Cantrips that do damage
Acid Splash
Conjuration cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You hurl a bubble of acid. Choose one creature within range, or choose two creatures within range that are within 5 feet of each other. A target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d4 acid damage.
This spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 6th level (2d4), 12th level (3d4) and 18th level (4d4).
Chill Touch
Necromancy cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 120 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 round
You create a ghostly, skeletal hand in the space of a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the creature to assail it with the chill of the grave. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 necrotic damage, and it can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Until then, the hand clings to the target.
If you hit an undead target, it also has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.
This spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 6th level (2d4), 12th level (3d4) and 18th level (4d4).
Eldritch Blast
Evocation cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 120 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
A beam of crackling energy streaks toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 force damage.
The spell creates more than one beam when you reach higher levels: two beams at 6th level, three beams at 12th level and four beams at 18th level. You can direct the beams at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each beam.
Fire Bolt
Evocation cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 120 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You hurl a mote of fire at a creature or object within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 fire damage. A flammable object hit by this spell ignites if it isn't being worn or carried.
This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 7th level (2d6) and 14th level (3d6).
Poison Spray
Conjuration cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 10 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
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 1d6 poison damage.
This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 6th level (2d6), 12th level (3d6) and 18th level (4d6).
Produce Flame
Conjuration cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: self
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 10 minutes
A flickering flame appears in your hand. The flame remains there for the duration and harms neither you nor your equipment. The flame sheds bright light in a 10 foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. The spell ends if you dismiss it as an action or if you cast it again.
You can also attack with the flame, although doing so ends the spell. When you cast this spell, or as an action on a later turn, you can hurl the flame at a creature with 30 feet of you. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 fire damage.
This spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 6th level (2d4), 12th level (3d4) and 18th level (4d4).
Ray of Frost
Evocation cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
A frigid beam of blue-white light streaks toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, it takes 1d6 cold damage, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 6th level (2d6), 12th level (3d6) and 18th level (4d6).
Sacred Flame
Evocation cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
Flame-like radiance descends on a creature that you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d4 radiant damage. The target gains no benefit from cover for this saving throw.
This spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 6th level (2d4), 12th level (3d4) and 18th level (4d4).
Shocking Grasp
Evocation cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
Lightning springs from your hand to deliver a shock to a creature you try to touch. Make a melee spell attack against the target. You have advantage on the attack roll if the target is wearing armour made of metal. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 lightning damage, and it can't take reactions until the start of its next turn.
This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 6th level (2d6), 12th level (3d6) and 18th level (4d6).
Thorn Whip
Transmutation cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V, S, M (the stem of a plant with thorns)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You create a long, vine-like whip covered in thorns that lashes out at your command toward a creature in range. Make a melee spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the creature takes 1d4 piercing damage, and if the creature is Large or smaller in size, you pull the creature up to 10 feet close to you.
This spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 6th level (2d4), 12th level (3d4) and 18th level (4d4).
Vicious Mockery
Enchantment cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V
- Duration: Instantaneous
You unleash a string of insults laced with subtle enchantments at a creature you can see within range. If the target can hear you (though it need not understand you), it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.
This spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 6th level (2d4), 12th level (3d4) and 18th level (4d4).
Explanation for changes
The cantrips that do damage as they are set out in the Players Handbook are overpowered. At first level shocking grasp does the same damage as the most damaging melee weapon and the same for firebolt for ranged weapons, and they just become more deadly as the spell casters increase in level. In this state there is no reason for a spell caster to use a mundane weapon, even though tropes about wizards and witches, even powerful ones, have them wielding daggers and staves in combat. A great example is the Lord of the Rings movies showing Gandalf fighting off orcs with a staff and a longsword, even though he is an extraordinarily powerful wizard. It is generally recognised that spell casters gain greater power than martial classes in D&D (compare a meteor storm to a crossbow), so the reigning in of the damage of their cantrips is an important step in helping to balance the classes. Previous editions of D&D have never before provided spell casters with the ability to do a large amount of damage continuously every round. The first few editions of D&D did not even have cantrips, and the editions that do have cantrips limited the damage greatly until 5th edition. 4th edition increased the damage of cantrips in tiers but their were only three; the four tiers in 5th edition quadruple the amount of damage! In an effort to give spell casters a reason to use weapons, at least at low levels, and to not have them continuously doing more damage than martial characters, the damage of the cantrips has been reduced to 1d4 or 1d6 and the tiers are slightly later.