Random Q: What are the "types" of spells (as defined by use, not fluff)

[INoKnowNames]

Just curious about something I'm doing. What are the types of spells, in terms of what they are used for?

So far, I've Updated (with some examples):

-Damage, Single-Target (Inflict Critical Wounds)
-Damage, Multi-Target (Fire Storm)
-Status, Non-Lethal (Ray of Exhaustion)
-Status, Lethal (Baleful Polymorph)
-Status, Instant Kill (Slay Living)
-Battlefield Control (Black Tentacles)
-Summoning (Summon Monster/Nature's Ally)
-Support, Restoration (Heal)
-Support, Defensive (Mage Armor, Greater)
-Support, Offensive (Magic Weapon, Greater)
-Support, Mobility (Fly, Mass)
-Utility: Transportation (Teleport, Greater)
-Utility: Creation (Magnificent Mansion)
-Utility: Communication (Sending)
-Utility: Persuasion (Charm Person, Mass)
-Utility: Other (Shadow Conjuration, Greater)

Any more that I've missed? I know that some of them overlap a bit. And I know that my terminology may not be the best.

[Godskook]

Let's see

-Save or Suck(glitterdust)
-Save or Lose(plane shift)
-Save or Die(Finger of Death)
-Battlefield Control
-Buffing
-Damage
-Protection(feather fall, healing)
-Mobility

That's the way I'd categorize it. Baleful Plymorph is distinctly SoLose, since while it doesn't outright kill the target, the target is now utterly useless.

[Dimers]

That about sums it up, yeah. Although "Utility" is such a huge category, it could easily be broken down itself. E.g. communication, movement, creation ...

You might want to separate summoning spells, too. A summons might be used for any of those categories -- some summoned creatures buff allies, some can heal, many can be used for battlefield control, most or all can provide direct damage, et cetera.

[Krazzman]

I would categorize them into:

Direct Damage (Single, shocking grasp)
Area Damage (Fireball)
Offensive Summoning
Defensive Summoning
Healing
SoS, SoL, SoD
Utility Protection Buffs (Feather Fall)
Battle Buffs (Mage Armor, Magic Weapon)
Utility Buffs (Feather Step)
Mobility (Expeditious Retreat)
Utility - Creation
Utility - Other

[Zaq]

I would assert that "Plot" is another category of spell. It's similar to Utility, but not quite the same.

[Morph Bark]

I would assert that "Plot" is another category of spell. It's similar to Utility, but not quite the same.

Aka Divination.

[INoKnowNames]

Let's see

-Save or Suck(glitterdust)
-Save or Lose(plane shift)
-Save or Die(Finger of Death)
-Battlefield Control
-Buffing
-Damage
-Protection(feather fall, healing)
-Mobility

That's the way I'd categorize it. Baleful Plymorph is distinctly SoLose, since while it doesn't outright kill the target, the target is now utterly useless.

I wasn't considering it at first, but diving Debuffs between Non-Lethal and Lethal (like such status debuffs vs things like Baleful Polymorph) is indeed a distinction worth while.

What, exactly, are you defining for Mobility that wouldn't be covered by Defensive Buffs and/or Utility (most likely in the latter)?


That about sums it up, yeah. Although "Utility" is such a huge category, it could easily be broken down itself. E.g. communication, movement, creation ...

Hm..... that is indeed a good point. I'll try to broaden that category.


You might want to separate summoning spells, too. A summons might be used for any of those categories -- some summoned creatures buff allies, some can heal, many can be used for battlefield control, most or all can provide direct damage, et cetera.

Aren't most summoning spells just "Summon Monster/Summon Nature's Ally", even if the different levels provide different affects? Or are there other spells that provide that sort of thing? Still, Summoning is indeed a category in it's own right.


I would categorize them into:

Direct Damage (Single, shocking grasp)
Area Damage (Fireball)
Offensive Summoning
Defensive Summoning
Healing
SoS, SoL, SoD
Utility Protection Buffs (Feather Fall)
Battle Buffs (Mage Armor, Magic Weapon)
Utility Buffs (Feather Step)
Mobility (Expeditious Retreat)
Utility - Creation
Utility - Other

Single Target and Multitarget Damage doesn't make much of a difference for the person I'm gathering this information for, but I guess I'll make that distinction all the same.

I probably won't differenciate between Offensive and Defensive Summonning, either, unless there are more ways to Summon than just S-Monster and S-Nature's Ally.

Utility seems to be the category that has the most variety in it that I need to break down.


I would assert that "Plot" is another category of spell. It's similar to Utility, but not quite the same.

Care to elaborate with an example or two?


Aka Divination.

Utility-Knowledge (Locate Creature) fit for a good example of that kind of thing?

Thanks for the help so far. Any other comments?

[Dimers]

Aren't most summoning spells just "Summon Monster/Summon Nature's Ally", even if the different levels provide different affects? Or are there other spells that provide that sort of thing?

Book of Exalted Deeds has a few, I bet BoVD does too (because they generally mirror each other), the Spell Compendium has plenty, and then there are edge cases like spiritual weapon and mordenkainen's sword, or longer-term spells like liveoak and shambler, alternative summons such as summon swarm, or psi or warlock abilities that aren't spells, or stuff that probably just belongs in other categories like mount and phantom steed ... yeah, there's a good bit beyond SNA and SM. It's just that a lot of them don't start with the word "summon", especially if they're not primarily meant for combat.

[TurtleKing]

Some other summon type spells are Planar Ally and Gate.

As for movement can break it down from movement enhancers like Fly or Expeditious Retreat on onw side, and have on the other side teleportation such as Teleport, Dimension Door, and Shadow Walk.

[Godskook]

What, exactly, are you defining for Mobility that wouldn't be covered by Defensive Buffs and/or Utility (most likely in the latter)?

Mobility: Benign Transposition, Abrupt Jaunt, Dimension Step, Dimension Hop, Fly, Expeditious Retreat, etc, etc.

The category is broad enough and important enough that despite overlapping with both buffs and utility, it deserves its own section. Much like the distinction between Plane Shift, Finger of Death and Glitterdust deserves a distinction into 3 categories.

[Ravens_cry]

I agree, Benign Transposition by putting the right person in the right place at the right time can totally change the course of an encounter, and the various flavours of long range teleportation can make getting out of Dodge that much easier.

[INoKnowNames]

Book of Exalted Deeds has a few, I bet BoVD does too (because they generally mirror each other), the Spell Compendium has plenty, and then there are edge cases like spiritual weapon and mordenkainen's sword, or longer-term spells like liveoak and shambler, alternative summons such as summon swarm, or psi or warlock abilities that aren't spells, or stuff that probably just belongs in other categories like mount and phantom steed ... yeah, there's a good bit beyond SNA and SM. It's just that a lot of them don't start with the word "summon", especially if they're not primarily meant for combat.

Good Point. Although would one need to make a distinction between various types of summon spells? Most of them summon an NPC (or if you're lucky, a PC Controlled NPC) to assist you, be it offensively or defensively. And that seems like a pretty good descriptor that anyone could understand....

Maybe I should make sure to write down descriptors of what each type of spell does....


Some other summon type spells are Planar Ally and Gate.

As for movement can break it down from movement enhancers like Fly or Expeditious Retreat on onw side, and have on the other side teleportation such as Teleport, Dimension Door, and Shadow Walk.


Mobility: Benign Transposition, Abrupt Jaunt, Dimension Step, Dimension Hop, Fly, Expeditious Retreat, etc, etc.

The category is broad enough and important enough that despite overlapping with both buffs and utility, it deserves its own section. Much like the distinction between Plane Shift, Finger of Death and Glitterdust deserves a distinction into 3 categories.

Hm..... Movement for the sake of your basic movement, either through increased speed or additional types of movement (such as fly, swim, or burrow)... and teleportation, for automatic position changes.....


I agree, Benign Transposition by putting the right person in the right place at the right time can totally change the course of an encounter, and the various flavours of long range teleportation can make getting out of Dodge that much easier.

Would it be worth trying to consider in battle teleportation and out of battle teleportation, as well as transportation and movement changes? Or would just the three (Teleportation, Mobility, and Utility: Transportation) do?

[Dimers]

I think it'd be worthwhile to add a category for "Flex" -- spells which have basically one effect at a time, but can change which effect from casting to casting. E.g. shadow conjuration, some levels of summon nature's ally based on what the creatures can do besides bite things, or gate/plane shift since they can be used for offense or travel.

Why yes, I *am* a cataloger in real life, why do you ask? :smalltongue:

[Siosilvar]

Category µ: Anything not on this list.

[Analytica]

Utility - Mind control (charm, dominate, geas, illusions...)

[INoKnowNames]

I think it'd be worthwhile to add a category for "Flex" -- spells which have basically one effect at a time, but can change which effect from casting to casting. E.g. shadow conjuration, some levels of summon nature's ally based on what the creatures can do besides bite things, or gate/plane shift since they can be used for offense or travel.

Why yes, I *am* a cataloger in real life, why do you ask? :smalltongue:

I had to go look up Shadow Conjuration. I'm surprised I've never even heard of it, despite it being a core spell...

That kind of thing fits into Utility: Other. It's a pretty good example of it, actually.... And I didn't know you could kill someone with a Gate.... I thought you simply created the passage.....

.... Gate totally doesn't work how I -just- imagined it would, does it. Because creating the entire portal, including frame, and dropping it on someone is probably not the offensive use.....


Category µ: Anything not on this list.

Utility: Other. I hope to narrow it down a bit more than that.


Utility - Mind control (charm, dominate, geas, illusions...)

.......

I feel like it speaks quite a bit for the nature of the game that Mind Controlling people is not only a legitimately practiced ability, but an undeniably useful one.

Utility: Persuasion?

[INoKnowNames]

So, is that pretty much all of the types, or can you think of any more that are important enough to warent their own sections that I haven't covered? The "other" section is for things that aren't that specific, but I'd rather ensure everything else was covered for what I need it for.

[Acanous]

then there's spells like Celerity. What the heck do you quantify "I Win" spells like that?

[ericgrau]

I'd do:
battlefield control
multi-SoL/S
single-SoL/S
multi-damage
single-damage
utility
no-save, just suck (my favorite necromancies)
all-dungeon (hour/level,10min/level) buffs
status effect buffs
buff round +X buffs

I'd make everything else subcategories of those. Multi is such a tremendous boost over single that I think they deserve their own category. If I were to rank these the singles would be multiple ranks below the multis. Likewise I split up buffs 3 ways because they fill entirely different niches in regard to what time of day, at what spell level relative to your max spell level you cast them and likewise how good each one is. Utility might be split into rarely used but great when you have it (great for scrolls) and spammed utility, but the border between them is blurry.

[INoKnowNames]

then there's spells like Celerity. What the heck do you quantify "I Win" spells like that?

That's a pretty darn good question.... I'd say to grease them up a bit and shove them into Mobility/Teleportation, considering that you have a lot more freedom to do things when you can take a breath and move/attack/have a full 6 seconds to do whatever, whenever.


I'd do:
battlefield control
multi-SoL/S
single-SoL/S
multi-damage
single-damage
utility
no-save, just suck (my favorite necromancies)
all-dungeon (hour/level,10min/level) buffs
status effect buffs
buff round +X buffs

I'd make everything else subcategories of those. Multi is such a tremendous boost over single that I think they deserve their own category. If I were to rank these the singles would be multiple ranks below the multis. Likewise I split up buffs 3 ways because they fill entirely different niches in regard to what time of day, at what spell level relative to your max spell level you cast them and likewise how good each one is. Utility might be split into rarely used but great when you have it (great for scrolls) and spammed utility, but the border between them is blurry.

It doesn't change too much whether or not the debuffs are single or multitarget, at least for my research. Otherwise, I could appreciate further input on the buffs and utilities, maybe through examples. I'm new with spells.

[Telonius]

There's a lot of non-combat spells that don't fall neatly into any of these.

I'd add an "Infiltration" category. Things like Disguise Self, Nondetection, Glibness (though that could just as well fall into Persuasion), and the like. Basically, stuff that lets you get into a place and play spy.

There's also "Intelligence-Gathering." Lots of divinations, Contact Other Plane, Scrying, Legend Lore, Chain of Eyes. I'd even put some counter-espionage things like Alarm and Guards and Wards here.

I'm not sure where Dispel, Greater Dispel, Disjunction, Assay Resistance, and Antimagic Field/Ray would go. An entire "Debuff" or "Antimagic" category, maybe?

[INoKnowNames]

There's a lot of non-combat spells that don't fall neatly into any of these.

That's probably where I need the most work on, actually. Killing people is easy. Torturing people is easier. It's the situations outside of that where being the most prepared comes in handy.

At least until the Giant Space Kraken from nowhere shows up.


I'd add an "Infiltration" category. Things like Disguise Self, Nondetection, Glibness (though that could just as well fall into Persuasion), and the like. Basically, stuff that lets you get into a place and play spy.

I'll have to think about that... It's valid, but I'm not sure if that overlaps with some of the other ones or not.


There's also "Intelligence-Gathering." Lots of divinations, Contact Other Plane, Scrying, Legend Lore, Chain of Eyes. I'd even put some counter-espionage things like Alarm and Guards and Wards here.

Maybe Communication could be exchanged with Intelligence-Gathering, since no matter who you're talking to you're trying to learn things, even if it's just that the other side knows what you know...


I'm not sure where Dispel, Greater Dispel, Disjunction, Assay Resistance, and Antimagic Field/Ray would go. An entire "Debuff" or "Antimagic" category, maybe?

Why do Debuffs have to make things so complicated....

[JonRG]

Care to elaborate with an example or two?

My guess would be spells like Scrying (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/scrying.htm), Find the Path (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/findThePath.htm), and Speak with X spells. Any divination basically, because the DM can 'hijack' its output to keep the story going in the direction he chooses.