Your Favorite Utility Spells?

[Black_Zawisza]

What arcane magic spells level 6 and under do you find yourself using out-of-combat the most?

[AnswersQuestion]

Prestidigitation for everything (it is god).
Major Creation for everything prestidigitation can't do.
Repulsion to keep insects away while camping.

[faceroll]

Teleport, detect magic, flight spells.

[Grelna the Blue]

Prestidigitation
Detect Magic (made permanent)
Light
Comprehend Languages (made permanent)
See Invisible (made permanent)
Fly
Leomund's Secure Shelter

[Zaq]

Mountain Hammer. Not a spell, but does it ever have utility!

Wall of Stone and (Greater) Stone Shape are great when they're apart and downright fantastic when they're together.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Omen of Peril is useful, Spider Climb can get you into many places where you're not supposed to be (GMs tend to assume that up is simply off limits before everyone can fly), and I love Clairvoyant Sense.

[jguy]

Servant Horde

[Acero]

Suggestion and the charm spells. Why do it yourself when someone else can.

McWizzy: Suggestion!
Enemy Wizard: (roll: 1)
McWizzy: Use all your buffing spells on me now.
Enemy Wizard: As you wish.

*10 rounds of buffing later*

McWizzy: Thanks! Maximized Disintegrate!

oh, and Disintegrate is a good one too. One of the best utility spells around.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Out of combat, the following utility spells make the game VASTLY easier:

* Rope Trick/MMM: No worries about being ambushed while resting
* Teleport/Teleport, Greater: What, we need to get across the kingdom in five minutes? Yea, sure... no problem. Okay everyone, gather 'round...
* Prestidigitation: Why yes... yes I did, as a matter of fact, use the obscenely rare and expensive spices you gave me rather than using whatever came to hand...
* See Invisible/Detect Magic/Arcane Sight: See as you want to see.
* Greater Prying Eyes: True-sight scouts. Yes, please.
* Mind Blank: This isn't just out of combat, but it is also great to keep the Scry n Die tactic away
*half the illusion college: Hilarity ensues when you solve an entire campaign without a single attack roll.
* half the divination school: See above
* Overland Flight: Get from Point A to Point B without having to traverse the crevasse between

[Toliudar]

Rope trick absolutely gets onto this list. Phantom Steed and low-level summons are also tremendously useful.

[Soren Hero]

mage hand...prestidigitation...two cantrips that solve a lot of problems...or cause them, as the situation calls for....and a prepared explosive runes can be very persuasive diplomatic tool

[arguskos]

Alter Self needs to be mentioned here. Time to take Otherworldly and go to town. :smallcool:

[WarrenZig]

Control Temperature.....Hey, when one casting of this spell completely destroys a Tucker's Kobolds situation before it even begins it gets a special place in your heart.

[Tvtyrant]

Stone to mud
Mud to stone
shape stone
flesh to stone
stone to flesh
animate object

[Remmirath]

Leomund's Secure Shelter and Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion - For when you need to rest in an area that's crawling with monsters.

Teleport (although I'm much more likely to use Teleport Without Error) - Obvious reasons there.

Tenser's Floating Disc, Levitate, Dimension Door and Fly - For getting yourself and other things out of caves, sinkholes, and past other inconvenient barriers.

Detect Magic and Identify - It really is best to avoid using cursed items.

Comprehend Languages and Tongues - Just in case absoloutely nobody in the party happens to speak the language that one really useful NPC happens to speak. Or that one prisoner you grabbed way back when speaks.

Summon Monster, Animate Dead - If you don't have a thief, you can still figure out where the traps are even you can't disarm them. Also good for scaring villagers.

Alter Self and Polymorph - When you need a really good disguise, but nobody in your group can do disguises.

Wall of Stone - For when you need a wall, bridge, or other sturdy barrier.

[TheCountAlucard]

Death of Obsidian Butterflies. :smallbiggrin: Didn't see "D&D" in the title...

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Death of Obsidian Butterflies. :smallbiggrin: Didn't see "D&D" in the title...

Hey, that was the last decent book in the series....

oh wait, wrong Obsidian Butterflies... :smalleek:

[Tvtyrant]

Anyone else think it would be awesome to use Stone Wall to make a giant statue shaped like the Gingerbread man, then use Animate Object on it, and then stone to flesh to make a giant edible assault statue?

[Escheton]

Bacon golem?

[gbprime]

Nobody has mentioned Locate Object yet? There are days I'd kill for a spell like that!

Ditto with Locate Creature and Scry (which HAS been mentioned already, thankfully).

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Nobody has mentioned Locate Object yet? There are days I'd kill for a spell like that!

Ditto with Locate Creature and Scry (which HAS been mentioned already, thankfully).

I did mention a good half the Divination college, these were certainly included.

Scry can shortcut an adventure easily, particularly when combined with Teleport, Greater. Locate Object/Creature, likewise, can give you a target destination to teleport to.

In fact, one of the very few spells which my Joker Bard is truly afraid of is Discern Location, because barring a lot of money on a Mind Blank item, it's almost impossible to avoid.

[WarrenZig]

Anyone else think it would be awesome to use Stone Wall to make a giant statue shaped like the Gingerbread man, then use Animate Object on it, and then stone to flesh to make a giant edible assault statue?

Tasty, but animate object would be suppressed since it's no longer an object.

[Jack_Simth]

In fact, one of the very few spells which my Joker Bard is truly afraid of is Discern Location, because barring a lot of money on a Mind Blank item, it's almost impossible to avoid.
Re-read it. It doesn't tell them exactly where you are - just the which building: "The spell reveals the name of the creature or object’s location (place, name, business name, building name, or the like), community, county (or similar political division), country, continent, and the plane of existence where the target lies. "

[Rodimal]

my favorite of all:

Knock

[gorfnab]

Regal Procession (SC) - obviously you can use it to transport your whole party or you can use it to create a distraction, block a city street, block off a chunk of battlefield, sink a ship...

[Mastikator]

If you use a fireball to light a campfire, does it count as utility?

[Tvtyrant]

Tasty, but animate object would be suppressed since it's no longer an object.

There actually isn't any rule saying a hunk of meat isn't an object ;p

Worse would be if we considered the giant flesh thing to be alive; awakened wall of flesh anyone?

[fireinakasha]

If you use a fireball to light a campfire, does it count as utility?

uhhh....

Although, fireball does make an excellent signal flare. Also, a sure-fire way to wake up the party if you're on watch... :smallamused:

[Brom]

uhhh....

Although, fireball does make an excellent signal flare. Also, a sure-fire way to wake up the party if you're on watch... :smallamused:

It's also an excellent way to send a Hobgoblin platoon coming over the bridge of the castle moat into said castle moat, provided you have access to Explosive Spell.

Explosive Spell <3

Then you start getting into Explosive Spell + Sculpt Spell, and the possibilities become truly amusing.

[FelixG]

Prestidigitation + create food magic items= McDonalds!

[Aharon]

Do infusions count?
Then I chose Spell Storing Item and it's bigger brother, Concurrent Infusions. You get any 1st to 4th level spell out of it you might need right now. It's hard to get more utility out of one spell.

Example uses:
Glibness
Create Lantern Archon => really early access to Greater Teleport
Dominate Person (It's Bard 4)
If you want to annoy your DM, choose spells from the Trapsmith and Runescarred Berserker Spell lists :smallbiggrin:

[Eldariel]

Contact Other Plane; with 22 casting stat, you can contact Greater Deities and still take 10 on the check, and the spell just gives you unrivaled information access.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Re-read it. It doesn't tell them exactly where you are - just the which building: "The spell reveals the name of the creature or object’s location (place, name, business name, building name, or the like), community, county (or similar political division), country, continent, and the plane of existence where the target lies. "

Yea, but since his whole schtick is to be in another country when the penny drops, it would be a dead giveaway that he is not, in fact, where the party thinks he is.

Besides, it would be a trivial thing for a party to, once they know what building he is in, simply level that building and everything in it and be done with it.

[Togo]

Shrink item.
Prestidigiation
dancing lights
tongues

[Jack_Simth]

Yea, but since his whole schtick is to be in another country when the penny drops, it would be a dead giveaway that he is not, in fact, where the party thinks he is.

Besides, it would be a trivial thing for a party to, once they know what building he is in, simply level that building and everything in it and be done with it.

So get Teleport. It takes ten minutes to cast Discern location. It takes one standard action to invoke Boots of Teleportation.

A little more on-topic, I'm becoming increasingly fond of Air Walk.

[Darrin]

1st:
Unseen Servant (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8235936&postcount=8). We call him "Jeeves".
Benign Transposition. Works best with a flying familiar.
Conjure Ice Beast I. Cleric/druid/ranger spell, but the larger centipede forms can engulf, and there's a nice free-action 10' radius area effect, 1d6 cold damage no save.
Ice Slick. Grease for clerics.
Path of Frost. Grease for druids.
Swift Invisibility. Bard spell, very handy for going invisible *after* you attack.
Master's Touch. Thumb your nose at Exotic Weapon Proficiency. Orc Shotputs are lots of fun.
Instant of Power. Immediate action to gain +4 on attack, damage, save, etc.
Winged Watcher. Druid only, but a good way to get a few rounds of flight at 1st level.


2nd:
Alter Self. Flight speed, burrow speed, climb speed, swim speed, natural armor, disguise/social engineering uses.
Create Magic Tattoo. Various buffs, lasts for 1 day.
Guidance of the Avatar (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a). +20 on any skill, including UMD. Potionable, too.
Dimension Hop. Short-range teleport.
Embrace the Wild. Ranger 1, low level way to get Blindsense 30'.
Glitterdust. Debuffer and invisibility counter.
Heroics. Gain a fighter bonus feat, like, oh, say... Martial Study?
Swift Fly. A good "Get Out of Certain Death Free" card.
Swift Haste. Ranger-only, but unlike other swift spells, lasts 1d4 rounds.
Deceptive Facade. The only glamer you can cast on an object to make it look like something else.
Close Wounds. Cure HP as an immediate action, particularly when a lucky hit sends you below -10 HP.

3rd:
Conjure Ice Beast III. Large centipedes can now engulf medium targets. Or 4 smaller creatures can free action 10' ice burst for 4d6 no-save damage.
Gaseous Form. Another good "Get Out of Certain Death Free" card.
Blade Bane. Adds the bane enhancement (you pick the creature type) to a bladed weapon.

4th:
Call of Stone. Flesh to stone a little earlier. Halts certain time-critical conditions (poison, diseases, raise dead, corporeal instability), and befuddles the heck out of scry-and-die divination tactics.
Lesser Planar Ally: A large toolkit of useful SLAs are available (outsiders up to 6HD), including raise dead (Hollyphant).
Lesser Globe of Invulnerability: Best defense against area-effect spells, such as glitterdust.
Shadow Conjuration. Never know when you'll need an orb of whatever, glitterdust, stinking cloud, etc.
Evard's Black Tentacles. End most encounters on the first round.

5th:
Daltim's Fiery Tentacles: All the fun of Evard's Hentai Fantasy, only now they're on *fire*!
Lesser Planar Binding: Just like Lesser Planar Ally, only you don't have to pay for them now.
Shadow Evocation: For getting around banned schools, when you need a sending or explosive runes.
Necrotic Skull Bomb: Ok, not really a "utility" spell, but enervation as a swift-action area-effect burst, and it has one of the best spell names, ever.

6th:
Shalantha's Delicate Disk. 200 GP to create a spell-storing item, up to 5th level spells.