What to do?

[wynteriii]

So your actions per turn would be:

1.Movement
2.Minor Action
3.Standard Attack,Spell/Cantrip Cast, or Turn Undead?

[SmootRK]

That about sums it up.

For your players sake, you might share the lists of examples of each type, and tell them that you will decide any new situations along those lines, erring on the side of worst cases (or least favorable).

Try to encourage your friends to use traditional techniques instead of trying to bend each and every rule. It is not a race or contest between the GM wits and the player wits... it is a collaborative game of role-playing and adventure, where the GM simply guides the scenarios in order to experience the story along with the players.

[wynteriii]

That's what I want, but these players are use to World of Warcraft(almost threw up). I want them to realize that rpgs should challenge your mind while also being an interactive story.

[Joe the Rat]

Damn, lost my long reply.

Okay, anything that targets a person gives a save, modified for plausibility. (Knot ties as well as the Magic-User casting it - What's he using to choke the Necromancer? How well could he do that manually? How far does the choking object need to travel (answer: it has to be at his neck already). How far away is the necromancer (answer: within 10 feet - the range of almost every cantrip).

Cantrips shouldn't have more oomph than as a strategic distraction in combat, and should always require a target roll or offer a save. I applaud your MUs creativity, but the direct effects simply cannot exceed what a proper spell can do. using knot on a scarf or cloak (or on a rope tossed at the subject's face/neck) might impose a brief attack penalty, or prevent spell casting for the round, but is not going to tighten enough to cause damage or unconsciousness. And it is quite reasonable for said target to discard the offending object, preventing re-occurrence. Bootlaces? snapped apart. Belt? This is actually a good one, although unbuckle might be its own cantrip. Most likely a round of annoyance, or they lose access to their belt gear unless they stop to pick it up. Armor? Yeah, no. If you couldn't do it in one round physically, your cantrip can't do it either.

If you want to keep unlimited cantripping, but limit their combat use, you could go with an encounter system, or a charge vs. save system. Encounter limits means you only get your level + ability mod in cantrips for a single "encounter" - I actually like the idea of recovering your 0-level power taking at least a turn of rest in this case (or one turn per charge, maximum of one hour, if you're feeling a bit more draconian).

Charge vs. save means anytime you are using a cantrip to affect an animate object or creature, you have to use one of your daily charges to get the oomph necessary to penetrate to natural aura that surrounds all living things, or the magic that animates not-living things... make up some crazy jibber-jabber that fits your setting's interpretations of magic. And even then, the targets get saves. Mage Hand to carry your torch? you have to reset once a minute or so, and probably can't do other casting, but otherwise, okay. Mage Hand to push someone in the leg or back (making a "trip" attempt) - that's a charge. You could also use this for "trickier" tasks, like retying or untying all the knots in a net, turning your brooch into a royal seal (close enough to pass inspection by guards, at least), or temporarily turning your dagger silver... though that might be stretching the "27 cubic inches" on Prestidigitation a bit... (total volume vs. fits in a 3" x 3" x 3" cube) okay, turning an arrowhead or sling stone silver. Cantripping all the buttons off the back of a barmaid's dress? Yeah, definitely a charge and a save.

[dymondy2k]

I agree with Smoot.. Cantrips should be considered a 0 level spell and would take a full action to cast. I also would stick to the move and do 1 thing every round, keeps it simple and battles go much faster.