Best Non-Physical Cleric Spells? (3.5)

[SMWallace]

What are the best (preferably somewhat spammable) spells on the Cleric list for any effective purpose besides melee or ranged combat? Buffing my allies counts, but any kind of metamagic will be hard for me, and Divine Metamagic will be impossible sans a dip in Sacred Exorcist, because I'm playing a Favored Soul (thankfully houseruled such that Charisma is its sole casting stat). The Spontaneous Cleric variant wasn't allowed, and nontheistic prepared Clerics were banned due to the setting, but a non-religious Favored Soul is okay with the DM since their powers come from being chosen rather than from their devotion. So here I am, consulting you folk.

... Yeah, I don't know what other way to spin my words here. Help me out, please! I don't mind if they're ally-buffing, enemy-debuffing, blasting or healing, pretty much anything that lets me get the feel of fighting with magic rather than weapons.

[rockdeworld]

This'll help. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=420.msg8434#msg8434)

Here's some I recommend:
1: Bless, Protection from Evil
2: Bull's Strength (but swap it out once you get +STR items), Darkbolt
3: Dispel Magic, Magic Circle Against Evil, Divine Retaliation, Summon Monster III (and IV, V, etc)
4: Recitation (if your allies worship the same deity as you)

And then there's The Joker / Algernon of the White Lilies (http://community.wizards.com/comment/20650991#comment-20650991).

[Nifft]

(...) nontheistic prepared Clerics were banned due to the setting, but a non-religious Favored Soul is okay with the DM since their powers come from being chosen rather than from their devotion. So here I am, consulting you folk.


Recitation (if your allies worship the same deity as you)


I wonder if a lack of faith counts as the same faith.

- - -

How do Favored Souls interact with Domains? Do they get to spontaneously cast from the Domain list?

[rockdeworld]

I wonder if a lack of faith counts as the same faith.
I'd allow it, given it's a 4th level spell. And Favored Souls don't get domains, sadly.

[SMWallace]

Well, it appears lower-level Clerics have few to no viable methods of attacking (in either the damage or the debuff sense) that don't involve self-buffing and wading into melee (with the exception of the most obvious debuff, Dispel Magic, which they do about as well as anyone), so I guess I'll focus on buffing the rest of the group and hope the game goes on long enough for me to grab the good offensive things, which are largely 7th-level spells... Yeah, I'm probably not going to have much luck with offense once Hold Person and Bewildering Substitution stop being viable means of throwing off my enemies... I'll definitely ask my DM about using Charisma for Divine Retaliation, though, once we get third-level spells...

[Nifft]

Can you take Reserve feats?

Winter's Blast can be a fine alternative to melee, and Fiery Burst is much better than a crossbow.

Those both come online at level 3.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Ice Slick from Frostburn is basically the same as Grease but it covers a 20-foot square instead of a 10-foot square.

Have you considered using Spirit Shaman instead? It uses the Druid spell list, which is significantly friendlier toward a casting/utility/support-focused character. Plus you'll get access to Bone Talisman (archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) with that.

[LudicSavant]

Oh my goodness there are so very many good ones I don't know where to begin... A few random gems:

Level 1: Protection from Alignment, Cause Fear, Ice Slick, Omen of Peril, Hide From Undead, Updraft, Protective Interposition
Level 2: Frost Breath, Cloud of Knives, Stay the Hand, Divine Insight, Supress Magic, Benediction, Shield Other, Darkbolt, Silence, Blade of Pain and Fear, Summon Undead 2
Level 3: Hesitate, Wind Wall, Footsteps of the Divine, Delay Death, Dispel Magic, Alter Fortune, Tremor
Level 4: Wrack, Greater Magic Weapon, Recitation, Freedom of Movement, Wall of Sand
Level 5: Choking Sands, Wall of Magma, Earth Reaver, Revivify, Plane Shift, Greater Stone Shape, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful

There are tons more, but I could just go on and on.


game goes on long enough for me to grab the good offensive things, which are largely 7th-level spells

There are actually a ton of good offensive options earlier than that, especially in supplements. I named a few above.

[torrasque666]

I wonder if a lack of faith counts as the same faith.

- - -

How do Favored Souls interact with Domains? Do they get to spontaneously cast from the Domain list?
According to the Complete Divine, if your Favored Soul manages to get a hold of a Domain (through a Prestige Class, Contemplative for example) you add the spells to your spell list but still need to select them as a spell known. For example, if you took the Purification Domain, you'd add Fires of Purity to your spell list as its not a Cleric Spell, but you'd still need to spend a Spell Known (gained at level up or through other means) on being able to use it.

[Darrin]

My favorites:

1st:

conjure ice beast I (Frostburn)
ice slick (Frostburn)
ray of hope (Book of Exalted Deeds)
ray of resurgence (Lost Empires of Faerun)
protective interposition (Forge of War)

2nd:

spiritual weapon (Core)
alicorn lance (Silver Marches Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20020719a))
close wounds (Spell compendium)
cloud of knives (PHBII)
dark way (Spell Compendium)
guidance of the avatar (online (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a))
obscuring snow (Frostburn, find someone who can use a wand of snowsight)

3rd:

bladebane (Unapproachable East)
conjure ice beast III (Frostburn)
revelation (Dragons of Faerun)