In Dungeons and Dragons, cantrips are 0-level spells. They are innately known magic that characters can cast at will.
How many cantrips can you have in D&D?
Characters can have an unlimited number of cantrips. Magical characters receive several cantrips starting at level one. Characters can gain additional cantrips as they multiclass, advance to higher levels, gain feats, acquire magical items, use the Wish spell, and operate within homebrew rules.
In this article, I will answer the most common questions related to, “How many cantrips can you have in D&D?”
How Many Cantrips Can You Have in D&D? (Detailed Answer)
There is no limit to the number of cantrips a character can know.
Your character can learn as many as possible with:
- Multiclassing
- Race
- Leveling up
- Feats
- Wish spell
- Homebrew rules
If you choose to multiclass, your character will know several cantrips based on the highest level spell slot they can access.
For example, if your character can access 3rd level spells and chooses to Variant Human as a multiclass, you will have two additional cantrips from that class. If you take Pact of the tomb (Warlock) as your other class, you will be able to choose three additional cantrips.
In short, the number of cantrips you can have depends on the amount of multiclassing you prefer to have.
However, there is a limit if you choose to keep your character as a single-classed spellcaster. Depending on your build, your character might only know thirteen cantrips.
These cantrips are as follows:
Total: 1
- You will first choose a race which will give you one cantrip.
Total: 6
- Going Warlock will grant you three additional cantrips.
- Pact Magic (2 cantrips of Warlock)
- Pact of the Tome (3 cantrips from any class)
Total: 7
- You will then choose one out of two patron options, which will give you one cantrip.
- Undying (SCAG) with a Spare the Dying option
- Celestial (XGtE) with a Sacred Flame (light included later) option.
Total: 10
- You will get three training rewards (DMG 231) from your GM.
- Magic Initiate with two cantrips from any single class
- Spell Sniper with one cantrip from ant class that comes with an attack roll
- If your character so wishes, they can have three Magic Items.
- The staff of the Magi (Mage Hand, Light)
- A Ring of Shooting Stars ( Either a non-half-drow or a non-drow)
- Dancing Lights
Total: 13
There is also another aspect that influences the number of cantrips your character gets. It can be the game level itself. That means the lower you are at the game, the fewer cantrips you will have.
But, you can get more cantrips as you level up.
If you build your magic character right, you could end up with 15 or 16 cantrips by level 8.
At higher levels, I’ve seen character builds with up to 39 cantrips. Incredible!
Another aspect that will give access to other cantrips is your character’s feats. Take, for example, Arcane Initiate.
This feat will grant you an additional two cantrips from any class.
Don’t forget that your Dungeon Master can always homebrew ways for you to gain additional cantrips. One ultra-powerful method would be giving a character the option to use a Wish Spell to gain more cantrips.
If the DM permits it, a spellcaster could also turn a level 1 spell into a cantrip.
How Many Cantrips Does a Wizard Get?
Another class that comes with a full-spellcasting progression is the wizard.
They are the supreme magic users and can conjure powerful spells. Unlike other classes, Wizards can know only three cantrips from the Wizard spell list in the first level.
That’s not to mean there are only three cantrips available to the wizard.
Your character can choose only three out of five available. They include Chill Touch, Acid Splash, Poison Spray, Fire Bolt, and Ray Of Frost.
While their lives and death depend on their spells, they don’t start knowing all cantrips.
They learn new cantrips as they gain experience and grow as a spellcaster with each game level.
Read: Can Wizards Wear Armor? (15 Things You Need To Know)
How Many Cantrips Does a Sorcerer Get?
Sorcerors are powerful magic-users that mobilize their innate power to cast many spells with ease. Sorcerers don’t memorize each spell on their list, but they know all of them by heart.
That makes them wonderful allies for any party.
Unlike other classes, sorcerers are born with the ability to cast magic. That means they have access to all known spells of their category.
But they can only use a few cantrips at the first level.
If you’re following the official D&D rules, the cantrips that sorcerers choose are permanent and can’t change.
They will summon their arsenal of cantrips and will not use their spell slots. With that in mind, Sorcerers will only know four different cantrips at the first level.
As you level up in the game, the sorcerer can finally expand their cantrips spell list.
They will gain one more cantrip at level five. That number will remain constant until level nine, where they will gain an additional cantrip.
By level twenty, your sorcerer will know all six cantrips available to them by their class.
Although the number of cantrips remains relatively low, your character will still know many other types of spells.
How Many Cantrips Does a Level 5 Wizard Get?
Cantrips remain a staple of any magic-using character.
All the magical classes have access to them, but some gain more than others. While a wizard will only know three cantrips spells at the first level, they can learn more as you move up the game.
So, how many cantrips does a wizard get at each level–including level five?
Here is a simple chart for you:
| Level | Cantrip Known |
| 1st | 3 |
| 2nd | 3 |
| 3rd | 3 |
| 4th | 4 |
| 5th | 4 |
| 6th | 4 |
| 7th | 4 |
| 8th | 4 |
| 9th | 4 |
| 10th | 5 |
| 11th | 5 |
| 12th | 5 |
| 13th | 5 |
| 14th | 5 |
| 15th | 5 |
| 16th | 5 |
| 17th | 5 |
| 18th | 5 |
| 19th | 5 |
| 20th | 5 |
How Many Cantrips Does a Druid Get?
Another class that can use cantrips is the druid.
Druid is a flexible class and can summon different kinds of magic to help their party members. They also learn other spells as they level up.
Since they have a full-spellcasting progression, the first druid cantrips come at 1st level.
They learn two different cantrips from their spell list. The number is constant until level four, where they get one more cantrip.
As a druid gains levels, they learn more and more cantrips.
However, the maximum number of cantrips for their class is four. That means your druid will know up to four different types of cantrips spells by level twenty.
How Many Cantrips Can You Have at Level 1 in D&D?
The number of cantrips you can know at level 1 depends on several factors.
For instance, the class you choose determines the number of spells you can have. If you opt for a cleric at level 1, you only get to know three cantrips.
A sorcerer on the same level will know four, whereas a wizard knows three.
However, if you choose to multiclass at level 1, you can have more cantrips spells. This way, you get more spells from each class.
For example, a character multiclassed as a cleric/wizard/sorcerer could potentially start with 10 cantrips at level 1.
Keep in mind that there is a trade-off in play.
Grabbing all 10 cantrips at level one restricts the character’s overall growth. The character can not take advantage of the other features of their multiclasses.
How Many Cantrips Can You Cast per Day?
Since cantrips do not use spell slots, you can cast them as many times as you wish per day.
There is no limit to the number of cantrips you can cast per day in D&D. You can cast any cantrip that you know unlimited times throughout a D&D campaign.
To create a balanced D&D game, your Dungeon Master may homebrew rules to limit your power.
How Many Cantrips Can You Cast in One Turn?
You can cast two cantrips per turn in D&D. One as an action and another as a potential bonus action.
The D&D Player’s Handbook states:
A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. You must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven’t already taken a bonus action this turn. You can’t cast another spell during the same turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action.
That makes cantrips highly versatile spells that every magic-weilding character should use wisely.
Just try to avoid spamming your spells.
Spamming them will only force the DM to think of solutions to stop you from raining down too much damage or help your party members and other NPCs.
Here is a good video that covers the basics of cantrips and how to use them in D&D:
Final Thoughts: How Many Cantrips Can You Have in D&D?
There are 50 cantrips available of various magical schools, ranges, casting times (action or bonus action), durations, and components (verbal, somatic, and material).
Learning and experimenting with different cantrip builds can make for a fun and exciting campaign.
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