Common Spells for a Wizard [PF]

[Grommen]

Ok here is the deal. We all know wizards are great, so we don't need to debate this. And we all know their are awesome spells. To many to actually take them all. So here is the deal.

I'm working on a pathfinder compatible module and need to build my test group of characters. So I'm up to the playtesting phase. I'm going to include a set of four characters (both at 6th and 12th level), kinda like they do in the Pathfinder Adventures.

So what I want to know is. What spells do you always find you really have to have for your wizards. The spell caster in question is.

Elven Female
6th Level and 12th Level Wizard, generalist.
Pathfinder only books, and in the interest of perhaps publishing this for money, only open source stuffs.

I don't really care if they are useful, just ones that you bring along. For examble fireball. Their are a lot better spells, however. I just love blowing people up :smallbiggrin:

If it matters I think I'm going to opt for the magic item over a familure. I think more classic wizards like their staff more than their cat.

My list is
Magic Missile,
Levitate,
Bull's Strength,
Fireball,
Fly,
Stone Skin,
Dimention Door
Teleport
Even Bigger Fireball's (Like I said blowing stuff up is fun!)

[Kurald Galain]

My list is,

Charm person
Minor image
Invisibility
Wall of Fog
Fly
Summon monster I
Some kind of self-polymorph

[Grelna the Blue]

Okay, a few of my faves:

See Invisibility (made Permanent, of course)
Comprehend Languages (ditto)

Magic Missile (few creatures are immune or have DR to force damage, it has no miss chance, and affects incorporeal)
Scorching Ray (easily cheesed)
Dispel Magic (good for counterspells, debuffing, and removing debuffs)
Manyjaws (situational, but 30d6 force damage over 3 rounds for a 3rd level spell is pretty nice)
Slow (super debuff)
Black Tentacles (good spell and GREAT vs casters with lousy CMDs who need to make Concentration checks to cast spells)
Dimension Door (better if Silenced)
Fear (great for cheaply eliminating moogs from a fight)
Teleport (super timesaver and for getting party out of untenable situations)
Superior Resistance (24 hrs of +6 resistance bonus to all saves and castable on others? Your party will/should love you)

[Eldariel]

Assuming no specializations, out of PF Core (I'll bold the 4 core spells on each level, but this is a slightly expanded list):
Level 0
- Prestidigitation: Does everything. Not called Mini-Wish without reason.
- Detect Magic: Does a crapton of stuff higher level spells can't match.
- Daze: Stealing actions is fun!
- Mage Hand: "No, I don't need to bother."
- Open/Close: Look, magic!
- Message: Well, there's obvious utility to remote communication; a Wizard should not need to bother moving around communicating.

Level 1
- Charm Person: Hey, let's be friends!
- Grease: Think of all the possibilities.
- Color Spray: Just a simple no-frills "prettiii!" spell
- Enlarge Person: Make the guy stopping others from hitting you much better at his job.
- Ray of Enfeeblement: Weakness is delicious!
- Silent Image: It does everything!
- True Strike: Yes, I like to hit things.
- Magic Aura: Want this clearly artifact wooden stick? Thought so! No, none of my items are least bit magical!

Level 2
- Glitterdust/Pyrotechnics (listing them together since they're very similar; I use one or the other - sometimes switching from day to day for personal amusement): Blinding things, revealing invisibles, working on everything; simply extremely convenient.
- Web: You be a spider. Yay!
- Scorching Ray: A simple way to burn things.
- Alter Self: Wanna look like anything? Now you can!
- Shatter: Boom.
- Mirror Image: "Sorry, that wasn't me either; you're sorta running out of time guessing, bud."
- False Life: Wizards, frail? Hah!
- Invisibility: Too obvious for words.

Level 3
- Dispel Magic: Umm yeah; all that cool stuff magic does? I sorta want monopoly.
- Magic Circle against Evil (well, assuming I'm playing a non-Evil character): Keeps all sorts of nasty things away and makes life with calling spells much more convenient.
- Heroism: Suck it, Bards! No, but seriously; lasts a long time, rare bonus type, a convenient buff all-around.
- Haste: Yay, we move at the speed of light! One of the best offensive spells in the game.
- Slow: Yay, you are snails! Slows anything, basically just screws anyone failing save over.
- Greater Magic Weapon: Because base enhancement is so last year.
- Phantom Steed: Free flying rocket horse? Yes plz!

Level 4
- Solid Fog: No.
- Dimension Door: Hi, I'm here!
- Scrying: Hi, wanna die?
- Black Tentacles: Make-A-Hentai-Movie.
- Confusion: Let me make this clear to you; he insulted your mother. Kill him.
- Resilient Sphere: No, you are NOT passing.
- Enervation: Draining life is a very convenient way of ridding yourself of people.
- Greater Invisibility: Heh. Be Invisible and stay that way!

Level 5
- Teleport: Hop; that's one continent down.
- Wall of Stone: Ever thought a dome of stone could be useful somewhere?
- Wall of Force: Or an invisible plane of impenetrable energy?
- Contact Other Plane: Want to know everything? 'cause I kinda do.
- Dominate Person: Hey, let me show you how to run this kingdom-
- Feeblemind: I'm sorry, could you repeat that? Your blabbering is a bit confusing.
- Persistent Image: Seriously, there's no end to the fun you can have with these.
- Magic Jar: Nice body. Gimme!
- Baleful Polymorph: Nice body. Squirrel. *bursts out laughing*
- Lesser Planar Binding (though it's a bit good making me reluctant to use it): Making demons your bitches since 1990s.
- Overland Flight: Duh.

Level 6
- True Seeing: Nice Illusion. Not. Amateurs.
- Contingency: Uh, why did you try to swing at me again? It'd be way more efficient if you aimed 40' THAT way.
- Greater Dispel Magic: More magic monopoly!
- Anti-Magic Field: Shape 'em a bit and let anyone trying to hit you do so without any magic including flgiht.
- Geas/Quest: Why do it yourself when you can make others do it for you?
- Disintegrate: Best mining tool ever! Reshape the world to your image. Or, y'know, dust some vampires.
- Forceful Hand: Heh.
- Planar Binding (see above; otherwise this'd be a core spell for me): Hehheh.

[Grommen]

Elderal you da man. You just made my bad week a bit better.

Thanks for the posts. I'll add those to my list. Some I had forgot I really liked.

Grease is such a fun spell. Coarse I ruled that it was flammable. Everything burns right? :smallbiggrin:

[Eldariel]

Grease is such a fun spell. Coarse I ruled that it was flammable. Everything burns right? :smallbiggrin:

I've got a campaign journal that heavily subscribes to that ideology. Fully agreed :smallbiggrin:

But yeah, most of those spells are versatile, useful and amusing; versatility in particular is a big thing for me. And work on practically anything; it's really fun to drill in the point that immunity to X only goes so far by capsizing a Golem, blinding a Plant or dusting a Lich. :smalltongue:

[Acanous]

Magic Missile (few creatures are immune or have DR to force damage, it has no miss chance, and affects incorporeal)


Pathfinder DR is a bit different. DR/- applies to force damage.

for level 1?
Color Spray, Silent Image, Charm Person, Hypnotism, Disguise Self, Identify (Yay no costly material component in Pathfinder!) and Protection from (Alignment).
Staple spells, of course, are Shield and Mage Armor

[huttj509]

I've got a campaign journal that heavily subscribes to that ideology. Fully agreed :smallbiggrin:

But yeah, most of those spells are versatile, useful and amusing; versatility in particular is a big thing for me. And work on practically anything; it's really fun to drill in the point that immunity to X only goes so far by capsizing a Golem, blinding a Plant or dusting a Lich. :smalltongue:


I think the versatility is really a key point for a general magelist. There are probably/possibly/certainly better spells for some specific situations, but for the general "default" list, 'good enough' is great, especially when it's more like 'great enough' with some of those spells.

[Grommen]

Pathfinder DR is a bit different. DR/- applies to force damage.


Good thing I have not found that rule in Pathfinder yet. I'm not about to go looking for it either.