Favorite 4th Level Wizard Spells

[DrowPiratRobrts]

Alright...It's level up time for Larz Burnbalm. Hit me with your favorite 4th level spells and why.

Notable choices so far (I get two right now):
-Greater Invisibility: Awesome to defend myself or a party member if needed. Probably typically gonna be cast on our rogue.
-Polymorph: Good for taking care of baddies in creative ways, especially down the road when I can turn them into a slug and throw them into another dimension or something. Great for saving a party member while making them into a T-Rex or something similar.
-Watery Sphere: This is such a good battlefield control spell that has a lot of potential uses.

[KorvinStarmast]

Alright...It's level up time for Larz Burnbalm. Hit me with your favorite 4th level spells and why.

Notable choices so far (I get two right now):
-Greater Invisibility: Awesome to defend myself or a party member if needed. Probably typically gonna be cast on our rogue.
-Polymorph: Good for taking care of baddies in creative ways, especially down the road when I can turn them into a slug and throw them into another dimension or something. Great for saving a party member while making them into a T-Rex or something similar.
-Watery Sphere: This is such a good battlefield control spell that has a lot of potential uses.
Why I like Banishment. (YMMV) You remove a powerful ally of your enemy, or the big bad one, from the fight for a number of rounds while you defeat in detail the rest of the enemies .... and then let them phase back in when you and the party are ready to focus fire on that particular enemy.

It also now and again sends an opponent away from your plane for a long time.

[Galadhrim]

I'm a fan of Wall of Fire. It lets you separate the battlefield into two chunks that are much easier to deal with than all at once.

As you mentioned, polymorph is powerful and lots of fun at the same time. That is hard to beat in a spell.

I like watery sphere in general but my current wizard is playing in storm king's thunder so he left it off due to such high strength saves from giants.

[Scarytincan]

I second banishment, it can also permanently get rid of outsiders, and maybe most noteworthy of all, targets cha. Arcane eye is about as good as it gets for scouting, which in itself can save lives. Wall of fire is a bit situational but can be fantastic, especially down a hall. I'm also very partial to summon greater demon, if you want to start down the rabbit hole of summoning and binding that can add a whole other element to wizard mastery throughout the rest of your levels...

[Derpaligtr]

Why I like Banishment. (YMMV) You remove a powerful ally of your enemy, or the big bad one, from the fight for a number of rounds while you defeat in detail the rest of the enemies .... and then let them phase back in when you and the party are ready to focus fire on that particular enemy.

It also now and again sends an opponent away from your plane for a long time.

Also makes for a great way to surprise an enemy coming for you.

My barbarian failed a charisma save, DM allows for auto-fails but I rolled and got a 7, and was sent to a demi plane... Bad guy and flunkies come in and the party positions the bad guy in such a way that my dramatic entrance was followed by a *squish* and by the time the flunkies turned around my character was their new leader.

Turned to the rogue and said "sneak attack, $&%@"

I assume it could also work as a decent way to keep a friendly NPC safe. If you have to escort an annoying or arrogant brat... During battles just whisk them away to a safe space.

[Crgaston]

Also makes for a great way to surprise an enemy coming for you.

My barbarian failed a charisma save, DM allows for auto-fails but I rolled and got a 7, and was sent to a demi plane... Bad guy and flunkies come in and the party positions the bad guy in such a way that my dramatic entrance was followed by a *squish* and by the time the flunkies turned around my character was their new leader.

Turned to the rogue and said "sneak attack, $&%@"

I assume it could also work as a decent way to keep a friendly NPC safe. If you have to escort an annoying or arrogant brat... During battles just whisk them away to a safe space.

I had never thought of using it that way. Brilliant!

[Derpaligtr]

I had never thought of using it that way. Brilliant!

Thank you XD

[RSP]

I’m a big fan of Ottiluke’s Resilient Sphere: great defense when needed, or can use it offensively to take a BBEG out on a Dex Sv (similar to Banishment but Dex rather than Cha save - sometimes one is better than the other). Plus anyone caught gets to hampster ball it (which is better than them vanishing imho).

[Corran]

Another vote for banishment from me. To add to what others have said, banishment has another potential benefit in that it scales well when you cast it with higher level slots. Assuming there are more than one targets worth targeting with this spell.

Arcane eye is one of my favorite spells, though check with your rogue to see how he feels about it (maybe he don't want his scouting job taken from him). And also ask the rest of the party and the DM how they feel about this spell. Meaning that some players don't like to sit and wait, as scouting with the eye might take time, and during this time they aren't doing anything. And some DM's might not like this spell as well. It's an awesome spell, but it's not for every table.

Last suggestion, dimension door. Always have a way out. Or a way in... allows you to bring a friend with you if necessary.

[BoxANT]

Watery Sphere was my go to 4th level spell, but it has lost *some* of it's luster with getting nerfed in Xanathar (10 ft. radius to 5 ft. radius). Still great, but not as great.

Dimension Door + Clairvoyance = teleporting yourself (and a friend) somewhere out of line of sight, can be amazing.

[ImproperJustice]

Sickening Radiance can be pretty handy at denying a large area, with Storm Sphere as another good pick that scales really well.

If you have an ally with Shield Mastery, or pushing attacks you can keep driving foes into the AoE.

I posted in another thread on how fun and useful Watery Sphere can be for control, and as a group feather fall or fire suppression spell.

[Callak_Remier]

Storm Sphere. Bludgeons anyone in its 20ft radius and you can cast Lightning as a bonus action 60feet out from the centerpoint

[dragoeniex]

Absolutely dimension door. This may have turned into my favorite spell over the last few caster levels (up to 10 now). The ability to tag a friend- or not- and reposition yourself on the battlefield is bananas.

A dual caster team can have fun with this by having one dimension door their pal into a hiding spot after they just began concentrating on a spell. Or just setting the two of you up to attack at a better angle, or block off/surround the enemy from a different side than the rest of your party is coming from. Obviously great as a "panic button" to escape in or out of battle.

It's a high cost, when you first get it, but it can also be good in utility uses too. If you need to get inside something you otherwise wouldn't be able to this instant, bam- here's your chance!

[Derpaligtr]

Phantasmal Killer: Frightened + 4d10 psychic damage? Nice. Frightened gives disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

You know what works well with this? Your friendly neighborhood grappler.

A lot of fun as they drag the enemy closer to the source of their fear...

Fabricate: This is borderline broken or just boring. DM dependent really. Fun either way :).

Black Tentacles: classic. Combine with other spells for maximum quality. I'm a big fan of the classic Tentacles + Fireball combo.

[Zanthy1]

I'll second Banishment (or whatever number we're up to). My DM came up with a fun solution for a situation which i';; detail. We're fighting a black dragon and it cast banishment on me. I had a scroll of banishment, and asked if I cast it upon myself, would I be able to banish myself back to the material plane. The DM said I could pick 3 numbers from 1-100. and roll a d100 once. If I got one of those numbers it would work. and it DID!

[ImproperJustice]

Phantasmal Killer: Frightened + 4d10 psychic damage? Nice. Frightened gives disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

You know what works well with this? Your friendly neighborhood grappler.

A lot of fun as they drag the enemy closer to the source of their fear...

Fabricate: This is borderline broken or just boring. DM dependent really. Fun either way :).

Black Tentacles: classic. Combine with other spells for maximum quality. I'm a big fan of the classic Tentacles + Fireball combo.

I have a forge Cleric and I have yet to find a good use for Fabricate. Would you be willing to share some tips?

[Derpaligtr]

I have a forge Cleric and I have yet to find a good use for Fabricate. Would you be willing to share some tips?

When I get off work or I'm at lunch and have the time.

[Byke]

Polymorph gets my vote :)

[DrowPiratRobrts]

When I get off work or I'm at lunch and have the time.

I'm excited for this as my Wizard is a fashion designer...fabricate...it seems to fit right?

[MrStabby]

Banishment and Mordenkainen's Faithful hound.

Banishment needs no explanation.

The hound does. I like the hound as it is pretty versatile. An alarm system, a detector of illusions and an environmental hazard to push people into all in one. 8 hours and no concentration.

I like that is in interactive AND benefits from thought. Putting it 5 ft from a wall means that there is a place where no one can attack you without being bitten - and it can continue to protect that space even when you are unconscious. Putting it by a door is a nightmare for anyone looking to pick the locks. Grapples, shoves, dissonant whispers, hold person, fear... any effect that can make people move into a corner or stay there gains a lot from having this in the combat. It is great as it is cool for you and cool for your friends.

[Derpaligtr]

Ok, so with pretty much any spell that gives even the slightest bit of leeway... This will be DM dependent.

Also note, my tables run via Rule of Cool (be AL, published settings, or homebrew games), so keep that in mind too :P.



Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

You convert raw materials into products of the same material. For example, you can fabricate a wooden bridge from a clump of trees, a rope from a patch of hemp, and clothes from flax or wool.

Choose raw materials that you can see within range. You can fabricate a Large or smaller object (contained within a 10-foot cube, or eight connected 5-foot cubes), given a sufficient quantity of raw material. If you are working with metal, stone, or another mineral substance, however, the fabricated object can be no larger than Medium (contained within a single 5-foot cube). The quality of objects made by the spell is commensurate with the quality of the raw materials.

Creatures or magic items can’t be created or transmuted by this spell. You also can’t use it to create items that ordinarily require a high degree of craftsmanship, such as jewelry, weapons, glass, or armor, unless you have proficiency with the type of artisan’s tools used to craft such objects.


One time I was stuck with the party in a copper mine and was running from some kobolds. We were able to hide but we knew that they would eventually find us. Also, if you're wondering why we were running from kobolds then you haven't met my "friend" Tucker (which I'm sure is where the ideology of minions and low cr creatures being a threat came from).

Fabricate a wall. We had crude copper/rocks/dirt so the wall ended up being a crude wall... That looked natural enough to get us a long rest. I think one kobold said the quality looked like the dead end was caved in lol

===

We once dropped a bridge on an enemy. We were up on a cliff and the enemy camp was below. The rogue was busy planning things and wanted to wait till the right time at night... Multiple castings of Fabricate while he was planning and scouting... Yeah... Bridge be a boss.

We made the bridge(s) so that when pushed they
====

Leather armor and clothing is pretty basic. We took some cows (dead) and well... Everyone in town had leather armor. We then studded them. We then had them run our convoy of leather armor.

Side Note: We had the proper tool proficiency and know how... One character had a background in leather working which is where this idea came from.

Anyways... We sold leather armor for like 2 gp and got the guild in the near by metropolis mad at us... They came out to negotiate and well... They saw it our way and we ended up running the guild... coughhostiletakeovercough.

====

Really Big Statues (TM).

We kept leaving crude stone statues all over the place. Spread some rumors about a cult and even convinced a few people to take a vacation.

We convinced the city to pay us to investigate.

We started fabricating these out of every material possible in the weirdest of places... We made a leather n bone statue out of some dead animals.

We really went all Scooby Doo on that one

===

This one took a while but... We fabricated our way into the BBEG's lair. My Water Genasi Wizard (hehehe) went underwater and started to make a tunnel by using the base area as the raw materials. This was just watery ground after all. Structural engineering ftw!


===

[Treantmonk]

#1) Polymorph: Turn the enemy into a toad, turn your pal who is about to go down into a Giant Ape with 157hp. One of the best spells in the game of any level.
#2) Arcane Eye: The first really good divination spell. You can explore the entire dungeon with this, then walk through knowing exactly what you're facing
#3) Summon Greater Demon: Summoning a Tanarukk is a summon on par or even superior to Druid options, that thing is a beast, though put it on the other side of the enemy...
#4) Fire Shield: Buff spells that don't use your concentration are few and far between, and as you increase level, get more and more valuable.
#5) Dimension Door: Admittedly, Thunderstep has largely replaced this spell in my book, but it still remains a great spell. Get the brute to the enemy, get the wounded ally out, ignore defenses...

[ImproperJustice]

Ok, so with pretty much any spell that gives even the slightest bit of leeway... This will be DM dependent.

Also note, my tables run via Rule of Cool (be AL, published settings, or homebrew games), so keep that in mind too :P.



Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

You convert raw materials into products of the same material. For example, you can fabricate a wooden bridge from a clump of trees, a rope from a patch of hemp, and clothes from flax or wool.

Choose raw materials that you can see within range. You can fabricate a Large or smaller object (contained within a 10-foot cube, or eight connected 5-foot cubes), given a sufficient quantity of raw material. If you are working with metal, stone, or another mineral substance, however, the fabricated object can be no larger than Medium (contained within a single 5-foot cube). The quality of objects made by the spell is commensurate with the quality of the raw materials.

Creatures or magic items can’t be created or transmuted by this spell. You also can’t use it to create items that ordinarily require a high degree of craftsmanship, such as jewelry, weapons, glass, or armor, unless you have proficiency with the type of artisan’s tools used to craft such objects.


One time I was stuck with the party in a copper mine and was running from some kobolds. We were able to hide but we knew that they would eventually find us. Also, if you're wondering why we were running from kobolds then you haven't met my "friend" Tucker (which I'm sure is where the ideology of minions and low cr creatures being a threat came from).

Fabricate a wall. We had crude copper/rocks/dirt so the wall ended up being a crude wall... That looked natural enough to get us a long rest. I think one kobold said the quality looked like the dead end was caved in lol

===

We once dropped a bridge on an enemy. We were up on a cliff and the enemy camp was below. The rogue was busy planning things and wanted to wait till the right time at night... Multiple castings of Fabricate while he was planning and scouting... Yeah... Bridge be a boss.

We made the bridge(s) so that when pushed they
====

Leather armor and clothing is pretty basic. We took some cows (dead) and well... Everyone in town had leather armor. We then studded them. We then had them run our convoy of leather armor.

Side Note: We had the proper tool proficiency and know how... One character had a background in leather working which is where this idea came from.

Anyways... We sold leather armor for like 2 gp and got the guild in the near by metropolis mad at us... They came out to negotiate and well... They saw it our way and we ended up running the guild... coughhostiletakeovercough.

====

Really Big Statues (TM).

We kept leaving crude stone statues all over the place. Spread some rumors about a cult and even convinced a few people to take a vacation.

We convinced the city to pay us to investigate.

We started fabricating these out of every material possible in the weirdest of places... We made a leather n bone statue out of some dead animals.

We really went all Scooby Doo on that one

===

This one took a while but... We fabricated our way into the BBEG's lair. My Water Genasi Wizard (hehehe) went underwater and started to make a tunnel by using the base area as the raw materials. This was just watery ground after all. Structural engineering ftw!


===

Thanks for the ideas!

[NecessaryWeevil]

I'll second Banishment (or whatever number we're up to). My DM came up with a fun solution for a situation which i';; detail. We're fighting a black dragon and it cast banishment on me. I had a scroll of banishment, and asked if I cast it upon myself, would I be able to banish myself back to the material plane. The DM said I could pick 3 numbers from 1-100. and roll a d100 once. If I got one of those numbers it would work. and it DID!

Hmm. Seems like that shouldn't work for two reasons. First, you're incapacitated while banished. Second, since (I assume) you're native to the Material Plane, your banishment spell should have sent you home automatically - no randomness involved.

But, Rule of Fun and all that...

[Derpaligtr]

Thanks for the ideas!

No problem!

Fabricate is a fun spell in the right group. You just need a DM who isn't very strict or railroadish for some of the stupider crazier aspects of the spell.

Also, I really want to make two or three base classes that all revolve around using fabricate in some way (minor fabricate too). Expand on the rules for fabricate and just create a 5e Fullmetal Alchemist setting...

I didn't care a lot for the anime/manga... But it's one of the better ones out there and it has one of the best magic systems in any setting.

[xroads]

Evard's Black Tentacles, for those times when you want to turn a combat into a Lovecraft horror story.

Warning: Use as directed. Not recommend for use on highly dexterous creatures. The caster of this spell assumes all liability for injuries acquired by individuals located in target zone, including but not limited to allies of caster. :smallbiggrin:

[Derpaligtr]

Evard's Black Tentacles, for those times when you want to turn a combat into a Lovecraft horror story.

Warning: Use as directed. Not recommend for use on highly dexterous creatures. The caster of this spell assumes all liability for injuries acquired by individuals located in target zone, including but not limited to allies of caster. :smallbiggrin:

Evard mixes well with so many other spells...

Evard + Fireball

Evard + Ice Storm

Evard + Expeditious Retreat...

[ImproperJustice]

Gotta say, this has been a fun thread so far.

Gonna throw one more out there for Wall of Fire.
I just learned how good this is in a tight corridor blasting heat down the side that isn’t covered in Flame.
It’s like a contious 15’ wide Fire Lightning bolt that lasts for a full minute.

[Mad Max]

I don't know if it's already been mentioned, but I'm a fan of Conjure Minor Elementals. As a player that is :smallbiggrin:!
It's the first conjuration spell wizards really get, and while it's not too powerful, it's pretty badass when used right.

Alternatively, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, presented without comment.