You extend your hand toward a creature you can see within range and project a puff of noxious gas from your palm. The creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d12 poison damage.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d12 when you reach 5th level (2d12), 11th level (3d12), and 17th level (4d12).

My Comments: Personally, I think some D&D spells are named wrong. This one for example; it’s not a spray. A spray, to me at least, implies a cone-type effect. Like the spray from a spray bottle. In the description, is it a spray? No, it’s a “puff of noxious gas”. It’s almost as if it should have a material component involving Taco Bell burritos.

I know cantrips aren’t meant to be awesome, but how awesome is “puff of gas”? Who wants to be known as Gassy the Magician?

Mind you, it’s potentially deadly gas. Pass some of this gas on a 0-level peasant and, with an average damage of 6-ish points, it could kill them. But, they also might make their CON save and take no damage, or maybe that big d12 die rolls up 1 point of damage. That’s the bad thing about d12, it rolls 1’s as often as it does 12’s.

I would house rule this to be a spray rather than a puff of stomach gas and say it can affect multiple creatures in a 5ft area or even 10ft area. Overpowered for a cantrip? Not really.

The weakness of Poison Spray isn’t the terrible description. It’s the fact that many monsters have decent CON bonuses and poison resistance is pretty common.

The good news is that you don’t have to roll to hit, so it’s still effective against anemic Kobolds.

I’ll let SpongBob have the final word on what the description sounds like.

[P.S. Check out the Wacky Dungeon game just above the footer!]