If you could pick one spell for real life...

[randomhero00]

to cast as an SLA 1/month what would it be? You're considered level one for purposes of determining spell effects but you can pick a spell from any level, any list.

Spells barred for obvious reasons:
1 anyway to get wish (including reality revision)

2 shadow evocation or anyway to reproduce more than one spell, including summons

3 gate/planar binding

4 raise dead line (including reincarnate) or anyway to bring the dead back to true life (making undead OK though )

5 shapechange/poly spells would be limited to real life creatures

6 Spells like true creation would only be able to create real world items.

Addendum: Since some people seem to like prestidigitation and such, 0 level spells will be castable 6 times a day instead of 1/month.

Mass Heal would be nice...but there are some other tempting spells. Like Suspend Life, it'd be fun to skip ahead through time. And teleport circle would just be dang cool, even if its 1/month. Hypercognition would be cool. Figure out almost any problem I have 1/month. Genesis or Animate undead would be cool but I wouldn't know what to do with them realistically.

[The Rose Dragon]

Demon of the Second Circle.

Or possibly Summon Elemental, since they are less likely to flip out and kill me.

[Kobold-Bard]

Prestidigitation.

I'm only allowed one spell and it can't replicate other spells, Prestidigitation for
me. Deals with everything I'm going to need day to day (cleaning & shaving, chilling beer etc.) as well as my personal favourite of
turning £5 notes into £50 notes

[Ravens_cry]

Greater Teleport. What's that, go anywhere in the universe with no error? Hot diggity, oh God, yes!
The way the spell works, stopping at the ISS for a month would be the best way to do it. That way, you can bring along as much supplies as I and any others need to spend a month on a world that can not support human life.

[randomhero00]

Demon of the Second Circle.

Or possibly Summon Elemental, since they are less likely to flip out and kill me.

Exalted? I meant 3.5 but I suppose that works

Still though...what would you do with it though? It's a cool idea to have a body guard but what are the odds you'd actually need one (especially something that carrying a gun or mace wouldn't solve)?

[Adumbration]

Mass Heal.

Hospitals would totally freak out.

[lsfreak]

It'd probably be a tie between teleport, invisibility, and mindrape. As much as I'd want teleport, it's most likely to be noticed by others, so... either invis or mindrape. And mindrape is really overkill - I'd only ever want to make subtle alterations, no complete rewrite like sometimes goes on in D&D, but the next-best (dominate, insidious suggestion) aren't really enough.

[gdiddy]

Fabricate.

Fabricate.

Fabricate.

[The Rabbler]

I'd go with either dominate person or prestidigitation. Dominate Person makes me the king of the world, but prestidigitation allows me to have so much fun on a daily basis that I can't really decide between the two.

Then again, there's also lightning bolt. I could call myself Zeus!

[randomhero00]

Mass Heal.

Hospitals would totally freak out.

I forgot about mass heal, yeah I'd change my answer to that probably. But not very useful at hospitals since it'd only have a range of 25ft. And I'm not sure if I'd want to go public with it (by gathering people up.)

[El Dorado]

Mass Heal. Make the world a better place.

[Zaydos]

Programmed Amnesia would be nice (I can be evil).

True Resurrection might make you a really nice living.

Commune could answer so many questions about reality.

I'd definitely pick Teleportation Circle over Greater Teleport.

Scholar's Touch would be useful at school.

I'd go with either dominate person or prestidigitation. Dominate Person makes me the king of the world, but prestidigitation allows me to have so much fun on a daily basis that I can't really decide between the two.

Then again, there's also lightning bolt. I could call myself Zeus!

Duration is the problem on Dominate Person. 1/month you can dominate somebody for 1 day and then they are really, really pissed.

[The Rose Dragon]

Exalted? I meant 3.5 but I suppose that works

Still though...what would you do with it though? It's a cool idea to have a body guard but what are the odds you'd actually need one (especially something that carrying a gun or mace wouldn't solve)?

Bodyguard? Why would I need a bodyguard? They are there to perform tasks, such as getting my laundry done, tutoring me on subjects I don't understand (I'm sure I can find an elemental with a Lore higher than mine), to go shopping for me, etc.

If I needed a bodyguard, I would have bought Imbue Amalgam.

[Kobold-Bard]

Programmed Amnesia would be nice (I can be evil).

True Resurrection might make you a really nice living.

Commune could answer so many questions about reality.

I'd definitely pick Teleportation Circle over Greater Teleport.

Scholar's Touch would be useful at school.

No resurrection type spells.

And I forgot about Scholar's Touch. I'm not giving up Prestidigitation buy goddamn that is a close one.

[lsfreak]

I forgot about mass heal, yeah I'd change my answer to that probably. But not very useful at hospitals since it'd only have a range of 25ft. And I'm not sure if I'd want to go public with it (by gathering people up.)

Eh. 1/month isn't a lot though, and can't effect all that many people. Mindrape a few public figures into being really interested in getting funding for medical research, on the other hand...

Really there's nothing mindrape can't solve. War? Mindrape a fanatical leader. Not enough money for a good cause? Mindrape some public figures (and/or senators) to provide funding. You want enough money to live off of without work? Mindrape a few companies into hiring you as a consultant.

[Mordokai]

Depends on how much Heal can actually, you know... heal.

It would probably be a coin flip between Heal and Greater Teleport.

[Adumbration]

I forgot about mass heal, yeah I'd change my answer to that probably. But not very useful at hospitals since it'd only have a range of 25ft. And I'm not sure if I'd want to go public with it (by gathering people up.)

30 feet is still about 10 meters, so you could heal probably heal about 2-3 people a day, considering how packed hospitals are these days.

Possibly a lot more, if you do it at dinner, gathering or use some other shenanigans to pack a lot of people together.

I'd probably do mental asylums on weekends, just to mess with people.

EDIT: Huh, I thought it was 1/day. I'll have to reconsider in that case.

[grarrrg]

It'd probably be a tie between teleport, invisibility, and mindrape....And mindrape is really overkill - I'd only ever want to make subtle alterations, no complete rewrite like sometimes goes on in D&D, but the next-best (dominate, insidious suggestion) aren't really enough.

"Mindrape, murder, arson, and mindrape."
"You said mindrape twice."
"Heh, I like mindrape."

[Oracle_Hunter]

Regenerate

Even at 1/mo, the ability to fully repair the damaged/lost limbs & organs of a single individual is powerful enough for me to earn an excellent living

...I mean, do a lot of Good for the world <_<

[Emperor Tippy]

True Mind Switch or Mind Rape probably.

If I can have a modified true mind switch that doesn't cost me levels if/when my old body dies (as I don't actually have any levels/XP) and (ideally) that leaves my body in a coma (so that the person I switched with can't do stuff with my body), then that probably.

Mind Rape let's you know everything that the target knows and let's you reprogram them.

---
There are a few other spells spread throughout the various splat books that would at least get a look, but most of them just aren't worth it.

Arcane Genesis might be, I suppose.

[GNUsNotUnix]

Don't rule out wish so quickly. An experience cost in the real world could translate into a serious issue; imagine losing memory or skill every time you made a wish. It'd be like Never Ending Story II (but, you know, better).

[Ravens_cry]

Fabricate.

Fabricate.

Fabricate.

Trouble is, you explicitly need the skill to make something to make most things worth making.

To all the Prestidigitation fans out there, you only get it once per month. That is . . .less useful. I love that spell; it's fun, but it's not anything to write home about once per month.

[Oracle_Hunter]

If I can have a modified true mind switch that doesn't cost me levels if/when my old body dies (as I don't actually have any levels/XP) and (ideally) that leaves my body in a coma (so that the person I switched with can't do stuff with my body), then that probably.

Alignment issues aside (Mind Rape is just creepy) whether or not there are XP costs is pretty important. For example, Clone: if you are forced to lose 2 CON it's no good; Level loss depends on how hard it is to gain levels (and what losin one actually means). Without Level or CON loss, it's an excellent not-quite-resurrection spell; otherwise it is marginal at best.

[Prime32]

Arcane Genesis might be, I suppose.

You can only cast it on the Ethereal Plane.

And you realises there is a non-[Evil] version of mindrape, right? (Programmed Amnesia)

[Emperor Tippy]

Pres. is only good 1/month for going to a casino and messing with roulette.

And if you want something like that then there are better choices.

[Jack Zander]

Well since its only one spell and its only once per month most of the really awesome ones would be... not so awesome. Teleport seems extremely useless to me as it's a one-way trip.

To be useful in the real world you need something where caster level doesn't matter. That narrows the list down quite a bit. Things with a long duration would be preferred, or conjurations with an instantaneous duration so the conjured item is permanent.

Off the top of my head I can think of: Continual Flame - Sell them to green companies/people for mega bucks. Mass Heal - Offer miracle healing for the wealthy. Geas/Quest - Get whatever you want as long as you know the right people to give the quest to. Discern Location - Once a month you can solve an unsolved mystery.

[gdiddy]

Trouble is, you explicitly need the skill to make something to make most things worth making.

To all the Prestidigitation fans out there, you only get it once per month. That is . . .less useful. I love that spell; it's fun, but it's not anything to write home about once per month.

I guess I'll have to take a few trade school courses. Or read a few books on how to build spacecraft or automobiles.

You'd get to be the instant prototype guy in whatever field you wanted.

[Emperor Tippy]

You can only cast it on the Ethereal Plane.

Hmm, yeah forgot about that.

And you realises there is a non-[Evil] version of mindrape, right? (Programmed Amnesia)

PA doesn't let you know everything that the target knows. Mind Rape a surgeon, and even if you don't change any of his memories, and you know all he knows about medicine.

It's a great way to gain knowledge. You can also fix mental problems (with yourself or others) and do good.

---
Yeah, I would either pick one of the options that get's me immortality or Mind Rape. Perhaps the spell that let's me make myself or others immortal, Kissed by the Ages.

[Kobold-Bard]

Pres. is only good 1/month for going to a casino and messing with roulette.

And if you want something like that then there are better choices.

Prestidigitation can turn one fine object into another for an hour. Turn blank sheets of paper into high value bills and put them in an automated bank deposit machine. It recognises them as high value and adds it to your account, at which point it's no longer your problem.

1/month does suck though, I preferred my version of this thread (x/week = 10-spell level). Meant Cantrips kicked ass.

Probably Mindrape in the end coz it's so versatile without breaking the rules.

[Coidzor]

1/month is... pretty hard to make workable with most things. I mean, you can only make 2 skeletons a pop, or 24 skeletons in a year.

Meaning you can't use them for the tasks they're most suited for because they're more rare and valuable than deep-sea capable submarines, y'know, nigh-irreplaceable at first, and even if you lived to be 80 and got the ability at 20, that's only 60 years and you'd have to keep from getting sidelined by the law or getting lynched by religions/angry family members. 60 * 24 = 1200+ 240 = 1440 skeletons or half that number in zombies if you wanted to go that route for whatever reason (all in all seems worse)

And they're not intelligent enough to do fine tasks. I mean, if you allowed that they basically have computers for brains, Computer Science in this day and age would allow them to do more complicated tasks...

Create Undead might be better, but you only have a CL of one, so... you can't use it in this scenario, and spawning undead would be the most feasible but also the most likely to go out of control and eat the world, so... yeah...x.x


Mindrape... eww.... 1/month Mindrape would only be good for very slowly infiltrating an organization for nefarious ends or... unfortunate implications wherein one just drops the mind part... I mean, granted, there's a few places where you'd be able to get to someone worth mindraping without having to go through middlemen, but even with them, the way western society is set up, the organization itself is generally more important.

Mindrape a CEO and how long is he going to be CEO there?