Can someone help me build a "normal daily" spell list?

[SangoProduction]

I basically exclusively played SoP, which is just a superior magic system, in my opinion. Sure, it's still a fast power curve, but it's linear.

Anyway, so I am now playing a PF Wizard Necromancer in an undead-infested hellscape. Yay. (The entire concept was a caravan leader who figured that trying to oppose the hellscape was impossible, but ingratiating himself with it was more likely to work.)

And thus, I was able to build a spell list just fine, but I am having anxiety over choosing my "typical daily spells." So I come to the forum that is all about the god of wizards for answers.



We're level 3. Normal day-night cycles. Occasionally fight normal monsters. Commonly fight undead of different varieties. And I'm jumping in with a group that's been playing the campaign for a couple sessions, so it's not as though it's just some gimmick that the DM has gotten bored of after the first session.

Here's my spell books' spells
1st = Repair Undead, Grease, Mage Armor, Unseen Servant, Cause Fear, Ray of Sickening, Vanish, Shadow Trap, Enlarge Person,Color Spray
2nd = Lesser Animate Undead, Blindness-Deafness, Limp Lash

I can cast Repair Undead and Lesser Animate Undead spontaneously, despite being a wizard. And I have Spell Focus (Necromancy).

I can cast 3 first level spells per day, and 2 second level spells. Although I have 3 first level pearls of power. I could alternatively swap out the pearls of power with a Lesser Metamagic Rod (Extend), if that's better. I dunno.

(Oh, I also have a skeleton cheetah as a pet. In case that makes any relevant difference.)

EDIT: Necromancy magic school. Forbidden schools are evocation and enchantment. Evocation, because he's not concerned with dealing magic damage, and enchantment because he cares little for the minds of the living.
The necromancy specialization grants Command Undead as a bonus feat.

[Vaern]

I think the theoretical god-wizard heavily relies on casting some mid-to-high-level divinations, preferably spontaneously, before resting to measure your DM tell you exactly what you're going to be encountering the next day and exactly what spells you're going to need to overcome said challenges.
Short of having your DM write your spell list for you I'd say just go with greasing the battlefield and spraying your opponents with burning hands or similar while they're down, but it looks like you have all battlefield control and zero damaging spells to clean up other than animating undead to do the job for you.

[SangoProduction]

I think the theoretical god-wizard heavily relies on casting some mid-to-high-level divinations, preferably spontaneously, before resting to measure your DM tell you exactly what you're going to be encountering the next day and exactly what spells you're going to need to overcome said challenges.
Short of having your DM write your spell list for you I'd say just go with greasing the battlefield and spraying your opponents with burning hands or similar while they're down, but it looks like you have all battlefield control and zero damaging spells to clean up other than animating undead to do the job for you.

We've already got several beefy bruisers, and most other roles covered already. So I'm mostly looking to lock down any especially dangerous threats, and contribute a bit with undead during the lesser fights.

[Silly Name]

Grease and Mage armor are two good picks for your 1st level slots. You could also use Color Spray for debuffing, or elect to prepare Enlarge Person to help your frontliners. The three Pearls of Power let you use your spells a bit more liberally, so I'd keep them, at least for now.

I'd put Blindness/Deafness and Limp Lash in your 2nd-level slots, as to have some form of direct attack against enemies.

How exactly does your spontaneous casting work? Can you convert any prepared 1st-level spell to Repair Undead? If so, I would never prepare Repair Undead and Lesser Animate Undead, and I'd simply cast them when they may be needed.

[SangoProduction]

Grease and Mage armor are two good picks for your 1st level slots. You could also use Color Spray for debuffing, or elect to prepare Enlarge Person to help your frontliners. The three Pearls of Power let you use your spells a bit more liberally, so I'd keep them, at least for now.

I'd put Blindness/Deafness and Limp Lash in your 2nd-level slots, as to have some form of direct attack against enemies.

How exactly does your spontaneous casting work? Can you convert any prepared 1st-level spell to Repair Undead? If so, I would never prepare Repair Undead and Lesser Animate Undead, and I'd simply cast them when they may be needed.

Yes. I just always get to convert other prepared spells into them, and thus never need to worry about preparing them.

[gijoemike]

Your problem isn't what spells do I prep its what spells should I strive for in the near future to be a BFC.


Right now your prep spells will be
1: Grease, Mage Armor, and Color Spray. Grease and CS are affect areas, small areas but aren't single target. BFC is about affecting areas of the battlefield or multiple foes at once.
2: Limp Lash, Blindness-Deafness. These are your only options.

You don't mention forbidden schools so I take it as your are a generalist.

Now, lets look at lvl 1, 2, and 3 spells that expand out your control ability. These are not the best but easy to access for your level.

1. COMMAND UNDEAD - lvl 1: doesn't offer a save if the undead is mindless. Get 4 zombies or skelies and order them to aid the brutes in combat. Action Economy win. Days per level.

2. STICKY FLOOR - lvl 1: races of dragon. Opposite of grease similar in ways. Nobody move. Must save every one of your rounds, break free as a standard action. Your still considered entangled if you are in the area. Look at that duration though.

3. WEB - lvl 2: it requires 2 walls but will delay most enemies for 2 full rounds. It splits the battlefield into 2 distinct areas.

4. [Kelgore's] Grave Mist - lvl 2: A dual school spell from PHB 2. This spell has a good area and absolutely screws living creatures even on a save.

3. Sleet Storm - lvl 3: No SR, no Save. Most light sources are put out, you are now blind, and balance checks to even move away. Stupid huge area of affect. hits flyers too.

[SangoProduction]

I am playing in Pathfinder right now, without back porting. I added the note about my school specialization and forbidden schools. Thanks for reminding me.

[Vaern]

Blindness/deafness tends to end a fight really fast in my experience, especially against fliers. Limp lash seems like the kind of thing you'd want to use if you really wanted to capture someone without killing them *or* tie down a particularly beefy opponent so that they can be coup de graced... Perhaps not something you'd expect to cast in any given encounter, but I suppose you don't have a lot to choose from at the moment. Granting that I have never used limp lash before, I would probably double down on blindness/deafness for any given day.
You should see about making custom magic items and extrapolating from the pricing guidelines and existing items to beef up your pearls of power. The cost of an infinite use item is 5x the 1/day cost, so you might be able to save up your gold until you have enough to cheese yourself a single 1st level Pearl of Infinite Power.

[SangoProduction]

Right. Limp Lash was rather impractical. I forgot that Mirror Image was on the same spell level. But I don't think I have much to worry about defensively. Is there a good replacement spell I can take that beats out Blindness-Deafness, or should I just look for something that has occasional utility?

[Vaern]

Invisibility might be a good option, since you aren't really planning on attacking directly.