SpellsSpells are the archivist's greatest strength, and unless you're playing in a campaign with nigh-unlimited money, you'll want to choose your spells carefully. Here are some of the more potent and versatile spells that you may want to pick up as fast as you can.
(For now, I'm leaving out the Divine Bard versions of spells; I'll probably go back and add them later if there's interest)
0 Level
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You get every cleric level 0, and that covers all of the important ones.
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1st Level
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Cleric:BlessPHB - +1 morale bonus to all allies attack rolls and saves against fear effects
CommandPHB -
Sleep is generally better at low levels, but this doesn't have a HD cap, so remains useful longer.
Divine FavorPHB - +1 luck bonus on attack and damage rolls that scales up to +6
Entropic ShieldPHB - 20% miss chance for all ranged attacks against you
Obscuring MistPHB - One of the best early retreat spells, drop this and run away. Even better later on when you have pets that have blindsight or similar.
Protection from Evil/Good/Chaos/Law[sup]PHB[/sup] - a very powerful defensive spell
SanctuaryPHB - there are a lot of non-damaging things you can do and still be effective; this lets you do them safely.
Shield of FaithPHB - +2 deflection bonus to AC that scales up to +5
ConvictionSpC - +2 morale bonus to saving throws for one ally that scales to +5, Combine with Dark Knowledge: Puissance against nasty Save or X using foes.
Summon Monster I - not very useful at first, but at higher levels becomes a very versatile use for a 1st level slot
Omen of PerilSpC - the first good divination spell
Lesser VigorSpC - The premiere out of combat healing spell
Domain: (DomainDomain source)spell sourceMage Armor (Force
SpC)
PHBIdentify (Oracle
SpC)
PHBSleep (Dream
SpC)
PHB - the first save or lose spell - also available from the Adept list
Entangle (Plant
PHB)
PHB - Fantastic battlefield control. Also available from the Druid list
Grease (Slime
SpC)
PHBEnlarge Person (Transformation
RoE)
PHBDetect Thoughts (Truth
RoE)
PHB - multiple uses for this, interrogation, intelligence gathering, etc
Non-Cleric: (ClassSpell Scource)Lesser Restoration (Pal
PHB) - heal ability score damage and cure status effect one spell level early
Warning Shout (Pal
SpC) - as an immediate action, all your allies are not flat-footed
Resist Energy (Ranger
PHB) - a good defensive spell, earlier than anyone else.
Lay of the Land (Ranger
SpC) - another good divination spell, learn about the land for 50 miles around you.
Embrace the Wild (Ranger
SpC) - gain low-light vision, scent, or blindsense for 10 minutes/level
Summon Nature's Ally I (Druid
PHB) - really short duration at first, but the wolf is really good - free trip attacks
Shillelagh (Druid
PHB) - makes a quarterstaff a really good melee weapon
Winged Watcher (Druid
CSc) - turn into a bird as a swift action. Flight at level 1? Yes, please. Only lasts 1 round/level, but still, it's nice to have that option. Great escape spell.
Camouflage (Druid
SpC) - +10 on Hide checks
Aspect of the Wolf (Druid
SpC) - effectively turn into a wolf for 10 minutes/level
Produce Flame (Druid
PHB) - one of the more potent blasting options at this level.
Barkskin (Nentyar Hunter
PHB) - scaling natural armor bonus, also available from the Druid list or Plant Domain
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2nd Level
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Cleric:Bull's Strength/Eagle's Splendor/Owl's Wisdom/Bear's EndurancePHB - these tend to come in handy quite a bit.
DesecratePHB - vital if you're going to be animating the dead
Hold PersonPHB - save or lose
Spiritual WeaponPHB - a tool for dealing with incorporeal foes
Summon Monster IIPHB - not as good as the other two summon spells available, but decent if you don't have access to them.
BramblesSpC - a melee buff for wooden weapons.
Close WoundsSpC - one of the better healing spells - an immediate action spell for those desperate moments.
Divine InsightSpC - gives a scaling bonus between +8-15 for any one skill check.
Ghost Touch ArmorSpC - adds the Ghost Touch ability to your armor.
Living UndeathSpC - makes the target immune to criticals and sneak attacks
Summon Undead IISpC - the owlbear skeleton is slightly better at combat than the SNA hippogriff
Lore of the GodsCC - Grants a +5 (+10 if you worship a god with the Knowledge domain) insight bonus on all knowledge checks for 10 minutes/level
Substitute DomainCC - really great for later on, if you decide to play around with domains.
DarkboltLoM - 1d8/2 caster levels damage and must save or be stunned for one round
Domain:Magic Missile (Force
SpC)
PHB - nothing exciting, but it's a handy spell every once in a while
Fox's Cunning (Baator
SpC)
PHB - the buff spell that you really care about, also from the Divine Bard list
Locate Object (Travel
PHB)
PHB - a solid divination spell, and at a lower level than usual
Cat's Grace (Celerity
SpC)
PHB - and just to round the buff list out, also off the Adept list
Ghoul Glyph (Hunger
SpC)
SpC - gives you something to do in your downtime (when you're not learning new spells
)
Magic Circle Against Evil (Exorcism
ECS)
PHB - in addition to being generally good defense, these are also vital to several higher level spells.
Invisibility (Lust
SpC)
PHB - also off the Adept list
Alter Self (Transformation
RoE)
RoE - one of the most versatile spells available, boost your AC, grab bonuses to skills, fly, etc.
Summon Dire Hawk (Sky
RotW)
RotW - not as powerful as the other summons at this level, but this spell is minutes/level instead of rounds/level, making it an interesting option. Also off the Druid list.
DemoncallFCI Demonic
FCI - a +10 profane bonus to knowledge arcana, religion or the planes for any one check. Great for use with Dark Knowledge.
Non-Cleric:Summon Nature's Ally II (Druid
PHB)- Hippogriff is the strong one here, a good combatant and some flying powah.
Mass Snake's Swiftness (Druid
SpC) - all of your allies make one melee or ranged attack. If you did nothing with your second level slots aside from memorize this spell, you would probably be fine.
Blinding Spittle (Druid
SpC) - Blind a target with no save, lasts until they rinse their eyes out.
Mass Camouflage (Druid
SpC) - +10 Hide for the whole group
Bite of the Wererat (Druid
SpC) - another close combat buff
Creeping Cold (Druid
SpC) - 6d6 over 3 rounds, extend it at higher levels for 21d6 for a 3rd level spell
Heart of Air Druid
CM - +10 on jump checks, +10 fly speed, swift action feather fall
Splinterbolt (Druid
SpC) - not quite as good as Scorching Ray, unless you're fighting immune to fire types. It's ranged attack instead ranged touch, and is affected by DR. It does have a crit range of 18-20 though.
Scorching Ray (Adept
PHB) - probably the best blasting spell of the level, 4d6 on a ranged touch attack, no save
See Invisibility (Adept
PHB)
Mirror Image (Adept
PHB) - one of the best defensive spells in the game
Web (Adept
PHB)
Tremorsense (Ranger
SpC) - gain tremorsense 30'
Primal Instinct (Ranger
DM) - 24 hour buff, gain +5 competence bonus to Initiative and Survival. When stacked with another Primal spell, gain Uncanny Dodge.
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3rd Level
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Cleric:Animate DeadPHB - start that undead horde up! (Or, if you're smarter, a small group of elite undead)
Dispel MagicPHB - magic is where the power is; make sure that you can fight back when the other side has it.
Magic Circle Against Evil/Good/Chaos/LawPHB - in addition to being generally good defense, these are also vital to several higher level spells.
Magic VestmentPHB - never spend money upgrading your armor enhancement bonus.
Protection from EnergyPHB - damage absorption for an energy type chosen at cast time.
Summon Monster IIIPHB - this one is where SM starts to get good. Most of your animals should have DR 5/magic, and you get your first demon, who can cast
stinking cloud for you.
Mass ConvictionSpC - boost your whole party's saving throws
Mass Resist EnergySpC Mass Lesser Vigor
SpC - a favorite of DMM Persist, the ultimate in out of combat healing.
Sonorous HumSpC - no need to stop casting when you have a concentration spell up.
SpikesSpC - the next upgrade of the wooden melee weapon line
Summon Undead IIISpC - the troll skeleton is a decent beatstick, if he can get a full attack in, he's better than the dire wolf from SNA III
Domain:Anyspell (Spell
SpC)
SpC - for those going into Domain shenanigans.
Blur (Celerity
SpC)
PHB - another 20% miss chance spell, this one works against melee as well
Fly (Travel
PHB)
PHB - real flight
Haste (Time
SpC)
PHB - haste is really, really good; and it affects 1 creature/level, so even when you fist get it, you can likely haste your entire party
Gaseous Form (Air
PHB)
PHB - good escape spell
Suggestion (Dominate
SpC)
PHBDisplacement (Illusion
PGtF)
PHBDistilled Joy (Joy
BoED)
BoED - creating scrolls takes money and XP, this can help offset some of the latter.
Plant Growth (Plant
PHB)
PHB - not very good on it's own, but needed to get into the Holt Warden PrC
Vampiric Touch (Necromancy
ECS)
PHBDivination (Oracle
SpC)
PHB - more useful Divination^^
Dimensional Anchor (Portal
PGtF)
PHB - stop teleporters cold. (also really important when binding)
Tongues (Commerce
ECS)
PHBRecitation (Purification
SpC)SpC
(Blackwater
Storm)
PHB - only useful for a couple levels, after that, your better off with summons doing your grappling.
Non-Cleric:Spike Growth (Druid
PHB) - put a real crimp in a charger's day.
Summon Nature's Ally III (Druid
PHB) - the dire wolf is a toss up with the undead troll, the wolf hits harder on a single attack and has a higher move, and like the smaller version, can trip for free.
Wind Wall (Druid
PHB) - Completely shut down archers, swarms, and tiny fliers.
Bite of the Werewolf (Druid
SpC) - another melee buff, hopefully by this point you aren't having to use these much any more, but they're a nice stat boost when you think you might have to get close to the enemy.
Crumble (Druid
SpC) - destroy objects, this spell ignores hardness
Icelance (Druid
SpC) - 6d6 damage and they have to save or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. Not great, but when you need to blast, it's not bad.
Spiderskin (Druid
SpC) - Barkskin + saves against poison and racial bonus to Hide.
Arctic Haze (Druid
Frost) - Obscures vision and does damage.
Venomfire (Druid
SK) - seriously, just say no to this spell if you want to avoid books being flung at your head. The most broken damage spell in the game.
Primal Senses (Ranger
DM) - 24 hour buff, gain low-light vision and +5 competence bonus to Spot and Listen. When combined with another Primal spell, gain Uncanny Dodge.
Lightning Bolt (Adept
PHB)
Charm Monster (Emissary of Barachiel
PHB) - more enchantment cheatery - so fun^^
Lesser Geas (Emissary of Barachiel
PHB) - for those pesky Planer Bindings that just won't give in.
Scrying (Emissary of Barachiel
PHB) - the gold standard of long distance problem solving.
Freedom of Movement (Nenytar Hunter
PHB) - critical to stop grapples and other nasty effects.
Death Ward (Consecrated Harrier
PHB)
Restoration (Healer
PHB) - cure permanent ability drain
Greater Magic Weapon (Pal
PHB) - never pay for weapon enhancements again
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4th Level
[spoiler]
Cleric:Air WalkPHB - a very good way of getting over larger obstacles.
DismissalPHB - get rid of a single outsider.
Divine PowerPHB - What was your BAB? Doesn't matter, now you have the BAB of a fighter, and extra hit points, and +6 to strength.
Imbue with Spell AbilityPHB - a lot of useful tricks with this one.
Giant VerminPHB - makes some pretty decent beatsticks
Lesser Planar AllyPHB - a fairly bad spell by itself, but you need it to qualify for Thaumaturgist
Spell ImmunityPHB - really good if you're going against known enemies, or to stop some of the more common nasties.
Summon Monster IVPHB - some decent SLAs and the Howler makes a good debuffer against tougher opponents.
Mass Shield of FaithSpC - scaling deflection AC bonus for the whole party
PanaceaSpC - cure almost any status
Sheltered VitalitySpC - several good immunities
Summon Undead IVSpC - pretty lackluster. The zombie has a lot of hps, but that's about it, the ghast and allip might as well just be an aoe spell (and not a very good one)
Greater ResistanceSpC - 24 hour duration, +3 to all saves
Planar ToleranceSpC - ignore negative effects of other planes.
Domain:Leomund's Secure Shelter (Cavern
SpC)
PHB - this isn't a good spell at all, but it's one that I really like anyway^^
Chaos Hammer/Order's Wrath/Holy Smite/Unholy Blight (Chaos/Law/Good/Evil
PHB) - damage + effect to appropriate outsiders
Good Hope (Charm
SpC)
PHB - 1 target/level gets a +2 morale bonus to every action for 1 minute/level
Glibness (Commerce
ECS)
PHB - +30 to non-combat Bluff checks
Enervation (Decay
ECS)
PHB - target loses 1d4 temporary levels
Dominate Person (Domination
SpC)
PHB - Take control of a humanoid for 1 day/level
Wall of Fire (Fire
PHB)
PHB - not nearly as good as some of the other walls, but it has it's uses. It's probably best at burning down wooden structures.
(Force
SpC)
PHB- multi-use spell, it's a great defense for yourself, or it's a good way to take one enemy out of the fight.
Modify Memory (Mentalism
SpC)
PHB - oh, the number of problems this spell has solved for my group over the years...
Dimension Door (Travel
PHB)
PHB - the first really solid teleport spell. Limited distance, but still solves a lot of problems.
Explosive Runes (Rune
SpC)
PHB - a good spell for casting on off days; get creative with its uses!
Shadow Conjuration (Shadow
ECS)
PHB - like all of the shadow spells, extremely versatile.
Slow (Sloth
SpC)
PHB - one of the standard "save or suck" spells
Non-Cleric:
Bite of the Wereboar (Druid
SC) - high +Con and + Nat. Armor
Blast of Sand (Druid
Sand) - a solid spell against creatures with SR
Boreal Wind (Druid
Frost) - solid damage + knockback effects and persists without the need for concentration. Also has a huge range.
Flame Strike (Druid
PHB) - good damage, and half of it bypasses immunity/resistance to fire.
Vortex of Teeth (Druid
SpC) - really nasty if you can drop it on slowed/immobilized enemies. Works against incorporeal creatures as well.
Greater Creeping ColdHeart of Earth (Druid
CM) - gain CLx2 temporary hit points and a +8 bonus against trip attacks, bull rush, and overrun. As a swift action, activate a
stoneskin effect that last for rounds/level and ends the entire buff when finished. No component.
Summon Nature's Ally IV (Druid
PHB) - this is a really great level for this spell line - brown bear and croc are great grapplers (bear for more damage, croc for better lockdown), the tiger is a pouncing damage machine, and the unicorn is a mini-healer that can also dish out some decent damage.
Primal Speed (Ranger
DM) - 24 hour buff, +5 to Ref saves, +10 to move. When combined with another Primal spell, gain Uncanny Dodge.
Animal Growth (Ranger
PHB) - one of the best buff spells in the game.
Legend Lore - Consecrated Harrier
PHB - divination
Break Enchantment (Paladin
PHB) - good for getting rid of some of the more unusual curse types.
Wall of Thorns (Nentyar Hunter
PHB) - solid battlefield control.
Polymorph (Adept
PHB) - so abusable, but so nice.
Stoneskin (Adept
PHB) - expensive, but effective when you need it. Heart of Earth is probably more effective though, if Complete Mage is allowed.
Telepathic Aura (Paladin
SpC) - telepathically communicate with all your allies.
Summon Giants (Disciple of Thrym
Frost) - wait, what? Summoning CR11 monsters? Prepare to dodge thrown books, but damn, that's sexy.
[/spoiler]
5th Level
[spoiler]
Cleric:Plane ShiftPHB - yay, the first interplanar travel spell!
Righteous MightPHB - it's like Enlarge Person, only much better
Spell ResistancePHB - Annoyed by your spells fizzling against outsiders? Now let them feel your pain.
Summon Monster VPHB - some solid SLA's, probably the best choice against large groups of mooks
True SeeingPHB - I really can't emphasize enough how useful this spell is.
Wall of StonePHB - good battlefield control, or use it for building your new doom fortress
Swift EtherealnessPH2 - pinned in by enemies? swift action turn ethereal, and then move out of danger.
Divine AgilitySpC - it's not a huge improvement over Bite of the Wererat - this really should have been insight instead of enhancement. But, if you or a party member really need that little extra, it can be useful.
RevivifySpC - resurrect a fallen comrade within one round and they don't lose a level. It's worth carrying around the 1000g in components.
Righteous Wrath of the FaithfulSpC - +3 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls + an additional attack on a full attack.
Summon Undead VSpC - and the last of the Summon Undead line goes out with a whimper. 1d3 brown bears from SNA V destroys anything on this list.
TriadspellSpC - A really great spell. Cast it during downtime, and effectively triple your lower level spell slots. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but it doesn't go away unless you cast the spells, or prepare another spell in the slot. And there's no limitation on how many slots you can cast it on.
Surge of FortuneCC - gain a +2 luck bonus on just about everything - end the spell early to get a natural 20 on a roll.
Domain:Control Winds (Air
PHB)
PHB - absolutely wreck things with this spell.
Fabricate (Artifice
ECS)
PHBPasswall (Cavern
SpC)
PHBValiant Fury (Courage
SpC)
SpC - morale bonus to Str and Con and Will save + extra attack when using a full attack
Major Creation (Creation
SpC)
PHBHallucinatory Terrain (Gnome
SpC)
PHB - these are neat, but only if there isn't another illusion caster in the group, otherwise, don't bother.
Persistent Image (Illusion
SpC)
PHBWall of Iron (Metal
SpC)
PHB - like wall of stone, only potentially more profitable, if the DM lets you get away with that sort of thing.
Prying Eyes (Orc
SpC)
PHB - little spies scout out the surrounding area and report back to you
(Pleasure
BoED)
PHBTeleport (Travel
PHB)
PHB - and now we have real travel.
Lesser Planar Binding (Rune
SpC)
PHB - And, probably my favorite line of spells in the game.
Shadow Evocation (Shadow
ECS)
PHB - the shadow conjuration/evocation line is just so handy at increasing the types of tricks we can do.
Permanency (Time
SpC)
PHB - there are some pretty handy things you can do with this.
Non-Cleric:Commune with Nature (Druid
PHB)
Awaken (Druid
PHB) - a neat way to get some additional cohort-like creatures; be sure to clear this with your DM first, though. It's annoying to spend the xp, and then have the DM say "and then the animal goes on it's merry way without you".
Baleful Polymorph (Druid
PHB) - turn your enemy into a harmless little bunny. Hugging, squeezing and calling him "George" are optional.
Bite of the Weretiger (Druid
SpC) - large Str boot, and Power Attack
Summon Nature's Ally V (Druid
PHB) - The elemental has some uses, especially if you have Rashemi Elemental Summoning, but for combat, the 1d3 brown bears are probably the best bet.
Owl's Insight (Druid
SpC) - best Wis buff - insight bonus equal to 1/2 caster level
Phantom Stag (Druid
SpC) - a really fast mount with some nice extra abilities
Cloak of the Sea (Druid
SpC) - mandatory if there's any underwater action in the campaign.
Heart of Fire Druid
CM - +10 to land speed, 10 fire resist, and as a swift action can give you flame shield. If two or more Heart spells are up, gain light fortification. If all four are up, gain heavy fortification.
Heal (Adept
PHB) - the most (only?) useful in-combat healing spell.
Antilife Shell (Blighter
PHB) - keep out all living things
Forbiddance (Blighter
PHB) - Permanently seal off a space from planar travel.
Find the Path (Nentyar Hunter
PHB) - never, ever get lost again.
[/spoiler]
6th Level
[spoiler]
Cleric:Greater Dispel MagicPHB - a much higher limit on the caster check; a must have.
Heroes' FeastPHB - it's basically a 12 hour version of Aid with immunity to fear added. It's move of a convenience spell than anything else. Get it, but at a fairly low priority.
Planar AllyPHB - in theory, this can come in handy. Honestly, I usually pick it up just so I have all the summoning/calling spells; I don't think I've ever used it. The cost, even with thaumaturgist, is just too bloody high.
Summon Monster IVPHB - from here on out, the difference between SM and SNA is basically the same at every level - SM has the better survivability and the better SLAs, SNA has the better beatsticks; especially if you have elemental boosting feats. It's really handy to have both.
Word of RecallPHB - not super important if you have teleport, really nice if you don't.
Energy ImmunitySpC - complete immunity from one energy type for 24 hours.
Superior ResistanceSpC - +6 to all saving throws for 24 hours
Stone BodySpC - gain construct-like immunities and DR
Spiritual GuardianCC - either gain a +6 deflection bonus to armor, or have another creature attacking on your side. A good spell to cast right before going into battle, when you're not sure what's waiting for you.
Domain:Greater AnyspellSpC - Spell
SpC - if you have real domain spell slots, with this you can cast any sorc/wiz spell up to 5th level.
ContingencyPHB Time
SpC - there are a lot of possibilities with this.
Magic JarPHB Envy
SpC - Possession
Chain LightningPHB Air
PHB - it's blasting, but less bad than most at this level.
Greater HeroismPHB Passion
ECS - +4 morale bonus to attacks, saves, and checks, 1/level temporary hps, and immunity to fear.
Antimagic FieldPHB Magic
PHB - sometimes the bad guys have the better magic; shut them down when they do.
Probe ThoughtsSpC Mind
SpC - great interrogation spell.
Eyebite Necromancy
ECS - long lasting debuff on 1 enemy per round as a move action.
Shadow WalkPHB Shadow
ECS - take a walk in the Plane of Shadow
Force ShapechangeRoE Truth
RoE - force shapechangers to stay in their true form; great for stopping a druid.
CloudwalkersSpC Windstorm
SpC - 1 person/level gains flying 60' (perfect)
Planar BindingPHB - again, my favorite line of spells in the game; incredibly powerful.
Non-Cleric:Bite of the WerebearSpC Druid - the last of the Bite line, this one is a massive Str and Con and Natural Armor boost.
Enveloping CocoonSpC Druid - effectively turns a Fort or Will save into a Reflex save. Situational usefulness, would be better if it affected creatures over large size.
Greater ScryingPHB Druid - longer lasting than Scrying.
SpellstaffPHB Druid - unless you're fighting every day, this is effectively an extra spell slot of your highest level. A must have.
Tortoise ShellSpC Druid - a +6 -9 enhancement to natural armor. Acts as heavy armor though =/
Summon Nature's Ally VIPHB Druid - Huge Elementals, Large Storm Elementals, Dire Bear for tearing non-grapplers to little bits, Oread
FF that can cast
earthquake(!) - there's lots to like at this level.
Mephit MobSand Druid - summon 2d6 mephits for 10 minutes/level; you choose type.
Transport via PlantsPHB Druid - like
word of recall, mostly useful if you haven't learned
teleport yet.
Greater RestorationPHB Healer - only use to fix permanent level loss; everything else can be taken care of without the xp loss.
RegenerationPHB Healer - again, a rather specialized spell, but really good to have when you need it.
AntipathyPHB Blighter -
Finger of DeathPHB Blighter - save or die; save vs fort.
[/spoiler]
7th Level
[spoiler]
Cleric:Blasphemy/Holy Word/Dictum/Word of ChaosPHB - a no save area effect spell, with various penalties depending on HD difference. A great mook killer. Also banishes outsiders (Will save allowed vs banishing)
Ethereal JauntPHB - hop over to the Ethereal Plane either to deal with an ethereal creature or to avoid something on the Material Plane.
ResurrectionPHB - even if there's a cleric in the party, it's nice to have this. Combine it with Cocoon when you get it to have
true resurrection one spell level early.
RefugePHB - nice for letting the non-casters in the party have a way of teleporting home.
DestructionPHB - save or die, and even on a save, the target still takes 10d6.
Summon Monster VIIPHB - some nice SLAs here - Wall of Ice at will, Dispel Magic at will, Major Creation (vegetable matter is permanent - lots of ways to
abuse that)
Greater Consumptive FieldSpC - a nasty spell, but with some pretty huge benefits. Gain up to half again your CL by killing everything around you with 9 hps or less. For true Evil Overlord tactics; persist this and walk through towns.
Holy StarSpC - a good multi-use spell - gain either spell turning, +6 circumstance bonus to AC, or do 1d6 damage for every 2 levels. The spell lasts 3 rounds and you can choose which effect each round.
Holy TransformationSpC - take on the aspect of a hound archon; you become an outsider and gain several abilities.
Greater Plane ShiftSpC - like
plane shift, without the random arrival point.
Fortunate FateSpC - a contingent
heal, that goes off if the target is about to die.
Domain:Animal ShapesPHB Animal
PHB - polymorph for the whole party; animal only, and it lasts for hours/level
HardeningECS Artifice
ECS - increase the hardness of an item permanently by 1 point per 2 levels. Otherwise known as the "sunder this, bitch" spell.
DisintegratePHB Destruction
PHBEarthquake*
PHB Earth
PHB - a great spell, but I almost never memorize it since it can be cast by a summon from SNA VI. So, not worth getting.
PHB Feast
ECS - a much more elaborate
rope trick, it doesn't see much use, but every once in a while it can come in really handy. I usually carry a scroll of this.
ForcecagePHB Force
SpCScreenPHB Gnome
SpC - good protection against scrying.
Project ImagePHB Illusion
SpC create a quasi-real duplicate of yourself
StarmantleBoED Joy
BoED - non-magical weapons are destroyed when they try to touch you. All attacks with magic weapons are halved in damage if you can make a reflex save vs DC15
Spell TurningPHB Luck
PHB - bounce back 1d4+6 levels of spells back at the caster.
Brain SpiderSpC Mind
SpC - mentally eavesdrop on up to 8 creatures.
EtherealnessPHB Portal
SpC - turn ethereal, can take others with you.
PHB Rune
PGtF - summon a marked item to you from anywhere in the multiverse.
Greater Shadow ConjurationPHB Shadow
ECSReverse GravityPHB Sky
RotWLimited WishPHB Envy
SpCBigby's Grasping HandPHB Strength
PHB Moment of PresciencePHB Time
PGtF - gain an insight bonus equal to CL on any one roll. I love this for making difficult binding checks.
Greater TeleportPHB Travel
PHB - like teleport but no range limit and no chance of missing the target.
Illusion PurgeRoE Truth
RoEAcid FogPHB Water
PHB - like
solid fog, but everything takes 2d6 per round.
Tenser's TransformationPHB Hero
OANon-Cleric:Summon Nature's Ally VIIPHB - 1d3 Huge elementals or a huge storm elemental.
Master EarthSpC Druid - druid teleport, without the teleport; which means it's not blocked by the usual anti-teleport measures. Incredibly useful.
Storm TowerSpC Druid - a solid defensive buff, if excessively flashy.
Teleport ObjectPHB Shugenja - why carry treasure when you can just send it back to your base?
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8th Level
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Cleric:Dimensional LockPHB - have this readied when using binding spells on creatures with teleport.
Discern LocationPHB - locate any creature or object, the only things that stop it are
mind blank and the direct intervention of a deity.
Greater Spell ImmunityPHB - now be immune to certain spells of up to 8th level.
Cloak of Chaos/Holy Aura/Shield of Law/Unholy AuraPHB - party wide SR 25, along with
protection from evil-type effects. Anyone that lands a melee attack on someone guarded by this spell has to save or be afflicted by a status effect.
Greater Planar AllyPHB - still expensive for what you can get with it.
Summon Monster VIIIPHB - a whole host of new SLAs to choose from
Summon GiantFrost - repeating this on the list since, while you can technically get it at 4th level, no sane DM would allow that, and this is one of the few summon spells that will do a decent job if you haven't been concentrating on summoning.
Mass Death WardSpCHeat DrainSpC - deal 1d6/level to everyone in a 20' radius, gain 2 temporary hps for every creature effected.
StormrageSpC - gain flying and immunity to ranged attacks; every round you can deal 1d6/level lightning damage to a single target with no saving throw.
Domains:
True CreationPHB Artifice
ECSGreater BlinkSpC Celerity
SpC - like
blink but with much more control over the effects.
Analyze DweomerPHB Commerce
ECSIron BodyPHB Earth
PHB - gain several construct immunities and DR
Mind BlankPHB Protection
PHB - almost complete protection against scrying and mind affecting spells. This is a must have, or an item with this effect up permanently. (ideally both)
Incendiary CloudPHB Fire
PHB - use this as battlefield control.
PHB Force
SpCPHB Gnome
SpC - no save debuff, basically a "you lose" button.
Polymorph Any ObjectPHB Trickery
PHB - powerful enough to be banned in a lot of campaigns.
Greater Shadow EvocationPHB Shadow
ECSPHB Strength
PHB - the hand of force automatically attacks and stuns each round.
ForesightPHB Time
SpC- never be caught flat-footed, gain warnings of what to do to avoid immediate danger.
Phase DoorPHB Travel
PHB - create invisible passages through walls, etc.
Greater Planar BindingPHB Demonic
BoVD - bind up to 18HD.
Giant SizeOA Hero
OANon-Cleric:Summon Nature's Ally VIIIPHB Druid - the elementals continue to be the powerhouse choices. 1d3 greater, or 1 greater storm are the best options.
WhirlwindPHB Druid - remove enemies from the fight while dealing damage.
FrostfellFrost Druid - area effect save or turn to ice, on a successful save, still take 1d6/level.
Leonal's RoarBoED Druid -
holy word + damage.
CocoonSpC Druid - combine with
resurrection to get true resurrection, ie no level/Con loss.
Mass HealPHB Healer
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9th Level
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Cleric:Astral ProjectionPHB Energy DrainPHBGatePHB the big brother of the planar ally series, this one at least can call creatures big enough to make the xp hit worthwhile.
MiraclePHB - the most versatile spell in the game, like
wish but the spell replication costs no xp and there are fewer limitations.
Summon Monster IXPHB - and this may run fairly close behind it; almost 100 SLAs available, and they bring their own beatstick with them.
Summon Elemental MonolithSpC - remember back in the level 3 spells when I told you to get
sonorous hum? Yeah, this spell is why. Summons a CR17 elemental, requires concentration for as long as it's up.
Greater Visage of the DeitySpC - really good if you can persist it, this spell offers several untyped and racial bonuses.
Domain:Prismatic SpherePHB Sun
PHB - a powerful defensive spell
Time StopPHB Trickery
PHB - another "so powerful it's often banned" spell.
PHB Strength
PHBPHB Magic
PHBTeleportation CirclePHB Rune
SpCShadesPHB Shadow
ECS - just like
shadow conjuration, but up to 8th level spells and 80% real.
Summon Devoted RocRotW Sky
RotW - this summon isn't particularly powerful unbuffed, but it lasts for hours/level.
Mass True SeeingRoE Truth
RoENon-Cleric:ShapechangePHB Druid - like
polymorph on crack, shapechange gives you the extraordinary and supernatural abilities of the form along with the physical stats. And, you get to still cast spells in quite a few of them.
Summon Nature's Ally IXPHB Druid - fairly disappointing; though still not bad for summoning a horde of greater storm elementals
TsunamiSpC Druid - 1d6/level every round and huge modifiers for those caught in the wave to do anything. Anything Huge or smaller is pretty much dead unless they can teleport out. The component is super-expensive though; best when used as an SLA.
ShamblerPHB Druid - handy to have as guards for the home base, or when you need a few extra disposable bodies.
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