What are some of the best thematic, evocative spells?

[logic_error]

And I mean spells that are written fantastically and have brilliant effects not limited to damage. Please avoid spells like Defenestrating sphere which though quite funny do not make much sense.

Spells can be from the divine or arcane list.

[Morcleon]

And I mean spells that are written fantastically and have brilliant effects not limited to damage. Please avoid spells like Defenestrating sphere which though quite funny do not make much sense.

You're gonna need to give a much more in-depth explanation of what spells you don't think make sense, because Defenestrating Sphere is absolutely one of my favorite spells and I see it as fairly straightforward.

[Thurbane]

I'm a fan of Crushing Fist of Spite (BoVD) and Vortex of teeth (SC). Giant fists and ghost piranhas! :smallbiggrin:

[BlackOnyx]

My personal favorite would have to be Animate Dead (with honorable mention to Animate Legion and Plague of Undead).


Relatively low level and inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, but it immediately sets the tone for a given encounter.


Skeletal arms reaching out from their graves? The corpses on a battlefield shambling to their feet to fight once again? It's a hauntingly beautiful image.

[RFLS]

For when the village peasants annoy you. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/explode-head/)

[XionUnborn01]

For when the village peasants annoy you. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/explode-head/)

I love the spell Deadfall (I believe that's the name) that just drops a bunch of logs down in an area doing damage and blocking paths. I've always loved the image

There's also a spell that creates like force dinosaurs to deal damage and knockback.

Updraft is another spell that I've always really liked, fly straight up into the air and the slowly float back down.

Oh, and Lam's Finger Darts where you actually shoot your fingers at people is just amazingly flavorful if not a little odd.

[XionUnborn01]

For when the village peasants annoy you. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/explode-head/)

I never had the urge to switch to pathfinder before reading this beautiful spell.

[Hiro Quester]

Not a spell, but a magic item. My Druid PC got a lot of mileage out of feather token: tree.

You drop the feather and activate it, and a huge 60 ft tall, 40 ft top diameter, oak tree instantly springs into being wherever you need one to be.

There are so many wonderful uses for this item. And the imagery is very potent and vivid.

And especially for a Druid who can use the tree in a spell (tree stride, live oak, etc.) the uses just multiply.

I gave several to my archer/sniper friend, so he could always create a tree in the middle of a battle when he needed a high place to hide and shoot from.

[RFLS]

I never had the urge to switch to pathfinder before reading this beautiful spell.

As much as I like PF, I am compelled to point out that this is probably the easiest backport you'll find.

[logic_error]

Then there are some not so well balanced but very thematic spells like Circle against alignment. Basically, a ritual that really looks like a spell than shooting electricity from your hands. I for one also like earthen grasp, which does something graphically fantastic, raising an arm out of the ground to grasp at people. Simple spells such as Devil's sight also sound very magicky in that they produce an effect that goes beyond the gamey aspects of the game.

[Darrin]

Necrotic Skull Bomb (Champions of Ruin, Sor/Wiz 5) is a terrible spell mechanically, but extremely evocative.

Dinosaur Stampede (Spell Compendium, Dru 6) does terrible damage for it's level, but how can you top trampling your enemies to death with dinosaurs? Even better, the dinosaurs are made of [FORCE]!

Extract Water Elemental (Spell Compendium, Dru/Sor/Wiz 5) is disturbingly cool: destroy one of your enemies, and turn them into a water elemental under your control, all with just a standard action.

Firestride Exhalation (Dragon Magic, Sor/Wiz/Wuj 4) is pretty nifty. You breath fire like a dragon, and can then become part of the fire, teleporting to anywhere the flames go.

Dreaded Form of the Eye Tyrant (Complete Mage, Sor/Wiz 8) turns you into one of the most memorable and iconic monsters in D&D, complete with LAZRBEM EYEZ!

[Elder_Basilisk]

Cover your heart Indy, he's casting Clutch of Orcus!

[TotallyNotEvil]

Huh, you think Necrotic Skull Bomb weak?

I find it pretty fair for the swift cast AoE Enervation, even if it allows a save.

[Hugh Mann]

Mycontil's Last Resort for when you really want to have a dramatic last stand.

[Venger]

Huh, you think Necrotic Skull Bomb weak?

I find it pretty fair for the swift cast AoE Enervation, even if it allows a save.

it allows a save, so it's weak. the swift casting is cool, and partially justifies why it's inflated a level, but for that you figure they could at least drop spell resistance or improve the range.

i'm a big fan of crystalline memories. pull memories out of someone's head for your own perusal, plus deal a little int damage

[Hiro Quester]

Avascular Mass. Now there's an evocative spell description.

A ray of necromantic energy shoots out from your hand. Ranged touch. Each affected target's blood vessels erupt from its body, causing it to lose half of its remaining hit points (no save). It then gets a save vs. stunning.

The blood vessels that shoot out from its body then entangle everyone within 20 ft radius (reflex to avoid entanglement). Including the principal target. Even if not entangled, they have to make strength checks to move in the affected area.

It's got everything. Ranged touch no save blasting. Possibility of multiple targets. Stunning. Entangling others. And BFC, making the area difficult to move in.

But the image of your ally's blood vessels exploding out of his body and entangling both of you is pretty darn evocative.