Favourite Spell?

[GanonBoar]

As the title says, which spell is your favourite? Not the one that's most effective (although you can pick that if you want), but the one that you love casting just because of the flavour or similar effect.

For me, it has to be Prismatic Spray. Just the idea of shooting rainbows at people that actually do a lot of damage has always been hilarious to me, especially as it's a really damn good spell.

[RickAllison]

Alter/Disguise Self. I enjoy the idea of messing with people and blaming it on everyone else. Use it as a Warlock with the at-will invocations and never be seen for your true self!

[Ninja_Prawn]

I would love to be able to cast Mending in real life. So useful!

[Segev]

For if-I-could-cast-it, probably unseen servant, simply because the extra set of hands would be so very nice a lot of the time.

And, if you can ritual-cast while, say, driving, imagine starting 20 minutes before you head out grocery shopping. You'd have two servants to carry stuff around for you for the better part of an hour. And you could re-cast them on your way home (if, like me, you live 30 min. from Costco, for example.)

[Iguanodon]

Shield for sure. I'm really happy that D&D finally has a more active and fun alternative to Mage Armor, and it's balanced well, and... it's just a great spell, okay?

[lebefrei]

The funny thing is that for day to day life, cantrips and first level spells are often the most useful.

I think it's a great spell and personally would find goodberry something I'd like in life. Fully nutritional all day plus healing is amazing. This is ignoring life cleric cheese.

[GanonBoar]

Shield for sure. I'm really happy that D&D finally has a more active and fun alternative to Mage Armor, and it's balanced well, and... it's just a great spell, okay?
I love combining Shield with Spell Mastery (18th Level Wizard feature), as it's effectively a permanent +5 bonus to AC. I wouldn't call it an alternative to MA though-MA lasts a lot longer.

[CaptAl]

Sleep, for when the kids just won't go to bed. The dogs too.

[Kane0]

Mine would have to be guidance. The image in my head of a priest leaning over a thief with a hand on his shoulder and saying 'I have faith in you' and actually improving his chances of unlocking the chest by 5-20% makes it as funny as it is useful.

[JellyPooga]

I've got to say that my favourite 5ed spell has got to be Enhance Ability.

Not because it's amazingly useful in combat or because it can do something impressive that a mere mortal cannot...because it does neither of these things.

What it does do is make you're character feel awesome at what he's doing.

Strength of a Bear! Eyes of an Eagle! Speed of a Wolf! Woooo! It's like getting a generic "power up" for whatever you want to do. I can totally see a caster getting addicted to this spell.

[RickAllison]

Mine would have to be guidance. The image in my head of a priest leaning over a thief with a hand on his shoulder and saying 'I have faith in you' and actually improving his chances of unlocking the chest by 5-20% makes it as funny as it is useful.

Or even better, doing it with Stealth. "You can sneak past these guys without trouble!" "I was able to until you ALERTED THE COMPOUND WITH YOUR GUIDANCE!" I'm liking the idea of a mother mussing up her children's hair and by doing so improve their ability to perform on exams.

[JumboWheat01]

My favorite spell... hmm... I guess I would say Prestidigitation for being pointlessly wizardly and awesome at the same time. There's just something about it that its "divine alternates," Thaumaturgy and Druidcraft, don't quite match.

Though I do have a particular soft spot for for Create Food and Water. Generally an ignored spell, but after playing a Mage on WoW so much, the simple ability to create something that I can just munch on during down time is a pleasure.

Also of note, Mending, for its mundane repairing ability and Mage Hand for at-will ranged manipulation,

[Iguanodon]

I wouldn't call it an alternative to MA though-MA lasts a lot longer.

I would, even though it's technically "worse." My sorcerer only had Shield for defense, no MA, and I found that by level 4-5ish I had plenty of slots for it, and wasn't wasting a round of every combat casting an AC spell. Also, it kept me on my toes: I was focusing more on positioning and illusion, with Shield only as a last resort. I think in the end it cost me less spell slots than MA, too, since I was casting it less than once per fight on average (it helps that I had high HP, though).

For a wizard (especially abjuration), MA would probably be better, but my point is you don't have to learn both spells; you can just pick one.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I would, even though it's technically "worse." My sorcerer only had Shield for defense, no MA, and I found that by level 4-5ish I had plenty of slots for it, and wasn't wasting a round of every combat casting an AC spell. Also, it kept me on my toes: I was focusing more on positioning and illusion, with Shield only as a last resort. I think in the end it cost me less spell slots than MA, too, since I was casting it less than once per fight on average (it helps that I had high HP, though).

For a wizard (especially abjuration), MA would probably be better, but my point is you don't have to learn both spells; you can just pick one.
Doesn't Mage Armor last 8 hours?

[JakOfAllTirades]

I love casting Thaumaturgy, just for the roleplaying lulz.

But if Power Word: Thrill was a spell I'd totally choose that.

[MaxWilson]

For if-I-could-cast-it, probably unseen servant, simply because the extra set of hands would be so very nice a lot of the time.

And, if you can ritual-cast while, say, driving, imagine starting 20 minutes before you head out grocery shopping. You'd have two servants to carry stuff around for you for the better part of an hour. And you could re-cast them on your way home (if, like me, you live 30 min. from Costco, for example.)

I'm pretty sure reading while driving is contraindicated. :-P

[MaxWilson]

For real life, Major Image VI would be pretty amazing.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

In real life, I'd have to agree with prestidigitation.

But ingame, it's counterspell. Nothing like just shutting the enemy down.

[Lines]

Animate dead. It's basically in a category of its own, it lasts all day, gets you tens of minions and all it requires is corpses, which tend to be plentiful in the adventurer lifestyle.


Mine would have to be guidance. The image in my head of a priest leaning over a thief with a hand on his shoulder and saying 'I have faith in you' and actually improving his chances of unlocking the chest by 5-20% makes it as funny as it is useful.

It's actually more than that - if you'd need an 11 you will now need a 7-10, making it a 10-40% increase - the lower your chances, the higher the increase.

[Segev]

I'm pretty sure reading while driving is contraindicated. :-PWhile I won't fault a DM for saying you have to reference your spellbook to ritual-cast a spell you don't have prepared (especially since wizards are the only ones who get to do that without preparing the spell), the rules on concentration don't actually require it. As long as driving doesn't take an action, you can do it while taking the action each round to work on the ritual and while maintaining concentration on the ritual. Concentration is a lot "lighter" in 5e than in 3e; you can even fight while concentrating on a spell, and only risk losing concentration if you're damaged.


Animate dead. It's basically in a category of its own, it lasts all day, gets you tens of minions and all it requires is corpses, which tend to be plentiful in the adventurer lifestyle.It does look like a lot of fun.


It's actually more than that - if you'd need an 11 you will now need a 7-10, making it a 10-40% increase - the lower your chances, the higher the increase.It averages 12.5% increase (or equivalent to +1.5 on the roll), and more impressively gives you a 12.5% chance of rolling greater than 20 on the d20+d4 alone. Which can actively let you do better than you could possibly have at all on a d20 alone.

[PrismaRiyo]

In game it's misty-step. I know it's not the best spell, but the fact that it's a bonus action works really well for me.
plus RP-wise I just really like the puff of smoke idea, it makes me wanna go TA-DA every time I use it.
I''m also a big fan of illusions, so both minor illusion and major image are spells I almost always take when I play casters.

[Misterwhisper]

Suggestion. I love that spell.

8 hour long command can be amazing.

My uses so far.

1. A jerk guard, I commanded to follow me around and compliment me for the next 8 hours.

2. Write up this contract to sell me that item for 10 copper.

3. PC Barbarian exclaims that we need to keep in mind he can kill any of us casters and there is nothing we can do about it. So I suggestion for him to Maccrena for 8 hours.

4. Assassin tried to kill us, "lead us back to the person that hired you."

5. Cast all of your non-zero level spells at that tree over there. Bad day for mr. Wizard.

6. Go get me a bottle of wine.

So many uses.

[Segev]

Do remember that suggestion is not dominate. It has to be at least vaguely reasonable. Doing the same thing continuously or repeatedly for 8 hours doesn't seem that reasonable. Though most of your uses were pretty good.

[Lines]

It does look like a lot of fun.

It is! Destroyed a huge army of orcs by sending in a hundred skeletons to raid and drag off the corpses, replenishing their losses night after night. Also for some reason the spell is supposed to be evil, despite the fact that casting it isn't hurting anyone any more than casting fireball does, and that's not evil, so watch out for the DM sending good aligned people after you for doing good deeds.

[Trum4n1208]

I love Prestidigitation in game. But, if we're discussing a spell that we'd want in real life, I'd have to say Mending. I do amateur gunsmithing on antique firearms, and being able to use Mending on them would make my life SOOOO much easier.

[DireSickFish]

Gota be Animate Objects. It's an amazing combat and utility spell. The hoard of tiny objects shred big bads. It's amazing how easy moving big things out of the way or int he way of enemies is when the object is moving itself. Well worth the concentration slot.

[Moo, I'm Human]

In real life I would have Lesser/Greater restoration, be a doctor, though someone might be worried about you waving your hands at someone and curing their cold.

[Misterwhisper]

Do remember that suggestion is not dominate. It has to be at least vaguely reasonable. Doing the same thing continuously or repeatedly for 8 hours doesn't seem that reasonable. Though most of your uses were pretty good.

You would be surprised what a bard with expertise is persuasion and deception can make sound reasonable.

However if we are talking about in real life, prestidigitaion is the bomb.

Heat, cool, or flavor things would be amazing, I could eat the most health and nutritious food but make it taster like a big greasy cheeseburger, or expensive steak.

Clean dirty things in a matter of seconds: engines, tools, loads of clothes, ect, even clean things that nobody else could... in seconds.

Then the rest just for the fun of it.

[Trum4n1208]

You would be surprised what a bard with expertise is persuasion and deception can make sound reasonable.

However if we are talking about in real life, prestidigitaion is the bomb.

Heat, cool, or flavor things would be amazing, I could eat the most health and nutritious food but make it taster like a big greasy cheeseburger, or expensive steak.

Clean dirty things in a matter of seconds: engines, tools, loads of clothes, ect, even clean things that nobody else could... in seconds.

Then the rest just for the fun of it.

Oh, shoot, yeah, you're totally right. Okay, I change my answer. Prestidigitation all the way.

[E’Tallitnics]

How did we get to 30 comments and no one choose Wish?

I love it, but as a DM. Characters go crazy and I'm very old school so their wording is paramount to getting what they Wished for.

[Theodoxus]

Recently, it's become Glyph of Warding. I'm of the persuasion that 'harmful' doesn't necessitate 'hit point loss'. Thus, setting up an alarmed campsite, particularly in a dungeon setting, it made easier with a GoW primed on the outside door. A couple, even better... have the first one cast Silence on the first fool to come wandering up. That'll cause some confusion. As long as the alarm goes off before the GoW, you'll know you're about to be accosted. Takes a little set up, but shutting down any casters who aren't smart enough to realize what's happened... classic.

With a sorc in the party with subtle spell, you can even stand in the middle of the silence and nuke your foes. Much confusion, much more wow.

[pwykersotz]

I think my favorite spell is Thunderwave. A super solid, early level AoE that deals a minimally resisted damage type and pushes back foes? Yes please!

I was playing Lost Mines of Phandelver (as a player) and helping a buddy run his Wizard. I chose Thunderwave for him and advised him to find someplace to use it. So what did he do? He ran into the center of a six Hobgoblin ambush on a surprise round and killed them all with one blow. They were a fine red mist after that. Most of the rest of the party didn't even have a chance to grab their weapons.

I also love Catapult. Telekinetic launching of objects into foes is absolutely awesome.

Finally, Nystul's Magic Aura. I love messing with auras, I have since 3.5. Both as a GM and a player, it's nice to be able to mess with those pesky detection abilities.

[JellyPooga]

How did we get to 30 comments and no one choose Wish?

I love it, but as a DM. Characters go crazy and I'm very old school so their wording is paramount to getting what they Wished for.

The problem with Wish (as well as other high-level spells) is that so few characters/players ever get to use it.

A vast majority of games, to the best of my knowledge, start at low level (1-3) and rarely go any higher than 10th. I, myself, have never played a character greater than 6th level and I've been playing since 2ed AD&D was the "new" edition (I've GM'd higher levels, but haven't been a PC at those levels).

[pwykersotz]

The problem with Wish (as well as other high-level spells) is that so few characters/players ever get to use it.

A vast majority of games, to the best of my knowledge, start at low level (1-3) and rarely go any higher than 10th. I, myself, have never played a character greater than 6th level and I've been playing since 2ed AD&D was the "new" edition (I've GM'd higher levels, but haven't been a PC at those levels).

... Wow.

You're missing out. There's great fun in the mid levels.

[Spectre9000]

If we're talking real life, Misty Step would be my go to. Casting that at will, would be awesome.

[JellyPooga]

... Wow.

You're missing out. There's great fun in the mid levels.

Oh yeah, absolutely. Don't misunderstand; I've primarily been a GM rather than a player and I've run games that have gone to 15th level (I think...it might have been 16th; it was a while ago). I've played lots of NPC's of mid to high level...it's just that I've never been a PC higher than 6th. Probably the reason I GM more than play, I guess...

[ShikomeKidoMi]

Since people already called out prestidigitation, Teleport and it's improved versions really change the way the world works for a caster and the concept of 'distance' loses meaning.

Go anywhere instantly is an insane power. One of my PCs, in a particularly grueling campaign climax actually teleported to a friendly temple and negotiated a quick and dirty Revivify for the party cleric and then teleported back mid-fight. The whole process took 5 rounds (2 of those were finding the right priest and haggling) and the PCs won the fight, though the two left behind were in pretty bad shape, I think the cleric had to bring one of them back from the dead afterwards.

[JumboWheat01]

Since people already called out prestidigitation, Teleport and it's improved versions really change the way the world works for a caster and the concept of 'distance' loses meaning.

Go anywhere instantly is an insane power. One of my PCs, in a particularly grueling campaign climax actually teleported to a friendly temple and negotiated a quick and dirty Revivify for the party cleric and then teleported back mid-fight. The whole process took 5 rounds (2 of those were finding the right priest and haggling) and the PCs won the fight, though the two left behind were in pretty bad shape, I think the cleric had to bring one of them back from the dead afterwards.

Now that's pretty awesome, out-of-the-box thinking right there.

[RickAllison]

Now that's pretty awesome, out-of-the-box thinking right there.

The kicker for me is that he took the time to haggle :smallbiggrin:

[MBControl]

It's a tie for me. Mage hand equals lots of hijinxs, but fog is a massive smoke bomb!

[Sigreid]

For real life, Restoration. Then I would go to the local sports teams and get paid well to keep their athletes on the field. With the money from that, I could pay someone to do everything else I don't want to do.