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SonOfJubilex
2010-08-07, 07:41 PM
I need a good list of spells from 1-20 with sources that optimize a Generalist Wizard.

and when playing a wizard, is it good to use Excel to have every spell you need on a spreadsheet, or is there a better way of doing this?

iDM
2010-08-07, 08:08 PM
Some core spells all mages should take:
Fireball
Lightning Bolt
Chain Lightning
Dimension Door
Charm Person/Monster
Dominate Person/Monster
Heroism
Mage Armor
Mirror Image
Phantasmal Killer
All the ability-enhancing spells
Power Word Stun
Prismatic Sphere/Wall/Spray
True Seeing
Summon Monster I-IX

bobspldbckwrds
2010-08-07, 08:13 PM
enervation is a fun one, as is defenestrating sphere

busterswd
2010-08-07, 08:14 PM
ETA about 5 minutes before the wizardphiles jump in this thread, but the earlier poster's spells are pretty unoptimized.

Alter Shape, Glitterdust, Contingency, Rope Trick, Permanent Fly, etc.

Tyger
2010-08-07, 08:17 PM
What kind of wizard do you want to play? What is your group's level of optimization?

If you want to play the way WotC thinks you should, and your group expects wizards to blow stuff up, the first responder gave you some decent ideas.

If you want to be a god amoung mortals... that's another list entirely. To that end, check out the guide (and listed spell guides) Treatmonk's Guide to Wizards: Playing a God (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394.msg8043#msg8043) which is a fantastic resource for wizards of all ages. :smallbiggrin:

iDM
2010-08-07, 08:18 PM
ETA about 5 minutes before the wizardphiles jump in this thread, but the earlier poster's spells are pretty unoptimized.

I will wizardphile all up in your business! OR POSSIBLY YOUR GRILL!
Although I prefer mystic theurges, or necromancers.

Tyger
2010-08-07, 08:22 PM
I will wizardphile all up in your business! OR POSSIBLY YOUR GRILL!
Although I prefer mystic theurges, or necromancers.

Which proves the other poster's point. :smallbiggrin:

Eldariel
2010-08-07, 08:34 PM
You really shouldn't bother with Chain Lightning, Fireball, Lightning Bolt and company; while they have their uses by and large they're subpar use of your spell slots. Enhancement bonuses are good when you first get them but grow obsolete.


See Being Batman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104002) for rudimentary listing and evaluation for control-style. Playing a God (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394.0) is a fine guide, but focuses more on "all sources allowed"-lists; it's hard to efficiently isolate all the Core-spells in those evaluations. You can also focus on SoDs or even damage, but damage mostly comes from metamagic not spells (tho having a good seed spell is key; Enervation is a great one as mentioned and Scorching Ray has good level/damage ratio too).

In general tho, you should pack a healthy mix of control spells (Grease, Web, Stinking Cloud, Solid Fog, Wall of Stone, Wall of Force, et cetera), save-or-X effects targeting various saves, preferably with only one save (Grease, Web, Glitterdust, Pyrotechnics, Stinking Cloud, Slow, et cetera) with eventual save-or-loses too (Baleful Polymorph, Dominate X, Finger of Death, Disintegrate, etc.) and some solvers (Disintegrate, Contact Other Plane, etc. can be useful for far more than just combat). Obviously prefer non-mind affecting Will-spells (Slow, Glitterdust, Plane Shift, etc.) to mind-affecting (Hold Monster, Dominate Person, etc.) as they work on Undead and all. Also, note that Disintegrate and Polymorph Any Object can target Objects and thus work on Undead, which just happen to have atrocious Fort-saves (poor progression, no Con-score) - makes them very useful for ganking tough UD. Also, pack mobility (particularly Teleportation), some protections (Mirror Images, Displacements, Contingencies particularly with Teleports, etc.) and utility in general. Oh, and boost-spells for squishies (Greater Magic Weapon in particular picks up steam later on). Though occasionally great stuff like Knock and Wind Wall belongs on Wands or Scrolls.


If I were to type a quick list on spells not to miss, it would be:

1st
Grease
Color Spray
Sleep
True Strike
Magic Missile
Silent Image
Ray of Enfeeblement

2nd
Glitterdust
Web
Invisibility
Pyrotechnics
Bull's Strength (early on it's v. good)
Mirror Image (low duration but amazing protection for when you can anticipate a big encounter)
Scorching Ray
Rope Trick (undisturbed rest, YAUS!)

3rd
Dispel Magic
Haste
Slow
Phantom Steed
Stinking Cloud
Greater Magic Weapon
Ray of Exhaustion
Fly

4th
Dimension Door
Solid Fog
Resilient Sphere
Enervation
Greater Invisibility
Confusion

5th
Teleport
Wall of Stone
Overland Flight
Hold Monster
Feeblemind
Dominate Person
Prying Eyes

6th
Greater Dispel Magic
Contingency
Disintegrate
True Seeing
Acid Fog

7th
Greater Teleport
Greater Arcane Sight
Plane Shift
Reverse Gravity
Finger of Death
Forcecage (though due to costs and no save/SR, better scrolled)
Ethereal Jaunt

8th
Maze
Mind Blank
Moment of Prescience
Greater Prying Eyes
Irresistible Dance
Power Word: Stun

9th
Time Stop
Foresight
Prismatic Sphere
Disjunction
Dominate Monster


And a list of spells that are incredibly good but a bit too good and thus listed separately:
Alter Self
Polymorph
Shapechange
Simulacrum
Lesser Planar Binding
Planar Binding
Gate

If your group and DM are ok with those, by all means knock yourself out; Alter Self is 10 min/level insane NA buff that can also grant various movement modes and such. Polymorph is 1 min/level Magical Beast Fighter (or Wizard warrior) for your team with insane defensive, offensive and overall numeric buffs. Shapechange is 10 min/level all forms ever gaining Supernatural Abilities too; extra actions, any spell ever as a Su-ability, you name it, you get it. And free action to switch each turn...

And Simulacrum can get you basically anything short of deities as pets, and things with native casting or SLAs don't even lose out much. And Planar Binding also gets you free pets as long as you make a Cha-check...and given the "opponent" is in captivity, you're free to buff yourself and debuff it however the heck much you want. Level 9 Nightmare, level 11 Glabrezu, level 15 Pit Fiend. And Gate just cuts the middle-man out and plain gives you anything up to twice your CL in HD as your bitch for 1 round/level. Yeah.

Andion Isurand
2010-08-07, 09:56 PM
7 - Arcane Spellsurge
9 - Astral Projection

Eldariel
2010-08-07, 10:01 PM
Whuh?! Well, that was a fast ban and now I wasted like 10 minutes of my life writing that post... Gah.

IthilanorStPete
2010-08-08, 08:23 AM
Whuh?! Well, that was a fast ban and now I wasted like 10 minutes of my life writing that post... Gah.

Well, I bookmarked it for easy reference, so it's not completely wasted. :)

Roland St. Jude
2010-08-08, 02:36 PM
Sheriff of Moddingham: I was willing to leave this open as a topic of general interest, but if we're going to get into talking about banned posters...thread locked.