Absolute Must-Have Buffs

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Out of all the buff spells and powers out there, which ones are the absolute must-haves for any high-level, self-respecting caster? Specifically, ones you want up 24/7, which you don't want down at any point?

I imagine most of them are "NO" buttons, such as:

mind blank
death ward
magic circle against [alignment]
foresight
freedom of movement
blink/blur/mirror image (to render sneak attacks ineffective)
water breathing (to prevent drowning attacks)

At least one healing-over-time spell:

mass lesser vigor

And also:

overland flight

Any others?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Mindblank makes magic circle's primary fuction mostly redundant and if you're wizarding right then healing magic should be unnecessary.

Ironguard is a good one to add. So is anticipate teleportation, greater if you can swing it.

[Deophaun]

mass lesser vigor

If you're doing that, you might as well throw healthful rest on there to double it.

[Âmesang]

Not sure if it counts as a "buff," but I find Rary's interplanar telepathic bond to be useful; at the very least you never know when a party member's going to get forcibly plane shifted via prismatic spray. :smalltongue:

[HunterOfJello]

Primal Instinct (Dragon Magic) for 24hour buff that gives +5 to initiative that stacks with Imp. Initiative
Primal Hunter (Dragon Magic) to stack with Primal Instinct and get Uncanny Dodge with the synergy between the two

Heart of Water (CM) for a swift action Freedom of Movement in the future (and some underwater breathing in the meantime)

[Telonius]

Mass Conviction and Recitation are pretty nice ones. Luck bonuses don't come around that often, and so it will usually stack with whatever else you have up; Morale bonuses that big are also relatively rare and not often contained in multiple-target spells.

[Hiro Quester]

A well crafted contingency spell in case you cannot move due to paralysis, turned to stone, disintegrated or dead (teleport you or your remains to a temple with whom you have a healing arrangement retainer).

Relying on buff spells, you will also need protection form dispelling (ring of counterspelling with greater dispel magic cast into it).

[Crake]

Mindblank makes magic circle's primary fuction mostly redundant and if you're wizarding right then healing magic should be unnecessary.

Magic circle also protects you against summoned creatures and possession. Also immunity to dominate is by far less encompassing than immunity to mind affecting.

[Heliomance]

Heavy fortification (available through equipment or by having all four Heart Of spells up.

Starmantle is rather tasty, and can be bought in cloak form.

Some sort of death effect protection is a must.

If you can swing a continuous item of Favour of the Martyr, then you absolutely should. It's like having a Final Fantasy ribbon.

[Cruiser1]

Any others?
Sheltered Vitality is great for a single 4th (SpC) or 3rd (LM) level spell. You're immune to all ability damage and ability drain, so are effectively immune to poison and disease (since their effects almost always decrease stats) along with many other monster special abilities and such. Also immune to fatigue and exhaustion.

This one spell makes Spelldancer one of the most powerful PrC's, since Spelldancing applies CON damage and fatigue, so preventing it means you can Spelldance infinitely, and get infinite free metamagic.

[Ellowryn]

While not exactly a list of necessary buffs, this List of Necessary Magic Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) is a list of items that give you necessary buffs. :smalltongue:

To paraphrase:
Flight
Mind Blank
Stun Negation
Daze Negation
Fear Immunity
True Seeing
Miss Chance
Tactical Teleportation
Immunity to Death effects and/or energy drain and/or negative energy effects
Freedom of Movement
(Extradimensional) storage space
Dispel Magic and its counters
Initiative
Special senses

[ben-zayb]

Friendly Fire, if only because negating an entire fighting style or two is a thing for casters even at low levels.

Arcane Spellsurge, for spontaneous casters mostly

[paranoidbox]

You can do a lot of good things with Create Magic Tattoo.

I also quite like the aforementioned Overland Flight and Heart Of X spells, as well as Greater/Superior Resistance, Dragonsight, Detect Scrying, Nondetection, Heroism, Dragonskin, Ectoplasmic Armor, Wings of Swift Flying (coupled with your Overland Flight, mmm), and Helpful Hand.

(Why yes, I do play a Sorcerer Gish, why do you ask?)

[Melcar]

If you're doing that, you might as well throw healthful rest on there to double it.

Why not use some of the higher level ones? I believe there is the a mass version that gives 3 instead of 1.


This is my level 31 wizards daily buff lists:

24 hours/ 1 hour/level:
Sharpen Senses* (2), Deeper Darkvision (3), Detect Scrying (4), Dragonsight (5), Greater Anticipate Teleportation (6), Mark of Death* (8), Moment of Prescience (8).

10 min/ level:
Eyes of the Avoral (1), Battlemagic Perception (3), Dragon Skin (3), Essence of the Raptor (Limited Wish (4)), Greater Magical Flow Enhancement* (4), Mantle of Egregious Might* (8), Protection from Spells (8), Foresight (9).

1 min/level, 1 round/level:
Shield (1), Spectral Hand (2), Spellcaster’s Bane (3), Greater Ironguard (7), Melcar’s Aurora** (9)


* 3rd party
** Homebrew

[Hiro Quester]

When I played a melee bard/sublime chord Gish recently I had most of these same protections running.

I organized my buffs and other protections by listing all the possible threats and ways of negating them. I discussed that list of possible threats and counters in this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?358399-How-can-they-nerf-me-Let-me-count-the-ways).

A couple of other protections I now recall from that list:

Eat a Heroes' Feast for breakfast, for immunity to fear and poison.

Protection from energy (at least fire and electricity).

Know Ruin Delver's Fortune (4) , immediate action casting adds your CHA bonus to any one saving throw. (Best if CHA is your casting stat, obviously.)

Knowing or preparing Stay the Hand (2), anyone who declares an intention to attack you has to make a will save or change their mind about that.

An ability to get extra actions for emergencies (belt of battle, tempo bloodspike, etc).

Have a scroll of joyful noise (bard 2) on you, to negate a silence spell. Will require UMD for sorc/wiz though.