Knocking (cantrip)

Knocking is a cantrip that replicates the rhythmic tap of knuckles or an object against a wooden surface. To the listener, the source is elusive, echoing diversely from no specific location. Typically, the listener perceives it as real, prompting them to investigate or respond.

Knocking

Range	10 ft.
Duration	1 round
Area of Effect	30 ft.
Casting Time	2 action points
Saving Throw	negates
Level	cantrip

Thus the dweomer acts as a distraction. Those who investigate and who fail a saving throw vs. magic receive a -1 penalty against their initiative if confronted while searching for the sound. The perceived knocking might lead a listener to assume that someone important or urgent is at the door, compelling them to open it — unwittingly giving others a chance to enter.

The cantrip could be used as a coded signal between allies or as a form of non-verbal communication, though the knocking's beat cannot be determined by the caster. In a more lighthearted setting, a skilled user of the cantrip might incorporate it into a performance, or to defraud an individual by supposing the knocking is some form of communication from beyond the grave.

See also,
Haunting Sound Cantrips
Knock (spell)