What spells saved your clerical bacon?

[GilesTheCleric]

I enjoy my cleric, especially because I get infinity spells to pick from. Right now I'm trying to pare down my spreadsheet of spells, just keeping those that I've found functionally (rather than theoretically) useful. I'm down to ~450 spells from ~1050, but a lot of these spells will still never see a slot.

So, which spells have saved your bacon in play?

I know I've used Close Wounds to great effect far too many times, but it's things like Meld with Stone that I like to have that have really made the biggest life-savers. When you're in a demi-plane in Baator where the (stone) walls are crumbling into an endless vaccuum, and the hallways reshape themselves at will to make you run in loops at the edge of the vacuum, nothing saved my party's hides in the way that MwS did.

Here's my personal list of life-savers/combat winners*.

Low-level mainstays

0: Detect Magic (never gets old)

1: Ebon Eyes
Protection from (Evil)

2: Bear's Endurance
Close Wounds
Divine Insight
Find Traps
Iron Silence
Shield Other
Spell Immunity, Lesser
Tyche's Touch

3: Bestow Curse
Blindsight
Daylight
Deeper Darkness
Dispel Magic (the second-best spell in the game)
Heart's Ease
Invisibility Purge
Know Opponent
Magic Circle (Evil)
Resurgence, Mass
Safety
Water Breathing (wish I had this one when I needed it!)

4: Delay Death
Dimensional Anchor (I've cast this spell more than any other. So good!)
Divine Power
Freedom of Movement
Healing Surf
Lower Spell Resistance
Panacea
Restoration
Spell Immunity
Spell Vulnerability
Watchful Ancestors


High-level safety

5: Blindsight, Greater
Dispel Evil
Energetic Healing
Life's Grace
Plane Shift (Never leave home without it)
Revivify
Righteous Might
True Seeing
Vulnerability
Wall of Dispel Magic
Zone of Revelation

6: Bear's Endurance, Mass
Dispel Magic, Greater (best spell in the game)
Forbiddance
Glimpse of the Prophesy
Ice Rift
Quickshift
Spellmantle
Stone Body
Word of Recall

7: Bastion of Good
Bestow Curse, Greater
Ethereal Jaunt
Fortunate Fate
Restoration, Greater
Shield of the Archons
Spell Resistance, Mass

8: Death Ward, Mass
Dimensional Lock
Flashflood
Illusion Purge
Restoration, Mass
Spell Immunity, Greater (perfect for GDM!)
Wall of Greater Dispel Magic

9: Etherealness
Gate
Miracle
Summon Elemental Monolith


My personal all-round spell list

1-4
0: Detect Magic
No Light
Summon Holy Symbol
Amanuensis

1: Blessed Aim
Blood Wind
Detect Fire
Ebon Eyes
Faith Healing
Ice Slick
Protection from Evil
Resurgence
Sign
Spell Flower
Wieldskill

2: Animalistic Power
Augury
Bear's Endurance
Close Wounds
Dark Way
Divine Insight
Find Traps
Iron Silence
Owl's Wisdom
Restoration, Lesser
Shared Healing
Shield Other
Silence
Turn Anathema
Tyche's Touch

3: Bestow Curse
Blindsight
Circle Dance
Daylight
Deeper Darkness
Dispel Magic
Heart's Ease
Invisibility Purge
Know Opponent
Locate Object
Mace of Odo
Magic Circle against Evil
Redirect Spell
Resurgence, Mass
Safety
Shivering Touch
Venomfire
Vigor, Mass Lesser
Wind Wall

4: Delay Death
Dimensional Anchor
Divination
Divine Power
Freedom of Movement
Healing Surf
Lower Spell Resistance
Panacea
Restoration
Spell Immunity
Spell Vulnerability
Stars of Mystra
Stifle Spell
Watchful Ancestors


5-9
5: Blindsight, Greater
Commune
Break Enchantment
Crawling Darkness
Dispel Evil
Divine Agility
Earth Reaver
Energetic Healing
Life's Grace
Plane Shift
Resonating Resistance
Revivify
Righteous Might
Righteous Wrath of the Faithful
Scrying
Streamers
True Seeing
Vulnerability
Wall of Dispel Magic
Wall of Magma
Zone of Revelation

6: Azuth's Exalted Triad
Bear's Endurance, Mass
Dispel Magic, Greater
Find the Path
Glimpse of the Prophesy
Ice Rift
Quick Shift
Spellmantle
Stone Body
Word of Recall

7: Bastion of Good
Bestow Curse, Greater
Ethereal Jaunt
Fortunate Fate
Heaven's Trumpet
Plane Shift, Greater
Restoration, Greater
Scrying, Greater
Shield of the Archons
Slime Wave
Spell Resistance, Mass

8: Chaos Shuffle
Death Ward, Mass
Dimensional Lock
Discern Location
Flashflood
Heat Drain
Illusion Purge
Restoration, Mass
Spell Immunity, Greater
Wall of Greater Dispel Magic

9: End to Strife
Etherealness
Gate
Heal, Mass
Miracle
Soul Bind
Summon Elemental Monolith
Summon Monster IX

Big list 'o spells (~450 best of the 1180 cleric spells)
0: Amanuensis
Create Water
Detect Magic
Light
No Light
Purify Food and Drink
Summon Holy Symbol

1: Blessed Aim
Blood Wind
Comprehend Languages
Conviction
Detect Fire
Divine Favor
Ebon Eyes
Eyes of the Avoral
Faith Healing
Healer's Vision
Ice Slick
Know Protections
Obscuring Mist
Protection from Evil
Ray of Hope
Ray of Resurgence
Remove Fear
Resurgence
Rosemantle
Scholar's Touch
Segojan's Armor
Shield of Faith
Shivering Touch, Lesser
Sign
Spell Flower
Spider Hand
Summon Monster I
Unity Wine
Updraft
Vigor, Lesser
Vision of Glory
Vision of Heaven
Wieldskill

2: Adept Spirit
Align Weapon
Animalistic Power
Augury
Avoid Planar Effects
Bear's Endurance
Brambles
Bull's Strength
Close Wounds
Conjure Ice Beast II
Consecrate
Cure Moderate Wounds
Dark Way
Darkness
Divine Insight
Eagle's Splendor
Elation
Estanna's Stew
Find Traps
Freedom of Breath
Fuse Arms
Gentle Repose
Ghost Touch Armor
Guidance of the Avatar
Hand of Divinity
Healing Lorecall
Iron Silence
Living Undeath
Lore of the Gods
Magic Weapon, Legion's
Major Resistance
Make Whole
Owl's Wisdom
Remove Paralysis
Resist Energy
Restoration, Lesser
Rigor Mortis
Sense Weakness
Shared Healing
Shatter
Shield Other
Shroud of Undeath
Silence
Sound Burst
Spell Immunity, Lesser
Spider Legs
Status
Summon Elysian Thrush
Summon Monster II
Turn Anathema
Tyche's Touch
Undetectable Alignment
Unseen Crafter
Veil of Shadow
Zone of Truth

3: Align Weapon, Mass
Antidragon Aura
Attune Form
Augment Object
Aura of Cold, Lesser
Battlemagic Perception
Bestow Curse
Bladebane
Blessed Sight
Blindness/Deafness
Blindsight
Bridge of Sound
Chain of Eyes
Circle Dance
Circle of Nausea
Conjure Ice Beast III
Continual Flame
Control Sand
Control Snow and Ice
Conviction, Mass
Corona of Cold
Create Food and Water
Cure Serious Wounds
Curse of the Brute
Darkfire
Daylight
Deeper Darkness
Demon Dirge
Dispel Magic
Downdraft
Energized Shield
Girallon's Blessing
Haboob
Heart's Ease
Humanoid Essence, Lesser
Ice Axe
Ice Shape
Interplanar Message
Invisibility Purge
Invoke the Cerulean Sign
Irian's Light
Knight's Move
Know Bloodline
Know Opponent
Locate Object
Mace of Odo
Magic Circle against Evil
Magic Vestment
Mantle of Good
Meld into Ice
Meld into Stone
Misrepresent Alignment
Obscure Object
Planar Familiar
Protection from Energy
Protection from Negative Energy
Redirect Spell
Refreshment
Remove Blindness/Deafness
Remove Curse
Remove Disease
Remove Nausea
Resist Energy, Mass
Resurgence, Mass
Revelation
Rockburst
Safety
Sheltered Vitality
Shield of Warding
Shivering Touch
Skull Watch
Sonorous Hum
Soul of the Waste
Spark of Life
Speak with Dead
Spikes
Sticks And Stones
Stone Shape
Summon Monster III
Sweet Water
Tremor
Understand Device
Venomfire
Vigor
Vigor, Mass Lesser
Visage of the Deity, Lesser
Vision of the Omniscient Eye
Water Breathing
Water Walk
Weapon of Impact
Wind Wall

4: Air Walk
Assay Spell Resistance
Astral Hospice
Battlefield Illumination
Blood of the Martyr
Celestial Brilliance
Conjure Ice Beast IV
Contingent Energy Resistance
Control Water
Create Spirit Idol
Cure Critical Wounds
Death Ward
Delay Death
Dimensional Anchor
Discern Lies
Dismissal
Divination
Divine Power
Divine Storm
Dust to Dust
Embrace of Endless Day
Freedom of Movement
Freeze Armor
Ghost Touch Weapon
Glacial Globe of Invulnerability
Hand of the Faithful
Harrier
Healing Surf
Holy Transformation, Lesser
Imbue with Spell Ability
Know Vulnerabilities
Life Ward
Lower Spell Resistance
Magic Weapon, Greater
Moon Bolt
Mystic Aegis
Nature's Rampart
Nchaser's Glowing Orb
Neutralize Poison
Panacea
Planar Ally, Lesser
Planar Exchange, Lesser
Planar Tolerance
Poison
Positive Energy Aura
Pronouncement Of Fate
Recitation
Remove Fatigue
Resistance, Greater
Restoration
Resurgence, Mass
Revenance
Runic Marker
Sending
Shield of Faith, Legion's
Skull of Secrets
Sound Lance
Spell Immunity
Spell Vulnerability
Stars Of Mystra
Status, Greater
Stifle Spell
Stone Metamorphosis
Stop Heart
Summon Hound Archon
Summon Monster IV
Sustain
Sword of Conscience
Tongues
Tree Healing, Lesser
Venom Bolt
Wall of Good
Wall of Salt
Watchful Ancestors

5: Atonement
Battletide
Bear's Heart
Bewildering Mischance
Blindsight, Greater
Blistering Radiance
Break Enchantment
Call Zelekhut
Commune
Conjure Ice Beast V
Crawling Darkness
Crown of Courage
Crown of Flame
Cure Light Wounds, Mass
Dispel Evil
Disrupting Weapon
Divine Agility
Doomtide
Earth Hammer
Earth Reaver
Energetic Healing
False Sending
Flame Strike
Fracturing Blow
Frostbite 2
Ghost Storm
Hallow
Hibernal Healing
Hibernate
Incarnation of Evil
Insect Plague
Life's Grace
Mirror Walking
Monstrous Regeneration
Necrotic Skull Bomb
Opalescent Glare
Orb of Dancing Death
Pacification
Parboil
Pass through Ice
Plane Shift
Raise Dead
Resonating Resistance
Revivify
Righteous Might
Righteous Wrath of the Faithful
Sacred Guardian
Scry Trap
Scrying
Slay Living
Soul Scour
Spell Phylactery
Spell Resistance
Stalwart Pact
Status, Greater
Stone Shape, Greater
Stonefire
Streamers
Subvert Planar Essence
Summon Bralani Eladrin
Summon Monster V
Superior Resistance
Symbol Of Spell Loss
Telepathic Aura
Telepathy Block
Triadspell
True Seeing
Undying Aura
Vigor, Greater
Vulnerability
Wall of Dispel Magic
Wall of Magma
Wall of Ooze
Wall of Stone
Zone of Respite
Zone of Revelation

6: Algid Enhancement
Antilife Shell
Azuth's Exalted Triad
Banishment
Bear's Endurance, Mass
Blade Barrier
Bull's Strength, Mass
Call Faithful Servants
Chasing Perfection
Conjure Ice Beast VI
Consecrate Battlefield
Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass
Dispel Magic, Greater
Eagle's Splendor, Mass
Energy Immunity
Find the Path
Forbiddance
Geas/Quest
Glimpse Of The Prophecy
Heal
Heroes' Feast
Hide the Path
Ice Flowers
Ice Rift
Magic Weapon, Greater Legion's
Mantle of the Icy Soul
Mummify
Owl's Wisdom, Mass
Planar Ally
Planar Exchange
Quickshift
Resistance, Superior
Revive Outsider
Seal Portal
Secure Corpse
Spellmantle
Stone Body
Stone Metamorphosis, Greater
Stone Walk
Summon Babau Demon
Summon Monster VI
Sun Scepter
Touch of Adamantine
Vigorous Circle
Visage of The Deity
Wind Walk
Word of Recall

7: Bastion of Good
Bestow Curse, Greater
Blood to Water
Brain Spider
Brilliant Blade
Call Kolyarut
Conjure Ice Beast VII
Cure Serious Wounds, Mass
Destruction
Ethereal Jaunt
Fey Ring
Fortunate Fate
Heaven's Trumpet
Holy Transformation
Holy Word
Mark of the Unfaithful
Minor Servitor
Nar Fiendbond
Pact of Return
Planar Bubble
Plane Shift, Greater
Refuge
Regenerate
Renewal Pact
Restoration, Greater
Resurrection
Righteous Smite
Scrying, Greater
Shield of the Archons
Slime Wave
Spell Resistance, Mass
Summon Aspect Of Bahamut
Summon Monster VII
Symbol of Stunning
Tomb of Light
Withering Palm

8: Antimagic Field
Axiomatic Creature
Brilliant Aura
Chain Dispel
Conjure Ice Beast VIII
Cure Critical Wounds, Mass
Death Ward, Mass
Dimensional Lock
Discern Location
Earthquake
Embrace the Dark Chaos
Fire Storm
Flashflood
Heat Drain
Holy Aura
Illusion Purge
Last Judgment
Planar Ally, Greater
Planar Exchange, Greater
Restoration, Mass
Shun the Dark Chaos
Spell Immunity, Greater
Spread of Contentment
Stormrage
Summon Giants
Summon Monster VIII
Symbol of Death
Wall of Greater Dispel Magic

9: Anathema
Astral Projection
Awaken Construct
Call Marut
Conjure Ice Beast IX
End to Strife
Energy Drain
Etherealness
Feast of Champions
Fimbulwinter
Gate
Heal, Mass
Heavenly Host
Implosion
Incarnate Construct
Mantle of the Fiery Spirit
Miracle
Soul Bind
Storm of Vengeance
Sublime Revelry
Summon Elemental Monolith
Summon Monster IX
True Resurrection
Undeath's Eternal Foe
Visage of the Deity, Greater


*some of these may be at the wrong level, because I've just migrated to a new spell list that I didn't write myself.

[ArcturusV]

Needs more divination on that list. Heck. Augury alone has saved my clerical bacon, and that of my party, far, far, faaaaaar more often than Remove Curse.

"A stitch in time saves nine".

Divination it up. :smallbiggrin:

[GilesTheCleric]

Man, I totally forgot to add those! I usually only use Divination/Scry/etc on non-combat days, sometimes Scry on combat days. Divination is definitely the best school of spells! ^^

After Dimensional Anchor, the spells I've cast the most are probably Divination, and then Greater/Scrying. Maybe Bear's Endurance.

[Limited Gish]

I always found Wall of Stone useful. Utility, defensive, offensive if done right, and almost always entertaining. I mean, sure it's not the most optimal spell, but it's fun to thwart your DMs plans with a wall.

[Barsoom]

If you don't have the kind of DM who believes in level appropriate encounters always, I suggest not leaving home without Obscuring Mist prepared. Best low-level "run away!" spell.

[Der_DWSage]

Much like Durkon pointed out at one point, if you're a Cleric on a boat then your spell list is likely to change. Spells that only rarely come up are suddenly your best friends and/or your paranoia soothers-things like Walk on Water and Water Breathing. And if a fire breaks out on board? You're everyone's best friend if you have a quick Create Water on hand.

Context-sensitive? Definitely. But did having 3 castings of Create Water save my bacon during a campaign where invaders were trying to destroy the ship? Oooooh yes.

[GilesTheCleric]

Create Water is so great. I'm impressed at your forethought to prepare them while you were on a boat.

That spell saved my conscience - after having just fought ~12 undead giants while leaving a desert, our party noticed some suspicious-looking baddies fleeing through a forest. Their solution? Burn down the forest. I guess they were done with fighting giants or something. Typical behaviour for non-clerics, I've noticed.

The giants had ambushed us at a house we had spotted that was at the desert's border, so I, ever the LG, thought that the runners might have been the residents, not necessarily necromancers. So, I tell my party to stop setting alight to the forest, and manage enough gallons of Create Water to stop the whole forest from burning down. As soon as I turn to go on my way to the next town, they set fire to it *again*. What I learned: always have more Create Water than your party does torches.

[ArcturusV]

Or in the theme of Divination: Use Detect _____ alignments during the application process of forming an adventurer company. :smallwink:

[Der_DWSage]

Create Water is so great. I'm impressed at your forethought to prepare them while you were on a boat

To be fair, it was a core-only campaign...and what else am I going to do with 0th level slots? One casting of Detect Magic seemed like enough for the typical not-quite-adventuring day.

[XionUnborn01]

Due to its usefulness, I've grown extremely fond of Updraft (SC). It's a swift action to launch you into the air so it makes for a really good convincer if your party's never seen you cast a spell before and you use it to launch yourself out of a hole and throw a club at someone. They're hard pressed to argue that you're the Greatest Holyman Ever (tm).

[navar100]

Bless

Every +1 matters. I've long since lost count how many times party members have hit the bad guys because I had cast Bless. I know it's due to Bless because as is typical players forget to add the +1. The DM says they missed. I remind them about the +1. The DM says they hit.

[Tar Palantir]

Revenance combines really well with Revivify. You have a round per level to get to them instead of just a round, and it doesn't matter if they drop dead at the end if you're waiting with Revivify.

[dantiesilva]

Oddly enough Fire shield has saved my life fro a maze full of plants trying to eat me. They burnt up when they got to close.

[nedz]

Bless

Every +1 matters. I've long since lost count how many times party members have hit the bad guys because I had cast Bless. I know it's due to Bless because as is typical players forget to add the +1. The DM says they missed. I remind them about the +1. The DM says they hit.

Doesn't stack with Bardic Music, or several other buffs. I guess it depends upon your party.

Also Action-Economy: Why cast Bless when you can cast Prayer or Recitation instead ?

[tiercel]

Not clerical, but my Spirit Shaman (Druid casting) found SpC's cloudburst really, really handy—it's pretty much the ultimate in "oh crap we set the entire forest/city block on fire" spell, besides setting up call lightning or any other spell that benefits from stormy conditions, never mind its own direct tactical effects.

All too well known but lesser vigor is crazy-good, given that real healing takes place in downtime anyway and LV gives you more bang for your buck than cure light wounds.

Resurgence (SpC) is so good that anyone who can use a wand of it should have one at some point—the ability to give a second chance against a particularly nasty spell/effect is just too handy to not have. (The mass version is also really useful to know, since it obviously hits multiple targets and doesn't require Touch.)

Healthful rest (SpC) is actually pretty handy if the whole party has been hammered with ability damage, given that it can work together with the Heal skill (and even summon Elysian thrush) in enhancing natural healing. (Easier than spamming lesser restoration if you have the downtime.)

Healing lorecall (SpC) makes having ranks in Heal actually worthwhile, since it lets you use regular healing spells to remove at least some status effects without having to resort to panacea or heal.

Mass conviction (SpC) is just tasty if your party ever needs to make saving throws, given that as a morale bonus it stacks with your cloaks/vests/whatever of resistance.

More generally - especially if you have access to SpC and other sources - the more advanced your knowledge (divination spells, Knowledge/bardic knowledge/Gather Info checks), the more specific counters you can prepare, if you know you are facing undead, or dragons, or sneak attackers, or whatever.


Doesn't stack with Bardic Music, or several other buffs. I guess it depends upon your party.

Also Action-Economy: Why cast Bless when you can cast Prayer or Recitation instead ?

A lot of parties don't have a bard. Obviously you have to watch for bonus-stacking generally... but bless is good when you don't yet have prayer, or when you do have 3rd level spells but you want to only toss a minor but useful group buff for a significant but not taxing fight... or when you would really rather have mass lesser vigor or mass resist energy or magic circle against evil or even summon monster III or searing light or bestow curse in that slot instead.

Sure, if you're a high level cleric and 3rd level slots aren't all that precious then you'd really rather toss prayer than bless even if you don't have morale-bonus-stacking issues (assuming you don't already have luck-bonus-stacking issues), but when a 3rd level spell is still a significant use of your power, bless accomplishes a decent fraction of what prayer does for much less opportunity cost. (Assuming no bard.)

[Raimun]

Divine Insight: +[Caster lvl, max. 10] to a skill of your choice, effective for one check. I always prepared more than one.

Energy Resistance: Duh. Goes for double for the ", Mass"-version.

Surge of Fortune: +2 to pretty much everything for CL/Rounds... and end the spell to automatically roll 20 for the next roll.

Fly: Travel Domain only. Again, duh.

Triad spell: Prepare a spell of 3rd level or lower 3 times per day but only use one slot. Perfect for good Domain spells, such as Fly.

Spell Vulnerability: Rip that annoying SR away.

[ahenobarbi]

Vigor. Around after enemy dropped me to negatives I was up and able to cast a spell that won the encounter (which dealt 1 hp damage and I was dying again but it wasn't a problem because vigor was still up).

Obscuring mist. When I did something stupid in center of a city and had to leave.

[Acanous]

Seconding Wall of Stone.
Use it offensively to Entomb something. There's a REF save involved, but it's still amazing.
Once used WoS to entomb a homebrewed ancient demon thing. Followed up with playing a Lyre of Building so he couldn't break free.
DM was going to have him Teleport out, but mouth forced closed and could not gesture for somatic components.

My homebrew demons are going to come with D. Door instead >.>
We proceeded to CDG it to death through a hole I left over it's spine, between the 3rd and 4th vertibrae.

[Gwendol]

Summon Monster X. Especially once you get to summon guardinals: musteval is the first I believe.
Silence
Shatter
And obscuring mist. Never leave home without it.

[navar100]

Doesn't stack with Bardic Music, or several other buffs. I guess it depends upon your party.



Bless is morale. Bardic music is competence. They stack. Bardic music to saving throw vs fear is morale and doesn't stack.


Also Action-Economy: Why cast Bless when you can cast Prayer or Recitation instead ?

I may be lower than 5th level, and when I do reach 5th and later 7th level I have better uses for 3rd and 4th level spells, such as Dispel Magic and Blessing of Fervor.

[nedz]

Bless is morale. Bardic music is competence. They stack. Bardic music to saving throw vs fear is morale and doesn't stack.



Inspire Courage (Su)

A bard with 3 or more ranks in a Perform skill can use song or poetics to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the bard sing. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 8th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1 (+2 at 8th, +3 at 14th, and +4 at 20th). Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability.

This looks like a morale bonus to me.

[Toliudar]

Make Whole, combined with some craft skills, fixed a broken mcguffin device, saving us from an entire side quest.

Protection from Evil, for when the barbarian gets mind controlled. Again. I also used it to literally walk through a mass of summoned swarms.

I have used Stone Shape so often, to create barriers, openings, makeshift handcuffs, arrow slits, etc. Unless I know we're heading to an area without stone, I always memorize this.

Locate Object is reasonably low-level, multi-purpose and with enough range that it actually has applications. I've used it to zero in on opponents who have gone invisible or dimension doored away, by trying to locate their hat etc. Great utility.

[navar100]

This looks like a morale bonus to me.

My error of miscommunication. It's a competence bonus in Pathfinder. I default to Pathfinder thinking now when discussing D&D, often without even realizing it.