Best low level spell to have as an at-will Item?

[metabolicjosh]

So I want to make a character that is unoptimized, but spends all his starting money on a inscribed at will tattoo of a single spell. What spells are worth looking at?

[Venger]

summon instrument. drop pipe organs on your enemies, barricade doors, impress your friends, and annoy perfect strangers all for the price of a cantrip.

[LTwerewolf]

Basis of the character would help.

[metabolicjosh]

The basis of the character is that he was experimented on by a crazy madman. He was going to become a slave but the spell failed. He pretended to be a slave until he could escape, but the inscribed a tatoo on him before he escaped. He wants to be left alone. I want him to be rather tame, but deadly. I was thinking cloudkill?

[Venger]

The basis of the character is that he was experimented on by a crazy madman. He was going to become a slave but the spell failed. He pretended to be a slave until he could escape, but the inscribed a tatoo on him before he escaped. He wants to be left alone. I want him to be rather tame, but deadly. I was thinking cloudkill?

cloudkill (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/cloudkill.htm) is a 5th level spell and is absurdly powerful to be slinging around at will at low levels. you will obliterate anything you cross paths with and your DM would be nuts to allow this.

what kind of effect do you want from the spell? maybe that would be a better way to go about this.

[metabolicjosh]

Hmmmmmmm.............
I want to have a spell that is similar to a weapon, and at the same time is like a superpower. Maybe an electric spell?

[Aegis013]

If divine spells are on the table, I recommend Guidance of the Avatar (https://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a). Because +20 at-will to any skill is fun. Jump really high! Talk really smoothly! Balance on narrow ledges! Be really sneaky!

It won't make you super good at combat... Or will it? Cut unexpecting people up real good with Iaijutsu Focus!

[metabolicjosh]

This is pathfinder, sadly. So i dont think that spell will work :(

[Venger]

Hmmmmmmm.............
I want to have a spell that is similar to a weapon, and at the same time is like a superpower. Maybe an electric spell?

it sounds like what you want is a reserve feat.

storm bolt, for example, lets you burn an enemy's nipples with lightning dealing xd6 with x being the highest level [electricity] spell you have. all you need is the ability to cast 3rd lvl spells.

you could always throw that onto your character for his 6th lvl feat. that way as long as you have an [electric] spell of at least 3rd lvl handy, you can shoot lightning in a 20ft line dealing xd6 damage. plus you cast all electric spls at +1 lvl.

[metabolicjosh]

Again this is pathfinder, I dont believe that there are reserve feats in it... Which is sad.

[LTwerewolf]

Power word pain.

[Venger]

Again this is pathfinder, I dont believe that there are reserve feats in it... Which is sad.

since you're talking about custom special powers, I figured you just wanted an effect in general, since it'd require some kind of adjudication from your DM either way. if he's only allowing you to do SLAs from pathfinder, check out the magus list, I guess. they have plenty of meat and potatoes "deal hp damage" spells. shocking grasp or the like, maybe.

[TypoNinja]

Grease. Best Spell Ever.

Seriously. If I only was allowed one low level spell, Grease is it. Far more powerful than it looks if used well.

[Der_DWSage]

A little more basis from the character would help-are you melee, archery, or combat maneuvers? Toss a class at us. Also, is there an existing Wizard or Cleric in the party?

That said, the spell you want should probably 1)Not have a save DC, and 2)Not have a level-dependent effect except for duration.

However, since you specifically mentioned a weapon-based spell, I'd have to throw my vote in for Holy Ice Weapon (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/h/holy-ice-weapon), even if it breaks one of the rules I put a little bit ago. If you want something to screw over spellcasters, an item that uses Silence as a standard action while you move in to give them a big hug would also work. Invisibility has tons of utility. Knock is much the same, and you get bonus points if you activate it by punching things. If all you want is a little extra damage, I suppose you could go Shocking Grasp. Wave Shield (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/w/wave-shield) is an excellent renewable form of DR, if you have it at will. At-will Cure Light Wounds will make you beloved by any party, but that sounds like the opposite of what you're wanting.

If there isn't an existing Wizard or Cleric, and you're an unarmored type, Mage Armor or Shield are pretty handy to have. Bless Weapon is handy if you tend to fight a lot of Devils/Demons/Ghosts.

Alternatively, if the GM allows it, you could go for a very 'Experimentation run wild' effect by getting Monstrous Physique I (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/monstrous-physique-i) as your spell. It's 3rd level, but flavorful as all get-out. For a lower-level effect, there's Alter Self.

Also, if you're having to spend your own wealth on this tattoo and it's not just a GM gift, be aware that the pricing is Spell Level * Caster Level * 2000. Which means a 1st level spell is 2000 GP, a 2nd level will be 12,000 GP, and a 3rd level spell is 30,000 GP at their minimum caster levels. This may change your desires accordingly. (I know I would prefer to have one omni-tattoo of six different 1st level spells than a single 2nd level spell, but to each their own.)

[the clumsy bard]

This (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/item-creation-feats/inscribe-magical-tattoo-item-creation) is probably going to be a helpful link.

The feat will can replicate items etc.

"Magic tattoos must be placed on a part of the body normally able to hold a magic item slot, but they do not count against or interfere with magic items worn on those slots. A single slot can only hold one magical tattoo (non-magical tattoos and tattoos acquired from the tattooed sorcerer archetype do not count against this limit). Tattoos may be inscribed on the following slots: belt, body, chest, feet, hands, head, neck, shoulder, ring (up to two), or wrist."

I bolded the relevant bits, but you will be limited to those magic item slots, but other than that you can have x item tattooed to the area. Follow the guidelines for magic items (with dm permission) and you should be ok.

On another note you have given me a fantastic idea for a warrior type villain with a body riddled with magic tattoos that my party would really not expect to start flinging out spells!

[aleucard]

An obvious example for non-offensive use would be CLW. Sure, it's not going to be much use mid-combat, but it has both post-combat and general utility uses. Everybody likes having a medic handy, even if it's not usually a good primary ability.

For buffs, I'd say that True Strike would be absolutely beautiful on a "One Shot, One Kill" specialist, whether that be a sniper or a Hulk SMASH type. Put it on your head for flavor points, maybe with a visual indicator for when it's activated?

For something more direct, there's not much to be found unless if the CL scales with something besides wealth spent (Character Level most likely, but idunno). If it does, your best bets are Corrosive Touch (which can be useful in utility all the time, since the damage is acid), Magic Missile (guaranteed damage is guaranteed damage, and the range can be impressive in a pinch), or Charm Person (the DC isn't anything to write home about, but when it works it works well).

[AttilaTheGeek]

Since you're going to be having this spell at-will, you want to find a spell that can do the most different things. Why would you want a spell that kills people and does nothing else when you could instead have a spell that does a million things? That spell is Silent Image. You want a light? Silent Image of a lamp. You want darkness? Silent Image of a cover over the light. You want to hide? Silent Image of whatever's behind you (i.e, a hyper-realistic "painting") in front of you. You want to intimidate someone? Silent Image yourself bigger and stronger. It is a spell limited only by your imagination, which is exactly what you want from an at-will.

[weckar]

What's wrong with good-old Enlarge/Reduce person?

[aleucard]

What's wrong with good-old Enlarge/Reduce person?

Partially because it's the sort of thing that would be better done by something else if you really want it all the time and partially because the real benefit isn't as good as some other possibilities.

[Prime32]

Hmmmmmmm.............
I want to have a spell that is similar to a weapon, and at the same time is like a superpower. Maybe an electric spell?If you want "a weapon" then Produce Flame (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/p/produce-flame) works well. It's an lv1 spell that gives you melee and ranged touch attacks, plus a light source. Alternatively Snowball (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/snowball), which has less utility but more power (particularly if you can improve the DC). And along the same lines, Elemental Touch (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/elemental-touch).
Force Hook Charge (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/f/force-hook-charge) and Whip of Spiders (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/w/whip-of-spiders) are also fun.

[the clumsy bard]

If you want "a weapon" then Produce Flame (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/p/produce-flame) works well. It's an lv1 spell that gives you melee and ranged touch attacks, plus a light source. Alternatively Snowball (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/snowball), which has less utility but more power (particularly if you can improve the DC). And along the same lines, Elemental Touch (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/elemental-touch).
Force Hook Charge (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/f/force-hook-charge) and Whip of Spiders (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/w/whip-of-spiders) are also fun.

Seconding some of these suggestions.

I think force hook charge in particular could be a lot of fun especially for a melee build. It also has some utility you can zip around a lot like: this (http://media.giphy.com/media/ZeBCR02Bg8wVi/giphy.gif)

[Coidzor]

Generally I'd say the best would be some source of infinite out of combat healing, allowing the party to top-off between fights, even while walking to the next room/area. You'd find out really quickly if the DM didn't think they'd be able to handle it, too, from the freakouts some people have at the very idea that the party can heal itself between fights without using wands or wasting actual spell slots themselves.

It is one of the few at-will items that can change the nature of the game, at least slightly, though mostly it means that the party and enemies can go harder and that you know that sometimes you *will* be put into a bind where you're in a rush and can't fully top-off between fights from more than just concerns about buffs running out.

A good buff that doesn't require scaling, is widely useful to you and your party, and remains relevant even into higher levels would probably be the next best low level spell to have at-will.

Then utility spells and spells that require creativity and the DM to be willing to work with ya like Prestidigitation and illusions.

Attack spells would only remain relevant if they scale by CL and you can get the CL of the tatoo to scale with your HD.

[Abd al-Azrad]

Color Spray!

Although if you're really looking for a weapon-like spell, I'd suggest either Shocking Grasp or Frostbite. They're both Magus classics - either SG for the high initial damage and +3 to hit, or Frostbite for iterative attacks, higher overall damage per casting (a useless distinction with an at-will ability) and the ability to inflict Fatigue on enemies.

Slightly off-topic, but could someone help me out with why Whip of (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/w/whip-of-spiders) Spiders (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/vermin/spider/spider-swarm) comes so highly recommended? I do enjoy the idea of inflicting loads of potential status effects on an attack, but Fort DCs of 11 aren't really all that threatening.

[Dalebert]

Frostbite is fun with a level of Reach. Makes it 2nd level but still seems pretty effective. Now you can zap things with damage and fatigue multiple times.

[TypoNinja]

Since you're going to be having this spell at-will, you want to find a spell that can do the most different things. Why would you want a spell that kills people and does nothing else when you could instead have a spell that does a million things? That spell is Silent Image. You want a light? Silent Image of a lamp. You want darkness? Silent Image of a cover over the light. You want to hide? Silent Image of whatever's behind you (i.e, a hyper-realistic "painting") in front of you. You want to intimidate someone? Silent Image yourself bigger and stronger. It is a spell limited only by your imagination, which is exactly what you want from an at-will.

Well if were talking about unlimitedly useful utility I think I'd rather have a prestidigitation. That **** is just plain useful.

[Der_DWSage]

Slightly off-topic, but could someone help me out with why Whip of (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/w/whip-of-spiders) Spiders (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/vermin/spider/spider-swarm) comes so highly recommended? I do enjoy the idea of inflicting loads of potential status effects on an attack, but Fort DCs of 11 aren't really all that threatening.

It's mostly the fact that it's a weapon-based spell with 15 foot reach and a very low spell slot-it makes it ripe for metamagic abuse, such as Dazing and Persistent. Or at least, that's what I've heard.

[daremetoidareyo]

Baleful transposition. Swap spots with anyone friendly or unfriendly. Bloop! If you have a familiar or companion (flying is best here) send them where you need to be and bloop!

[bondpirate]

Honestly, I would choose something really flavorful but fun: like ironbeard (cast by touch 1 min/ level, give beards to everyone) or grease and only cast it on yourself, then grapple everything (think Hakan from street fighter IV). Anything else that gives knowledge or communication abilities are also gold. Just go through the spell lists and whichever spell screams out to you, especially since your unoptimized, go with it.

[Esprit15]

Prestidigitation. Because you never know when you want to tie a raging barbarian's shoes together.