Introduction
Easily overlooked as a spellcasting feat, Spell Sniper qualifies since it allows you to select a spell beyond your class features. The primary appeal is to add a good ranged spell attack option for classes that don’t have them, and remove the nuisance of cover for classes like the Warlock which rely heavily on spell attacks.
Because you’re limited to cantrips which make spell attacks, your choices are very limited, and very few of the spell options are worth selecting. And, since you use the spellcasting ability of the class which take the spell from, spellcasters are typically locked into classes which share a spellcasting ability, severely limiting Spell Sniper’s usefulness. Even worse, several spellcasting classes have no qualifying cantrips.
The incredibly narrow function of the feat, the sparse cantrip options, and the situational nature of the feat’s other benefits mean that there is an extremely narrow set of characters who benefit from Spell Sniper in any meaningful way. Warlocks who are heavily reliant on Eldritch Blast will find the cover benefit helpful, and bards and sorcerers will enjoy eldritch blast as a go-to damage cantrip, but that’s basically the extend of Spell Sniper’s useful benefits. Any other characters will be better served by Magic Initiate, and even those classes which do benefit from Spell Sniper are probably still better off with Magic Initiate.
For more information about spellcasting feats, including ratings of the various feats, see our Spellcasting Feats Guide.
Table of Contents
Disclaimer
RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance.
- : Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
- : OK options, or useful options that only apply in rare circumstances. Useful sometimes.
- : Good options. Useful often.
- : Fantastic options, often essential to the function of your character. Useful very frequently.
We will not include 3rd-party content, including content from DMs Guild, in handbooks for official content because we can’t assume that your game will allow 3rd-party content or homebrew. We also won’t cover Unearthed Arcana content because it’s not finalized, and we can’t guarantee that it will be available to you in your games.
The advice offered below is based on the current State of the Character Optimization Meta as of when the article was last updated. Keep in mind that the state of the meta periodically changes as new source materials are released, and the article will be updated accordingly as time allows.
Spell Sniper Spell Options
For a full list of available spell options and spell descriptions, see DnDBeyond.
Bard Cantrip Options
Bards have no cantrips which qualify for Spell Sniper.
Cleric Cantrip Options
Clerics have no cantrips which qualify for Spell Sniper.
Druid Cantrip Options
The Druid’s spells are potential options for clerics and for rangers who take Fighting Style (Druidic Warrior). For the Cleric, Thorn Whip is basically the only option worth having. For the Ranger, you can already get all of these spells and the ability to ignore partial cover with them is so situational that there is basically no reason to consider it a benefit.
- : I honestly have no idea if this qualifies, but I think that it would because it doesn’t actually do anything interesting unless an attack is made. Even if it does, it’s not a good choice.
- XGtE: If you can add damage to your weapon attacks from basically any source beyond your ability modifier (Divine Strike, Hunter’s Mark, etc.) your weapon attacks will probably outpace Primal Savagery until high levels.
- PHB: Sacred Flame is considerably better, and if Sacred Flame is available to you I wouldn’t both with Produce Flame.
- PHB: The pull effect is nice.
Sorcerer Cantrip Options
The Sorcerer gets access to Fire Bolt and Ray of Frost, neither of which are available to the Bard or the Warlock, but otherwise the Sorcerer’s options overlap with the Warlock.
- SCAG / TCoE: Why would you take Spell Sniper to take a melee cantrip?
- PHB: Too situational to justify taking this over a more reliable high-damage cantrip.
- PHB: Simple, reliable damage at range. The only problem is that fire resistance is common. But since the Bard is the only one who might reasonably take this and Eldritch Blast is an option, this appeals to literally no one.
- SCAG / TCoE: Why would you take Spell Sniper to take a melee cantrip?
- : Fine dmaage and a passable debuff.
- : Why would you take Spell Sniper to take a melee cantrip?
Warlock Cantrip Options
Eldritch Blast. I could go further, but honestly that’s all that there is to say. Put Eldritch Blast on your bard or sorcerer.
- SCAG / TCoE: Why would you take Spell Sniper to take a melee cantrip?
- PHB: Too situational to justify taking this over a more reliable high-damage cantrip.
- PHB: The definitive reason to take Spell Sniper. Good range, good damage, multiple attacks, and basically nothing resists Force Damage.
- SCAG / TCoE: Why would you take Spell Sniper to take a melee cantrip?
- : I honestly have no idea if this qualifies, but I think that it would because it doesn’t actually do anything interesting unless an attack is made. Even if it does, it’s not a good choice.
Wizard Cantrip Options
The only spellcaster that this appeals to is the Artificer, and the Artificer gets nearly all of these spells.
- SCAG / TCoE: Already on the Artificer’s spell list.
- PHB: Too situational to justify taking this over a more reliable high-damage cantrip.
- PHB: Already on the Artificer’s spell list.
- SCAG / TCoE: Already on the Artificer’s spell list.
- : Already on the Artificer’s spell list.
- : Already on the Artificer’s spell list.
