Pick a (non-alignement) descriptor, get those spells

[TalonOfAnathrax]

If you could play a lv20 spellcaster with knowledge of every single spell with a specific descriptor that isn't an alignment (like [Evil]) or a spell school (like [Divination]), which school would you choose? I'll give you Sorcerer spells per day to make up for the reduced spell list.

Spells ignore material components, but anything that would make you lose XP instead instantly kills you.

Which descriptor would you pick for a D&D campaign? Which would you pick for you right now in the real world?

This was meant to help me make a themed spellcaster NPC (I haven't yet found a good theme, you see) but then I saw a bunch of other threads asking to choose spells for the real world and I decided that that was also a great question to ask.

[FaerieGodfather]

Same either way. [healing]

Give me a second choice, and I'll add [teleportation].

[AnimeTheCat]

[Force] because force cage, magic missile, and force wall are neat spells that would be fun to have.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Gotta go with force. There's a nice variety there and almost nothing is resistant to force effects. Most of the other options are elements and just way too limiting.

Remember everybody, the OP said descriptor and deliberately -excluded- subschools. Teleportation, shadow, healing, etc are all subschools. The exercise is much more limiting than it looks at a glance.

[AnimeTheCat]

Gotta go with force. There's a nice variety there and almost nothing is resistant to force effects. Most of the other options are elements and just way too limiting.

Remember everybody, the OP said descriptor and deliberately -excluded- subschools. Teleportation, shadow, healing, etc are all subschools. The exercise is much more limiting than it looks at a glance.

oh yeah, and there's the PRC Force Missile Mage (I think...) from dragon compendium that has always seemed fun to me.

[Falontani]

So.. Mind Affecting
Force
Fire

Irl I'd go mind affecting

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Gotta go with force. There's a nice variety there and almost nothing is resistant to force effects. Most of the other options are elements and just way too limiting.

Remember everybody, the OP said descriptor and deliberately -excluded- subschools. Teleportation, shadow, healing, etc are all subschools. The exercise is much more limiting than it looks at a glance.

Ah, no! I excluded school, not subschools. I didn't want someone saying "Divination" or "Transmutation", because while those are keywords attached to spells I'm pretty sure that they aren't descriptors. In any case they aren't in the spirit of this thing.
I'm okay with teleportation, healing, and shadow. Actually shadow is really great now that I think about it, both for a character and in the real world... It's most low-level enchantment, evocation and conjuration, along with access to planar travel (Plane Shift). It's not fantastic at higher levels (no Gate, Time Stop, Shapechange, ect) but it is quite versatile.

[tyckspoon]

Shadow, Calling, and Summoning are probably the top contenders for ignoring the spirit of the thing and doing everything anyways. Summoning is more limited, of course, but has the benefit of having Summoning spells at pretty much all levels. Calling is going to be the most powerful, but you have to deal with basically not having spells at all until it actually kicks in with Less Planar Binding... of course, once it does, you can find a Callable minion somewhere to do almost anything you want.

[FaerieGodfather]

So.. Mind Affecting

If I'm being honest... the temptation might be too strong, especially in a real life.

But if I take [healing], I get to be a good person, or at least I get to still be some kind of person.

Give me [mind-affecting], and I'll never be anything but a thing: a cruel, malicious thing, at that.

If I'm strong enough to make the right choice only once, I never need to worry about that temptation again.

[Falontani]

Ah, no! I excluded school, not subschools. I didn't want someone saying "Divination" or "Transmutation", because while those are keywords attached to spells I'm pretty sure that they aren't descriptors. In any case they aren't in the spirit of this thing.
I'm okay with teleportation, healing, and shadow. Actually shadow is really great now that I think about it, both for a character and in the real world... It's most low-level enchantment, evocation and conjuration, along with access to planar travel (Plane Shift). It's not fantastic at higher levels (no Gate, Time Stop, Shapechange, ect) but it is quite versatile.

haha! if that is the case
[CREATION]
Level 0: Create Water (never thirsty without water again) and Caltrops
Level 1: Mage Armor (I have armor that doesn't mess with me at all and is invisible? nice!) Various Orb spells (for damage), Conjure Ice Beast for my "summoning", and Grease for crowd control (and hilarity IRL)
Level 2: Clothier's Closet for all my "disguise" needs, Conjure Ice Beast and Conjure Ice Object, Ice Darts (damage again) Web (crowd control) and Unseen Crafter (when I want it to use Craft Food for me)
Level 3: Wall of X spells (yay I can make walls when people bug me), Servant Horde (Can I say pampered?) Greater Mage Armor (Hey look I'm wearing better than chainmail that happens to be invisible and weightless), Contagious Fog if I want to make people sick, more conjure ice beast, and now we have Ice Lance for blasting
Level 4: More wall of X spells, More Orb of X spells, More Conjure Ice Beast, but now, now we have Minor Creation, Solid Fog, and Evard's Black Tentacles. Our crowd control is stronger than any other subschool! and I do like Ice Web
Level 5: Our Wall spells are extremely diverse now, we have just picked up major creation and cloudkill
Level 6: Cometfall, Acid Fog, and Heroes Feast are great
Level 7: Body outside body, and Magnificent Mansion
Level 8: How is Clone not a Creation spell? doesn't really matter we're still awesome
Level 9: Genesis? Without any components. Hello personal "heaven" oh and Cometstrike for those that would actually try to harm you

[Kish]

Healing. No question at all.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Ah, no! I excluded school, not subschools. I didn't want someone saying "Divination" or "Transmutation", because while those are keywords attached to spells I'm pretty sure that they aren't descriptors. In any case they aren't in the spirit of this thing.
I'm okay with teleportation, healing, and shadow. Actually shadow is really great now that I think about it, both for a character and in the real world... It's most low-level enchantment, evocation and conjuration, along with access to planar travel (Plane Shift). It's not fantastic at higher levels (no Gate, Time Stop, Shapechange, ect) but it is quite versatile.

Oh. Changing my answer to shadow then. Far and away the broadest set of effects of any descriptor/ subschool.

Btw


Spell Name
School (subschool) [descriptor]

Spell description

Be sure you use the right terms to make your questions/ statements clear.

[Elrak]

I would also pick shadow. Shadow Conjuration (+Greater), Shadow Evocation (+Greater) and Shades alone offer way too much versatility if otherwise restricted as per the original post.

[FaerieGodfather]

Out of curiosity, why did you rule out alignment descriptors? It it because [evil] is just too obviously superior for people who don't mind being absolute monsters?

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Out of curiosity, why did you rule out alignment descriptors? It it because [evil] is just too obviously superior for people who don't mind being absolute monsters?

It's because they really don't seem to carry a theme at all. And also because there's a lot of them and they're very good, yeah :)

[Quertus]

So, um, whichever one lets me become immortal?


haha! if that is the case
[CREATION]
Level 9: Genesis? Without any components. Hello personal "heaven" oh and Cometstrike for those that would actually try to harm you

AFB - didn't that cost XP, and, by the rules of this exercise, kill you?

Even if it doesn't, how're you gonna get there?

[Falontani]

So, um, whichever one lets me become immortal?



AFB - didn't that cost XP, and, by the rules of this exercise, kill you?

Even if it doesn't, how're you gonna get there?

I'll admit, I forgot about the xp thing; and, very carefully? I'm at a loss honestly, I thought it brought you to it, doesn't change lvl 1-8!

[Troacctid]

I would go Polymorph. That gets me both shapechange and polymorph any object, both of which are insanely overpowered abilities that would be super cool to have. The lower-level spells are great too; at first blush you might expect them to be redundant, but the aforementioned big ticket spells require some awkward material components. What if I misplace my jade circlet but I still want to turn into a marut or a dragon or a beholder? I've got spells for that.

[Kish]

I would go Polymorph. That gets me both shapechange and polymorph any object
1) Am I missing a descriptor on either of those spells? It looks like they only have the Transmutation school.


but the aforementioned big ticket spells require some awkward material components. What if I misplace my jade circlet but I still want to turn into a marut or a dragon or a beholder? I've got spells for that.
2)
Spells ignore material components, but anything that would make you lose XP instead instantly kills you.

[Troacctid]

1) Am I missing a descriptor on either of those spells? It looks like they only have the Transmutation school.
The Polymorph subschool includes all spells based on alter self or polymorph. It was added to them retroactively when the subschool was introduced in Player's Handbook II.


2)
Well, an arcane focus component is technically not the same as a material component. But I suppose you're right. That does make it easier, not having to carry around mercury and empty cocoons everywhere.