Trying to choose the right cantrips for your character in the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons can be a difficult thing to get right. There’s nothing worse than picking a cantrip that you think is going to be a lifesaver in a battle, only to find it completely useless.
Let’s say you’re looking down a list of potential cantrips and find the cantrip “Primal Savagery.” Perhaps you’re wondering how good of a choice this is for you.
In this article, we’re going to take you through everything you’ll want to know (see also: Warhorse 5e: Everything You Need To Know)about primal savagery—how it works, some of its restrictions, what classes can use it, and some typical situations where it is strong.
We’ve also included some additional information about selecting cantrips, and a short FAQ to help explain anything else you might want to know.
What Is Primal Savagery?
Primal Savagery is a cantrip in the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons(see also: Dungeons And Dragons 5th E: Ultimate Loxodon Guide) (D&D) that allows a character to transform one of their body parts into a natural weapon and then attack to deal acid damage to their target.
This cantrip doesn’t require any material components to use and can be cast as many times as needed. The theme of this cantrip revolves around the idea of a character channeling a wild and savage version of themselves, causing their teeth or nails to become sharp and imbued with acid damage.
The basic mechanics of this cantrip are straightforward. In short, the caster makes a melee spell attack against a creature within five feet, dealing 1d10 (at base level) acid damage on a hit.
Once the attack roll has been made, your teeth or nails turn back to their normal state. Acid damage is often overlooked as a damage source in D&D, so you might be wondering how it works and some of its benefits or drawbacks.
In short, acid damage is something that some creatures you face will have resistance to, and some can be immune to, however, it is a reliable source of damage for a lot of creatures you’ll run into.
Primal Savagery In Depth
Now let’s look at some of the restrictions and details of primal savagery. This is important information that can teach you when to use it in a battle scenario. First, here is the official cantrip listing referenced in Xanathar’s Guide To Everything:
“Transmutation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous
You channel primal magic to cause your teeth or fingernails to sharpen, ready to deliver a corrosive attack. Make a melee spell attack against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 acid damage. After you make the attack, your teeth or fingernails return to normal.
At Higher Levels. The spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach the 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).
Spell Lists. Druid”
So now let’s inspect this description to see what each part means.
- Casting Time: The casting time of Primal Savagery is 1 action, meaning you can use it once per turn. Outside of bonus actions, primal savagery is going to be the main focus of your turn if you choose to use it.
- Range: You can only use primal savagery on yourself. This means that there’s no way for you to buff an ally or an enemy with it.
- Duration: The duration of primal savagery is instantaneous, so once you cast it, you will perform the attack in that instant. You can’t cast primal savagery and then use it after movement.
- At Higher Levels: You will find increases in the cantrip’s damage as you increase in level. The spell increases by 1d 10 when you hit level 5 to 2d 10, to 3d 10 when you hit level 11, and then once again to 4d 10 once you get to level 17.
It’s important to note that Primal Savagery is a fairly new addition to the game, added in Xanathar’s Guide To Everything, an expansion rulebook that was released in 2017.
This sourcebook added additional character options, tools for dungeon masters, spells, shared campaigns, and character names.
What Classes Can Use Primal Savagery?
So the sad news for some classes is that primal savagery is a druid-only cantrip. This means that other classes will not have access to it on their list of possible cantrips.
There is a way you can get around this by using the feat ‘Magical Initiate,’ and if you want to know more about this check below for our dedicated section.
Outside of magical initiate, the only way you can access this cantrip is by playing the druid class. The thematic logic here is that druids are able to connect with primal nature magic, allowing them to transform into a variety of beasts.
This makes primal savagery a popular choice for druids who want to have an unhinged aspect of their class, causing them to go berserk in certain scenarios. It’s probably not a good fit if you’re roleplaying a druid who is a lawful good alignment.
How Good Is Primal Savagery?
Since you’re most likely to be taking primal savagery as a druid, we’re going to take a look at how effective of a choice it is for this class. One of the big problems with primal savagery for a druid is that it is effective only in melee range.
While a druid is not strictly a caster class, the problem with having melee spells is that you are typically a lot lower HP/armor class than other melee-focused characters, making it dangerous to use at times.
As your campaign progresses and creatures begin to do a lot more damage in melee range, making use of primal savagery can feel like more of a task than staying at range and using your other spells and cantrips.
If you want to use primal savagery frequently in battles, you will find yourself under constant threat of hard-hitting melee attacks that can carve your health pool and leave you out of action. However, there are some reasons why you might want to take this cantrip.
The first is that it allows you to have a melee attack should you need one. Sometimes in battle, creatures can sneak up on you, and having the choice of a melee attack is a great way to do some damage and turn the tide of a battle.
Without a cantrip like this, you may be forced into situations where you have to make an attack roll with a staff or something similar that won’t do all that much damage. The damage of primal savagery isn’t too bad, and on a good roll at higher levels, you will find it reliable.
However, compared to other druid spells, it’s not as powerful. However, it’s likely to do more damage than other melee attack rolls you’ll have at your disposal. Another reason you might want to take primal savagery is for roleplaying reasons.
Let’s say you want to make a druid that is all about melee damage and transformation. Druids have a lot of options for this, and primal savagery is another great addition to this toolkit.
However, it’s worth noting that this type of druid is more difficult to use in battle scenarios and may require some min-maxing.
Where Will Primal Savagery Feel Useless?
There are a few scenarios and character builds that will leave this cantrip feeling useless to you. We wanted to add this section so you can consider it before committing to it as one of your cantrips.
First off, it’s important to note that the range of this cantrip can be a serious downside, especially if you have a mostly range-focused character build.
If you can effectively stay at range, then you’ll find that you won’t have much use for this cantrip, and use it only in the most niche of scenarios. Another reason why you might want to avoid it is because of its low average damage at low levels.
Before level 5 where you will get a damage increase, it only does 1d 10 damage. This means that you are—on average—going to be doing under 10 points of damage with this cantrip.
This can make it feel very underwhelming until you level up, and there are better options if you want to do more damage. One other thing you should consider is that it takes up an entire action.
As a druid, you have a lot of powerful options that allow you to assist your group in both utility and damage. For example, many druids choose to pick Cure Wounds to heal their teammates.
This can be an extremely powerful way to turn the tide of battle, and if you use primal savagery on your turn then this will not be available to you.
Magic Initiate Feat
So let’s say you want to take primal savagery, but you don’t play a druid. Perhaps it fits really well with some specific character you’ve created, but you find yourself unable to select it.
Thankfully, there is one choice you have available, and that’s to make use of the magic initiate feat. The Magic Initiate feat is one of the many feats available to players in 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons (DnD).
This feat allows a character to gain access to certain spells from another spellcasting class, even if they don’t have levels in that class.
This makes it a great way to customize your character beyond what might normally be available to them and allows you to create more diverse roleplaying backstories.
To take the Magic Initiate feat, a character must meet the prerequisite of having an ability score of at least 13 in the class’s primary ability. For example, a character who wants to gain access to Wizard spells through Magic Initiate must have an Intelligence score of at least 13.
There’s no way to get around this base requirement, so make sure you double-check this before committing to it as a path for your character.
Once you take the feat, you can choose one spellcasting class (either Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard) and gain access to two cantrips and one 1st-level spell from that class’s spell list.
Your character can cast these spells once per day without expending a spell slot, and the spells are cast using the class’s primary ability score.
For example, a Fighter who takes the Magic Initiate feat and chooses the Druid class could gain access to the cantrips Thorn Whip and Shillelagh, as well as the 1st-level spell Entangle. The Fighter could then cast each of these spells once per day using their Wisdom score.
It’s important to note that the Magic Initiate feat does have limitations. The spells gained through the feat can only be cast once per day, and the character can only choose spells from one spellcasting class.
Additionally, the spells gained through Magic Initiate do not count as spells known for multiclassing purposes.
Alternatives To Primal Savagery For Druids
So let’s say you’ve reached this part of the article, and you’re not sold on primal savagery. Let’s take a look at some of the other choices you have at your disposal that might better fit your build.
- Thorn Whip: This is a cantrip that allows you to create a whip made of thorns, which can reach out and strike a target up to 30 feet away. This cantrip can also pull a target 10 feet closer to the druid. In many ways, this is a much better choice than primal savagery as it acts as crowd control (manipulating enemies) while also doing damage. It is also a ranged attack, meaning you can keep safe at range while using it.
- Shillelagh: Next up, we have a cantrip that allows a druid to transform their club or staff into a magical weapon. From here, you can use your spellcasting modifier to increase attack rolls instead of strength. This can be a great choice for a melee option and is a common alternative to primal savagery.
- Cure Wounds: We’ve already discussed this cantrip, but we want to reiterate how this might be a better choice if you’re looking for a more supportive option. It allows you to touch a creature and restore 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier in hit points. If you like to play a more supportive role, then this is a powerful cantrip to have at your disposal.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, primal savagery is a melee-focused attacking cantrip that allows your character to sharpen their teeth or nails and attack with acid damage. It’s a fairly high-damage choice for a druid, and a powerful melee option, however, it does have some drawbacks.
We hope that this guide has explained to you how primal savagery works and you now know whether or not it’s a good choice for you. If you still have some questions, make sure to check out our FAQ section below. Best of luck with your next D&D session!
Frequently Asked Questions
In Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, a feat is an optional character customization option that allows players to enhance their character’s abilities beyond what is provided by their class and race.
Feats are usually acquired in place of an ability score increase that a character would normally receive when they level up, although some classes like Fighters can gain additional feats as part of their class features.
Druids can learn up to a total of two cantrips at the first level, and will then gain access to additional cantrips as they level up. You should check this out in the rule book to find out how many you get at specific levels.
Druid cantrips can sometimes be used while transformed, although this depends on the form you are in. Spells are much more limited when it comes to using them while transformed, as many spells have required physical actions or words.
So let’s say you’re transformed into a bear—bears can’t talk or use their hands to create symbols or signs, so this will limit the number of spells you’ll be able to use.
A good example of a non-combat druid cantrip is Create Bonfire. This allows you to create a bonfire that can warm and assist your other party members.
In general – no. However, there are a few ways to get around this. The first is by making use of the magic initiate feat as we discussed earlier in this article.
The second is by using the multi-class feature of 5E, however, this means you will split your leveling experience into two different camps.
Then my partner bought me a starter set for 5e and my friend ran us a mini-dungeon to give us a feel for the game play and I was immediately hooked. Since then, I have lost countless hours to playing, DMing, and creating homebrew.
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