Any spells out of core you recommend for a wizard?

[gooddragon1]

Not necessarily broken spells but things outside of core that can be very helpful or that you find particularly effective or that you find yourself casting all the time?

I would like the name of the spell and where it is located if possible. I have read some of the various wizard guides but I'd like to hear views from the tabletop.

[Psyren]

The stuff in the handbooks is largely what I'd recommend. Stuff like Orbs for damage, Heart of Water to avoid being grappled, Celerity to nova etc.

[Slipperychicken]

Greater Mage Armor (SpC), and the Luminous Armor line from BoED. Improvements on Mage Armor. It's good for your AC.

Ethereal Steed (SpC). Might've got the name wrong, but its basically Mass Phantom Steed. For when you want the whole party flying at 240', but don't want to waste all your 3rd level slots.

Greater Blink, if you ever get tired of interrupting your own spells, but still want to have a 50% miss chance. Superior Invisibility (sorc/wiz 8, SpC) falls into this category too, and resists most of the invisible-spotting tactics like See Invisibility.

Greater Mirror Image.

Greater Plane Shift. Arrive exactly on target, not 5d100 miles away.

Analyze Portal is very situational, so it might be a nice scroll on a plane-hopping game.

Hoard Gullet (level 1, Dragon Magic) is a good low-level alternative to Bag of Holding. Handy for smuggling too.

[eggs]

Outside core, Immediate Actions are almost always the first things I tend to grab. Sometimes just for things like Nerveskitter's init boost, sometimes things like Permeable Form or Greater Mirror Image's panic buttons, occasionally for the gamechangers like Celerity.

But they address a wide field of actions and tactical options left out of the core rules.

Also Assay Resistance. That's a bit of a bread-and-butter prep slot.

[gooddragon1]

Definitely going to look into celerity and the other immediate action magics.

Greater Blink sounds like a really good solution to AC at high levels.

All the orb spells or could I just get away with preparing orb of force? Also how many to prepare is the question?

[eggs]

When Orb of Fire works, it's the best. The problem is that it doesn't always work.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Searing spell or Energy Sub work wonders on Orb of Fire, since the only reason you prefer it over other orbs is the Save or be Dazed rider effect.

[kabreras]

Veil of undeath (SPC) to say goodbye to most anoying debufs arround

[Acathala]

SpC
Bands of Steel - an excellent effect even if target saves.
Defrenestrating Sphere - this has been called the best evocation spell ever. There is little dispute that.
Rust Ray - I find this has a lot of utillity. I
PHBII
Cloud Of Knives - a great spell for mages with a decent sneak attack.
Melf's Unicorn Arrow - Brilliant blasting bull-rushing bullet spell.

[navar100]

Benign Transposition is very handy to get slower party members into the right spot after the faster ones have done their thing. Sometimes you just want to get a party member near death's door away from a bad guy to allow a more healthy party member finish the job.

[Malroth]

Or for having an obese wizard with a backpack full of rocks under the effects of an enlarge person swap places with the hummingbird familliar hovering above the enemies head.....

[gooddragon1]

Benign Transposition is very handy to get slower party members into the right spot after the faster ones have done their thing. Sometimes you just want to get a party member near death's door away from a bad guy to allow a more healthy party member finish the job.

Definitely taking that one. As for the rocks idea I'm not sure the DM would allow it.

[KillianHawkeye]

Bands of Steel - an excellent effect even if target saves.

Note that the Complete Arcane version specifies that the target is held completely helpless on a failed save. A rare Reflex save-or-die spell. I've used it to great effect on enemy wizards.

[Slipperychicken]

Note that the Complete Arcane version specifies that the target is held completely helpless on a failed save. A rare Reflex save-or-die spell. I've used it to great effect on enemy wizards.

Seconded. It's not likely for casters to make DC 18 Strength or Escape Artist checks. Even when you don't CDG the guy immediately, it's massive action-denial.


Anticipate Teleportation (SpC, sorc/wiz 3), and it's Greater version (sorc/wiz 6), is a fine early warning system, alerting you to teleportation around you and giving you time to prepare. 24 hour duration, so you can keep it up all day, erry day. Very good if your DM uses teleport-happy enemies.

Arcane Turmoil (Sorc/Wiz 2, Complete Mage) is a targeted Dispel Magic (no area option), plus a Will save or the target loses one of it's highest-level spells. For one spell level below the actual Dispel Magic, this is an awesome deal.

Although it's SRD, Detect Scrying (Sorc/Wiz4) deserves a mention since it can alert you to Scry&Die attempts, as well as give you a chance to look back at the scry-er. 24 hour duration. Now you know when the BBEG's watching you, so you can make obscene gestures at him, or mess with him by mentioning that one of his minions is working with the party.