Thaumaturgy is a non-damaging cantrip that is designed to help you perform (or feign) small acts of wonder, displaying magic that hints at the presence of a higher power. By using Thaumaturgy to create a minor manipulation to your environment, you can attempt to intimidate those around you, entertain or distract them, or convince them of the might of your god.
Thaumaturgy – The Basics
- Spell level: cantrip
- Range: 30 feet
- Casting time: 1 action
- Components: verbal
- Duration: up to 1 minute
- School: Transmutation
- Available to: clerics
You manifest a minor wonder, a sign of supernatural power, within range. You create one of the following magical effects within range:
- Your voice booms up to three times as loud as normal for 1 minute.
- You cause flames to flicker, brighten, dim, or change color for 1 minute.
- You cause harmless tremors in the ground for 1 minute.
- You create an instantaneous sound that originates from a point of your choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, the cry of a raven, or ominous whispers.
- You instantaneously cause an unlocked door or window to fly open or slam shut.
- You alter the appearance of your eyes for 1 minute.
If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its 1-minute effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.
What Is Thaumaturgy?
Thaumaturgy is a cantrip used to create minor magical effects that demonstrate or mimic the presence of a higher power. It’s the magical equivalent of “you better look out or I’ll call my big sister” – a way to convince those around you of your link to a heavy hitter.
It is not a spell you would likely use in combat (with a few exceptions); it does no damage and doesn’t have a magical effect on another person. Thaumaturgy is in essence a cantrip for trickery – its main function then is to lend weight to your character’s interactions in roleplay, even giving you a potential advantage on certain Charisma-based checks; namely, Deception, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion.
It’s important to note that the spell doesn’t explicitly state that it will grant you advantage on these checks – it is for your DM to decide if the effect you create is enough in the given circumstance to give you extra credence.
A small but attractive factor of Thaumaturgy is that it only requires verbal components. As this cantrip would mainly be useful in situations where you need to convince others of your connection to a higher power, having the verbal incantation be your god’s name could work well for roleplay. When talking to a cocky NPC who doubts your prowess, invoking the name of your god and having the window burst open to hear a distant crack of thunder outside in an otherwise cloudless sky could be enough to tip them over the edge into paying you more respect.
Who Can Cast Thaumaturgy?
Thaumaturgy is only available to the cleric class as standard, and when reading the example effects it becomes clear why. All of the effects, given the right circumstances, could seem either ominous or divine. They could all be used to convince others of the presence of your god, or be shown as a warning sign of their power as channeled through you. Each full-casting class has the option to choose a cantrip that demonstrates their tie to the source of their power. Bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards get Prestidigitation, druids get Druidcraft, and clerics get Thaumaturgy.
As a cleric, you are the conduit of power for your god. As their agent within the world, it checks out that your god would provide you the ability to display small feats on their behalf without exhausting your supply of power throughout the day – your spell slots.
Though Thaumaturgy is only on the cleric spell list, it is possible to acquire it in other classes if you really want to. As a Bard, you could gain it through your Magical Secrets feature, but taking a roleplay-centered cantrip at Level 10 (or Level 6 if you are part of the College of Lore) is a bit of a waste. Thaumaturgy does also seem thematically appropriate for a warlock, so if you prefer it over Prestidigitation and you wanted to get your hands on it on behalf of your patron, you could do so by taking the Magic Initiate feat. Thaumaturgy is also available to the tiefling race as part of their Infernal Legacy. In the case of tieflings, they are able to channel the power of their devilish ancestors rather than a particular god.
When Is Thaumaturgy Useful?
Thaumaturgy can be useful in a variety of situations outside of combat. The simplest way to think of it is it would mainly be useful for whenever you are trying to force a check that relies on Charisma, such as Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion.
Not every instance of these checks coming up will be appropriate for an assist from Thaumaturgy, but applied correctly, Thaumaturgy could give some extra ‘oomph’ to your argument.
You could add a layer of threat to your intimidation of a bodyguard by turning your eyes black as your comrade questions them. When trying to persuade someone that your god is powerful enough to protect them if they come with you and your party, you can cause the fireplace to brighten and a reassuring whisper to fill the air.
Aside from the religious uses of Thaumaturgy, some of the effects of are also useful from a utilitarian perspective. Being able to project your voice up to three times louder than normal essentially gives you an at-will megaphone in your arsenal. You can check if doors are locked or unlocked by attempting to open them with Thaumaturgy. You could also open an unlocked door while trying to remain hidden within the room, to lure someone to come through the doorway. Causing tremors in the ground could be enough to scare people into leaving a space, convincing them that an earthquake is beginning.
One of the only instances where you may be tempted to use this cantrip in combat, is to affect flames. Though not necessarily as powerful as Control Flames, being able to dim and brighten flames can be used to temporarily change a room from dim light to bright light, which can take away some tricky features from creatures associated with the dark, such as Shadows. If you are playing a twilight domain cleric, you may wish to do the inverse, dimming the light and thereby allowing you to access some of your dim-light specific features, such as Steps of the Night.
Just like other similar cantrips though, this spell doesn’t only need to be used for a specific function. You can use Thaumaturgy to flavor any interaction you feel it works for. As it is a cantrip, not a leveled spell, you don’t need to be sparing with it – have fun, throw it around like confetti.
Is Thaumaturgy Good?
Thaumaturgy can be an undeniably fun cantrip, and it’s best in the pockets of creative players. It is versatile in roleplay, and (especially if you have a DM who is happy to gently bend or extend the rules as written) you could mold the spell to perform for you in extended ways.
Aside from being able to use this cantrip to intimidate and persuade those around you, which is undoubtedly useful (especially for a holy person moving through the world as a representative for their god), the ability to adjust the light of your environment by dimming or brightening flames for a minute at a time has functional uses even in combat.
Thaumaturgy is a good cantrip to round out your character’s abilities, allowing them to use magics that aren’t only combat-related, and therefore able to be used in more versatile situations.
Should I Take Thaumaturgy as One of My Cantrips?
As with all spells, choosing to take Thaumaturgy depends on whether or not you feel suits you character – both in terms of their relationship to their god and whether it suits how they would use their magic. Thaumaturgy is an excellent option for a roleplay-oriented cantrip due to its versatility.
As a Level 1 cleric you can take three cantrips. It’s best to have at least one cantrip that can be used to deal damage as a back up in a pinch in combat when spell slots are low. As a cleric, having a buff cantrip is also ideal (especially as clerics have access to Guidance, arguably the best buff cantrip in 5e), so this would leave you with one cantrip choice left. Thaumaturgy would fit well with a buff and a damaging cantrip as your others at first level, as would give you a well-rounded base of magical options without having to dig into your spell slots.
How Do You Roleplay Thaumaturgy?
As with all your spells, you may want to flavor Thaumaturgy to fit with your character and/or your character’s god. Depending on your deity, you may wish to produce the sound of chanting or angelic singing in place of a raven’s caw or ominous thunder; you might choose to turn flames to the color associated with your god; or it may be your tiefling’s party trick to change their eyes to mirror the color of someone’s aura as you speak to them.
Aside from the effects listed in the spell description itself, you could ask your DM if you can also produce other effects with it. You might want to make a statue in a temple appear to cry tears of blood; you may want a bright glow to surround you, like a holy aura; or have the symbol of your god glow on the forehead of people you touch. When you think of an adaptation on the fly that you would like to cast, just consider whether the effect does keep to the theme of Thaumaturgy and doesn’t accidentally stray into the realms of Prestidigitation or Druidcraft. There is overlap between the effects of these three cantrips, but their themes are what make them distinct.
Where Thaumaturgy showcases power that comes from a divine or infernal source, Druidcraft displays the caster’s connection to nature, and Prestidigitation shows the caster’s prowess with learned or innate magics (essentially magics not granted by their connection to a god but instead through their own abilities). Thaumaturgy is a manifestation of a ‘minor wonder’, whereas Prestidigitation is a ‘minor magical trick for novice spellcasters’. There may well be effects that could arguably fall into two or all of these cantrips, but there are also effects that are clearly distinct between the three and it’s worth bearing this in mind when asking to extend the effects of Thaumaturgy.
A classic mistake is where players try to use Thaumaturgy to clean something – a function of Prestidigitation. Arguably, cleaning an object would be a bit too close to ‘small potatoes’ for a god and is not an ominous or impressive inkling of their power, so this thematically wouldn’t cross over into the realms of Thaumaturgy.
Roleplay inspiration
The twilight cleric calls to Selûne and the raging fire in the center of the room dims. He smirks, holds his arms out in supplication, and in the dim light he rises into the air.
—
The party hide within the room as they hear the noble approaching. The elf cleric counts down his footsteps and flings the door open at last moment, hitting the noble in the face as he reaches for the door.
—
The tabaxi sits cross-legged on the floor and starts to mutter under her breath. Her eyes seem to roll back in her head, turn white, and start to radiate a gentle celestial glow. A low-level humming fills the air and the ground gently trembles beneath her.
FAQs
What is Thaumaturgy used for in 5e?
Thaumaturgy is a cantrip used to hint at the supernatural abilities of your god or your bloodline. You use it to create a minor wonder – something to either convince or misdirect those around you of your link to a higher power. Thaumaturgy can be used to create harmless but ominous or intimidating effects around you – such as tremors in the ground or a crack of thunder. These effects can be used to Intimidate or Persuade those around you, or to lend weight to a Deception or Performance you are attempting. As you work through the world, there may be other utilitarian uses for Thaumaturgy that apply, such as affecting the brightness or flames or creating a distraction by booming your voice to the volume of a giant.
Is Thaumaturgy a good cantrip?
Thaumaturgy is a good roleplay cantrip. It’s pretty versatile in its effects and their applications. It’s a good option to have in your arsenal for a well-rounded variety of magical options that don’t always involve damage.
Is Thaumaturgy better than Prestidigitation?
Thaumaturgy and Prestidigitation are sibling cantrips available to different classes based on their different themes. They both display their classes’ connection to the source of their power. Overall, though similar, Thaumaturgy isn’t as useful as Prestidigitation. It is likely to be applicable in fewer situations than, as its effects aren’t as diverse, but arguably its effects are more impressive and dramatic. One upside to Thaumaturgy is that it only requires verbal components whereas Prestidigitation requires both verbal and somatic.
Which classes can cast Thaumaturgy 5e?
Clerics are the only class that have access to Thaumaturgy as standard. The tiefling race also get Thaumaturgy as homage to their infernal heritage. If you do want to get Thaumaturgy as a Bard you are able to do so using Magical Secrets – but as this doesn’t kick in until Level 10 (or Level 6 for the College of Lore) it is a bit of a waste to use this feature on Thaumaturgy. You are also able to gain access to Thaumaturgy if you take the Magic Initiate feat.
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.
- Your Guide to Thaumaturgy 5e - March 5, 2024
- Your Guide to the Bracers of Defense 5e - January 21, 2024
- Your Guide to Compelled Duel 5e - April 30, 2023