Low Level Spells for a Life of Comfort

[Seerow]

My group's about to come back around to playing a campaign we switched away from a few months back. In that campaign, I was playing a wizard who has a taste for the finer things in life. I regularly would throw away gold for random luxury items when we had a chance to stop and shop, would generally have a couple of unseen servants up and around, etc. Even picked up the landlord feat to make a fancy estate house.

So now we're coming back, I've got a decent chunk of change leftover from the end of our last adventure that I don't mind throwing away (other characters in the group include a Fighter, a Scout, and a Bard, I have no problem wasting my loot and still being useful). So I'm looking to put my Craft Staff feat to use and make a custom staff and/or runestaff with various spells that aren't necessarily useful in combat, but give great convenience in day to day life.

Here's the catch: It's an E6 campaign (The Craft Staff feat was modified to be take-able at level 6, and staves have a minimum caster level of 3 instead of 8). So I'm looking at spells no higher than 3rd level. Anybody have some suggestions?

[rmnimoc]

Obviously you want least wish (presdigitation). No matter what else you get, that is totally the greatest spell ever and you must have it.

[Phelix-Mu]

Prestidigitation can make stuff taste like wine. Always nice for the psychological effect, if not the buzz. It also does like a billion other useful things.

Shrink item is very useful, though I'm not sure CL will be very agreeable early on. Carry a couch around in your pocket. Bring a roaring fire with you everywhere...no need to spend time scrounging for firewood and lighting it with *gasp* flint and steel.

Any of the Leomund's things are generally nice, though I think e6 will only get you the most basic versions.

Unseen servant, of course. It can hold your tray, refill your goblet, fan you with a palm leaf, etc.

[Seerow]

Yeah E6 only gets Leomund's Tiny Hut that I'm aware of. All right for a night out camping (better than a tent), but not something he'd use in his day to day life.


Though I suppose "Travel in comfort" could be a separate staff to get. Grab Tiny Hut, Mount, Endure Elements, Lively Step, maybe even Find the Path (with UMD).

I like the Shrink Item idea. CL6 gets a 12 cubic foot item, which may not get a couch but can definitely get a pretty comfortable chair and such.


Also Prestidigitation is always a great spell. It keeps you clean, it makes your food taste great. It's so great that the first thing he made was an item to give prestidigitation at will. So no need to put that into a staff.

[Drachasor]

Prestidigitation is no replacement for gourmet food though (texture and other factors are at least as important as taste).

Gourmet food is rather difficult with magic though. At least as far as I know. Kind of odd that way. I can't think of any ways to handle this off-hand.

There are items to keep fresh ingredients. But not a lot of ways to automate preparation and creation of those ingredients. A construct of the right sort (like a dedicated wright if your DM allows crafting to cover food*). But getting those ingredients easily is still non-trivial.

*My DM is lame and doesn't. Despite Craft(food) making a lot of sense.

[Phelix-Mu]

*My DM is lame and doesn't. Despite Craft(food) making a lot of sense.

One of my more role play-oriented characters once had a psion that specialized in Craft(cuisine). I made up special rules that allowed him to use exotic/quasi-magical ingredients to achieve special effects when combined according to rare recipes. Was a blast to role play.

Probably the best way to have gourmet food around is to preserve it. Gentle repose might work on meat, or maybe if you stored it in an airless container (not impossible). I'm certainly coming up empty in terms of low-level spells that create fine cuisine.

[Tommy2255]

*My DM is lame and doesn't. Despite Craft(food) making a lot of sense.

Surely that's covered by Profession (Gourmet Chef).

[AttilaTheGeek]

I'd just go with Fly. Nothing says "I'm a Wizard!" like never touching the ground.

You may also be interested in Seek Thoughts, Tongues, Locate Object, Make Whole, Alter/Disguise Self, and Expeditious Retreat.

[Drachasor]

Surely that's covered by Profession (Gourmet Chef).

Sure, Profession(Chef) probably covers cooking. It also covers running a kitchen and so forth. As an adventurer I don't really care about that, and besides my guy has a +5 Int mod verses a +0 wisdom mod. Now look at the description of crafting:


A Craft skill is specifically focused on creating something. If nothing is created by the endeavor, it probably falls under the heading of a Profession skill.

How does that not apply to food?

So it seemed pretty reasonable to me. It's not like being able to have a higher modifier on cooking is going to change the game at all. I just didn't want to dump a bunch of skill points into it.

[rmnimoc]

Surely that's covered by Profession (Gourmet Chef).
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Sure, Profession(Chef) probably covers cooking. It also covers running a kitchen and so forth. As an adventurer I don't really care about that, and besides my guy has a +5 Int mod verses a +0 wisdom mod. Now look at the description of crafting:

--------

A Craft skill is specifically focused on creating something. If nothing is created by the endeavor, it probably falls under the heading of a Profession skill.
--------
How does that not apply to food?

So it seemed pretty reasonable to me. It's not like being able to have a higher modifier on cooking is going to change the game at all. I just didn't want to dump a bunch of skill points into it.

The obvious solution here, being the wizards we are, is to take Craft (Gourmet Chef).

Why bother crafting the food when you can craft the guy who crafts the food?

[Seerow]

Prestidigitation is no replacement for gourmet food though (texture and other factors are at least as important as taste).

Agreed. I mentioned the character has spent a lot of his money so far on luxury items. A fair bit of that has gone to a rather extensive spice collection, and getting exotic foods and drinks when he can find them.




There are items to keep fresh ingredients. But not a lot of ways to automate preparation and creation of those ingredients. A construct of the right sort (like a dedicated wright if your DM allows crafting to cover food*). But getting those ingredients easily is still non-trivial.

Yeah this is the problem I keep running into. Since it's a purely flavor thing, there's not a whole lot of page space dedicated to it anywhere. So either I have to research my own spells (I was thinking a custom Unseen Servant at 2nd or 3rd level that prepares food. A lesser version of minor creation that is restricted to foodstuffs, that sort of thing), or resort to more mundane forms of obtaining luxury.

I was hoping the playground might be able to help think of uses for spells I hadn't considered or inform me of some more obscure spells (I wouldn't be surprised to find out there was a whole Forgotten Realms or 3rd party book dedicated to something along these lines) that would fit in with what I'm after.



I'd just go with Fly. Nothing says "I'm a Wizard!" like never touching the ground.


1) The point isn't to say "I'm a wizard!", it's to live like a king.
2) Fly lasts for like minutes per level. A staff of fly would get burnt out in less than a day trying to use it like that, and you'd never have enough spell slots. Overland Flight, which does allow for that, doesn't come online until 9th level, and is thus out of my reach (otherwise yes, that would be a pretty nice priority, if only because it saves the character the effort of walking)

[SinsI]

Floating Disk, cause carrying your staff on yourself is for serfs
same with Shadow Cache
Entice Gift, to get things you desire
Quick Potion, to create exquisite drinks
Speak To Allies - saves you the job of moving lips
Servant Horde - why use only one Unseen Servant?

[Zaydos]

Only one I've got is potentially Preserve Organ (cantrip from Book of Vile Darkness) to keep food preserved (depends upon what the DM counts as an organ... I mean skin is an organ) and/or Gentle Repose for the same purpose.

Oh and Arcane Mark, I like Arcane Marking my things. Also you'll have already thought of this, but mending is rather useful for keeping everything in tip top shape.

[avr]

Endure elements to not be troubled by extreme climates, or Control Temperature (Frostburn) to not experience extreme climates.

Deceptive Facade (CM) to cover up unsightly features of your surroundings.

Clothier's Closet (Magic of Eberron) to have a change of clothes available anywhere.

Dragoneye Rune (Dragon Magic) to mark your treasured possessions - better than arcane mark because you can always find them.

Delusions of Grandeur (Spell Compendium) to feel good about the world.

[Maginomicon]

Surely that's covered by Profession (Gourmet Chef).
Nonono, it's under Craft (Macaroni and Cheese).
I've got the blues...

...yes I know it's spelled with a K

[HammeredWharf]

Use Animate Dead to make a bunch of zombies. Make them carry you around in a luxurous litter. You'd need Arcane Disciple [Death] to pull that off in E6.

[Phelix-Mu]

Agreed. I mentioned the character has spent a lot of his money so far on luxury items. A fair bit of that has gone to a rather extensive spice collection, and getting exotic foods and drinks when he can find them.





Yeah this is the problem I keep running into. Since it's a purely flavor thing, there's not a whole lot of page space dedicated to it anywhere. So either I have to research my own spells (I was thinking a custom Unseen Servant at 2nd or 3rd level that prepares food. A lesser version of minor creation that is restricted to foodstuffs, that sort of thing), or resort to more mundane forms of obtaining luxury.

I was hoping the playground might be able to help think of uses for spells I hadn't considered or inform me of some more obscure spells (I wouldn't be surprised to find out there was a whole Forgotten Realms or 3rd party book dedicated to something along these lines) that would fit in with what I'm after.


Oh, unseen crafter if you can sell the DM on a Craft skill for cooking. It's in Races of Eberron, and is generally a pretty cool spell for utility (having a totally insane duration when extended...though note the spell ends when it completes the crafting of what it is tasked with making...best ask it to "prepare meals for the week":smallwink: ). Also useful for some warforged characters, I imagine.