Best spells at will?

[Narren]

If you were to roll up a character with 1 spell from each level (0-9) that he/she was able to cast at will, what would you pick? Any complete game-breaking shenanigans in there I'm not seeing yet?

[Wavelab]

Well if you have miracle as your 9th level spell then it basically nullifies all need for the other spells. So that is a pretty good spell to pick.

[Eldan]

Any spell that is extremely versatile. Wish, Miracle, Shades, Shapechange, Gate, Greater Planar Binding and so on. Anything that gives access to other spells works fine.

[Andezzar]

I'd prefer (limited) wish over miracle. The latter requires the OK of a deity for every casting.

[Yora]

This would be spell-like effects, which means no material and XP costs. Also no verbal and somatic components, so you can cast them bound and gaged. You could even cast them while paralyzed or encased in concrete.

I'd say on a scale from 1 to 10 how broken this would be, this would be a 10. Unless the campaign is level 45 or something like that.

Wish, Polymorph any Object, Limited Wish. After that's is mostly toying around.
Maybe Greater Dispel Magic, Overland Flight, Stoneskin, Charm Monster, Invisibility, Endure Elements. And of course prestidigitation. You need to show of without wasting your limited wish.

[Exirtadorri]

Hmmm..........I'd say....

0-detect magic
1-magic missle
2-glitter dust
3-fly
4-black tentacles/charm monster
5-teleport
6-contingency/disintegrate
7-planeshift/ greater teleport
8-maze
9-timestop


I made my decisions on how often you would want to actually be able to react to things without having to take things like wish (really....why even bother, if you need this spell for anything other then a holy crap you're a terrible caster.) the rest of them are just good old fashioned utility spells pretty much, except maze...I love maze...thank you no save

[Narren]

I guess I should supply the other stipulations. Sorry, I don't function when it's early. Wish, Limited Wish, Miracle, and really anything with an XP cost would be out.

Also, access to the spell would be delayed according to level (either wizard or sorcerer spell progression). So no Shapechange at level 1.

The character in question also wouldn't necessarily be a spell caster, but most likely would be.

[Narren]

Does meta magic apply to SLA? I've never been a stickler for RAW, but I'm still curious.

[nedz]

0 Ghost Sound
1 Silent Image
2 Invisibility
3 Major Image
4 Shadow Conjuration
5 Shadow Evocation
6 Shadow Walk
7 Shadow Conjuration, Greater
8 Shadow Evocation, Greater
9 Shades

Some duplication here, but it assumes you start at level 1
All Core too!

[nedz]

Does meta magic apply to SLA? I've never been a stickler for RAW, but I'm still curious.

No, but there are equivalent feats for most of them.
See CArc p71-72
(several of them are in MM1)

[jmelesky]

4 Shadow Conjuration
5 Shadow Evocation
...
7 Shadow Conjuration, Greater
8 Shadow Evocation, Greater
9 Shades


This. The caster in question has access, at-will, to all Conjuration spells 1st-8th level, and all Evocation spells 1st-7th level.

Heck, even just vanilla Shadow Conjuration, at-will, would be potentially game-breaking.

[nedz]

Well, not quite all. No teleport - hence No.6

[rweird]

Hmmm,

Wish
Greater Planar Binding
Limited Wish
Surge of Fortune
Lesser Planar Binding
Solid Fog
Haste
Mirror Image
Color Spray
Presigatation

Low levels, color spray everything, presigatation for mundane stuff, when you get mirror image, always have it active, now you have better survivability, spam haste when you get it making your party more effective. Solid fog to victory until planar binding lesser and fight from astral projection. Once you get Surge of Fortune, you can bind so much and not worry about low rolls (because SLAs are based on CHA, you'll have high of it anyways). Once you get limited wish, your pretty much a caster. Getting greater planar binding allows you to force pit fiends into service on a regular basis, as well as effreti for wishes. Remember that you can summon spellcasting outsiders for high level spells. Once you have wish, you can get infinite money magic items, and unlimited 15th level wizard casting.

[Spuddles]

This would be spell-like effects, which means no material and XP costs. Also no verbal and somatic components, so you can cast them bound and gaged. You could even cast them while paralyzed or encased in concrete.

I'd say on a scale from 1 to 10 how broken this would be, this would be a 10. Unless the campaign is level 45 or something like that.

Wish, Polymorph any Object, Limited Wish. After that's is mostly toying around.
Maybe Greater Dispel Magic, Overland Flight, Stoneskin, Charm Monster, Invisibility, Endure Elements. And of course prestidigitation. You need to show of without wasting your limited wish.

Who said anything about spell like? It's a spell at will, not a Sp at will. Spells require components.


Still pretty breakable. Divine power, superior invisibility, disintegrate would all be pretty damn sweet. So would shapechange, time stop (oh god time stop), and anything that gives you a bitchin ability but has a very limited duration.

[Slipperychicken]

So would shapechange, time stop (oh god time stop)

Timestop -> Ready action to re-cast Time Stop after it expires -> infinite turns.

[nedz]

Timestop -> Ready action to re-cast Time Stop after it expires -> infinite turns.

Yep, now you just need to be able to cast an infinite number of spells to exploit this, ...

[Spuddles]

Yep, now you just need to be able to cast an infinite number of spells to exploit this, ...

Cast delayed blast fireballs until you die of old age....

[ShneekeyTheLost]

oth: Prestidigitation

1st: Lesser Vigor. If it's restricted to wiz/sorc, then either Summon Monster (for unlimited disposable minions to trigger traps, open chests and doors, and in general, sacrifice themselves for my gain) or Unseen Servant (see above).

2nd: Rope Trick, hands down.

3rd: Explosive Runes. If you haven't heard of the phrase 'runebomb', now's the time to look it up.

4th: Greater Mirror Image.

5th: Fabricate.

6th: Greater Dispel Magic

7th: Greater Teleport

8th: Polymorph Any Object

8th: Gate.

Combos and tricks:

Make a book (Fabricate). Fill it with Explosive Runes. Toss into opponents, and willingly fail your Greater Dispel Magic caster level check. Big kaboom.

Polymorph Any Object + Fabricate: I have anything non-magical I ever wanted. Yes, even that.

I don't think I need to go into Gate shenanigans...

[Spuddles]

You cannot willingly fail a dispel check.

[Slipperychicken]

Cast delayed blast fireballs until you die of old age....

Guy might be immune to fire. Summon a f***ton of creatures with ranged attacks and/or spellcasting. Make ALL THE ATTACK ROLLS.

Time Stop time doesn't appear to age you, by RAI at least. It just makes you move really fast. Whenever, for some bizarre reason, you can't just teleport where you want to go, do your traveling in Time Stop.

Sleight of Hand works in Time Stop... that has some creepy implications if you have a high enough SoH check. Regardless, you can rob everyone blind.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

You cannot willingly fail a dispel check.

Yes you can. It's a caster level check, which you can willingly fail.

[Piggy Knowles]

My own...

This is assuming these are being cast as spells at will, meaning normal casting times, XP, components, etc. I'm also not trying to do things like break the economy, but rather thinking about spells I would use many times in a day in a typical campaign.

0- Detect Magic
1- Color Spray
2- Wings of Cover
3- Permeable Form
4- Summon Undead IV
5- Wall of Thorns
6- Greater Dispel Magic
7- Greater Teleport
8- Polymorph Any Object
9- Time Stop

These are specifically chosen with the idea of spells I might want to spam in mind, since why pick something that you'll only want to cast once or twice in a day?

Color Spray is both offense and a nice "I'm surrounded" option. Wings of Cover is a great defensive option. Permeable Form is yet another immediate action that can save my butt or get me in and out of places most wouldn't consider. Summon Undead IV lets me spam critters, including the dreaded allip. Wall of Thorns is shape-able BFC. Greater Dispel is well worth spamming, as a debuff or otherwise. Greater Teleport means at-will tactical movement as well as utility. PaO is a wonderful multi-threat spell, acting as utility, crazy powerful buff, or SoD. Time Stop is probably the single most inherently spammable spell I can think of.

[TuggyNE]

Sleight of Hand works in Time Stop... that has some creepy implications if you have a high enough SoH check. Regardless, you can rob everyone blind.

Are you sure?
You cannot move or harm items held, carried, or worn by a creature stuck in normal time, but you can affect any item that is not in another creature’s possession. This appears to contradict that.

[Spuddles]

Guy might be immune to fire. Summon a f***ton of creatures with ranged attacks and/or spellcasting. Make ALL THE ATTACK ROLLS.

Time Stop time doesn't appear to age you, by RAI at least. It just makes you move really fast. Whenever, for some bizarre reason, you can't just teleport where you want to go, do your traveling in Time Stop.

Sleight of Hand works in Time Stop... that has some creepy implications if you have a high enough SoH check. Regardless, you can rob everyone blind.

Guy? I'm talking about firebombing the multiverse. Enough damage to reduce the first 20 feet of everything to a fine ash.


Yes you can. It's a caster level check, which you can willingly fail.

There aren't any rules for purposefully failing a caster level check.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

There aren't any rules for purposefully failing a caster level check.There also aren't any rules for breathing or taking a dump either. However, the precedent is there with the ability to willingly fail a saving throw.

If you still argue against it, then instead of Greater Dispel, just grab Dispel and you can't help but fail when your CL is capped at +10 for the dispel attempt and the DC is 11+actual CL, with a CL of 20, DC is 31, and rolling a natural 20 nets you only a 30.

Either way, you have a big ol' bomb, sufficient to crater small nations.

As far as firebombing, PhB II has you covered with Searing Spell. Even if you are immune to damage, you still take half damage.

[lsfreak]

There also aren't any rules for breathing or taking a dump either. However, the precedent is there with the ability to willingly fail a saving throw.

I think the fact that saving throws are called out, but nothing else is, means to many (including me) that you cannot willingly fail other things. However, you can always choose to cast something at the lowest caster level needed to cast the spell, in which case CL5 dispel magic or CR3 arcane turmoil will almost certain succeed at higher levels.

[rweird]

A spell that affects an area and has a duration longer than the remaining duration of the time stop have their normal effects on other creatures once the time stop ends. Most spellcasters use the additional time to improve their defenses, summon allies, or flee from combat.

Only the last few time stop's DBF would have any effect.

[only1doug]

Only the last few time stop's DBF would have any effect.

Nope, the DBFs are only counting down during the time stop they are cast in, the next time stop cast ceases the countdown on the previous DBFs.

[Talionis]

Body outside Body Spell (7th Level Wu Jen Spell)

Basically you make a ton of yourself. Of course they are identical copies except they have less hit points and can't cast spells. They can use spell like abilities though, which made me think of your request.

The sheer action economy gained from this is fairly game breaking. Add whatever awesome spell you want from another level because now you can do it infinite times...

[Era_Scarecrow]

This may not be a list of spells, but an option to get quite a few more for free, it needs to satisfy the following criteria.


Using pathfinder (Favored class)
Using advanced player handbook (alternate favored class options)
Human


The alternate favored class option, is that you can choose to learn another spell (one level lower than your Max)that you can cast (Instead of 1hp or 1 skill point). So when you get to 9th level spells, you'll have an extra 18 spells known. True 3 of them are 0 level, but that can't hurt either right?

[ShriekingDrake]

Interesting academic question...

I would certainly say the fourth level slot goes to Friendly Fire.