Best 1st Level Sorc Spells for Spamming?

[Zombulian]

What the title says. I'll have a character capable of choosing 1 first level Sorc spell that he'll be able to cast all day (though not directly round to round like a Warlock can). What should I pick?

[ComaVision]

I'd pick Grease. It's always useful.

[Inevitability]

What level is this character?

[Zombulian]

What level is this character?

The spammability aspect kicks in at level 5.

[Venger]

power word pain

[Zombulian]

I'd pick Grease. It's always useful.

Strongly considering this. It's got a lot of uses and the character has Sneak Attack to take advantage of the flatfooted aspect.


power word pain

I feel like by the time this ability comes online this spell may be outpaced.

[Mordaedil]

I feel like by the time this ability comes online this spell may be outpaced.

At level 5? Even a barbarian with 18 constitution, they can have a maximum of 80 hit points. 90 while raging. Power word pain is going to do just as well at this level as it does earlier. There's no saving throw.

[emeraldstreak]

At level 5? Even a barbarian with 18 constitution, they can have a maximum of 80 hit points. 90 while raging. Power word pain is going to do just as well at this level as it does earlier. There's no saving throw.

PW:Pain is a bad choice for a 5th-lvl party that isn't prepared to build tactics around it.

[ben-zayb]

What kind of campaign are you on? Charm Person doesn't need to be a per round ability but would be interesting at will. Summon Monster 1 should also provide you with utility if it's CL is more than 1

[Zombulian]

What kind of campaign are you on? Charm Person doesn't need to be a per round ability but would be interesting at will. Summon Monster 1 should also provide you with utility if it's CL is more than 1

CL would be equal to HD I think. I was considering SMI as well for trap tripping and free flanking but Grease is definitely looking better and better.
Charm is a kinda nice idea but the save dc would probably scale poorly.

[Uncle Pine]

Conjure Ice Beast I could be noteworthy.

[Zombulian]

Conjure Ice Beast I could be noteworthy.

I was also considering this but it's not on the Sorc/Wiz spell list is it?

[RoboEmperor]

1. Power Word Pain
2. Magic Missile
3. Mount. Either spam it to make a wall of horses to hinder your enemies with, or grab +5 to Handle Animals so you can take 20 on "pushing an animal" to teach it to defend you or a party member giving you an army of horses.

And that's it. The only other good 1st level spells are grease, color spray, sleep, and benign transposition.

[Zombulian]

1. Power Word Pain
2. Magic Missile
3. Mount. Either spam it to make a wall of horses to hinder your enemies with, or grab +5 to Handle Animals so you can take 20 on "pushing an animal" to teach it to defend you or a party member giving you an army of horses.

And that's it. The only other good 1st level spells are grease, color spray, sleep, and benign transposition.

I considered Mount as well haha but I have a feeling that my playgroup wouldn't appreciate the action bloat from an army of horses.

[Deophaun]

Benign transposition is always fun.

[retaliation08]

Depends on many things.
Warforged Sorcerer? Repair light damage would be nice.
Benign Transposition could solve lots of potential problems at-will.
Spells like instant search can be useful for dungeoneering at a quicker pace.
Critical strike for a swift action every round to do +1d6 with double crit range could be nice on a gish.
Extract drug could be useful for amassing vast wealth through the black market, or just supporting a habit.

[Uncle Pine]

I was also considering this but it's not on the Sorc/Wiz spell list is it?

My bad, I forgot about that little detail. :smallredface:

[Blackhawk748]

Shield isn't bad, Magic Missile is always good as well.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Sanctum Spell Fell Drain sonic snap?

Silent image is always good. Works as a makeshift invisibility spell if used right.

[Zombulian]

Sanctum Spell Fell Drain sonic snap?

Silent image is always good. Works as a makeshift invisibility spell if used right.

No Metamagic options unfortunately.
Silent Image is another great pick that I've considered.

I think it's coming down to SMI, Silent Image, or Grease. Hmmm.

[jmax]

I would pick silent image. As long as you have sufficient imagination, you can just do an incredible amount with that spell. Plus you would have the best multimedia options ever :D

I definitely wouldn't recommend SM1. If you want trap-monkeys, just get a wand.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

See if you can't apply Heighten to it and go shadowcraft mage?

[Elkad]

Looking at Swift/Immediate stuff, so it's a bonus action.
You didn't say if it's a once-a-fight kind of thing, or every few rounds?

Nerveskitter is useful every fight.
Blockade is a personal favorite.
Swift Expeditious Retreat is handy for positioning.
Instant Diversion is great all the time.

For standard action stuff. Infernal Healing (Pathfinder) is great.

[RoboEmperor]

I'd stay away from silent image. It's a ***** to rule on. If your DM says you need a will save for anything you do with it then it's useless.

SMI is probably best for trap fodder, ambush fodder, scouting, etc.

[jmax]

I'd stay away from silent image. It's a ***** to rule on. If your DM says you need a will save for anything you do with it then it's useless.

SMI is probably best for trap fodder, ambush fodder, scouting, etc.

The DM is the final authority, but that interpretation does run contrary to the rules.


Creatures encountering an illusion usually do not receive saving throws to recognize it as illusory until they study it carefully or interact with it in some fashion.

A successful saving throw against an illusion reveals it to be false, but a figment or phantasm remains as a translucent outline.

A failed saving throw indicates that a character fails to notice something is amiss. A character faced with proof that an illusion isn’t real needs no saving throw. If any viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates this fact to others, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#savingThrowsandIllusionsDisb elief



And you can always ask your DM about the interpretation of the will save first. And, in fact, you absolutely should. But unless your DM is pretty unreasonable, it's a great spell. You might run into the occasional NPC so paranoid that she assumes everything is an illusion and probes accordingly, but that situation is trivially easy to deal with - just throw at her something she'll think is an illusion but isn't.


EDIT: As a general rule, I would advise against investing this rare opportunity in something that can easily be replaced with a 1st-level wand. SM1 gets duration benefit from your caster level but otherwise has nothing going for it on that front. Silent image, on the other hand, benefits from your high base casting stat when someone does try to probe the illusion.

[RoboEmperor]

The DM is the final authority, but that interpretation does run contrary to the rules.



http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#savingThrowsandIllusionsDisb elief



And you can always ask your DM about the interpretation of the will save first. And, in fact, you absolutely should. But unless your DM is pretty unreasonable, it's a great spell. You might run into the occasional NPC so paranoid that she assumes everything is an illusion and probes accordingly, but that situation is trivially easy to deal with - just throw at her something she'll think is an illusion but isn't.


EDIT: As a general rule, I would advise against investing this rare opportunity in something that can easily be replaced with a 1st-level wand. SM1 gets duration benefit from your caster level but otherwise has nothing going for it on that front. Silent image, on the other hand, benefits from your high base casting stat when someone does try to probe the illusion.

I'd grab magic missile because limitless guaranteed damage at level 5 is amazing.

Anyways as someone who dealt with more than a few DMs who had no clue how to rule silent image, I'll echo jmax's suggestion and recommend you ask the DM on its ruling first. My latest DM said seeing the illusion was interacting with it and demanded a will save.

[Blackhawk748]

Looking at Swift/Immediate stuff, so it's a bonus action.
You didn't say if it's a once-a-fight kind of thing, or every few rounds?

Nerveskitter is useful every fight.
Blockade is a personal favorite.
Swift Expeditious Retreat is handy for positioning.
Instant Diversion is great all the time.

For standard action stuff. Infernal Healing (Pathfinder) is great.

How could i forget Nerveskitter! That spell will neer stop being useful and it will save you so many slots.

[jmax]

I'd grab magic missile because limitless guaranteed damage at level 5 is amazing.

Anyways as someone who dealt with more than a few DMs who had no clue how to rule silent image, I'll echo jmax's suggestion and recommend you ask the DM on its ruling first. My latest DM said seeing the illusion was interacting with it and demanded a will save.

And thus we inevitably devolve into the questions of whether an illusion torch creates real light and/or whether it's appropriate to insert real-world physics roleplaying games. (Protip: It can be a blast, but only when applied judiciously. This would not be a judicious application.)


Magic missile has great potential at level 5 - or, more specifically for a sorcerer, at level 6 when you get fly, but I feel it will age poorly. Remember that it only can target creatures, and anyone with total cover cannot be targeted at all.

For the most part, limitless (admittedly not quite guaranteed) damage over high periods of time is available in the form of the party fighter.

And, now that I think about it, magic missile's damage isn't actually guaranteed. Someday you will face spell resistance.



I do love nerveskitter, but this is again a case where I think you'd be better off with a wand (get a Wand Chamber so you can use it as an immediate action). You're also unlikely to use it more than a handful of times per day in most games, which means having it as a Spell Known is probably sufficient on a sorcerer.

[Elkad]

I specifically went looking for things that wouldn't detract from the normal character, whatever it is.

Which means not stealing actions. So always-useful swift/immediate stuff.

Also, on the subject of damage spells, since OP has sneak attack, magic missile is probably a weaker choice than a lesser orb or something else with a hit roll.

Oh, Sorc. Wings of Cover! Oops, that's 2nd level.

[RoboEmperor]

How could i forget Nerveskitter! That spell will neer stop being useful and it will save you so many slots.

Yeah Nerveskitter and Combat Readiness (both stack with each other) are probably the only level 1 spells that stay relevant the entire game.

[Zombulian]

EDIT: As a general rule, I would advise against investing this rare opportunity in something that can easily be replaced with a 1st-level wand. SM1 gets duration benefit from your caster level but otherwise has nothing going for it on that front. Silent image, on the other hand, benefits from your high base casting stat when someone does try to probe the illusion.


How could i forget Nerveskitter! That spell will neer stop being useful and it will save you so many slots.

Yeah I think a wand of nerveskitter should work just fine.


I'd grab magic missile because limitless guaranteed damage at level 5 is amazing.

Anyways as someone who dealt with more than a few DMs who had no clue how to rule silent image, I'll echo jmax's suggestion and recommend you ask the DM on its ruling first. My latest DM said seeing the illusion was interacting with it and demanded a will save.

Remember that this ability comes online at level 5, but I'm not going to be level 5 forever. I can't change my choice once it's made.


Looking at Swift/Immediate stuff, so it's a bonus action.
You didn't say if it's a once-a-fight kind of thing, or every few rounds?

Nerveskitter is useful every fight.
Blockade is a personal favorite.
Swift Expeditious Retreat is handy for positioning.
Instant Diversion is great all the time.

For standard action stuff. Infernal Healing (Pathfinder) is great.

The instinct to avoid wasting actions is a good one, Elkad. Instant Diversion intrigues me, especially since it seems like it could set up an easy flank.
The trick I'm using is being a Kobold Spellthief with Draconic Rite of Passage, which grants me a single 1st level Sorc spell as a SLA 1/day. At 5th level of Spellthief, you get Steal Spell Like Ability, which expressly does not use up the target's SLA uses. The stealing takes a standard action though, thus I cannot spam my SLA every round.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Protection from evil may not seem that great at first glance, but there are a LOT of spells suppressed when under its effects. Cast it on yourself, all your party mates, your pack animals, any NPCs nearby, etc. Lowers your worries about the party's barbarian being dominated or possessed at an inopportune time. It's not a terrible buff spell otherwise, either.

I'd suggest unseen servant, but an at-will item of that is cheap.

The buzzing bee spell (SpC) has all sorts of uses to annoy, distract, and uncover enemies. It helps you keep track of where enemies are while they're invisible, under cover, under concealment, and while otherwise hiding. It also annoys casters and makes casting much more difficult (which is likely the most powerful use of this spell). It's almost like using a dispel magic counterspell every round the affected enemy tries to cast something. If you can use multiple castings to stack on one spellcasting enemy, expect them to lose a LOT of spells.

Mordenkainen's buzzing bee (Miniatures Handbook) does something similar to buzzing bee, above, but they should stack, since they are two differently-named spells. After all, if two completely different spells with the same name replace each other, two similar spells with different names should stack just fine.

The create trap spell (RotD), is, honestly, generally not that great, as it's a CR 1 trap in one space. If you can coat every 5' space behind you on every available surface, however, I imagine it would be a fairly effective deterrent for many pursuers. Assuming you have time to prep them, anyway.

How about instant diversion (also RotD)? It's like mirror image except you can use it to send decoys down hallways and such to lure enemies away from you.

If you take Extra Spell to add haste to your spell list from the trapsmith's spell list...

Kaupaer's skittish nerves (Magic of Faerun). It's basically nerveskitter, and they stack. More wand fodder than anything, though.

Know protections (also MoF) scales indirectly; it lets you know all of the resistances and immunities of any one creature in range that fails a Will save. This one would be especially nice if you could Chain it.

Launch item works really well with any thrown items in your possession, from alchemist's fire to tanglefoot bags. The latter are useful throughout the game, so long as you fight humanoid-type enemies who don't have freedom of movement available. It's especially nice if you have an at-will ability to use the fire seeds spell or similar. This is probably better used via a wand, however.

Persistent blade (SpC) only deals 1d4 damage per round, but it lasts for 1 round/CL, and if you can recast it every round so you have your CL in blades out at any given time... Yes, this means your at-will 1st level spell deals 20d4 damage at CL 20 every single round, so long as you keep casting. They also flank with your party members who go into melee. The only rub is that it requires a standard action to redirect to a new target each round, so maybe not that useful, here.

Shock and awe (SpC) will help the whole party to steal initiative from any enemies caught in the radius. A -10 to a large number of enemies is worth a lot more than a +5 from nerveskitter, I think, unless you're up against a few powerful enemies that are really far apart or a ton of enemies spread around everywhere. Its biggest downside is that it only really works on enemies that you get the jump on, so you'd better have a high initiative bonus yourself to ensure it works as often as possible. Ironically, meshes incredibly well with nerveskitter, if you could use both. You'd probably want to get an eager/warning weapon ASAP, either way.

If you invest in getting multiple arms (girallon arms soulmeld, warforged mighty arms graft, etc) or another type of "forelimb" (Illithid Grapple feat), then the spell flower spell (Savage Species) is actually pretty darned nice, especially if you have some good touch spells and are willing to use them in a melee build.

Spirit worm (Magic of Faerun) is pretty ridiculous. It requires a touch attack and a failed Fort save, but that's 5 points of Con damage for each creature touched over 5 rounds. Works very well with spell flower, if it matters.

At-will spontaneous search (SpC) lets you search a huge area very thoroughly and very quickly. Great if you have trapfinding (theft gloves soulmeld, or a dip/PrC) or are just a really greedy bastard and want lots of treasure. Also helps with avoiding nasty surprises from tails, ambushes, and such.

Wall of smoke (SpC) is good for both battlefield control to block line of sight, AND it nauseates enemies. Use this liberally after your allies go but before your enemies, and force them to pass through the walls. Combine with Cloudy Conjuration, and you'll be causing all sorts of nasty problems for your foes. Truly excellent battlefield control against anyone subject to being nauseated. Just make sure to corroborate with your party mates to work out some good strategies to take advantage of this.

It's a cantrip instead of a 1st level spell, but summon instrument gets a LOT of mileage if you take a look at all the types of instruments out there. Cymbals can be used as sharp-edged throwing discs, gongs can be used to hide behind, pipe organs can be dropped on enemies for massive damage, bladed saws can be used to cut down trees, and bagpipes are effectively an at-will insanity spell. Also note the use of bona-fide cannons as percussion instruments in Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbxgYlcNxE8).


Yeah Nerveskitter and Combat Readiness (both stack with each other) are probably the only level 1 spells that stay relevant the entire game.Grease works just fine in epic. Look at all those golems that get utterly neutered by it.

In fact, most of the spells above remain relevant through most of the game, if not all of it.

[Venger]

buzzing bee and nerveskitter are 3.5 updates to their ancestors. raw, they don't both exist, they supercede the old versions.

[RoboEmperor]

Combat Readiness gives +1-6 to your initiative and stacks with nerveskitter. Unlike nerveskitter however it is 1min/level and standard action, but if you can cast it at-will you can have it up 24/7 on yourself and party members for some really crazy initiative.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Huh. If you're using spellthief, consider a factotum hireling or cohort. All of their "spells" are actually SLAs, which would come in very handy for you.

[Deophaun]

Remember that this ability comes online at level 5, but I'm not going to be level 5 forever. I can't change my choice once it's made.
Player's Handbook 2 says otherwise. Of course, your DM is free to houserule out the retraining rules, but they are rules by default.

[Zombulian]

Player's Handbook 2 says otherwise. Of course, your DM is free to houserule out the retraining rules, but they are rules by default.

I don't think draconic rite of passage qualifies for retraining does it?

[Zombulian]

Protection from evil may not seem that great at first glance, but there are a LOT of spells suppressed when under its effects. Cast it on yourself, all your party mates, your pack animals, any NPCs nearby, etc. Lowers your worries about the party's barbarian being dominated or possessed at an inopportune time. It's not a terrible buff spell otherwise, either.

I'd suggest unseen servant, but an at-will item of that is cheap.

The buzzing bee spell (SpC) has all sorts of uses to annoy, distract, and uncover enemies. It helps you keep track of where enemies are while they're invisible, under cover, under concealment, and while otherwise hiding. It also annoys casters and makes casting much more difficult (which is likely the most powerful use of this spell). It's almost like using a dispel magic counterspell every round the affected enemy tries to cast something. If you can use multiple castings to stack on one spellcasting enemy, expect them to lose a LOT of spells.

Mordenkainen's buzzing bee (Miniatures Handbook) does something similar to buzzing bee, above, but they should stack, since they are two differently-named spells. After all, if two completely different spells with the same name replace each other, two similar spells with different names should stack just fine.

The create trap spell (RotD), is, honestly, generally not that great, as it's a CR 1 trap in one space. If you can coat every 5' space behind you on every available surface, however, I imagine it would be a fairly effective deterrent for many pursuers. Assuming you have time to prep them, anyway.

How about instant diversion (also RotD)? It's like mirror image except you can use it to send decoys down hallways and such to lure enemies away from you.

If you take Extra Spell to add haste to your spell list from the trapsmith's spell list...

Kaupaer's skittish nerves (Magic of Faerun). It's basically nerveskitter, and they stack. More wand fodder than anything, though.

Know protections (also MoF) scales indirectly; it lets you know all of the resistances and immunities of any one creature in range that fails a Will save. This one would be especially nice if you could Chain it.

Launch item works really well with any thrown items in your possession, from alchemist's fire to tanglefoot bags. The latter are useful throughout the game, so long as you fight humanoid-type enemies who don't have freedom of movement available. It's especially nice if you have an at-will ability to use the fire seeds spell or similar. This is probably better used via a wand, however.

Persistent blade (SpC) only deals 1d4 damage per round, but it lasts for 1 round/CL, and if you can recast it every round so you have your CL in blades out at any given time... Yes, this means your at-will 1st level spell deals 20d4 damage at CL 20 every single round, so long as you keep casting. They also flank with your party members who go into melee. The only rub is that it requires a standard action to redirect to a new target each round, so maybe not that useful, here.

Shock and awe (SpC) will help the whole party to steal initiative from any enemies caught in the radius. A -10 to a large number of enemies is worth a lot more than a +5 from nerveskitter, I think, unless you're up against a few powerful enemies that are really far apart or a ton of enemies spread around everywhere. Its biggest downside is that it only really works on enemies that you get the jump on, so you'd better have a high initiative bonus yourself to ensure it works as often as possible. Ironically, meshes incredibly well with nerveskitter, if you could use both. You'd probably want to get an eager/warning weapon ASAP, either way.

If you invest in getting multiple arms (girallon arms soulmeld, warforged mighty arms graft, etc) or another type of "forelimb" (Illithid Grapple feat), then the spell flower spell (Savage Species) is actually pretty darned nice, especially if you have some good touch spells and are willing to use them in a melee build.

Spirit worm (Magic of Faerun) is pretty ridiculous. It requires a touch attack and a failed Fort save, but that's 5 points of Con damage for each creature touched over 5 rounds. Works very well with spell flower, if it matters.

At-will spontaneous search (SpC) lets you search a huge area very thoroughly and very quickly. Great if you have trapfinding (theft gloves soulmeld, or a dip/PrC) or are just a really greedy bastard and want lots of treasure. Also helps with avoiding nasty surprises from tails, ambushes, and such.

Wall of smoke (SpC) is good for both battlefield control to block line of sight, AND it nauseates enemies. Use this liberally after your allies go but before your enemies, and force them to pass through the walls. Combine with Cloudy Conjuration, and you'll be causing all sorts of nasty problems for your foes. Truly excellent battlefield control against anyone subject to being nauseated. Just make sure to corroborate with your party mates to work out some good strategies to take advantage of this.

It's a cantrip instead of a 1st level spell, but summon instrument gets a LOT of mileage if you take a look at all the types of instruments out there. Cymbals can be used as sharp-edged throwing discs, gongs can be used to hide behind, pipe organs can be dropped on enemies for massive damage, bladed saws can be used to cut down trees, and bagpipes are effectively an at-will insanity spell. Also note the use of bona-fide cannons as percussion instruments in Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbxgYlcNxE8).

Grease works just fine in epic. Look at all those golems that get utterly neutered by it.

In fact, most of the spells above remain relevant through most of the game, if not all of it.

Very comprehensive list. I'd thank you but you're just making the choice harder :smalltongue:


Huh. If you're using spellthief, consider a factotum hireling or cohort. All of their "spells" are actually SLAs, which would come in very handy for you.

That's not a bad idea. We don't use many hirelings and leadership is banned in our games, but I do plan to abuse Improved Familiar and various summoning spells for the same purpose.

[Mato]

buzzing bee and nerveskitter are 3.5 updates to their ancestors. raw, they don't both exist, they supercede the old versions.Spirit worm also has a 3.5 version in the SpC and it removes the hp damage and allows them to save against the spell each round to end it early.

Your best bets depend on the role you want to fulfill. Grease is an excellent choice if you want crowd control, silent image for manipulation, charm person for social interaction, instant diversion if you want to avoid being attacked, and any of the summon spells for utility. Bestow wound is an interesting choice, since the SLA ignores the material component you can heal your hit points off summons and such which is pretty rare in the arcane spell list.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I think the best bets would be smoke wall or grease combined with Cloudy Conjuration, or silent image, myself. Two guesses as to what they all have in common.

[Zombulian]

I think the best bets would be smoke wall or grease combined with Cloudy Conjuration, or silent image, myself. Two guesses as to what they all have in common.

Wall of Smoke is definitely interesting. I've never seen it before to my knowledge but that is an excellent 1st level spell. All very versatile BFC spell choices here.

Grease and Silent Image probably beat it out just because they aren't subject to immunities. Grease may beat Silent Image too because it works *regardless* of if the enemies make their initial (and subsequent) saves - at least in terms of making people flat footed.
Plus I'll probably have Silent Image on my spell list anyhow.
Well wait... hm. I'm playing a Trickster Spellthief so I have access to the Bard spell list and the Sorc/Wiz list for abjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, and transmutation. So Wall of Smoke is not natively on that list...

BTW I completely forgot about the Spell Flower spell. I made a whole build around that spell a long time ago. Good times.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Wall of Smoke is definitely interesting. I've never seen it before to my knowledge but that is an excellent 1st level spell. All very versatile BFC spell choices here.

Grease and Silent Image probably beat it out just because they aren't subject to immunities. Grease may beat Silent Image too because it works *regardless* of if the enemies make their initial (and subsequent) saves - at least in terms of making people flat footed.
Plus I'll probably have Silent Image on my spell list anyhow.
Well wait... hm. I'm playing a Trickster Spellthief so I have access to the Bard spell list and the Sorc/Wiz list for abjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, and transmutation. So Wall of Smoke is not natively on that list...

BTW I completely forgot about the Spell Flower spell. I made a whole build around that spell a long time ago. Good times.Don't forget to add Cloudy Conjuration to grease. Feel free to take Sculpt Spell, too. So very many uses for that feat. A 40' cone of grease? How about the same for a forcecage?

[Zombulian]

Don't forget to add Cloudy Conjuration to grease. Feel free to take Sculpt Spell, too. So very many uses for that feat. A 40' cone of grease? How about the same for a forcecage?

WOW I did not realize Cloudy Conjuration applied to any conjuration spell. That's incredible.

Also I'd like to add that I have Chrome's "Cloud to Butt" extension so this whole conversation has been quite hilarious to me.