Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 lkwpeter Mar 14, 2015 3:19:47	Hello,   I am not that used to spell casting, although I know the difference between character and caster level.   Reading several spells I found the following pharing:   "The damage increases by additional 1d8 when you reach the 5th level."   Is the character or caster level meant? I believe it is the character level, but this seems very strong as I am a level 5 rogue (Arcane Trickster), that would benefit from that rule a lot mor than other caster classes.   Would be glad about some help!   Thanks in advance! Peter
#2 AaronOfBarbaria Mar 14, 2015 4:03:45	Only cantrips scale in this way, and yes, it really is by character level - so at 5th level any cantrips you have do two dice of damage whether you are a dedicated spellcaster class, something like an arcane trickster, or it is the cantrip you have for being a high elf.
#3 slumgum Mar 14, 2015 4:53:43	It's not very strong as an Arcane Trickster because you can't get Sneak Attack damage off a damaging spell.  Sneak Attack reads "The attack must use a finesse or ranged weapon", so spells don't qualify.  If you use Poison Spray, the strongest cantrip for damage alone, at level 5 that is 2d12 damage (or 13 average) you only match the damage of a dagger, the weakest weapon, 1d4 + 3d6 (also 13 average).  When you hit 7th level your Sneak Attack jumps to 4d6, but your cantrip won't upgrade till 11th level (at which point Sneak Attack will be up to 6d6 and you'll likely have magic weapons).   That isn't to say that a damaging cantrip isn't a good choice for an Arcane Trickster, there are utility ones (like Chill Touch/Shocking Grasp), they can be used in place of a ranged weapon if you prefer melee combat in general, and they're available when you get disarmed.
#4 Soulmancer Mar 14, 2015 10:09:26	Also with your weapon attacks you will get a damage modifier, which will likely add +3 to +5 to the damage depending on levels. Which you won't get on cantrips unless you have a specific class feature that states otherwise.
#5 slumgum Mar 14, 2015 14:19:22	Ya I completely forgot to include that, even +1 STR or DEX mod would make the dagger better.
#6 Clancey Jul 10, 2015 23:22:03	Can someone point me to the page(s) that state cantrips scale by character level? PHB or DMG? Sage Advice?
(Reply to #6) FrogReaver	Clancey wrote:
#8 FarBeyondC Jul 11, 2015 2:22:17	Clancey wrote:
#9 Rhym Jul 11, 2015 4:43:06	As mentioned, cantrips scale off character level, which is one of the reasons warlock dips are so popular (Eldritch Blast). It has often been suggested that (some) cantrips should scale with class level (or at least caster level), so you could consider houseruling that one if you're the GM. Depending on the cantrip in question. Getting a 4x1d10+cha force damage cantrip with either 300ft range or 10ft knockback for only a 2 level dip in warlock is a bit stupid imho.
(Reply to #8) Clancey	Thanks - that's what I was looking for!   FarBeyondC wrote:
(Reply to #9) Coredump00	Rhym wrote: