Best Spell for the Job

[ZhanStrider]

If you could pick ANY 5th level or lower spell to have permanently cast on you (so a Buff spell) as a sorcerer what would you pick?
Draconic Might looks the best as far as I can find.
Restrictions are: it must either be 5 level or lower
It must target You. It can't be a Permanent Windwall That's just around you.

[Beheld]

Probably Greater Invis. Just being able to ignore half the monsters in the game is pretty useful. Aside from that, Ray Deflection, Greater Mirror Image, Deathward, Sheltered Vitality, and Freedom of Movement are all good. Depending on your level, item access, and expectation of future leveling, some of those are better or worse.

[Werephilosopher]

Draconic polymorph is pretty good.

[Pex]

Displacement

[Uncle Pine]

Friendly Fire sounds rad, but it's the first thing I thought so there'll probably be better option scattered everywhere.

EDIT: You can cast Friendly Fire on someone else with a spellblade (Player's Guide to Faerun).
I also assumed we aren't restricted to spells that can be made permanent with Permanency. If that's not the case, my vote goes to Arcane Sight because having it on 24/24 messes with the DM so much it crosses the line twice and it's fun again.

[xyianth]

Does the spell have to be cast-able by a sorcerer? If not, my vote is for the flicker shadowcaster mystery (3rd level equivalent spell that lets you teleport 1/round as an immediate action)

If sticking to sorcerer spells, you will be hard pressed to find a better option than friendly fire.

[Deophaun]

Consumptive field.

[Uncle Pine]

Consumptive field.
Just remember that permanent Consumptive Field is still capped at one and a half your original CL.

[Deophaun]

Just remember that permanent Consumptive Field is still capped at one and a half your original CL.

But the Strength bonus isn't.

[Uncle Pine]

But the Strength bonus isn't.
There's a disease for that, it's called Festering Anger.

[Deophaun]

There's a disease for that, it's called Festering Anger.
Which requires three terrible feats, cross-classed skill ranks, a lost caster level, and still can't net you a +20 CL at level 10, making much of what's been mentioned here already effectively permanent.

What, you didn't think the sorcerer would boost his CL before setting this up?

[Uncle Pine]

Which requires three terrible feats, cross-classed skill ranks, a lost caster level, and still can't net you a +20 CL at level 10, making much of what's been mentioned here already effectively permanent.

What, you didn't think the sorcerer would boost his CL before setting this up?
Last time I checked, abusing Festering Anger only needed to heal 1d3 ability damage/day, which is really not an issue as it can be done in a plethora of different ways: Lesser Restoration (if someone is a Cleric, a Druid or even a Paladin), Binder 1, rod of bodily restoration, sleeping, an eternal wand of lesser restoration, etc.

If you're gonna abuse Consumptive Field, it's way better to cast multiple (greater) ones on top of each other instead of having a single one up 24/24. If you want to abuse it, choosing Consumptive Field as a permanent buff is worse than every other choice because you can already abuse that without wasting a once-in-a-lifetime chance on it.

[Deophaun]

If you're gonna abuse Consumptive Field, it's way better to cast multiple (greater) ones on top of each other instead of having a single one up 24/24. If you want to abuse it, choosing Consumptive Field as a permanent buff is worse than every other choice because you can already abuse that without wasting a once-in-a-lifetime chance on it.
It's still rounds/level. You're going to be wasting a lot of resources trying to abuse it once.

Anyway, nice to see you really, really passionate about not picking this one spell for a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Go ahead though and pick up that freedom of movement or death ward which are such superior choices. What book is the magic item that grants continuous consumptive field in again?

[paranoidbox]

Draconic Might is a pretty solid choice, and in the same vein there's Sirine's Grace which gives you comparable but somewhat different bonuses. I'm currently playing a sorcerer gish so these two would be strong contenders for me.

However, in this thought experiment, what's the rule about spells that might be discharged? Is it like other permanent spells where it reactivates after 10 minutes? Because if we can choose a personal spell like that I vote Surge of Fortune. Hellooooo, natural 20's.

[TIPOT]

I'm thinking haste, greater dimension door or fly would be good choices. If it's not expended, true strike or indomitability seem even better.

edit: Greater dimension door is self only, so no go. Greater invisibility does seem like a good choice too.

[Âmesang]

How about arcane fusion? Does that count? :smallbiggrin:

EDIT: Looking over the spell list of my own sorceress, telekinesis seems fun to have made permanent (and thus wouldn't have to have her use up a ring-slot). Then I'd just have to give her a +N brilliant energy blade, no?

[ZhanStrider]

Friendly Fire sounds rad, but it's the first thing I thought so there'll probably be better option scattered everywhere.

EDIT: You can cast Friendly Fire on someone else with a spellblade (Player's Guide to Faerun).
I also assumed we aren't restricted to spells that can be made permanent with Permanency. If that's not the case, my vote goes to Arcane Sight because having it on 24/24 messes with the DM so much it crosses the line twice and it's fun again.

It's any spell that can be applied to yourself. Sorcerer's don't get bonus feats so they get up to a 5th level spell as a permanent boost for no gold
Or XP cost. With my DM anyway

[ZhanStrider]

I'm thinking haste, greater dimension door or fly would be good choices. If it's not expended, true strike or indomitability seem even better.

edit: Greater dimension door is self only, so no go. Greater invisibility does seem like a good choice too.

Haste is good. I already have free Overland Flight at will, which is sweet.

[ben-zayb]

Runner-up for me would be Greater Blink and Draconic Polymorph. First one gives all the benefits of Ring of Blinking, without the drawbacks (including the standard action to restart), and also lets you ready an auto-Nope, more or less. Second one is a 20-HD unchangeable-but-permanent Polymorph, with some bonus stats, which can be replicated by a more versatile ML7-15 Skin of the Proteus that also affects non-living creatures.

In the end, these two can be very closely approximated by magic items.

The runaway winner for me is Fiendform, taking the form of White Abishai (FC2, Summon Monster 4). Outsider type, Baatezu traits including Telepathy, Fly speed, DR5/good, Regen1/good, SR15, 3/day CL5 Disguise Self (or Silent Image) and Blindness/Deafness (or Scare), 1/day Charm Person, and 4 Natural Attacks, all being in one spell, is a steal. You don't even have to be an outsider to gain these perks.

EDIT:
However, in this thought experiment, what's the rule about spells that might be discharged? Is it like other permanent spells where it reactivates after 10 minutes? Because if we can choose a personal spell like that I vote Surge of Fortune. Hellooooo, natural 20's.
Or how about infinite speed via discharged Permanent Footsteps of the Divine?

[Platymus Pus]

Permanent Antimagic field centered on you. :smalltongue:

[Hiro Quester]

Fiend form is 6th level.

So Greater Blink. I played a bard /SC who had that running every encounter possible. Totally worth it. All the defensive miss chances with none of the offensive limitations of blink. , And a readied auto-nope, as Ben-Zambia says.

Plus walking through walls.

[ShurikVch]

Some other variants (not all are equally good, but still...):
Dimension Jumper
Dragonsight
Investiture of the Narzugon
Lord of the Sky
Lutzaen's Frequent Jaunt
Nightstalker's Transformation
Telekinesis
Transformation of the Deeps
Xorn Movement

[paranoidbox]

Some other variants (not all are equally good, but still...):
Dimension Jumper
Dragonsight
Investiture of the Narzugon
Lord of the Sky
Lutzaen's Frequent Jaunt
Nightstalker's Transformation
Telekinesis
Transformation of the Deeps
Xorn Movement

I was looking at Nightstalker's Transformation, and I was liking it a lot, until I got to the line about losing all your spellcasting. Probably should just play rogue then :smallwink:

[Uncle Pine]

It's still rounds/level. You're going to be wasting a lot of resources trying to abuse it once.
You can simply persist the last casting.


Anyway, nice to see you really, really passionate about not picking this one spell for a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Go ahead though and pick up that freedom of movement or death ward which are such superior choices. What book is the magic item that grants continuous consumptive field in again?
Sorry, I've gone a bit overboard. The fact is: if you're in a table where permanent Consumptive Field doesn't raise any eyebrows, why wouldn't you just abuse Consumptive Field "in the normal way" and persist another spell (unless said spell is easily duplicated by a common item, as you pointed out)? This gets you the higher CL, 1d8 temporary hp, NI Strength and another nifty effect you'd otherwise lose out on.

[Tvtyrant]

As a person, Telekinesis or Unseen Servant Horde. Telekibesis has a really long range and would make menial tasks easy, while servant horde would make daily life exactly like a disney movie.

Also a Jermlaine can use servant horde to fly by standing on a frisby, which is a hilarious image.

For the game I would go with Invisible Spell Fell Drain Cloud of Knives, which lets you drain a level as a free action without anyone knowing.

[ben-zayb]

Fiend form is 6th level.

So Greater Blink. I played a bard /SC who had that running every encounter possible. Totally worth it. All the defensive miss chances with none of the offensive limitations of blink. , And a readied auto-nope, as Ben-Zambia says.

Plus walking through walls.My Spell Compendium says 5th level?

[ZhanStrider]

As a person, Telekinesis or Unseen Servant Horde. Telekibesis has a really long range and would make menial tasks easy, while servant horde would make daily life exactly like a disney movie.

Also a Jermlaine can use servant horde to fly by standing on a frisby, which is a hilarious image.

For the game I would go with Invisible Spell Fell Drain Cloud of Knives, which lets you drain a level as a free action without anyone knowing.

Telekinesis doesn't target yourself. If the spell GAVE you telekinesis for X rounds/caster level it would work but as phrased it won't work :/

[Hiro Quester]

My Spell Compendium says 5th level?

Right... I was using PGtF. That is a pretty awesome set of abilities to have running permanently.

[Seward]

I would not choose any spell that had me unable to have normal human interactions. Thus no blink, greater invis, polymorph into annis hag, etc etc.


Permanency will already do arcane sight and see invisibility, just pay an NPC caster and call it done.

Haste is decent, but for everyday utility, nothing in the core list beats Heroism (if it was level 6 spells, Greater Heroism would win hands down). +2 to all saves, all skills and attack rolls is pretty great and a sorcerer isn't that likely to fit the spell into spells known.

I had a sorceress with Servant Horde once. Its duration is such that if you move slowly, it is around all day. OMG it was awesome at action economy.

"Here is your smokestick and tindertwig. Here is your healing potion. Here is your potion of bless weapon. You WILL wear these on your belt where my servant has easy access and you WILL NOT resist whatever the servant is trying to do."

She could lay out a smokescreen around the party with a move action "direct a spell", or dump a potion down everybody's throat, or do things like put a weapon in everyone's hands, or align their weapons against evil outsiders. It took about two servants a person to get the action economy right for most of those (one to draw the item from storage and hand it to the second servant, the second to take a full round action to pour it into unconscious throats or rub it on weapons).

As long as I had the servants out, and explained to the GM the handful of pre-planned "maneuvers" they were likely to do, I could usually get away with pretty complex things. Servants working together can also do things like stand up an ally who is prone, or drag him out of the way of an enemy full attack or whatever. All that and I still had my standard and swift actions to toss spells into the fray.

[Chronos]

Does the spell have to be one of your spells known? Because if so, you might want to choose something that you can also cast on others, like Polymorph or Haste.

[Keld Denar]

What about Favor of the Martyr? Basically immunity to most of the nastiest of status effects, including self inflicted ones like the daze from Celerity or Reserves of Strength?

[Quertus]

So it seems like the best choices would be the spell that is the most powerful, the spell that is the coolest, or the spell that is the most expensive to cast.

For that last bit, I usually think of corrupted spells. Permanent Sadism could be fun and thematic, but probably not too useful. It would be interesting to see how permanent Absorb Mind or permanent Absorb Strength worked out.

Fluff-wise... Depending on the mechanics of this ability, I would recommend inventing a custom, signature spell for the character to have permanently active. Something that makes the character memorable and unique.

For efficacy, I would recommend permanent Wraith Strike, or, if you can change what it applies to from round to round, a permanent skill-boosting effect. Or permanent Revenance - just be prepared to dodge the DMG being thrown at you for suggesting that last one ;)

[ZhanStrider]

Does the spell have to be one of your spells known? Because if so, you might want to choose something that you can also cast on others, like Polymorph or Haste.

I have to cast it myself, so I have to know it for at least a little while.
Friendly Fire would be AMAZING, but I'm pretty sure my DM won't allow that one.
Draconic Might is still my top, provided Friendly Fire gets banned.

[ShurikVch]

Is Dragon magazine acceptable?

#339 have Transfusion spell, which inflict ability score penalty on living target (1d6 +1 per 3 CL, up to +5, but can't drop it below 1), and give you same amount as unnamed bonus

Cast it maximized at CL 15 on somebody with Cha 12+, and you will get +11 to your Cha!

[Firest Kathon]

Permanency will already do arcane sight and see invisibility, just pay an NPC caster and call it done.
You can cast Permanency (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/permanency.htm) on Arcane Sight and See Invisibility only for yourself, not on another person, so you cannot pay an NPC to do that. Also, you'd pay 5000 and 7500gp for the XP cost alone.

[Âmesang]

Unless you're heightening the spells I don't see why arcane sight and see invisibility wouldn't cost 1,500 XP and 1,000 XP, respectively. :smallconfused: Though my last group didn't bother with experience (we just leveled up based on plot), so I was permitted to substitute 5× the amount worth of diamond dust, ala Pathfinder.