Which (Core) Spells do you Ban?

[Variable Arcana]

Aside from the Polymorph series (Alter Self, Polymorph, Polymorph Any Object, and Shapechange), are there any Core (or near-core) spells that you routinely ban when DMing?

[Baalzebub]

Wish, Miracle and similars. Because in the hand of players these spells spoil a lot of fun.

[Orzel]

I don't ban spells I nerf them (Massive Con damage).

[Vodun]

Wish and Miracle, simply because if a god is going to help you, they're gonna come down and do it themselves, of their own volition, not because the guy just happens to be willing to give up some XP.

[Telonius]

Polymorph.

Celerity is considered Core?

[Pocket lint]

I haven't decided to outright ban anything yet. I *am* nerfing any spells that would change BAB into simply not doing that. So Divine Power gives you +6 to str and 1 hp/level, but nothing else.

[Saph]

Polymorph, Polymorph Any Object, and Shapechange are banned for obvious reasons. Ditto no-save ability damage spells like Ray of Stupidity. Alter Self is okay as long as you don't try and combine it with outsider status.

I try to avoid Disjunction since it can wipe out an entire party's items in one casting, which isn't much fun for anyone.

Other spells are done on a common sense basis: e.g. using Gate to travel or negotiate a deal with an outsider is fine, but free wishes = no.

- Saph

[NotCC]

Another one who bans Wish/Miracle only. But if you have a good DM and follow these spells by the way they are written even they aren't that bad.

[Pauwel]

I don't ban anything. My players don't normally power-game, and on the few occasions they do I'll just tell them to stop.
Yes, I have a very nice group. :)

[Golthur]

Aside from polymorph and wish, not a lot of core banning - more mutual agreements than anything else.

Disjunction has a "mutually assured destruction" clause associated with it - I don't use it, my players don't use it (and vice versa when I'm playing). Likewise, many of the non-save rays also have mutual-destruction policies.

[Morty]

Aside from Polymorph, we don't use Rope Trick or similiar spells from preety obvious reasons.

[Lord Tataraus]

I don't ban spells, though I have never had a wizard use polymorph yet. I just run extrmely low to no magic campiagns where the spellcasters are like Duskblades and Rangers.

[Deus Mortus]

As long as players don't abuse it, they can use it, if they abuse something, it dissapears from their spell list, but only theirs, no need to punish all players for *******ry of one player.

[talsine]

i ban the whole polymorph line (even alterself), and i nerf Miracle so its costs xp just like wish does. I also don't allow shadow contingencies, but thats just a personal flavor issue. I also ban non-core (outside of the PHB) spells on a case by case basis.

I also nerf spiked chains, no AoO's with it when used as a reach weapon makes it not nearly as nasty.

[Fax Celestis]

Resurrection, Reincarnation, True Resurrection, Raise Dead.

Death is death is death, and damn is it permanent.

[talsine]

Resurrection, Reincarnation, True Resurrection, Raise Dead.

Death is death is death, and damn is it permanent.

never been an issue, no one wants to pay for res in my games, and we have so few clerics (partly because we tend to play Iron Kingdoms which makes healing non-members of your faith ugly) that in party res isn't really an option either.

[mikeejimbo]

The DM for the campaign I'm in doesn't ban Wish or Miracle, he just makes us never want to use them except in extreme emergencies, and he has some limits on what we can wish for.

[jjpickar]

How Celerity is even considered Core (it is, I believe, in the PHBII after all) is beyond me. Banned all the way.

[Galathir]

I don't outright ban spells, but I might ban some depending on the campaign, player, and situation.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

I [effectively] ban all the magic that raises the dead. The ability to bring back the dead might be out there somewhere, but it's not done as the listed SRD spells.

[Emperor Tippy]

I don't "ban" anything.

My players know the rules, don't abuse it and you can use it. A disjunction or two throughout your career? Thats fine. A disjunction per encounter? Your enemies start to use it as well.

Its the same with all spells. As a DM I won't abuse then (short of plot related reasons every now and then) and I expect my players to do the same. If you want to use it every now and then its fine by me. If the wizard wants to go all cheesy for 2 encounters per level I'm fine with it, but much more than that and the baddies start to do it as well.


As a player I don't abuse them but if they aren't banned I'll put them on my spell list. And prepare one or two per day even. Polymorph can replicate enlarge, shrink, fly, and be a disguise. Just don't abuse it.

[Twisted.Fate]

I ban things on a case-by-case basis. My players know I hate the Polymorph line, but fortunately, our sorcerer is disinclined to use it. I've also banned all Vigor-line spells higher than Lesser Vigor, because it's just not fair to be able to get back 50hp in downtime without rolling any dice. For a second-level spell. Ridiculous.

[Quietus]

I don't ban any spells, nor does my DM - but we also play extremely low power games 9/10 times. Aside from a single epic game that they've had going for years, that I joined when I met them, the highest level we're running is 6.

I've considered pulling out some serious cheese at times... particularly in that epic game. Fighting a Deity, yay! I was going to make a bag of holding full of skelebombs for something like 600d6 or more damage, but decided against it. Sure, I can polycheese or skelebomb my way to victory, but that takes a lot of the fun out of things.

[Viscount Einstrauss]

I consider banning to be a cop-out. If I don't want something in there, I instead decide why I don't want it in there and just remove or alter that function.

[MaxKaladin]

Disjunction has a "mutually assured destruction" clause associated with it - I don't use it, my players don't use it (and vice versa when I'm playing). Likewise, many of the non-save rays also have mutual-destruction policies.

Our group has a similar policy regarding Feeblemind.

Disjunction has never been much of a problem. Our DMs don't tend to use it against players and players who try to use it tend to get chewed out by the other players for destroying potential loot.

[Bears With Lasers]

I also nerf spiked chains, no AoO's with it when used as a reach weapon makes it not nearly as nasty.

Oh, come on. They can get the same effect as the chain with a guisarme and some armor spikes. The chain's one of the few exotic weapons worth the EWP feat (bastard sword? A feat to go from 1d8 to 1d10? Come on), that's all; no reason to nerf it.

[Tor the Fallen]

Oh, come on. They can get the same effect as the chain with a guisarme and some armor spikes. The chain's one of the few exotic weapons worth the EWP feat (bastard sword? A feat to go from 1d8 to 1d10? Come on), that's all; no reason to nerf it.

Except that it's a dumb weapon and should be nerfed so no one's tempted to use one.

[Bears With Lasers]

And yet you don't see people trying to ban the dire flail.
And shooting like an arrow every second is somehow possible.

Banning it for the sake of verisimilitude, okay, whatever (but it's not that bad--there are pictures in the Complete Warrior and PHB II that show non-totally-stupid "spiked chains), but nerfing it is dumb.

[NullAshton]

My DM hasn't outright banned any spells, and when I'm going to be a DM soon, I won't ban any spells either. If anyone tries abusing them, I will just tell the player to not do that. Simple!

[Dark_Wind]

The only core spell I take serious issue with is MDJ, because it's a goddamned tactical nuke, and it will invariably piss someone off if it gets used. People tend to get attached to their magic items.