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Adumbration
2009-01-19, 02:24 AM
As per the title, what are the very best?

I think I've found the winner, however. Is it a sorceror/wizard spell? No. Batman has no dice with this. Some über cleric spell from some obscure splatbook? No. A psionic power, then? Nope.

A druidic spell, as a matter of fact. A spell called Blizzard, from Frostburn. 5th level spell, radius of 100 ft/level, creates blizzard-like conditions for 1 rnd/level. And what's so overpowered about that?

First of all, it makes everyone blind, no save - due to the conditions, all Listen, Spot and Search spots fail automatically and everyone has Total Concealment. The fun part is that the party druid casted Mass Snowsight or just Chained Snowsight on the whole party. Now everyone in the party can see perfectly well, while your enemies can't even use Spot checks to see you.

Second, it rains a foot of snow each round. A foot! For a level 15 character, this means that by the end of the spell, you have a snowfield 15 feet deep. By the 5th round, a creature can't move without a DC 5 strength or Balance check, it takes 4 squares of movement to enter each square of snowfield, and the creature loses it's Dexterity adjustment to AC.

Meanwhile, you run around freely, due to your friendly neighbourhood druid's Mass Snowshoes spell. Even better, if you can fly - the spell does not specify any winds.

As a little perk, you can also use spells like Blood Snow and Death Hail to further inconvenience your enemies.

Epinephrine
2009-01-19, 07:43 AM
Blizzard isn't bad. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish, and what your party is. Do you want huge area, or a bigger effect? Plus, Blizzard is 5th, and I sometimes like to use lower level spells - and I don't like that it's a full round to cast it - I'd rather a spell that takes effect before my enemies get to move/hit me.

For a lower level spell I like Vine Mines - 10' radius per level, 4 different effects, and makes plants where there were none before (Yay, Entangle is up next!). It can act as heavy underbrush, costing 4 move per square to get through, a climbing aid, help in hiding, or to tie up helpless foes (one of my favourites - camp full of enemies sleeping in bedrolls, a few sentries walking the edge? Poof, all sleeping folks tied up, needing DC 25 escape artist checks to become untied, and only a few sentries to stop you from your coups de grace on their buddies). The fact that it makes plants where there were none before makes it pretty useful. The druid and rangers/scouts can walk right through the undergrowth.

Plant Growth is nice too - you can only move 5 feet per round (except the druid, and rangers and scouts). Massive range for a 3rd level spell (100' radius, or 150' radius semi-circle, or 200' radius quarter circle), and you can choose to leave paths through it or clear spots wherever you wish. So you can trap your enemies and leave tracks for mobility - or use it to force them into a long passage for easy blasting.

Wall of Thorns is a winner too - VERY strong effect, though obviously limited area. DC25 Strength check to even move, and that only gets you 5' and some damage. No save.

And Control Winds is pretty amazing when you have the levels to get hurricane/tornado strength winds, tossing nearly anything out of your path.

Malacode
2009-01-19, 07:51 AM
I'm a fan of good old Evards Black Tentacles, or rather, the Warlocks version of it. Expecially handy for the Halfling Rogue in your party, as against a horde of medium size-or-larger you're guarunteed to get a few in a grapple, which means Sneak Attack damage. Add that to the bonus Cold damage the Warlock version does and the fact that the mooks'll likely be immobile, even if only for a short while, and you've got a decent invocation

AslanCross
2009-01-19, 08:18 AM
I've seen the wizard in my games utterly abuse Black Tentacles. Solid Fog is also really good, but it makes for boring encounters if you use it on PCs.

ericgrau
2009-01-19, 04:19 PM
When it comes to battlefield control, I prefer variety to be ready for different circumstances. But here are the favorites from a sorc I made: solid fog, resilient sphere, wall of stone, wall of force, glitterdust. We were limited to just a few books. One of many favorite moments was when people kept asking which book resilient sphere was from (PH), after the sleeping fire giant leader was stuck on his bed during the ensuing minion-only fight.

mostlyharmful
2009-01-19, 04:35 PM
Control Winds is pretty amazing when you have the levels to get hurricane/tornado strength winds, tossing nearly anything out of your path.

Never let your players use this, never use this in a game you're playing in, never let this evil demon spawn thing near an RPG.... the OP asked for Battlefield Control but this is an unclean thing that should never have been allowed to see the light of day... yuk.

CL boosters are so easy to get hold of, even in pure core, and are so useful to a buffer like a Druid can be that most everyone capable of casting this goes straight to flattening cities, even if you don't have CL boosts you can just wait five minutes till there's a breeze and then strip the landscape of all the beautifully crafted plot.

Epinephrine
2009-01-19, 04:53 PM
Never let your players use this, never use this in a game you're playing in, never let this evil demon spawn thing near an RPG.... the OP asked for Battlefield Control but this is an unclean thing that should never have been allowed to see the light of day... yuk.

CL boosters are so easy to get hold of, even in pure core, and are so useful to a buffer like a Druid can be that most everyone capable of casting this goes straight to flattening cities, even if you don't have CL boosts you can just wait five minutes till there's a breeze and then strip the landscape of all the beautifully crafted plot.

Rofl... so true. The funny part is the enemy caster desperately trying to get close enough to use a dispel magic on you. Waaaaagggghhhh!

I do plan on using it in game, but not often. I mostly stick to Eye of the Hurricane for my short duration wind-based defence and control. How often do you really need to level a town anyway?

Toliudar
2009-01-19, 05:31 PM
Because of the preponderance of low-to-mid level games I'm involved with, I especially love silent image and its big brothers. Completely stymie the mindless foes, and make everyone else spend time figuring out what's real and what's not. Shapable, situationally flexible, and fun fun fun.

pjwaring
2009-01-19, 05:40 PM
I've seen undead wizards do nothing but drop cloudkill after cloudkill. I'll say it again, cloudkill.

Ganurath
2009-01-19, 09:05 PM
Once the two armies start to press together, toss Blackfire from Complete Arcane a few ranks back among the enemy soldiers. When they realize that water won't put out the fire and that the fire is burning people to ash, it'll be a panic mob to avoid catching fire... Which means running from the front lines. Does not work on nonliving armies, though. So, it's an even better spell if you're side's troops are undead!

Jack_Simth
2009-01-19, 10:23 PM
The best battlefield control spell is whatever happens to be perfect for the job at hand. That'll vary as much as encounters do.

valadil
2009-01-20, 12:40 AM
It's not the best, but I am partial to Wall of Force. Too many old standbys like Black Tentacles and Solid Fog are simply trumped by Freedom of Movement.

Paul H
2009-01-20, 09:31 AM
Hi

My main chars are a Dwarf Clr 3/Warmage 4/Mystic Theurge 5 & his cohort, Dakon Wiz 1/Beguiler 9.

The Dwarf casts Evard's Tentacles, or - if he's too busy healing after the surprise round (it's happened)! the Beguiler casts legion of Sentinels.

Mass Fly is another good one. If they can't hit you, you win!

One game (with the same chars) party Wizard cast Mass Fly to get to combat. Then, whilst airborne cast Wall of Force while I cast Evard's. Superhard mechanical construct designed to massacre any ground troops annihlated by flyby Paladin & Lssr Orbs of Acid!
(GM could have made the construct ready an action to blat the paladin's flying mount, but said it wasn't intelligent enough...).

Cheers
Paul H