Electric Arc seems to be much stronger in combat than other cantrips. Damage and DPR for it and some select comparisons:1
| Cantrip | Damage | DPR | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Arc | 3d4 + 4 (11.5) | ( 0.05 × 2 + 0.45 + 0.45 × 0.5 ) × 11.5 × 1.52 = 13.36 | 30 feet |
| Electric Arc (Single Target) | 3d4 + 4 (11.5) | ( 0.05 × 2 + 0.45 + 0.45 × 0.5 ) × 11.5 = 8.91 | 30 feet |
| Acid Splash | 1d6+4 (7.5) +1 splash +2 persistent (on crit) | 0.5 × 7.5 + 0.95 × 1 × 1.52 + 0.05 × 2 × 2.53 = 5.43 (40.61% of EA) | 30 feet |
| Daze | 1d6+4 (7.5) | ( 0.05 × 2 + 0.45 ) × 7.5 = 5.81 (43.48% of EA) | 60 feet |
| Produce Flame | 3d4+4 (11.5) | ( 0.05 × 2 + 0.45 ) × 11.5 + 0.05 × 11.5 × 2.53 = 7.76 (58.06% of EA) | 30 feet |
| Telekinetic Projectile | 3d6+4 (14.5) | ( 0.05 × 2 + 0.45 ) × 14.5 = 7.98 (59.65% of EA) | 30 feet |
| Telekinetic Projectile + True Strike | 3d6+4 (14.5) | ( 0.0975 × 2 + 0.6975 ) × 14.5 = 12.94 (96.83% of EA) | 30 feet |
Other Comparisons
- Chill Touch: Damage same as single target EA, worse range
- Disrupt Undead: Only works on undead, but then it has better single target damage than EA. Still worse if you would have two targets, unless they have weakness to positive
- Divine Lance: Also limited in targeting, but likely to trigger weaknesses. Damage similar to Produce Flame. Worse damage than EA
- Gale Blast: Damage same as Daze, horrible range, needs 5 targets adjacent to you to break even with EA. Frequently resisted damage type
- Gouging Claw: Damage same az Telekinetic Projectile, adds persistent damage on a crit. Worse range, damage type and damage than EA
- Haunting Hymn: Damage same as Gale Blast, but better damage type. Worse range, damage type and damage than EA
- Ray of Frost: Damage similar to Produce Flame, but the best range of any cantrip. Worse damage than EA
- Puff of Poison: Horrible damage type and range. Better than EA against a single target (unless it is undead, construct, ooze, devil etc)
- Scatter Scree: Damage same as EA, but worse damage type. The targets need to be adjacent, while with EA they might be 55 feet apart
- Spout: Damage same as Chill Touch. Worse damage type and damage than EA
Conclusion
In my experience, in 90% of rounds Electric Arc is the right cantrip. Against generic monster in a generic encounter, EA is the best choice.
Question
Obviously, Electric Arc is not the best one to use in every situation, there might only be 1 enemy present, or they might be too far away or resitant to lightning or vulnerable to fire.
But it definitely seems to be the first one to take, then some others to fill the likely gaps (like Ray of Frost for range).
Am I mistaken? Is there a cantrip that is better in most of the common scenarios?
- for simplicity, below I will assume level 5, and 19 in the main casting ability. The following chances are used hit: 45% , crit: 5% , successful save: 45% crit success: 5%, fail: 45%, crit fail: 5%
- Damaging two targets for 10 damage is usually not as good as damaging one for 20
- If the enemy had infinite hit points, persistent damage would go on for 3.33 rounds on average. They usually die sooner however
Best Answer
Electric Arc is the strongest cantrip by far
It is an exceptional cantrip, no wonder it is the highest rated one in two spell guides and tied for first in the third:
First to be taken
Sure, it is not the best for every situation, but it is the best in most, no other cantrip comes close to its applicability. Most casters I know picked it first, then the other cantrips to plug in the holes it might have, like Ray of Frost, for farther enemies. In my experience, there are only two types of casters, for whom it is not the first pick:
First to be used
Once I played in an adventure where 4 of the 6 players had it (the Rogue and Inventor did not cast any spells):
In several turns it was the only spell cast. Not against the Skeletal Champions (resist 5 electricity) of course, but basically the thought process was like this: