Starscream
2010-08-27, 02:46 PM
I was looking through a few of my less often used D&D supplements, and started thinking about all the cool spells out there that you seldom see. Core spells get used a lot simply because they are core so everybody knows about them and has access. And highly optimized spells get used just because they are so powerful (and often broken).
But what about obscure spells that are just plain fun? What are your favorites? Here are some of mine:
Perfect Summons (BoED): 40 foot radius good spell in which any summoning that happens automatically produces only good creatures. If someone attempts to summon a non-good creature, its closest good equivalent appears, and does whatever it wishes (and can't be dismissed). This would be tons of fun to pull on a Balor. It tries to summon another Balor and ends up with an angry Solar instead. Hilarity ensues.
EXTRACT GIFT (FC1): Capture a demon and permanently rob it of some of its abilities to add to yours. This is a permanent effect, not an instantaneous one, so beware dispels and anti-magic. And it's an Enhancement bonus, so you can't stack it with items or use it to get extra spells. That explains why you probably won't find it mentioned in any optimization threads, but it's still sweet. And not even an evil spell.
ENTICE GIFT (BoVD): No relation to the previous spell. Target must make a will save or hand over whatever it is holding. Pretty much a save or lose against anything that needs its weapon to put up a fight. Expect to get a DMG hurled at you if you use it against the Big Bad while he is gesturing dramatically with the Artifact of Doom.
SPIDER HAND (BoVD): Your hand turns into a small monstrous spider. It can walk around, climb walls and ceilings, and scout (you can see through its eyes), and if it gets killed you take a piddling 1d6 damage (and yes, you get your hand back). Super fun way to look around, set off traps, and pull pranks when shaking someone's hand. And it's only a level 1 spell.
NECROTIC SKULL BOMB (CoR): Throw a skull at someone and cause 1d4 negative levels. I like this one as a DM because it allows me to use negative levels against players, but the duration is explicitly too short to make the level drain permanent. Nobody likes permanent level loss - it makes things suck for the player, and the DM needs to recalculate appropriate CRs and redesign encounters if too many party members are affected.
But what about obscure spells that are just plain fun? What are your favorites? Here are some of mine:
Perfect Summons (BoED): 40 foot radius good spell in which any summoning that happens automatically produces only good creatures. If someone attempts to summon a non-good creature, its closest good equivalent appears, and does whatever it wishes (and can't be dismissed). This would be tons of fun to pull on a Balor. It tries to summon another Balor and ends up with an angry Solar instead. Hilarity ensues.
EXTRACT GIFT (FC1): Capture a demon and permanently rob it of some of its abilities to add to yours. This is a permanent effect, not an instantaneous one, so beware dispels and anti-magic. And it's an Enhancement bonus, so you can't stack it with items or use it to get extra spells. That explains why you probably won't find it mentioned in any optimization threads, but it's still sweet. And not even an evil spell.
ENTICE GIFT (BoVD): No relation to the previous spell. Target must make a will save or hand over whatever it is holding. Pretty much a save or lose against anything that needs its weapon to put up a fight. Expect to get a DMG hurled at you if you use it against the Big Bad while he is gesturing dramatically with the Artifact of Doom.
SPIDER HAND (BoVD): Your hand turns into a small monstrous spider. It can walk around, climb walls and ceilings, and scout (you can see through its eyes), and if it gets killed you take a piddling 1d6 damage (and yes, you get your hand back). Super fun way to look around, set off traps, and pull pranks when shaking someone's hand. And it's only a level 1 spell.
NECROTIC SKULL BOMB (CoR): Throw a skull at someone and cause 1d4 negative levels. I like this one as a DM because it allows me to use negative levels against players, but the duration is explicitly too short to make the level drain permanent. Nobody likes permanent level loss - it makes things suck for the player, and the DM needs to recalculate appropriate CRs and redesign encounters if too many party members are affected.