Wizard/Sorcerer, Cleric, and Druid Spell Combos

[tikal]

I'm not talking about exploits or abuses. I'm talking about extremely effective spell combos that a wizard, sorcerer, cleric, or druid could pull off to overcome any specified barrier.

Because I'm lame and cheap, unless the spell exists in www.d20srd.org I won't know what it does. So if you got it from Exalted Deeds or so on and so forth, it'd be cool if you could describe the actual spell.

An example of a spell combo is force cage and dimensional anchor, or prismatic wall (horizontal on the ceiling) and reverse gravity for maximum lulz. Of course, these are relatively straightforward ones.

[holywhippet]

Blade barrier + just about anything that stops or restricts movement.

[MrRigger]

Forcecage and Cloudkill. Very fun. If the particular barrier we're looking at is a bunch of beefy meatwalls, Divine Power and Righteous Might are sexy.

MrRigger

[NNescio]

Or Solid Fog + Cloudkill for the Wizard who banned Evocation.

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Complete Mage has Choking Cobwebs, which combos with itself (and is explicitly designed to work that way). When casted once, it acts as an targetable spread-version of Obscuring Mist which also sickens affected targets (Fort negates) and hampers movement (movement costs twice as much). This is lame.

If, however, you cast Choking Cobwebs on an area that is already affected by the spell, it grants cover instead of concealment, doubles movement costs once again, nauseates instead of sickens (still Fort negates though), and deals 1d4 Con damage for each round its targets are nauseated.

For most purposes, Choking Cobwebs x 2 is inferior to Solid Fog + Cloudkill, due to the reduced area of effect and significantly higher spell cost (2x 7th instead of 4th + 5th). It also does nearly nothing if there's only a single casting (making it harder to get the second off). That said, it can't be countered by Gust of Wind, and it's probably harder for creatures to escape (after the second casting) unless they are immune to nausea, since they can't cast spells or use most abilities.

[NecroRick]

Blade barrier + just about anything that stops or restricts movement.

I received a massive flaming recently for daring to suggest that Blade Barrier was a decent spell. So... it might be safe to say that opinions differ on this...

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@Original poster: are you just looking at doing lots of damage/insta-killing? E.g. stuff you might do in combat? "Overcoming barriers" is a little vague, perhaps you could provide more guidance?

[NNescio]

I received a massive flaming recently for daring to suggest that Blade Barrier was a decent spell. So... it might be safe to say that opinions differ on this...

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@Original poster: are you just looking at doing lots of damage/insta-killing? E.g. stuff you might do in combat? "Overcoming barriers" is a little vague, perhaps you could provide more guidance?

I think that had more to do with your claims that "Evocation has the best spells" and you calling somebody "delusional".

Blade Barrier is 'decent' if you want to deal damage. It's far from the best spell though, even for its given level, but it'll work in a pinch.

[MrRigger]

Not to mention it's a whirling frenzy of sharp pointy death, so it's got some points for visuals if nothing else. Not to mention the monsters that have Blade Barrier as a SLA, and cast it and voluntarily fail to overcome their own SR, so they can walk through it unharmed. That's intimidating, especially with the right monster (Ragewalker, I'm looking at you).

MrRigger

[holywhippet]

I think that had more to do with your claims that "Evocation has the best spells" and you calling somebody "delusional".

Blade Barrier is 'decent' if you want to deal damage. It's far from the best spell though, even for its given level, but it'll work in a pinch.

I kind of like it as a spell - especially if you can drop it in just the right spot (ie. where the enemy can't get out of it). There aren't many long duration, area of effect spells which can just keep shredding an opposing force. It works well with some kind of wall spell where you can just fence off a number of opponents to get hacked to pieces while you focus your attention elsewhere.

[NNescio]

Oh I like it as well. It's good in the right hands (as an SLA) and has massive points for intimidation.

[WinWin]

A chained (via lesser rod) Spirit Jaws followed by Vortex of Teeth is a great way for druids to clear incorporeal threats.

Spell compendium. Both are [force] based. One grapples while the other deals damage over time.

[LordBlades]

For wizard my favorite spell combo is evard's black tentacles+solid fog. At the level you get it not much has Freedom of Movement and/or teleportation abilities, and without those it takes forever to get out of that.

For druid, a somewhat effective combo in the right circumstances is Enveloping Cocoon (Spell Compendium)+attatched Baleful Polymorph, resulting in one of the really few save or die for Ref in this game,

[FMArthur]

I like (Otto's) Resilient Sphere as a defensive spell. There are a lot of spells that just say no to mundanes, but for a 4th level spell this one is much more thorough than most. It's basically a miniature forcecage that can be dispelled, or negated via a rod of cancellation. It's not uncounterable and happens to be Evocation, but anyone without magic or the magical means to counter it simply cannot harm you.

Pair it with a Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, and your seventh-level wizard is going to start feeling pretty safe. Again, it's not total invulnerability, but it's invulnerable to enough things that unleashing your ludicrous offensive powers from behind it is safe and easy. Dealing with your offenses and defenses can be maddening at wizard levels 7th and up.

Flight combines with protection from ranged attacks (Friendly Fire being the favorite, but Wind Wall, Stoneskin and Protection from Arrows are good) to provide good safety as well. When you get Overland Flight you can become mostly untouchable to landed melee all day, and at the start of battle you can cast one other kind of protection based on your opponents' abilities, so fewer actions are spent getting invincibility. You can also spend that action to take out other casters if you can survive taking arrows for it, since without enemy casters you really can render yourself immune to harm with your next spells, whereas otherwise you might have had your protections cancelled and still get hit by a volley of arrows.

[Thespianus]

Blade barrier + just about anything that stops or restricts movement.

For a lower level combination: Web + Stinking Cloud

While not a combination that will kill the opponents, it's a darn decent lock-down combination. If the mooks are Evil, use the cleric spell Holy Storm to do 2D6 / round of damage to them while locked down. Once you've dealt with the rest of the enemies, blow up the entire ball of pain with a Fireball, for funsies.

[dextercorvia]

I like Web + Slow. Web requires a full round action to move through it. Slow prevents you from taking a full round action.

[NNescio]

For a lower level combination: Web + Stinking Cloud

While not a combination that will kill the opponents, it's a darn decent lock-down combination. If the mooks are Evil, use the cleric spell Holy Storm to do 2D6 / round of damage to them while locked down. Once you've dealt with the rest of the enemies, blow up the entire ball of pain with a Fireball, for funsies.

On a related note: Web + Summon Swarm (Spiders)

Has a very thematic flair as well.

[FMArthur]

There's also Cloud of Bewilderment, a 2nd-level Stinking Cloud with a 10ft cube area and range of close, if you want that combo to come online sooner.

One funny combo I once used with an enemy wizard that TPKed my group was Web + Incendiary Slime + Fireball. 9d6 + 2d4 damage is no joke at 5th level. They don't know it was a TPK; I just pretended Incendiary Slime only added a d6 (they didn't know the spell) and they survived. But in a parallel universe that worked by the rules, every single one of them died.

[dextercorvia]

There are some low level spells with a daze rider effect in the PHBII and the SpC. Nothing like depriving the enemy of his turn as an afterthought.

[ericgrau]

Multiple delayed blast fireball + timestop is an old one.

Wall of force + wall of force + existing wall = bargain forcecage. Helps to have two casters if you can to make it even more unavoidable.

Evard's tentacles + fireball(s) is pretty brutal.


I like Web + Slow. Web requires a full round action to move through it. Slow prevents you from taking a full round action.
Lol. But you can still take two standard actions in place of a full round action. Not that you aren't still totally screwed if it takes you two turns to get out. OTOH it also took two turns to cast and has saves, so I hope you trapped more than one guy.

A lot of the combos so far seem to be lockdown + loads of damage, or lockdown + lockdown = better lockdown.

[Keld Denar]

Dispel Magic + Quickened Shatter.

Dispel Magic targetted on an item suppresses its magical abilities, making it mundane for a couple rounds. Shatter blows up a non-magical item. If the item is attended, they do get a save, but yea...boom!

Also, Vine Mines + Plant Growth. I don't care if there are plants in the area, there are now, and they are HUGE. Good luck moving. Ever.

Quickened Ray of Clumsiness + Freezing Fog. Freezing Fog is Solid Fog + Grease + 1d6 cold damage per round. Ray of Clumsiness gives a huge penalty to Dex, which lowers Ref saves and Balance checks. GL getting out. Ever.

Ray of Enfeeblement + Wall of Thorns. Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! By the time you see the light of day, you'll be holier than swiss cheese during passover.

[NNescio]

Transmutation (mostly) shenanigans:

Transmute Rock to Mud -> Transmute Mud to Rock = Ref Save or Stuck.

Flesh to Stone -> Stone Shape = Good luck resurrecting.

Flesh to Stone -> Stone Shape -> Stone to Flesh: If you really want to be a jerk. That said this will probably kill the subject, leaving him free to be resurrected.

Flesh to Stone + Create Water (optional*) -> Transmute Rock to Mud -> Purify Food and Drink : Poof, target is neither dead or alive. Might not work depending on how "worked stone" is defined, 'though Create Water might work around it. Note that a 'stone object' under the effects of a spell is not technically 'magical stone'.

Shrink Item + Launch Object: Ouch.

Shrink Item x N + Telekinesis : More ouch.

Disintegrate -> Gust of Wind: Because Vaarsuvius used it.

Quick Potion + Fox's Cunning -> Mental Pinnacle: Obviates the need for an expensive material component. Also works with the other "transformation" type spells, but they are less useful for a wizard.

Heart of Air + Heart of Water + Heart of Earth + Heart of Fire: Basically a bunch of spells which synergizes with each other.

Polymorph Any Object x2 : Well, you know the rest.

Celerity + Anything: As an immediate action, gives you a standard action to cast a standard-action spell.

Contingency + Celerity: AKA Contingency: Let me pick which spell to use if bad stuff happens.

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Abjuration shenanigans:

Explosive Runes x N-> Dispel Magic: Boom box. (Might not work depending on how 'erasure' is defined.)

Explosive Runes x N -> Glyph of Warding + Dispel Magic: Boom box Mk II.

Karmic Aura + Karmic Backlash + Karmic Retribution: Enemies who successfully attack you must make three saves or be stunned, exhausted, or fatigued respectively. Saves are made in descending order and a single failure will cause the remaining saves to automatically fail as well.

Ironguard + Starmantle: You are now immune to most weapons.

[ericgrau]

All the transmutation shenanigans gave me an idea for a good one
Mass reduce person + gust of wind = trip and scatter enemies. Requires humanoid foes though, which limits the campaigns you can do this in. Great on a pirate voyage maybe.
Flame arrow + readied action pyrotechincs

[dextercorvia]

Lol. But you can still take two standard actions in place of a full round action. Not that you aren't still totally screwed if it takes you two turns to get out. OTOH it also took two turns to cast and has saves, so I hope you trapped more than one guy.

A lot of the combos so far seem to be lockdown + loads of damage, or lockdown + lockdown = better lockdown.

Well, Slow is an awesome multitarget debuff and I'd throw that up first. Limited actions means that some of them would still be clumped up in the next round when I throw down a Web.

[tikal]

What's celerity?

[MrRigger]

It's the "No, I go now. Sit down." button for wizards (over and above all their other buttons that do that).

MrRigger

[aquaticrna]

this one is less super effective, more just fun and stylish:
version 1: (for people w/o teleportation)
quickened forcecage (via rod or some other free quicken) + transmute rock to lava

Version 2: (for people with teleportation)
quickened dimensional anchor + forcecage -> transmute rock to lava

very fun way to force someone to burn to death in lava

[Jaavaletdahaka]

All of this is really, really useful. Starting a campaign in which we get to be gestalt characters. Ranger+Wizard, with spell arrows. Fun fun fun!!!

[Doorhandle]

Glibness+tounges+polymorph spell = flawless infiltration

wall of stone + stone shape = B.Y.O walls, bridges, ect.

Telekiniss+ flight: drag your opponent straight up.

Body Outside Body +Mass buff spells = send in the clones.

Summon monster + forecage or other wall = Hell in a cell!

Gaze attack + illusory disguise = punish anyone who dares disrupt your disguise. Alternately, use it to locate who, in an audience, has true seeing.

Illusion Conjuration + Telekinesis: Hurl illusionary boulders at people.

And a pathfinder one:

Create pit + Wall of stone: Lock Anyone who can't fly into a pit and forget about them. Bonus points for smashing your opponents against the wall as a soon as create pit is dispelled. Megadwarf bonus for using things like wall of fire or summon monster before sealing the pit.

[smetzger]

Blade barrier + just about anything that stops or restricts movement.

My Wizard character and the cleric in the party are having fun with...
Forceful Hand + Blade Barrier

[Roland St. Jude]

Sheriff: Thread necromancy is disfavored here.