Someone recently said Cantrips would ruin a medieval fantasy society.

Of course I think this is pure nonsense. There’s such an easy fix to this problem it’s not even funny. Every time I hear “______ spell is ruining my game,” I have to laugh.

The worst part of this is that normally the game breaker is a homebrew spell or item. Something cooked up by the Dungeon Master or one of the players is usually far more unbalanced than something in the official books, or someone might think. But with Dungeons & Dragons 5E.2024 being somewhat of a raging toilet fire in terms of things you think they’d have sorted out by now, I can’t be overly surprised.

After 50 years of game design, you’d think we wouldn’t have to discuss this problem.

No rule is set in stone in AD&D or any other edition of the game. I say that because Cantrips originally debuted in the Unearthed Arcana, still one of the best books ever made for AD&D 1E. They were originally intended to give Wizards a little more casting ability, especially at lower levels. Cantrips were never intended to be a major world-altering spell effect.

0 Level spells were meant to do basic, simple tasks that busy adventurers don’t always have time to do or just cute fun little things. Mend clothing, jump scare someone in the tavern, do some slight-of-hand to amuse the crowd. Alas, then 5E.2024 happened. Suddenly what were once Level 1 spells became Cantrips and free to cast. Once upon a time, they had slots just like everything else in the Vancian magic system.

D&D 5E.2024 suffers from superhero syndrome, to be sure. This latest flap over Cantrips is nothing new. But not everything has to be completely world-shattering.

It’s basic Game Mastering 101 here.

Cantrips can do minor things such as start fires, provide light, temporarily freeze something, and a lot of other minor effects. Let’s look at this in practical terms. A cigarette lighter can start fires and provide a little light. We also have flashlights. We could probably cobble together a sort of steampunk refrigerator or make a basic icebox to keep things cold. A needle and thread still work for mending clothes or maybe a sewing machine.

Let’s also remember that not everyone learns magic. If it were that simple, Wizards and Sorcerers would be incredibly common, or so common that we wouldn’t even have a name for them. Every single character in the game would be some sort of mage multiclass. The secrets of the arcane are not for everyone. Top mages might not want to share their textbooks or give up their secrets. Most large, organized settlements would also have laws regarding the use of magic. Plus there are just the basic laws of society like, don’t set your friends on fire.

If common sense isn’t so common, there’s still the

Third, and probably most importantly: Who has final say in what will fly in their campaign. Cantrips look problematic? The Dungeon Master can omit them entirely from the game, put component, learning restrictions, or casting restrictions on them. This is basic Game Mastery 101 level stuff.

Dragonbane RPG already has the mechanical fix in place for this, as do most sensible fantasy TTRPGs. Magic Tricks, the Dragonbane equivalent of Cantrips, cost 1 WP every time they are cast. Plus they sometimes have component costs. Additionally, not everyone in Dragonbane can cast spells without training, a Grimoire (spellbook,) and having no metal on them.

House rules, sometimes known as “homebrew” in D&D are an easy fix for Cantrips. Three Cantrip casts are equal to one Level 1 Spell. IIRC that was the way they worked in a previous edition of the game. This prevents the willy-nilly unlimited casting. Elevate any Cantrip that does damage to a Level 1 spell. Thus preventing abuse by using up Vancian spell slots.

I know some players will protest such radical notions as the GM taking charge of their game or saying, “NO!” to some superheroic nonsense as handed out by the 5E.2024 rules. Some of y’all kids done got spoiled by the Wizards of the Coast designers.  I know some of the younger players really struggle with the DM being in charge of the game, and to them, I say there are plenty of other games out there with DMs running games.

Otherwise, I have four things to say to this whole notion that I have to let Cantrips go nuts:  

  • “This ain’t Critical Role.”
  • “Cantrips were never intended to be abused that way.”
  • “I don’t care what the rulebook says, I’m the DM.”
  • “If you don’t like it, there’s the door.”

The whole 5E.2024 superhero fantasy thing just doesn’t work for me. If I have to run D&D, and that’s a big IF, we’re either going to have a manifesto of house rules, or we’re playing any other edition that’s not 5E. And that whole silly “The DM is just another player” business? Umm… nope. If I’m running it, I’m in charge. Period. Yes, I know it’s a very old school middle-aged white guy from the Midwest flyover states mentality. Sorry kids.

The 5E.2024 “designers” literally handed the Players the proverbial keys to the kingdom and told them to go nuts as far as I can tell. The Dungeon Master role has been neutered, nerfed, and sidelined. It’s almost as if they don’t want people to DM anymore. Kinda like over empowering those poor “undermonetized players” by eliminating the DM almost entirely just to sell more books. I swear one of these days I’m going to dip into the 5E.2024 OGL and show everyone what 6E should look like (if they’re smart.)

There are dozens of other games, game systems, and house rules that prevent things like Cantrips from completely devastating their fantasy environments by being used out of context. I can’t figure out why REDACTED the DungeonTuber ever got the notion it would be a problem for anyone’s game. Dungeon Master up for the love of Source. It ain’t that hard. Take control of your game!

I say it every year, but I think 2026 bears repeating it. This year I intend to write more, read more, and discuss cool TTRPGs as well as supplements. Most of all, let’s just have more fun. Let’s explore. Let’s save the kingdom from the evil warlord. Let’s discuss all the fun stuff in gaming that we love.

With the world in the state it finds itself in today, please be kind. Please be considerate to one another even if we don’t agree. Lastly, please pursue the thing that brings you the most joy without harm to others. Thank you!