Pros and Cons of Spell Schools?

[waterpenguin43]

No, not Hogwarts, silly!!
I mean D&D Magic Schools (You know, Evocation, Conjuration, Transmutation, blah-blah-blah)
Here's my general overview of them:
-Evocation: Definately useful, but doesn't have much versatility. It's best to have a lot of these but not specialize in them.
-Conjuration: One of the two overpowered schools. Conjuration has a lot of versatility, and can wreak havoc in the hands of strategy.
-Transmutation: The other Game Breaker, you'll want to be using all availiable Dispel Magics against this.
-Abjuration: Useful for buffs, but not worth specializing in and just about useless if your party has a cleric.
-Enchantment: A good idea to have a few of in reserve, but probably the LEAST versatile Spell School.
Illusion: Infinite fun but not much raw power.
Necromancy: A lamer, worse equivelant of conjuration.
Divination: It would be a bad idea to bar OR specialize in this.

Your thoughts?

[Eldariel]

No, not Hogwarts, silly!!
I mean D&D Magic Schools (You know, Evocation, Conjuration, Transmutation, blah-blah-blah)
Here's my general overview of them:
-Evocation: Definately useful, but doesn't have much versatility. It's best to have a lot of these but not specialize in them.
-Conjuration: One of the two overpowered schools. Conjuration has a lot of versatility, and can wreak havoc in the hands of strategy.
-Transmutation: The other Game Breaker, you'll want to be using all availiable Dispel Magics against this.
-Abjuration: Useful for buffs, but not worth specializing in and just about useless if your party has a cleric.
-Enchantment: A good idea to have a few of in reserve, but probably the LEAST versatile Spell School.
Illusion: Infinite fun but not much raw power.
Necromancy: A lamer, worse equivelant of conjuration.
Divination: It would be a bad idea to bar OR specialize in this.

Your thoughts?

This is what, third thread on the subject this week?

[Kurald Galain]

Okay.

Evocation. Pro: it's easy, just point at stuff and it goes boom. Con: it's not nearly as effective as it seems at first glance.

Conjuration. Pro: it can do pretty much everything. Con: none.

Transmutation. Pro: it can do pretty much everything. Con: many DMs will freak out when they hear the word "polymorph".

Abjuration. Pro: it protects you very well. Con: protecting yourself does not win battles; many spells are rather redundant; and all the best spells also appear on the cleric list.

Enchantment. Pro: it makes people do what you tell them to. Con: many creatures, particularly undead, are outright immune.

Illusion. Pro: the most versatile school bar none. Con: requires more quick thinking than most other schools, and against some DMs it just doesn't do much.

Necromancy. Pro: very powerful debuffs, and the ability to raise a small army. Con: it's evil!!!

Divination. Pro: and knowing is half the battle. Con: the other half is killing people, and divination doesn't really help you there.

[Sinfire Titan]

Con: protecting yourself does not win battles; many spells are rather redundant; and all the best spells also appear on the cleric list.

Oddly, one of the most powerful Blasting spells in the game is Abjuration.

[Lycanthromancer]

Necromancy. Pro: very powerful debuffs, and the ability to raise a small army. Con: it's evil!!!

And this is a con, how?

[Deca]

And this is a con, how?

It's only a con for a cleric. Nobody else.

[Amphetryon]

Okay.

Evocation. Pro: it's easy, just point at stuff and it goes boom. Con: it's not nearly as effective as it seems at first glance.

Conjuration. Pro: it can do pretty much everything. Con: none.

Transmutation. Pro: it can do pretty much everything. Con: many DMs will freak out when they hear the word "polymorph".

Abjuration. Pro: it protects you very well. Con: protecting yourself does not win battles; many spells are rather redundant; and all the best spells also appear on the cleric list.

Enchantment. Pro: it makes people do what you tell them to. Con: many creatures, particularly undead, are outright immune.

Illusion. Pro: the most versatile school bar none. Con: requires more quick thinking than most other schools, and against some DMs it just doesn't do much.

Necromancy. Pro: very powerful debuffs, and the ability to raise a small army. Con: it's evil!!!

Divination. Pro: and knowing is half the battle. Con: the other half is killing people, and divination doesn't really help you there, and against some DMs it just doesn't do much.

Emphasis added

[RelentlessImp]

Illusion: Make Evocation worthless.

[Sinfire Titan]

Illusion: Make Evocation worthless.

Disclaimer: Do you like Gorgonzola?

[Optimystik]

It's only a con for a cleric. Nobody else.

Even if you're a cleric, just be Hellbred if you want to be a Good Necromancer. Evil Exception ftw.

[Deca]

Even if you're a cleric, just be Hellbred if you want to be a Good Necromancer. Evil Exception ftw.

So really, the only con of Necromancy is that there are better schools. I've always liked it though. It's a fine old school.

[Sinfire Titan]

So really, the only con of Necromancy is that there are better schools. I've always liked it though. It's a fine old school.

No, the real drawbacks are:

1. Cost (Most animate spells have a Material Component attached that makes them impractical to use in large quantities or turn into Wands/Staves)
2. PR
3. Saving throws usually target Fort
4. Undead are immune to the best spell in it (Enervate).

[Optimystik]

PR

What's that?

Saving throws usually target Fort

For some, but it also has the best no-save spells (Enervation) and it has plenty that target Will instead (Fear effects.)

Undead are immune to the best spell in it (Enervate).

While this is true, it also provides plenty of save or sucks/loses to deal with undead specifically, like Halt Undead.

[Sinfire Titan]

What's that?

You seriously don't know what Public Relationship means? Granted, this is more political than anything, but the idea of being proficient in Necromancy is bound to deter more Good-aligned allies than anything else.

For some, but it also has the best no-save spells (Enervation) and it has plenty that target Will instead (Fear effects.)

Yeah, this is true. But Fear effects are usually lame (trust me, most of the Necromancy fear effects I've seen are fairly tame by comparison to Imperious Command).

While this is true, it also provides plenty of save or sucks/loses to deal with undead specifically, like Halt Undead.

Doesn't help much when the atypical Necromancy build focuses so heavily on one side of the spectrum or the other (most Necromancy builds from CO focus either on Undead control or optimizing the **** out of Enervate, and it is very rare for the two to be interchangeable).

[Private-Prinny]

Abjuration: + Good barriers, Maw of Chaos, Iot7V - Redundant in most parties.

Conjuration: + Very versatile, lots of different spells, Abrupt Jaunt, can do almost anything. - None, really. Never ditch this school.

Divination: + Gives information, has all of the Detect X spells, True Seeing - Most of the spells are made for before the fight, not during.

Enchantment: + Controlling other people can be very useful, Programmed Amnesia - All of the good spells target the same save, small. Drop it.

Evocation: + Good direct damage, Contingency - Easily replaced. Drop

Illusion: + If you can't solve every roleplaying problem ever with an illusion, get more creative. - Always targets will, allows spell resistance on Shadow spells

Necromancy: + Some of the best debuffs in the game (Enervation, e.g.). - Bad PR, not very cost-effective, many situational spells.

Transmutation: + You can now do anything. Congrats. - See Conjuration

[Optimystik]

You seriously don't know what Public Relationship means? Granted, this is more political than anything, but the idea of being proficient in Necromancy is bound to deter more Good-aligned allies than anything else.

Actually, I do - the trouble is that I thought you were using a D&D term there I was literally thinking "Why did he say 'Power Resistance' and not 'Spell Resistance?'"

Yeah, this is true. But Fear effects are usually lame (trust me, most of the Necromancy fear effects I've seen are fairly tame by comparison to Imperious Command).

They are still a whole 'nother save to target with a suck/lose within the same school. Making the ogres cower may not have as many applications as enslaving them, but it's still going to save your bacon if they surround you.

Doesn't help much when the atypical Necromancy build focuses so heavily on one side of the spectrum or the other (most Necromancy builds from CO focus either on Undead control or optimizing the **** out of Enervate, and it is very rare for the two to be interchangeable).

If you're optimizing enervation then you're optimizing rays, right? Use the Disrupt Undead line from SpC - plenty of damage, multiple targets, no save.