D&D 5E - Is the Poison Spray Cantrip any good?
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I wouldn't choose it - far too many monsters are immune to poison. But depending on what you are fighting YMMV.
We had someone use it religiously up to at least 5th level as their default attack. It's no worse than any other cantrip, but can depend on the enemy your fighting (and thus, DM selection).
My group generally dismisses it due to the 10 ft range, as that's VERY close for most mages to get to an enemy. Toll the Dead does comparable damage, with higher range but a different save (Wis instead of Con).
No no. totally evil. Signed ALL my monsters,
It's the highest damage cantrip in the PHB and can be used in melee, which means it has a place.
The best damage cantrips are generally agreed to be Eldritch Blast for warlocks and Toll the Dead for wizards, and clerics with there being a case for Create Bonfire to block squares. If playing a wizard or sorcerer using only the PHB Poison Spray is your backup to Firebolt for when the enemy gets too close - but you don't want enemies within 10 feet of you in the first place.
I've found it's pretty good in tight quarters, particularly when your allies are between you and the enemy (thus providing cover to the enemies) such as in a choke point battle. Being a Con save and poison damage means it's not ideal on some enemies.Truthfully though, most games are not hard enough in my experience to always need to take the most optimal options. So if this fits some kind of theme you have in mind or just sounds like fun, go for it. Just know its limitations.
It can be a disastrous choice in some campaigns (Curse of Strahd) where many enemies will ignore it completely.
While there is nothing wrong with it per se, there are other cantrips that mechanically are better IMO.As others have said, Poison is a common resistance (along with Fire) and quite a few do have immunity. It compensates for that with the d12 a bit, but also relies on a CON save, which CON is one of the highest ability scores overall in the game. Since creatures with high HP will likely have good CON scores, that d12 damage counts for even less.
But, all that being said, if you want to take it, go for it! It will still prove useful enough and you don't always have to take the "optimal" choice to have fun.
If you happen to be a Yuan-Ti getting it for free doesn't hurt - it's situationally useful. Alchemists and Green Dragon Sorcerers might get more mileage out of it.
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