New uses for old spells

[Jayngfet]

I was wondering if anyone could think of new uses for old spells. Personally I like how cantrips and orisons like create water and mage hand have lots of creative leeway.

Create water: "Water can be created in an area as small as will actually contain the liquid"

Uses: The BBEG in robes looks less intimidating if he looks like he just wet his armor.

Impromptu wet t-shirt contest(perfect for a nonlethal distraction when leaving the tavern)

Mage hand:With a decent knowledge(Architecture and engineering) you can bring gown a building.

Evards black tentacles: If you can't think of a reason there's something deeply right with you.

Mending: See the cityscape entry on mending.

Wall of stone: create bridges, fortresses within fortresses.



With the right combination of spells one can build a spaceship and go to the moon.

[Aquillion]

With the right combination of spells one can build a spaceship and go to the moon.

Combination? You can go to the moon with Greater Teleport. (Bringing a necklace of adaptation is probably advisable depending on how the moon works in your setting, though.)

Wizards don't need spaceships. They have their own built-in warp drives.

[Tempest Fennac]

What does Cityscape say about Mending? I've never seen that description anywhere.

[quiet1mi]

observations of create water:

create water -- creates 2 gallons of water per level and water weighs 8 pounds per gallon... it also says that it can be used as a down pour... level 10 wiz/sor will create 160 pounds of water... (this is around the weight of a regular human in armor...

conclusion:

very good for setting off traps with pressure plates... or can create an obstacle for enemies that want to kill you and that are down hill from your...

[TheOOB]

I hate to break it to you, but 160 pounds of water won't trigger many pressure plates unless they are fairly sensitive. The water would start to disperse long before the weight would be sustained for any length of time.

[John Campbell]

create water -- creates 2 gallons of water per level and water weighs 8 pounds per gallon... it also says that it can be used as a down pour... level 10 wiz/sor will create 160 pounds of water... (this is around the weight of a regular human in armor...

An anorexic elf in armor, maybe. When fully armed and armored, I weigh in somewhere in the neighborhood of 280, and I'm neither remarkably tall nor notably fat. Even without my armor on, I haven't seen 160 since before I could grow a man's beard.

Though if we're talking about pressure plates designed to be set off by a halfling who weighs less than my mail hauberk alone...

[Kurald Galain]

An anorexic elf in armor, maybe. When fully armed and armored, I weigh in somewhere in the neighborhood of 280

Isn't magical armor supposed to be near-weightless?

[Dhavaer]

Isn't magical armor supposed to be near-weightless?

Only if it's also mithral, and even then it's only 1/2 weight.

[Merlon]

Isn't magical armor supposed to be near-weightless?

I think that i have heard about an armor named "Ghostly Hide of the Mage"

Basically it was "mage armor"-spell in solidified form plus little bit of extras sprinkled on top. Cannot remember about the weight, but it had no pentalties on casting.

Anyway, armors from mundane materials usually have some sort of weight. Unless negated somehow by magical means

EDIT:

Oh yeah, the uses of old spells too

On dungeoncrawls, i have always enjoyed heat metal on widebladed shortsword to quickly warm up my breakfast, or fry couple of eggs. Cast it on helmet and you can scramble your eggs as well. Or make omlet. In reversed way, cast chill metal on stiletto, rapier or any metal object narrow enough to stir drinks in a hot day with it. Use gloves though. (Cold)burns are nasty.


Silence (all versions): When your neighbours are just too noisy for comfort

Prestigitation: For fine works like threading a needle.


I like low level spell for mundane applications :D