ideas for using the minor illusion cantrip

The cantrip minor illusion is particularly versitile. These ideas are to spur thinking – of the characters in the party who have the cantrip, as well as everyone else, who might suggest a good idea in a pinch.

 
Of course, you should read the spell. 

https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/minor-illusion

Some highlights: an object/sight, OR a sound, but not both (though two casters working together could create both sight and sound). The image can look like someone in particular or sound like someone in particular (unlike Prestidigitation or Thaumaturgy). 
Here are some ideas:

Sounds

  • Horns of alarm
  • Sounds of battle
  • An angry lord, shouting
  • Coitus happening
  • Music playing, drums beating
  • A creature roaring
  • Pitiful pleading
  • Snide laughter or Boing! (like a soundtrack)
  • Window breaking
  • Approaching guards
  • Merrymakers
  • Ritual chanters
  • Mosquito buzzing
  • Footsteps upstairs
  • Door creaking or slamming
  • “distant” howling
  • Distant explosion or thunder
  • Fake summons
  • Soundtrack sounds
  • opens a chest or door, womp womp sad sound, laughing
  • breaking glass or dishes, bells ringing, chime, gong
  • vomiting, farting, coitus, chanting, hawk screach, wolf howl
  • thunder/rain, nose honk
  • White noise to mask conversation
    water falling, leaves rustling, insects swarming

Objects

  • A very still, inquisitive, judgmental cat (or other familiar animal)
  • A dangerous looking but barely-chained dog, sleeping for now
  • broken bottles
  • very still and very. large bug, rat, or scorpion 
  • Dungheap 
  • Wrecked doll (that resembles someone)
  • Painting that resembles someone (jacked up painting that resembles someone)
  • Huge, open bear trap 
  • Statuette or figurine. Generic, or of someone in particular 
  • child, enemy, prisoner, warrior dwarf, constable, cleric, dog/wolf, giant bug
  • Stolen item is still there
  • “Got your nose,” coin out of ear
  • Body hung in a tree or crucified
  • Something convenient to hide behind
  • Valuable item
  • art, treasure chest, wand, weapon, potion, pile of coins, sacred pouch, important envelope
  • Badge of authority
  • False information 
  • on papers, wrong book, different badge/emblem
  • Hide something in a bigger something

Sights

  • Large bloodstain on someone’s shirt, or bleeding
  • Pee stain on someone’s trousers. Or worse.
  • Bad underarms stains on someone who would not appreciate it
  • Broken, bloody body
  • Large wasp nest
  • Baby-sized bundle wrapped in a blanket
  • Pile of loose coins
  • Make an object ridiculous – flowers, painted strangely, made of ice, a very wrong color
  • Dangerous opening
  • pit, doorway, acid pool with bones, quicksand with object
  • Disguised terrain
  • Hidden doorway, window, portal, caltrops,
  • Distracting visual
  • naked image, befouled image, graffiti, badly burned something, bloody jacked helmet
  • Already-spilled or poured acid or wine, or blood
  • Pool of blood, barf, pee, milk
  • Entertaining sign, well placed
  • free everything, free meade, humans only, Thayans Welcome, Buggery here, assclown, closed by order of the duke, Plague!
  • Trip up
  • Table’s surface as 1 inch higher than truth, door misplaced, steps off
  • Doorknob slightly off

Bennett’s Carriage

2nd-level conjuration (ritual)

  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: M (a small toy carriage, consumed in the casting)
  • Duration: 8 hours

This spell creates a normal-sized carriage, carriage master, and horse that as a unit obey your commands until the spell ends. All spring into existence in an unoccupied space on the ground within range. The carriage, carriage master, and horse are constructions of magical Force, all have AC of 10 and 5 hit points. The carriage master and horse have Strength of 2, and neither can attack. If any of the 3 aspects are reduced to 0 hit points, the spell ends.

The carriage, carriage master, and horse take on any appearance you specify when the spell is cast, but can’t be made to display a flag, device, or similar insignia except your own personal mark.

Once on each of your turns as a bonus action, you can mentally command the carriage master as you would an unseen servant, but principally the carriage master drives the the horse and carriage towards a destination of your choosing.

The carraige and horse behave as normal examples of such for purposes of determining what terrain can be negotiated, at what speed, and for how long. The horse has the senses of a normal horse. The carriage master acts with experience and good judgement, can communicate audibly when necessary, and has the same passive perception as you. Both are constructs of force for purposes of what can affect them.

Bennett’s Carriage can carry 4 medium-sized occupants inside the carriage with what they normally carry and 1 in the driver’s seat next to the carriage master. Up to 400 pounds of gear can be secured on top of the carriage, but the carriage master won’t proceed forward with any living beings on top of the carriage, nor can the carriage pull or tow anything.

At higher levels. When using a slot above 2nd level, the unit ignores penalties for difficult terrain. For each level spell slot above 2nd used to cast Bennett’s Carriage, you may add another horse and 2 more occupants may fit inside and an additional 400lbs of gear may be carried up top. This does not change the outer dimensions of the carriage.

Bennett’s Best Friend

1st-level conjuration (ritual)

  • Casting Time: 1 hour
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: VSM (something clever here)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes the form of a “normal” dog, a breed of your choosing. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of a common dog, though it is a celestial or fey (your choice) instead of a beast.

Once the breed is selected, all future successful castings of this spell by this caster will bring forth a dog of the same breed.

Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. This familiar can take other actions as normal and can attack in one encounter as a normal dog, but after this encounter is over this familiar disappears and no future casting of Bennett’s Familiar by this caster at this same level (see below) will ever call forth another.

When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.

While this familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through this familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.

As an action, you can temporarily dismiss this familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.

When you cast a spell with a range of touch, this familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. This familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.

Finally, this spell is different from Find Familiar and the dog summond forth does not count as a caster’s one for that spell

At higher levels. Casting Bennett’s Familiar with higher spell slots will bring forth an identical familiar to lower casting, including the initial breed chosen.

Concurrence

4th-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: VSM (an exquisitely-made book or other item of similar size, 1 foot by 1 foot by 1/2 foot at the largest, constructed from quality materials worth at least 100gp)

Duration: instantaneous

When Concurrence is cast upon the book (or other object, though book is traditional and practical) serving as material component, the book splits into two perfectly identical copies.

These books are now *concurrent;*  what happens to one happens to the other, and any others that are also concurrent (see below). Any writing, stains, or marks of any kind that appear in one book will instantly appear identically in the concurrent book. Any damage to one will likewise manifest instantly to the other. 

**At higher levels** If Concurrance is cast with a 5th level spell slot upon a book that is already concurrent, an additional book is created with all previous writing that is (and remains) concurrent with the first two. For each concurrance beyond the original two, each evening at sunset there is a 1 in 6 (d6) chance all concurrent books will vanish forever. 

Armoire

2nd-level conjuration


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: VSM (an exquisite armoire, 3 feet by 2 feet by 5 feet, consttructed from quality materials worth at least 100gp, and a Tiny replica made form the same materials worth at least 10gp)
  • Duration: instantaneous

You hide an armoire, and all its non-magical contents, on the Ethereal Plane. You must touch the armoire and the miniature replica that serves as a material component for the spell. The armoire can contain up to 30 cubic feet of nonliving, non-magical material (3 feet by 2 feet by 5 feet).

While the armoire remains on the Ethereal Plane, you can use an action and touch the replica to recall the armoire. It appears in an unoccupied space on the ground within 5 feet of you. You can send the armoire back to the Ethereal Plane by using an action and touching both the armoire and the replica.

If either armoire takes any damage, they both fail to perform any magical function or radiate magic, and can never be used as material components for this spell again.

At higher levels. If Armoire is cast with a 5th level spell slot, it will hold magical items.

Companion’s Final Rest

2nd-level abjuration, ritual

  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (see below)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

For one deceased being, the spell inters the remains and creates a small memorial shrine.

The manner of interment is at the caster’s discretion, with burial or burning being common. In the case of burial, the spell causes the remains and former possessions of the deceased left upon them to fade into the ground to a depth of 10’, even if the remains lay upon solid stone. In the case of burning, the remains burst into flames that consume the body and any former possessions left upon it, so that only ash remains. The fire burns brightly with heat for one minute, but cannot set anything else aflame and causes no damage.

The spell creates a small monument upon the site of interment made of common local stone, or marble. The monument is 1ft high per each of the deceased’s highest ability score bonus. In the case of beings with no bonuses or negative bonuses, a flat monument set in the ground and raised a few inches manifests. The monument can be inscribed or decorated in any way the caster wishes, decided at the time of casting and etched into the stone.

For purposes of teleportation or scrying the shrine is always “very familiar” to any person present at the casting, or any kin of the deceased.

When a being is present to observe, once per day a faded likeness of the deceased appears to tell a story, sing a song, or otherwise do something memorable and characteristic of the deceased. This will last one minute, then will slowly disappear.

The material components for this spell are one physical item contributed to the deceased remains and possessions from each being present when the spell is cast. These items are consumed as if they were possessions of the deceased.

Shanty

2nd level evocation, ritual

Casting time – 1 minute
Range – 100 feet
Components – VSM (a piece of yarn or wool and a bit of wood)
Duration – 24 hours
Classes – Wizard

In an empty space that can accommodate its size, you conjure a simple physical dwelling within range that lasts for the duration.

The dwelling is in all ways normal and physical, identical to a non-descript example of a small dwelling typical of the region. The spell conveys no additional properties to the structure that wouldn’t be present if it were created by non-magical means with materials native to the local region. The shanty appears competently crafted and is structurally sound, even if this isn’t typical of the region. Its design is effective at providing shelter against local weather and vermin.

The dwelling has no properties that are not typical to common dwellings of the region. For example, a caster could not bring into being a shanty that hung from the side of a cliff, floated on water, or resisted lava if that type of dwelling were not locally common. If there are no dwellings anywhere in the region, then the shanty is created with the minimum necessary accommodation in the most likely space within range.

The dwelling contains no items beyond simple furniture for 8 medium-sized beings to sleep or sit at a table. No light source, food, water, or gear is created with the spell, although amenities such as shelves, hooks, and cabinets exist where items may be stored, placed, or hung. The dwelling created cannot be an identical copy to any other dwelling in the region.

You can create any floor plan you like, but the space can’t exceed 4 cubes, each cube being 10 feet on each side. The place is furnished and decorated as a common dwelling for the region might be, though adepts of Conjugation or Illusion may alter to taste.

Furnishings and other objects created by this spell dissipate into smoke if removed from the shanty. When the spell ends, the shanty dissipates into smoke; any creatures inside the shanty when it dissipates find themselves resting on the ground where the shanty was placed.

Casting the spell in the same location for 28 consecutive days makes the structure permanent.

At higher levels. When you cast the spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you add an additional 2 cubes to the size of the structure per additional level. these may be arranged in any way desired; if the arrangement creates additional levels the shanty will have stairs inside to accommodate reaching these.

The Cant of thieves

just some reputable individuals, having a game.

Those in the varied trades – the polite, self-styled term that thieves, burglars, assassins, fences, and other criminals use to describe others of their own general disposition – speak in a sort of pidgin-code with complex rules where complex ideas about criminal activity can be communicated out in the open, but escaping detection. 

The enterprising thief is new to the area and enters a tavern. A quick scan around and he notes some fellows playing cards, most of which have a recognized pattern of color, placement, and parallel designs in their clothing. These fellows seem “normal,” sound upstanding. But they are members of the varied trades, and our visiting thief knows just what to do. 

He approaches, and makes a casual comment about the weather. He touches his clothing in a particular way. One of the fellows nods, and asks an innocuous question about his cousin. The thief answers casually, and sits. And so the prattle goes on; questions about family, boring work, the weather, and all sorts of topics too boring to eavesdrop on. But the words of this conversation hide meaning, obfuscate intent.

After an half hour the thief gets up and leaves, his payment on the table. He’s introduced himself, made his specialty known, any local allegiances, inquired about work, set a finder’s fee, arranged a meet with a local fixer, and settled up for the information. 

The sub-rosa conversation was thieves cant, an age-old way for those in the varied trades to communicate their nefarious intent while seeming innocuous and innocent.

The Cant is mostly done in the Common tongue, though words from other languages sometimes signify something. Cant leverages stereotypes, and lends itself to improvisation while still conveying meaning. It also includes symbols and gestures, indeed a surprising amount of conversation can be held without words, and only a particularly observant individual or another who knows the Cant could tell communication was actually happening. 

Speaking in Cant takes about 4 times as long to communicate the same thing talking plainy could, and often longer. Gestures take even longer than that if they are to remain unnoticed. 

The Cant is taught to apprentices under threat of death or worse if they divulge it to those not of the varied trades. Of course now and then someone does just this, but most wind up dead. Or worse. Criminal organizations have a keen interest in keeping the Cant to themselves. 

Signifiers are worn, patterns of parallel insignia or design, certain colors, certain sides tucked or untucked. When you’re looking for work, you adjust the correct signifiers just so, and in the right places very soon someone’s asking about your cousin Willard, or making a foul comment about the weather. Some verification happens, and the dance of words begins. 

There are routines that are common, catchphrases and expectations that are locally relevant, and there’s usually a cover activity; some kind of game or business of checking wares or outfits serves as manual cover and a reason for seemingly idle prattle. Feigned familiarity is common. 

Typical concepts easily expressed in the Cant include:

  • Getting the lay of the land, knowledge of the local constabulary or dangers
  • Details about work on offer, and qualifications
  • Requests for sanctuary
  • Information on the acquisition or fencing of goods

And so on. Every criminal activity can be communicated with the Cant. It could be that 6 players are shuffling cards between them and 3 are carrying on business of the varied trades, while the other 3 remain completely oblivious.

Helping new gamers pick a D&D race

I’m always looking for ways to help new TTRPGmers to help figure out which lass resonates with them for a first character. The below rubric is a work in progress…

In your heart of hearts, when you have an afternoon where you’re not accountable to anyone but yourself, what would you be doing if all reasonable options were on the table?

  • In the garage/makerspace. Tinkering and making breakthroughs.
  • In the kitchen cooking and eating. Indulgent, social, and goofing around.
  • Anywhere, but advancing some project. Making progress, crossing items off my list.
  • Working on a house project. Fixing or building something solid yet elegant.
  • Punching something, or someone. Blowing off steam and giving zero fucks.
  • Carousing, observing, discovering patterns. Floating between social circles. 
  • Outside somewhere. Letting go and just feeling nature
  • Brooding, being clever and sarcastic. Giving needed criticism and rare praise.
  • Around people but reflecting, helping, and learning. Making a difference. 
  • Wandering, probably getting shit from someone. Nodding to those few who get it, as I pass.
  • Getting into someone else’s business, collecting cool stuff, slipping away in a mystery.

Can you guess which line goes with which race? I didn’t get into subraces, and I dipped my toe into a couple exotics. Also, I need something for Dragonborn because I just couldn’t wrap my head around what that might be…

Spell – Seen Servant

Seen Servant

2nd level conjuration, ritual

Casting time – 1 action
Range – 120 feet
Components – VSM (a piece of yarn or wool and a bit of wood)
Duration – 8 hours
Classes – Bard, Wizard

This spell summons a minor force-being similar to a familiar (Fey/Celestial/Infernal) that performs tasks at your command until the spell ends. The Seen Servant springs into existence in an unoccupied space on the ground within range. It has AC 10, 5 hit points, a Strength of 12, and it can’t attack. If it drops to 0 hit points, the spell ends. 

You determine the appearance of the Seen Servant, though it cannot pass for anyone in particular. Newly summoned Seen Servants have a distinct personality exhibited by clothing, gait & body language, and facial expression. The caster can specify the conjuring of a “same” servant previously summoned. Although there’s no guarantee it’s actually the same spirit, it will look and act like that predecessor. 

Once on each of your turns as a bonus action, you can mentally or verbally command the servant to move up to 30 feet and interact with an object. The servant can perform tasks that a skilled human servant could do (left to the DM’s descretion). Once you give the command, the servant performs the task to the best of its ability until it completes the task, then idles nearby with some personality while awaiting your next command.

If you command the servant to perform a task that would move it more than 120 feet away from you, the spell ends.