Best Swift and Immediate Spells

[Tibbaerrohwen]

If there's one thing a gish or a spellcaster loves it's spells you can cast without worrying about losing out that round. The same goes for wand wielders, who can not necessarily add Quicken Spell or the like to their wands.
What are some of your favourite swift and immediate casting time spells? If you can, list sources.

I'm partial to Wing's of Cover (Sor 2, RotD) for canceling an incoming attack.
Focusing Chant (Bard 1, SC) gives a +1 on attack rolls, ability checks and skills checks for a minute. Well worth it in my mind.

[under_score]

Must say, I rather like Choose Destiny (a 9th level domain spell from RoD) that grants you two 2d20 rolls on attacks, skills, saves, and ability checks for rounds / level.

[BillyBobJoe]

Blade of Blood will always be one of my favorite low level spells for Duskblades.

[Akal Saris]

Some other good ones:

-Swift Expeditious Retreat (SpC Sor/Wiz 1) : More mobility is always welcome

-Close Wounds (SpC Clr 2): Immediate action healing from ranged! My cleric fills almost his entire 2nd level spell slots with this :smalltongue:

-Mirror Image, Greater (PHB II Sor/Wiz 4): An immediate action ad-hoc swarm of identical twins that regenerates itself for only +2 to the spell level? Awesome!

-Betraying Blade (EoE Sor/Wiz 1): Immediate action -1 to 5 to attacks for a round with no save, scales as magic missile up to -5 at 9th level. Can cast as a standard action for double the penalty.

Knight's Move (SpC Pal 2): swift action to move to flank an opponent. It's like a pounce!

Quick March (SpC Clr/Pal 2): All allies' speed increases by 30 for 1 round: More mobility is also welcome.

Necrotic Skullbomb (?? Sor/Wiz 5): A swift-action 20ft burst of enervation?? For +1 spell level on enervation? Sure!

[Tibbaerrohwen]

Some other good ones:

-Swift Expeditious Retreat (SpC Sor/Wiz 1) : More mobility is always welcome

-Close Wounds (SpC Clr 2): Immediate action healing from ranged! My cleric fills almost his entire 2nd level spell slots with this :smalltongue:

-Mirror Image, Greater (PHB II Sor/Wiz 1): An immediate action ad-hoc swarm of identical twins that regenerates itself for only +2 to the spell level? Awesome!

-Betraying Blade (EoE Sor/Wiz 1): Immediate action -1 to 5 to attacks for a round with no save, scales as magic missile up to -5 at 9th level. Can cast as a standard action for double the penalty.

Knight's Move (SpC Pal 2): swift action to move to flank an opponent. It's like a pounce!

Quick March (SpC Clr/Pal 2): All allies' speed increases by 30 for 1 round: More mobility is also welcome.

Necrotic Skullbomb (?? Sor/Wiz 5): A swift-action 20ft burst of enervation?? For +1 spell level on enervation? Sure!

I thought Greater Mirror Image was Wiz/Sor 4. If not, all the better.

[Cog]

I thought Greater Mirror Image was Wiz/Sor 4.
It is fourth, yeah.

[Jack_Simth]

Wings of Cover (Sorcerer-2: Races of the Dragon) - Immediate action, break line of effect for an instant.
Close Wounds (Cleric-2: Spell Compendium) - Immediate action, ranged healing... and some readings say it negates one injury to an ally....
Delay Death (Cleric-4: Spell Compendium) - Immediate action, render someone immune to death by HP damage for 1 round/level (other forms of dying will still kill them, though).
Ruin Delver's Fortune (Sor/Wiz-4, Bard-4: Spell Compendium) - Immediate action, gives one of a number of nifty bonuses for a very short period of time.

[Tibbaerrohwen]

Wings of Cover (Sorcerer-2: Races of the Dragon) - Immediate action, break line of effect for an instant.
Close Wounds (Cleric-2: Spell Compendium) - Immediate action, ranged healing... and some readings say it negates one injury to an ally....
Delay Death (Cleric-4: Spell Compendium) - Immediate action, render someone immune to death by HP damage for 1 round/level (other forms of dying will still kill them, though).
Ruin Delver's Fortune (Sor/Wiz-4, Bard-4: Spell Compendium) - Immediate action, gives one of a number of nifty bonuses for a very short period of time.

Spell Compendium is good for so much cheese. Just a cheese factory.

[balistafreak]

Blockade, from Complete Scoundrel. 1st level spell. As a swift action you simply generate a 5x5x5 foot cube of... wood, for 3 rounds, close range, fixed duration - making it a great candidate for a CL 1 wand in a Wand Chamber.

You'd be surprised of the applications of a swift-action huge block of wood for 18 seconds. Shield squishies, deny charges, provide cover, use it as a stepping stool, toy with pressure-plate puzzles, shove it off ledges, amuse your friends.


Spell Compendium is good for so much cheese. Just a cheese factory.

Objection! Spell Compendium is full of fun, cool, spells that are awesome, but don't break campaigns. Core is full of convoluted spells that can nuke campaigns without meaning to.

Close Wounds is cool, Delay Death has its applications but is ultimately defensive in nature (and not game-breaking), and Ruin Delver's Fortune is the same. Then someone casts Planar Binding and the game explodes, or Black Tentacles and the game bogs down. :smallamused:

[Tibbaerrohwen]

Blockade, from Complete Scoundrel. 1st level spell. As a swift action you simply generate a 5x5x5 foot cube of... wood, for 3 rounds, close range, fixed duration - making it a great candidate for a CL 1 wand in a Wand Chamber.

You'd be surprised of the applications of a swift-action huge block of wood for 18 seconds. Shield squishies, deny charges, provide cover, use it as a stepping stool, toy with pressure-plate puzzles, shove it off ledges, amuse your friends.



Objection! Spell Compendium is full of fun, cool, spells that are awesome, but don't break campaigns. Core is full of convoluted spells that can nuke campaigns without meaning to.

Close Wounds is cool, Delay Death has its applications but is ultimately defensive in nature (and not game-breaking), and Ruin Delver's Fortune is the same. Then someone casts Planar Binding and the game explodes, or Black Tentacles and the game bogs down. :smallamused:

I love the Blockade Spell; it's awesome. Spell Compendium does have a lot of great spells that aren't game shattering, but it also has a few that just blow the mind. Warranted, so do almost all book with new spells.

[Runestar]

At higher lvs, chained nerveskitter, to grant the whole party +5 to initiative, and a higher lv caster will barely notice the loss of a 4th lv slot. :smallbiggrin:

[Akal Saris]

I thought Greater Mirror Image was Wiz/Sor 4. If not, all the better.

Yeah, it was a typo :P

[Geigan]

The entire celerity line from phb2 is pretty amazing. The daze effect is hardly a tradeoff when you can end some combats with the extra actions. Of course it still requires tactical thinking when you employ them or you could screw yourself.

[Tibbaerrohwen]

It seems I somehow accidentally double threaded. Below are all the posts from the other thread with the same topic. We'll make this the official thread.


Arcane types should always try to have a feather fall spell handy just in case the floor literally drops out from under them.


I prefer free action triggers. Contingency for the win.

Blood Wind would be my favorite swift spell, tied with Wraithstrike.


I kinda like Mass Snakes Swiftness form the Spell compendium. The whole party get's an extra attack at highest BAB, and becuase for you it's a swift action, you can still full attack the round you cast it. I think the extra attack also stacks with the extra attack form haste for serious win.


Both Snake's Swiftness and the Mass version are standard actions, not swift.


I like Mirror Image, Greater. Swift fly and swift invis are great on half-casters, like gishes.

Thanks for the input. Keep it coming.

[Aemoh87]

If there's one thing a gish or a spellcaster loves it's spells you can cast without worrying about losing out that round. The same goes for wand wielders, who can not necessarily add Quicken Spell or the like to their wands.
What are some of your favourite swift and immediate casting time spells? If you can, list sources.

I'm partial to Wing's of Cover (Sor 2, RotD) for canceling an incoming attack.
Focusing Chant (Bard 1, SC) gives a +1 on attack rolls, ability checks and skills checks for a minute. Well worth it in my mind.

by the way there are no spells that don't cost you an action that round. If you read the rules using your immediate action costs you your swift I am pretty sure. No books on me if anyone wants to prove or disprove me.

Unless it's celerity... but last time I saw a celerity cast the cops were called.


Some other good ones:

-Close Wounds (SpC Clr 2): Immediate action healing from ranged! My cleric fills almost his entire 2nd level spell slots with this :smalltongue:

-Betraying Blade (EoE Sor/Wiz 1): Immediate action -1 to 5 to attacks for a round with no save, scales as magic missile up to -5 at 9th level. Can cast as a standard action for double the penalty.

Knight's Move (SpC Pal 2): swift action to move to flank an opponent. It's like a pounce!

Necrotic Skullbomb (?? Sor/Wiz 5): A swift-action 20ft burst of enervation?? For +1 spell level on enervation? Sure!

All fun ones, knights move is strangly useful. You will never know until you use it.

No spell enhancer yet though? Serious?

[Allanimal]

Golem/Grave/Vine Strike are essential for sneak attacking casters. Really hard to get them all, though. Very situational, but great to have when you need it.

[under_score]

Unless it's celerity... but last time I saw a celerity cast the cops were called.

Even celerity would use up the swift action of your next turn...it just wont matter as you'll be dazed on that turn anyway.

[Thespianus]

For the Unseen Seer sneak attacker: Hunter's Eye - gain extra sneak attack dice for a round. Magnificent fun to Extend or Persist. ;)

[faceroll]

Wraithstrike is really good, but I don't recommend using it with persist or something like that. Turns everything into rocket tag.

[Allanimal]

Nerveskitter is also nice, since you can use it even when flat footed. For those times you have to win initiative (assuming, of course, +5 will do it)