Best spells by level to become immune to

[Temennigru]

I am creating a magister (MoF 185) artificer and aside from having a ridiculous spell resistance, it gets immunity to 1 spell of each level of my choice.
What are the best spells to be immune to?

[Venger]

is this a PC or an NPC?

if it's a PC, you'll want stuff level by level (grinding)
if it's an NPC and is a oneshot, what level will it encounter your players at?

my answer will be different, depending.

[Temennigru]

is this a PC or an NPC?

if it's a PC, you'll want stuff level by level (grinding)
if it's an NPC and is a oneshot, what level will it encounter your players at?

my answer will be different, depending.

The character is a PC

[Asrrin]

1st: Grease
2nd: Web
3rd: Dispel Magic
4th: Scrying or Dimensional Anchor
5th: Baleful Polymorph or Dominate Person
6th: Anti-magic Field or Greater Dispel Magic
7th: Not sure here, Finger of Death or Greater Scrying?
8th: Trap the Soul or Maze
9th: Wish (to prevent people from teleporting you or to you)

[Taelas]

Looking at just core spells...

Level 1: Grease.
Level 2: Web.
Level 3: Stinking cloud.
Level 4: Enervation.
Level 5: Baleful polymorph.
Level 6: Acid fog.
Level 7: Finger of death.
Level 8: Maze.
Level 9: Energy drain.

Making yourself immune to your own area-of-effect spells is a really good idea.

Why would you ever make yourself immune to wish? That seems like an insanely bad idea.

[darksolitaire]

It doesn't work like that. You need to have spells that allow spell resistance. That means evocations, enchantments, transmutations and necromancy. I'd pick:

1: Magic Missile
2: Hold Person
3: Slow
4: Enervation
5: Feeblemind
6: Disintegrate
7: Insanity
8: Otto’s Irresistible Dance
9: Energy Drain

Assuming that there's no mind blank available or no protection from negative energy.

[Cruiser1]

Don't forget a Magister is also immune to one 0th level spell. Daze would be a good choice here.


3rd: Dispel Magic
Magisters can't make themselves immune to Dispel Magic, or any other spell that is "SR: No" such as Orb nukes. The Magister's ability says it works like the Spell Immunity spell, which effectively gives you unbeatable spell resistance to certain spells.


Why would you ever make yourself immune to wish? That seems like an insanely bad idea.
Standard spell resistance can be temporarily dropped if you want to receive the effect of a spell. That should allow you to still use Wish to give yourself inherent bonuses.

[Taelas]

You are already immune to enchantment spells and effects, so those are redundant. But fair enough on the SR bit, forgot about that.

In that case:

1st: Magic missile.
2nd: Glitterdust.
3rd: Slow.
4th: Enervation.
5th: Baleful polymorph.
6th: Disintegrate.
7th: Finger of death.
8th: Maze.
9th: Energy drain.

EDIT: Oh, right, 0-level. Uh, ray of frost, I guess.

[darksolitaire]

You are already immune to enchantment spells and effects, so those are redundant. But fair enough on the SR bit, forgot about that.


Ho, so they are, Mystra's Shield do'h.

Edit: and they are also immune to Psionics. No love for that subsystem in the Realms.

[Taelas]

And a permanent heightened mind blank on top of the blanket immunity. Cuz why not.

[Temennigru]

I'm almost taking Color Spray as lvl 1 immunity, because there is a gish in our group that uses it a lot and always ends up stunning everyone in the group.

EDIT: Scratch that. I forgot I have insane spell resistance.

Also, since I am warforged, perhaps immunity to disable construct would be smart?

[Werephilosopher]

1st: Magic missile.

That's already negated by another 1st-level spell, though. There may be a better choice.

[Taelas]

That's already negated by another 1st-level spell, though. There may be a better choice.

There really aren't that many first-level spells that are worth talking about, though. Magic missile is the only SR-able blast spell from 1st level that is worth casting, and if they aren't blast spells, they have other limits (or don't offer SR) that make them more or less pointless to use. Color spray isn't getting through the (Su) heightened mind blank, so that one's out. Ray of enfeeblement is taken care of with Ray-B-Gone which any wizard worth his pants is going to have up at all times, so... Granted, that spell would also take care of enervation and distintegrate (and energy drain for that matter), but they are all more likely to be combined with a disjunction or greater dispel magic to remove ray deflection first, so I'd still prefer the immunity, I think.

(Just noticed glitterdust also don't offer SR, so meh on me there. Make it blindness/deafness, then.)

[Venger]

Ho, so they are, Mystra's Shield do'h.

Edit: and they are also immune to Psionics. No love for that subsystem in the Realms.

you'll probably be immune to blindness/deafness one way or another or mitigate it through blindfold of true darkness or something.

I'd suggest "shatter" as your 2 in case someone tries to mess with your equipment.

as far a 0 goes, I'd suggest sonic snap to prevent metamagicked negative level tuff

from the language used, I believe they meant telepathy powers (the ench equivalent) not all psionic powers, though he language does vaguely imply that.

[Rubik]

I'd avoid taking anything that is easily immunable through other means. Death Ward, for instance, knocks out any negative energy or [Death] effect, as do a few armor properties. [Charm], [Compulsion], and possession effects are warded off by Protection From Evil. Rays are deflected by Ray Deflection. And so on.

[jiriku]

Blasphemy? A lot of high-end demons and devils throw blasphemy, and with no save allowed it can shut you right down if you aren't immune. In general, I'd look at the SLAs on the powerful monster in the MM books that you know your DM owns and likes to use. Because they are prepacked and ready to go and come standard on published monsters, you are much more likely to see those than to see whatever spells the optimization community prefers.

[Rubik]

Blasphemy? A lot of high-end demons and devils throw blasphemy, and with no save allowed it can shut you right down if you aren't immune. In general, I'd look at the SLAs on the powerful monster in the MM books that you know your DM owns and likes to use. Because they are prepacked and ready to go and come standard on published monsters, you are much more likely to see those than to see whatever spells the optimization community prefers.I'd +1 this, but we can't do that here.

Why can't we +1?

Whyyyyyyy?!

[Venger]

Blasphemy? A lot of high-end demons and devils throw blasphemy, and with no save allowed it can shut you right down if you aren't immune. In general, I'd look at the SLAs on the powerful monster in the MM books that you know your DM owns and likes to use. Because they are prepacked and ready to go and come standard on published monsters, you are much more likely to see those than to see whatever spells the optimization community prefers.

or you could just be evil and be immune.

the basic strategy of looking at what monsters have rather than what well-built wizards have is sound though.