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View Full Version : New and Creative Uses for Underappreciated Spells and Abilities



triforcel
2007-10-27, 04:12 PM
There are more spells, feats, abilities, etc. than anyone probably cares to count let alone read about. However, there are several that everyone, or almost everyone, are familiar with for various reasons. So I was wondering who out there has a reason for appreciating those that most people deem subpar.

Toliudar
2007-10-27, 04:25 PM
A friend's gnome druid took a dire badger as a companion, and kept it even though mechanically it was sub-par to other critters, because her gnomish "speak with burrowing animals" ability gave her a degree of clarity in communicating with it that she wouldn't have had with a bear, eagle, etc.

The aforementioned druid also spent about three sessions trying on about a hundred different appearances using the thousand faces ability. Vainest druid ever!

A drow bard pretended to juggle using the dancing lights SLA.

OOTS_Rules.
2007-10-27, 04:53 PM
1: Research spell to make opponent fart.

2: Prepare it and Delayed Blast Fireball.

3: Throw DBF into enemy.

4: Cast Methane Generating spell when you use the DBF

5: Enemy explodes due to fire and methane mixing

6: ???

7: Profit.

Kantolin
2007-10-27, 06:03 PM
I've always been fond of Leomund's Tiny Hut - sleep in (relative) comfort.

Only lately did it occur to me that I can also use it to block line of sight from enemies - very helpful when facing archers.

CASTLEMIKE
2007-10-27, 06:30 PM
Shrink Item.

martyboy74
2007-10-27, 06:31 PM
If your use of Shrink Item involves either crossbow bolts or boulders, it doesn't count as being deemed subpar.

Chronos
2007-10-27, 06:37 PM
If your use of Shrink Item involves either crossbow bolts or boulders, it doesn't count as being deemed subpar.Crossbow bolts won't work, actually: They do damage based on the crossbow that launched them. But there are plenty of other uses for Shrink Item: When you're all sitting around the campfire at the end of the day and the other fellows each take a harmonica out of their back pockets, you take a piano out from your back pocket.

brian c
2007-10-27, 07:22 PM
Crossbow bolts won't work, actually: They do damage based on the crossbow that launched them. But there are plenty of other uses for Shrink Item: When you're all sitting around the campfire at the end of the day and the other fellows each take a harmonica out of their back pockets, you take a piano out from your back pocket.

Perhaps you were aware of this, but that's a Far Side cartoon (altough, for full absurdist humor, the piano is not shrunk at all of course, its just a grand piano sticking out of the guy's back pocket)

CASTLEMIKE
2007-10-27, 07:47 PM
If your use of Shrink Item involves either crossbow bolts or boulders, it doesn't count as being deemed subpar.

No not combat applications. Out of combat applications shrinking things for general transporation including treasure.

triforcel
2007-10-27, 08:12 PM
A spell I always liked, but was categorized as 'useless crap' in Logic Ninja's Batman guide, is Tenser's Floating Disc. Of course the obvious use for it is to lug heavy stuff around which isn't feasible at low levels because it will only las for a few hours and won't carry much more than what your party can manage to carry on their own, and then as you go up in levels you gain access to magical storage options that make it even easier. Still there's more you can do with it. You can use it to ferry yourself and others (though not to many at once) over obstacles that don't involve a chasm, (ie heavy undergrowth in the forest, over pressure sensitive plates in a dungeon, even over lava or possibly water). I've also seen it used to protect a fallen ally's corpse during a cave in, handling the removal of volatile substances that you wouldn't want to carry yourself, and because it's a force effect it could make an overhead shield with some positioning and I bet there are still more creative uses for it yet.

RandomNPC
2007-10-28, 01:40 PM
if you've got the spell power for tenser's disk twice you could "Oreo Cookie" them. they stay just a bit over whatever surface right? If the DM agrees you could technically stand with one near the ground, and one near your head, and surround yourself with tower shields.

a group i know of used that to escape a hydra, but i think they cheated, can the disk raise and lower? if it can't then they cheated.

triforcel
2007-10-28, 01:45 PM
It can raise and lower, but it can't rise more than three feet above the ground.

skywalker
2007-10-28, 01:51 PM
A spell I always liked, but was categorized as 'useless crap' in Logic Ninja's Batman guide, is Tenser's Floating Disc. Of course the obvious use for it is to lug heavy stuff around which isn't feasible at low levels because it will only las for a few hours and won't carry much more than what your party can manage to carry on their own, and then as you go up in levels you gain access to magical storage options that make it even easier. Still there's more you can do with it. You can use it to ferry yourself and others (though not to many at once) over obstacles that don't involve a chasm, (ie heavy undergrowth in the forest, over pressure sensitive plates in a dungeon, even over lava or possibly water). I've also seen it used to protect a fallen ally's corpse during a cave in, handling the removal of volatile substances that you wouldn't want to carry yourself, and because it's a force effect it could make an overhead shield with some positioning and I bet there are still more creative uses for it yet.

I played with a sorcerer who never walked. He just rode his tenser's floating disk everywhere.

Not that fireball is underused, but how many people use it for...

Deforestation?

Suzuro
2007-10-28, 02:18 PM
I'm partial to a lot of illusions, mostly useless for me, but still. It's fun to be in bar and cause somebody see themselves picking a fight and then disappearing.....greatest bar fight ever.

Jack_Simth
2007-10-28, 02:43 PM
I played with a sorcerer who never walked. He just rode his tenser's floating disk everywhere.
Slight catch - it follows, it doesn't simply move. Some DM's will let you do an outboard motor type effect (sit on top, and have it follow you at a distance of 0 feet - it goes in the direction of whatever side you're sitting on) but some won't.