]

I'd remove the blinded part... having a level 0 spell be able to remove the conditions from higher level spells is rather meh. The rest seems fine.

[industrious]

I'd keep the "remove blindness" part in, actually. It only works for 1 round, and it's a standard action to cast, so they can't really attack anybody. But put in that if one uses the "remove blindness" aspect, they go back to being blind at the end of their turn.

[deuxhero]

Darkvision is already a 2nd level spell (if it deserves that place is another question though) though it is hour/level and this is round/level.

[Zeta Kai]

Darkvision is already a 2nd level spell (if it deserves that place is another question though) though it is hour/level and this is round/level.

Actually, this is just 1 round only, not 1 round per level. A 20th-level wizard would still be blind again at the end of the round.

[DragoonWraith]

I agree, this is a really solid spell.

[Icewalker]

It's cool, and pretty balanced. I think it might have a little too much versatility and usefulness for a 0th level spell with all of those options, but not in an unbalanced way, just a 'more preferable than other 0th level spells' way. :smalltongue:

Which actually is probably a good thing. Most 0th level spells end up completely useless, whereas this remains interesting.

[Kuma Kode]

I like this, too. I'm a big fan of useful cantrips.

[Lysander]

Actually, this is just 1 round only, not 1 round per level. A 20th-level wizard would still be blind again at the end of the round.

Yeah, it's just a quick look around regardless of level. The use that allows the blind to see is also temporary - once the spell ends they're blind again.

While that is really useful I'm not too worried about overpowering blind characters.

[deuxhero]

I'd buy a continuous item of this for 4000 GP (No DM would allow it though...)

[Zeta Kai]

I'd buy a continuous item of this for 4000 GP (No DM would allow it though...)

An item that would only grant one of these powers might be acceptable. You choose which at the time of creation. That might still be too powerful.

[paddyfool]

4000 gp would seem a tad cheap - by comparison, the Goggles of Night, which grant 60' Darkvision, cost 12,000 gp.

Incidentally, the range of the Darkvision should be specified in the spell, although I'd guess you meant it to be 60' as standard.

[Siosilvar]

Hmm... interesting. Persistent Spell, anyone? It'd be useful to have the capacity to augment your vision for a day.

[paddyfool]

I'd be tempted to have some text in there along the lines of "this spell's effects may not be extended or made permanent" to avoid abuse - the one round limitation is key to it being well-balanced for a cantrip.

[Gorgondantess]

Wow.
This is probably the coolest cantrip since prestidigitation. I approve.

[charl]

Or something about it giving 1 round of vision enhancement, followed by two rounds of different eye colour or something. If you persist or permanency the spell all that happens is your eyes change colour after one round.

[Gorgondantess]

Well, I don't see the problem with persisting it. Darkvision all day for a 6th level spell slot...? Yeah, that sucks.

[Siosilvar]

Well, I don't see the problem with persisting it. Darkvision all day for a 6th level spell slot...? Yeah, that sucks.

Immunity to blind for a 6th level spell slot.

Alternately, seeing everything ethereal for a 6th level spell slot.

If you prefer, Incantatrix + Easy Metamagic (Persist) + Metamagic School Focus (Divination) + Arcane Thesis (wut?) to do that in a 2nd level spell slot.

Admittedly, it is 3 feats, one of which is essentially useless (Arcane Thesis on a cantrip).

[Gorgondantess]

Immunity to blind for a 6th level spell slot.

Alternately, seeing everything ethereal for a 6th level spell slot.


Oookayyy... so that's decent. Isn't true sight just as good, if not more so?:smallconfused:

[imp_fireball]

Yeah, it's just a quick look around regardless of level. The use that allows the blind to see is also temporary - once the spell ends they're blind again.

While that is really useful I'm not too worried about overpowering blind characters.

Blind Guy: What are all these strange colors conforming into detailed shapes?!?! Can it be?! I've been blind from birth! *dies of miscomprehension*
Player: You're terrible.
GM: I know. :smallbiggrin:

[Eloel]

Anyone else see this being extended and used with a Rod of Quicken?

[SurlySeraph]

Immunity to blind for a 6th level spell slot.

Alternately, seeing everything ethereal for a 6th level spell slot.

Given that True Seeing is 6th level, I'd say that this is perfectly well balanced.

[Siosilvar]

Blind Guy: What are all these strange colors conforming into detailed shapes?!?! Can it be?! I've been blind from birth! *dies of miscomprehension*
Player: You're terrible.
GM: I know. :smallbiggrin:

Target: Personal.

EDIT: Shouldn't that be range: personal, though?

[Lysander]

Target: Personal.

EDIT: Shouldn't that be range: personal, though?

Thanks. I've changed it.

Here's an idea to curb metamagic abuse. What if for all metamagic feats other than Quicken it still requires a standard action to use? So even if you make it last all day you still have to devote your turn to it each time you use it.

[Cedrass]

Level: Brd 0, Rng 0, Drd 0, Sor/Wiz 0

Is that a Ranger cantrip? Not sure those exist :smallwink:.

Awesome spell. I'll try and get my DM to let me learn it :smallbiggrin:

[Lysander]

Is that a Ranger cantrip? Not sure those exist :smallwink:.

Awesome spell. I'll try and get my DM to let me learn it :smallbiggrin:

Woops. Edited. I guess Rangers don't get it.

[deuxhero]

Mystic Rangers (Dragon) do have 0 level spells.

[Zeta Kai]

Mystic Rangers (Dragon) do have 0 level spells.

Uh, good for them? I'm pretty sure that we're talking about real Rangers, IE the ones in the PHB. Nice try though. :smalltongue:

[Magnor Criol]

Thanks. I've changed it.

Here's an idea to curb metamagic abuse. What if for all metamagic feats other than Quicken it still requires a standard action to use? So even if you make it last all day you still have to devote your turn to it each time you use it.

I kinda like this solution. The standard action consists of not just casting the spell, but focusing yourself on seeing through the special vision, and so persisting it just means that for the whole day, your character sheet reads "X can spend a standard action to see as if he had darkvision for 1 round." I like that a lot.

And, as others have said, I like this cantrip a lot. Good job :D

[Lysander]

I kinda like this solution. The standard action consists of not just casting the spell, but focusing yourself on seeing through the special vision, and so persisting it just means that for the whole day, your character sheet reads "X can spend a standard action to see as if he had darkvision for 1 round." I like that a lot.

And, as others have said, I like this cantrip a lot. Good job :D

Added in the change. If made persistent you'll have to spend a standard action each time you use it throughout the day, and it'll still be confined to only one selection of supernatural vision. This might also apply to magic items. An item of continuous Glimpse: Darkvision would still require a standard action to use. What I like about this change is no matter how long the spell lasts it still remains a Glimpse.