Treantmonk evaluates 9th level spells

[Treantmonk]

This is it, my last spell evaluation video, and this one is the big guns. Take a look HERE. (https://youtu.be/9OdMpVd8CiY)

[jiriku]

Wee! Been waiting months for this. Good review, and you definitely made me take another look at shapechange.

[dragoeniex]

It's been fun listening along to your evaluations of the whole spell casting spectrum. :) Overall, you don't seem to value the non-combat uses as heavily as I do, but the tactical discussions raised a lot of interesting points and uses. Some really good strategies in there!

Actually, your favorite non-combat spells and spell uses could be a fun topic someday.

I am curious. Since you mentioned 14 out of 19 ninth level spells, what are your thoughts on the remainders?

Astral Projection
Power Word Heal
Prismatic Wall
Psychic Scream
True Resurrection

[Draken]

What they did to Weird is injury and Psychic Scream is the insult on top of it.

[MaxWilson]

What they did to Weird is injury and Psychic Scream is the insult on top of it.

I think you are saying that Psychic Scream is good (if so I agree!) but I am not sure.

This is niche, but Invulnerability gets more interesting if you already have good at-will offensive capabilities. If you cast Invulnerability right before the party bard True Polymorphs you into an Ancient White Dragon or Adult Silver Dragon, you could waltz right into the lair of two or three (vanilla, spell-less) Ancient Red Dragons and beat them all senseless while the bard hides offscreen.

[Draken]

I think you are saying that Psychic Scream is good (if so I agree!) but I am not sure.

This is niche, but Invulnerability gets more interesting if you already have good at-will offensive capabilities. If you cast Invulnerability right before the party bard True Polymorphs you into an Ancient White Dragon or Adult Silver Dragon, you could waltz right into the lair of two or three (vanilla, spell-less) Ancient Red Dragons and beat them all senseless while the bard hides offscreen.

I am. Psychic Scream is Stun (> frightened), Int save (better than Wis save), frontloaded damage (no damage loss from a successful save), smart target (10 enemies within 90' vs everyone within a 30' radius within 120') and the only things above CR 16 that have an int score of 2 are Elder Elementals, who are immune to most status effects to begin with (not frightened, of course, which would matter if they didn't also have huge Wisdom saves).

As an extra, it even messes up raise dead if that were somehow relevant and you can't spare a few actions to desecrate a corpse with weapons or cantrips.

Weird and Phantasmal Killer were gutted like no other save or die in the transition.

[Deathtongue]

Astral Projection exists just to abuse it. And unlike other 'exists just to abuse it' spells like Magic Jar, the setup for abuse is pretty easy. That is, just take a portal back to the plane you want to go to. Then you can:

A) Use it to double-up on single-use (either ever, or for the day) magical items like Tome of the Stilled Tongue or Potion of Giant Size.
B) Use it to double-up on spell slots. Why yes, I would like an extra Foresight and Mind Blank.
C) Use it for adventuring. Unless you're fighting Githyanki, there's almost no downside. The worst thing you have to worry about is suddenly worrying about Dispel Magic if you make your Astral Projection shenanigans too obvious.

[Deathtongue]

Elaborating on TM's point: True Polymorph probably beats out Shapechange, true, but Shapechange does have a couple of things going for it that True Polymorph doesn't. In addition to what he said about using it to replenish limited-use abilities:
A) RAW, it lets you layer on concentration-free effects of whatever duration between forms. Cycle between the four elemental lords and enjoy your army of twelve elementals.
B) Since Shapechange doesn't overwrite your class features, you can get them to combine in ways that the game never intended. This monster has an ability that lets me replenish spell slots? Don't mind if I do. Shapechange by itself makes Bladesinger worth playing at high level if you want a melee asskicker.

[MaxWilson]

Astral Projection exists just to abuse it. And unlike other 'exists just to abuse it' spells like Magic Jar, the setup for abuse is pretty easy. That is, just take a portal back to the plane you want to go to. Then you can:

A) Use it to double-up on single-use (either ever, or for the day) magical items like Tome of the Stilled Tongue or Potion of Giant Size.
B) Use it to double-up on spell slots. Why yes, I would like an extra Foresight and Mind Blank.
C) Use it for adventuring. Unless you're fighting Githyanki, there's almost no downside. The worst thing you have to worry about is suddenly worrying about Dispel Magic if you make your Astral Projection shenanigans too obvious.

I see nothing in Astral Travel that would let you get more spell slots from casting Astral Travel.

Furthermore, "If you enter a new plane or return to the plane you were on when casting this spell, your body and possessions are transported along the silver cord, allowing you to re-enter your body as you enter the new plane," so if you go anywhere but the Astral Plane the spell is basically just a Teleport spell, not a cloning spell.

[Deathtongue]

I see nothing in Astral Travel that would let you get more spell slots from casting Astral Travel.The idea is that you use your astral form spells on your bodies (or people who didn't accompany you) using astral form spell slots/magical items, then return to your body. The worst that happens is that the DM rules that your bodies can't take a long rest while in suspended animation (fair) and you personally are down a 9th-level slot while everyone else is good to go. Including your Simulacrum.


Furthermore, "If you enter a new plane or return to the plane you were on when casting this spell, your body and possessions are transported along the silver cord, allowing you to re-enter your body as you enter the new plane," so if you go anywhere but the Astral Plane the spell is basically just a Teleport spell, not a cloning spell.Just stuff your bodies somewhere safe in the meantime. Like in a Magnificent Mansion.

[Treantmonk]

It's been fun listening along to your evaluations of the whole spell casting spectrum. :) Overall, you don't seem to value the non-combat uses as heavily as I do, but the tactical discussions raised a lot of interesting points and uses. Some really good strategies in there!

Actually, your favorite non-combat spells and spell uses could be a fun topic someday.

I am curious. Since you mentioned 14 out of 19 ninth level spells, what are your thoughts on the remainders?

Astral Projection
Super Niche. Necessary if going to the Astral Plane is the plan. It's fine, but I wouldn't normally take it unless the campaign called for it.


Power Word Heal
Tough to rank this on the same list as Mass Heal. It really pales in comparison. Yes, it takes care of some effects too, but that's not enough IMO to keep it comparable. Maybe if it was castable at range, but it's touch too?


Prismatic Wall
I like wall spells, this is no secret, however, how much better is this than Wall of Force or Forcecage? It would be nice to have a no-concentration wall using a level 9 slot wouldn't it? This wall is crazy tough - I mean 50d6 damage and more, but still - we already have walls that are simply unpassable. It's big, but I'm not getting level 9 from the read.


Psychic Scream
Mass Stun - no concentration - Int save. This was my final cut from my best 9th level spells list. Very good spell.


True Resurrection
I kind of figured that a 9th level raise dead might have a casting time less than an hour - like maybe an action? Nope - so really, how much more are we getting out of this over Raise Dead? I mean the target can be dead a longer time - is that often an issue? It occurs to me that cast on a lich, it might be a way to bypass a hard to find Phylactery, but other than that - a bit of a letdown IMO.

[Deathtongue]

I like wall spells, this is no secret, however, how much better is this than Wall of Force or Forcecage? It would be nice to have a no-concentration wall using a level 9 slot wouldn't it? This wall is crazy tough - I mean 50d6 damage and more, but still - we already have walls that are simply unpassable. It's big, but I'm not getting level 9 from the read.You don't just use Prismatic Wall to divide enemies. I mean, you can use it like that, but it's not the best use of that spell.

You use Prismatic Wall to do two things: drain boss monsters of Legendary Resistance and to wreck smaller monster groups. Of course, that's all contingent on how much you're willing to abuse this spell with forced movement. I have Reverse Gravity and I cast the Sphere Version right above the monster group's heads. I believe the entire opposition needs to give me 28 dexterity saving throws. Each.

[Deathtongue]

Mass Stun - no concentration - Int save. This was my final cut from my best 9th level spells list. Very good spell.As good as Psychic Scream is, the only thing it has over wishing for a Symbol is that you're (MUCH) less likely to get caught in the crossfire. But that's why you have familiars. Sorry, Hedwig, but Symbol is a touch-range spell and, heh, it's 60-foot radius. But I guess that's why you hooked your party up with Mind Blank. Or an anti-magic field, I guess.

[Kaliayev]

Raise dead while shapechanged? This is madness!

[The Jack]

True polymorth is the greatest spell rai/raw. The material component is minimal, so you may use it every day. Every day you can
Fashion rocks and bolders into cocaine (or platinum, marble, jade, gems, spice, dragons, wives, cultists, mages and warriors,ships,houses, enriched uranium... whatever floats your boat)

For day to day use, it's infinetly better than wish. For most, Obtaining True pollymorph is the end of the campaign.
?

[Citan]

This is it, my last spell evaluation video, and this one is the big guns. Take a look HERE. (https://youtu.be/9OdMpVd8CiY)
Well...

I had not enough time to react to all other level's evaluations, but as usual, what is the point of evaluating spells without putting them in perspective with which class gets them, and more importantly, trying to project in how to use them?

Storm of Vengeance
Do you realize it's MUCH better than Meteor Swarm in any large-scale conflict resolution, unless your goal is "simply to kill" and "only leader group"? You can keep it as long or as little as you can. It's a sure way to completely cripple armies, even casters, unless they use fast-movement resources to try and break through the 360~720 feet distance from sunlight.
More importantly, the range is *sight*. Not even starting with convoluted shenanigans with familiars or the like or Scrying, it simply means you can mess with people with *absolute 0 risk* for you.
If you're a Bard, you could simply fly as needed far above (I mean, *FAR* above, like 1000 feet high), stop, cast it where you want it, and simply cast Feather Fall in time not to stupidly crash on the ground.
As a Druid, which is the other class getting that spell, it's an absolute gem!
- First, because nobody can ever know what you did: at level 17, you can already stay as a flying creature for 7 hours, largely enough. At level 18 you get Subtle casting, so you don't even need to get out of WS anymore.
- Second, because since you get prepared spells, you can simply prepare it whenever it's useful, and swap it out when it's not.

Also, an interesting fact about it is that there is absolutely no requirement as to being outside. So while it could fire back and bother your own party, it could be used inside buildings or undergrounds.
Another great bit of it is that, the lightning bolts effects *don't* require to "see" the creatures you choose. Actually, there is absolutely no indication on how and whether to choose. So while it makes many ideas very DM-dependent, and while I think it's fair to assume the DM would usually require you to at least know their position, you could strike even with no sight (of course, such as thing as "I choose the closest 6 enemies" would never fly by any DM ^^ but something like "I make lightning strike upon the three creatures I hear beyond that wall" should be a go).

This spell is also good to make groups of casters useless (provided they are not familiar with the spell and/or have means of instant transportation) between difficult terrain, auto damage (forced concentration save), later disadvantage on saves, and total obscuration.

Imprisonment
Yeah, we agree that it being an all or nothing sucks a bit.
But hey, as yourself say, it's an auto-win spell when it works (choose the sleep and you're done if you just want to kill).
Plus, as you said yourself, a caster has been dealing with this kind of odds since his first leveled spell.
So *any decent Wizard at that level should know when it has decent chance to be used with success on an unwilling creature.*
Note the unwilling, back on that in a few.
First. Who gets the spells? Warlocks and more importantly Wizards (and Bards who wish so).
Do you know what Wizards (and Bards) have? Other spells that they could use to prepare the field by imposing a disadvantage.
Do you know what Warlocks can have? A multiclass into Sorcerer for a 1-day Heightened.
Do you know what Wizards can have? Portent, by being a Diviner. Just prepare things to be ready when you get good rolls.
Ways to influence hostile creature's odds on a save are few but they exist.

Besides that, it could have numerous applications on *willing* creatures (that intentionally accept to fail the save, which any proper DM should accept).
Need to protect someone, transport a creature in an invisible way for long durations, or even preserve an ally that could be the only hope of changing a tide years or centuries later? This is the spell for you.
I'm sure it could also be combined with True Polymorph to completely and irremediably store it away. Imagine the True Ring, True Polymorphed into a random basic creature with low WIS, that you then Imprison away in a Hedged Prison, with a dispel condition "when the sun explodes" or more reasonably "when Voldemort, err, sorry, Sauron will have died (which is extremely likely). Let the component used be dispersed or even better transform it into something else, or bury it in a Leomund's Secret Chest and let it disappear in Astral Plane.
Bam, you saved the world, 100% success, no gap, no loophole, no nothing. Well, ok, you didn't save it, Sauron could still ruin it, but at least you definitely closed off the worst ending.

(Did not see rest of video yet, too late for that ^^)

[Zuras]

If anyone underrated Shape Change, they’re obviously a wizard drunk on power who hasn’t played other classes, because it is clearly the best 9th level spell for druids by a long shot.

Seriously, turning into a beholder and laughing maniacally as the rest of the party slaughter powerless archmages within the anti magic field is one of the joys of high level play.

Only drawback is the limitation to creatures you have seen.

[MaxWilson]

If anyone underrated Shape Change, they’re obviously a wizard drunk on power who hasn’t played other classes, because it is clearly the best 9th level spell for druids by a long shot.

Seriously, turning into a beholder and laughing maniacally as the rest of the party slaughter powerless archmages within the anti magic field is one of the joys of high level play.

Only drawback is the limitation to creatures you have seen.

It's excellent, yes, but Foresight is also excellent for a Moon Druid, either on self or on the party Sharpshooter Fighter. I'm honestly not sure which one is better more often.

[Deathtongue]

It's excellent, yes, but Foresight is also excellent for a Moon Druid, either on self or on the party Sharpshooter Fighter. I'm honestly not sure which one is better more often.If you're abusing the rest mechanics, it's both. Just cast Foresight during the last hour of your long rest (or whatever) and get the slot back when you finish your long rest.

[dejarnjc]

Raise dead while shapechanged? This is madness!

Can't. If you cast a spell that takes longer than an action you have to use your concentration. Shapechange requires concentration. Ergo if you try to cast raise dead while shapechanged you lose your concentration on shapechange.

[ff7hero]

I've started watching this series from the beginning and I had to pause to after watching your second level spells video to ask a question. I skimmed the first few comments for that video both here and on YouTube and couldn't find anyone talking about it, so I apologize if it's super well known or something.
What website or application did you use for Grog the Big Stupid Fighter's character sheet? When I started playing 5e I looked all over for a good editable character sheet and have yet to find one, but that is one that looks really good and I haven't some across it yet.
Thanks, and great work as always on your stuff. I've been a fan since you revolutionized Wizards way back in 3e, I'm loving your commentary on 5e. Keep up the good work!

[Treantmonk]

I've started watching this series from the beginning and I had to pause to after watching your second level spells video to ask a question. I skimmed the first few comments for that video both here and on YouTube and couldn't find anyone talking about it, so I apologize if it's super well known or something.
What website or application did you use for Grog the Big Stupid Fighter's character sheet? When I started playing 5e I looked all over for a good editable character sheet and have yet to find one, but that is one that looks really good and I haven't some across it yet.
Thanks, and great work as always on your stuff. I've been a fan since you revolutionized Wizards way back in 3e, I'm loving your commentary on 5e. Keep up the good work!

I use D&D Beyond. Honestly, if you don't mind shelling out a few bucks to buy all those books again, Beyond is the best tool out there for character building and character sheets. It has some really nice features, and I use Beyond and a tablet whenever I play now rather than pen and paper.

[Nadan]

Imprisonment
Yeah, we agree that it being an all or nothing sucks a bit.
But hey, as yourself say, it's an auto-win spell when it works (choose the sleep and you're done if you just want to kill).
Plus, as you said yourself, a caster has been dealing with this kind of odds since his first leveled spell.
So *any decent Wizard at that level should know when it has decent chance to be used with success on an unwilling creature.*
Note the unwilling, back on that in a few.
First. Who gets the spells? Warlocks and more importantly Wizards (and Bards who wish so).
Do you know what Wizards (and Bards) have? Other spells that they could use to prepare the field by imposing a disadvantage.
Do you know what Warlocks can have? A multiclass into Sorcerer for a 1-day Heightened.
Do you know what Wizards can have? Portent, by being a Diviner. Just prepare things to be ready when you get good rolls.
Ways to influence hostile creature's odds on a save are few but they exist.

Besides that, it could have numerous applications on *willing* creatures (that intentionally accept to fail the save, which any proper DM should accept).
Need to protect someone, transport a creature in an invisible way for long durations, or even preserve an ally that could be the only hope of changing a tide years or centuries later? This is the spell for you.
I'm sure it could also be combined with True Polymorph to completely and irremediably store it away. Imagine the True Ring, True Polymorphed into a random basic creature with low WIS, that you then Imprison away in a Hedged Prison, with a dispel condition "when the sun explodes" or more reasonably "when Voldemort, err, sorry, Sauron will have died (which is extremely likely). Let the component used be dispersed or even better transform it into something else, or bury it in a Leomund's Secret Chest and let it disappear in Astral Plane.
Bam, you saved the world, 100% success, no gap, no loophole, no nothing. Well, ok, you didn't save it, Sauron could still ruin it, but at least you definitely closed off the worst ending.

(Did not see rest of video yet, too late for that ^^)
Imprisonment required one minute to cast it and its range only have 30 ft, so good luck that you can cast is spell on any hostile creature.

[Kaliayev]

Can't. If you cast a spell that takes longer than an action you have to use your concentration. Shapechange requires concentration. Ergo if you try to cast raise dead while shapechanged you lose your concentration on shapechange.

Hence, the 300 reference. Additionally, raise dead takes an hour to cast, which is the maximum duration of shapechange. Even if shapechange didn't require concentration, a shapechange caster still wouldn't be able to do anything with an angel's innate spellcasting of raise dead. I was mainly surprised by the oversight during the review, because he covered some of the greatest aspects of shapechange's flexibility, while letting such a goof slip. Of course, a shapechange caster can still spam the angelic healing touch to get the party back full health after a big fight.

[Mordaedil]

I didn't realize the buff Meteor Swarm got from 3.5. It was garbage in that edition, doing 2d6 blunt damage to one to four targets albeit no save, and 6d6 damage to anyone in the radius, but the targets are denied their save again. It was alright for hurting rogues, but I don't think it could ever kill one. Now, it's a true destructive force like it always ought to have been.

[Zalabim]

Imprisonment (and Storm of Vengeance) is one of those story spells. With a minute casting time, it's more about the story of the effect than any practical adventuring use. It sits alongside things like 9th level Bestow Curse, Geas, Dominate spells, and Mass Suggestion. You don't really need to curse someone forever, but you can. It's still a bad choice, but that's why it's bad. This is how you put the sealed evil in a can into the can. If you can.

Correction on True Polymorph: Once it's permanent, it loses the "ends at 0 hp." At that point, it'll end only when it's dispelled.

Correction on Meteor Swarm: It isn't 500 feet range and 40' radius. It's 1 mile (so over 5000 feet) range and your choice of four 40' radius bursts. It also damages objects in the area, and still ignites flammables. This spell really will reduce the battlefield to smoking craters.

[dejarnjc]

Hence, the 300 reference. Additionally, raise dead takes an hour to cast, which is the maximum duration of shapechange. Even if shapechange didn't require concentration, a shapechange caster still wouldn't be able to do anything with an angel's innate spellcasting of raise dead. I was mainly surprised by the oversight during the review, because he covered some of the greatest aspects of shapechange's flexibility, while letting such a goof slip. Of course, a shapechange caster can still spam the angelic healing touch to get the party back full health after a big fight.

Yeah it's a relatively minor goof though. The innate spellcasting / ability of creatures is pretty powerful which is the main point. There are a number of high CR creatures that give you access to feeblemind, for example, or other forms like the Planetar that provide you and your allies with a lot of healing. Or the Marilith that gives you a free 120ft teleport, or other demon forms that give you concentration free demon summoning.

[Solusek]

I am so torn on what to do for my Hexblades 9th level spell. Foresight is certainly the best combat ability for him, especially with the 8 hour duration meaning it will be up for most/every fight in a day. But True Polymorph has really great out of combat applications (as well as being decent for one encounter), and is the kind of spell a person could cast every day of their life and get amazing benefits from.

So do I pick the spell with the most gamist benefit of helping win fights over the rest of the campaign, or the spell that a real person would most likely desire when considering what to do with the rest of their life beyond the adventure?

[MaxWilson]

I am so torn on what to do for my Hexblades 9th level spell. Foresight is certainly the best combat ability for him, especially with the 8 hour duration meaning it will be up for most/every fight in a day. But True Polymorph has really great out of combat applications (as well as being decent for one encounter), and is the kind of spell a person could cast every day of their life and get amazing benefits from.

So do I pick the spell with the most gamist benefit of helping win fights over the rest of the campaign, or the spell that a real person would most likely desire when considering what to do with the rest of their life beyond the adventure?

True Polymorph is both. Make yourself a few Young Silver Dragon buddies to come with you on adventures, and then in a pinch you can also True Polymorph yourself into an Ancient White Dragon.

Foresight is good, but for a Hexblade with Devil's Sight it's not actually that much better than a 2nd level Darkness spell unless you're fighting something with blindsight/truesight. Obviously I don't know how your DM likes to run things, but if I go to Kobold Fight Club (https://kobold.club/fight/#/encounter-builder) and roll up five random Hard encounters for a party of four level 20 PCs, I get:

1. 2 Hydras and a Storm Giant (35K XP)
2. 1 Nalfeshness and 5 Sahuagin Barons (38K XP)
3. 2 Clay Golems and 4 Mages (38K XP)
4. 5 Barbed Devils and 1 Ultroloth (38K)
5. 8 Barlguras (36K)

Total cost: 185K XP, 116% of the daily XP budget.

Of all of those monsters, the only ones that have truesight/blindsight are the Nalfeshnee, the Ultroloth, and the Barlguras, so without Foresight your DPR would suffer against those monsters and you'd lose more HP and be more vulnerable to opportunity attacks. Additionally, you'd be somewhat worse at making your saves against the Mages, the Storm Giant, and the Nalfeshness/Ultroloth/Barlguras.

If I were your Hexblade, and I knew I was going up against something approximately similar to those fights, I would rather have a couple of Young Silver Dragons and a True Polymorph fallback for myself than advantage on saves and a slightly higher DPR/effective AC against 10 of the 29 monsters you'll meet today. (Bear in mind BTW that both True Polymorph and Foresight are potentially vulnerable to Dispel Magic from the Ultroloth/Mages or from Nycaloths/Mezzoloths summoned by the Ultroloth, so don't put all your eggs in one basket.)

[Solusek]

Make yourself a few Young Silver Dragon buddies to come with you on adventures
I suspect making permanent adventuring allies would be a frowned on use of the spell in my group. I could probably get away with using the dragons as messengers or to let them hang out at my tower and keep it guarded or something, assuming they were interested in doing that - remember these creatures have their own will after the 1 hour concentration is over.

We already have a 7 person party, so adding more creatures that slow down combat wouldn't be cool for anyone. Plus, if I can make 2 silver dragon companions, why not 20 or 100? If I can do it once I should be able to do it infinite, right? Which leads me to believe that doing it at all is going to be struck down. If I were GM I wouldn't let my player have 100 silver dragons to go adventuring with him - that is a logistic nightmare to the point of ruining the game for everyone.

So essentially for combat purposes I'm assuming it's nothing more than a save or die spell, or a 1 hour summon monster spell.

[The Jack]

You dont even need sonething so grand as a silver dragon. Create yourself a cr9 champion-hobbit from a footstool. if you're patient, make little gold dragons and watch them grow old. Make something supervaluable and bankroll an army to fight the next thing

My biggest question for Tp is if you can make better versions of something; turn yourself into what you would be if you'd rolled 18's and maxed every hit die, and never lost your leg in that war. You arent supposed to keep class features, but what if your new form had them by design?

[MaxWilson]

You dont even need sonething so grand as a silver dragon. Create yourself a cr9 champion-hobbit from a footstool. if you're patient, make little gold dragons and watch them grow old. Make something supervaluable and bankroll an army to fight the next thing

My biggest question for Tp is if you can make better versions of something; turn yourself into what you would be if you'd rolled 18's and maxed every hit die, and never lost your leg in that war. You arent supposed to keep class features, but what if your new form had them by design?

You become a typical example of the target creature type, not an exceptional example.

[Xihirli]

Hey Treantmonk I think you should have a playlist on your Youtube Account with all of your ranking videos on it for ease of binging.

I made one here.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBdeHt27rzNNpSekkQkRupWzfZkWgw0QE

[Treantmonk]

Hey Treantmonk I think you should have a playlist on your Youtube Account with all of your ranking videos on it for ease of binging.

I made one here.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBdeHt27rzNNpSekkQkRupWzfZkWgw0QE

Thanks! Much appreciated.

[AHF]

This is it, my last spell evaluation video, and this one is the big guns. Take a look HERE. (https://youtu.be/9OdMpVd8CiY)

Just posting a big thanks for this series. Has been an enjoyable watch and inspired some nice discussion in threads back here. Thanks!

[darknite]

Can't argue much with that list.

I got a lot of mileage out of Invulverability fighting a god and his retinue - being able to stroll through multiple Meteor Swarms was nice - but yeah, I was concerned about effects that would nerf the spell.

I love True Polymorph as it allows me to transform my Wizard's Simulacrum into a helpful, powerful creature - Planatars have been my go-to - without worrying about concentration. That provides ablative HP to the Simulacrum, too, which means he lasts longer into an encounter. And when his form falls, hey, look!, it's a 20th level Evoker with Meteor Swarm prepped. This got even better after the Wizard got the Boon of High Magic... :smallsmile: