The A-List: The Wizard's Best Spells For Every Situation

[Mikal]

You know... if one combined mystic shield and starmantle together into a sword, you get the dnd equivalent of this sword.

That is pretty awesome. Too bad RAW it costs 1.226 million gp (if you make it a +1)
Probably a bit of a tangent but there any way to lower that cost?

[KellKheraptis]

Ocular Spell + Incantatrix Persisting and Extending indefinitely.

[Mixster]

Also we have totally forgotten Command Undead, that works to take out all non-intelligent undead and make them your slaves. With no save IIRC.

[KellKheraptis]

1st:
Hail of Stone - Because "Rocks fall, everyone dies" is just fucking hilarious.

6th:
Howling Chain - You're now a Sit-O-Mancer.  Nothing to do with diplomacy, but my do people fall on their asses a lot around you.

9th:
Chain Contingency - Why have one get out of jail free card when you can have 3?

Shades - Seriously...with nice stats and DC boosters, good luck disbelieving this on a debuffer or generalist wizard.  Which means full power to any Conjuration or Evocation level 8 or below.  Also a handy way to get Howling Chain.

Just a few more.

[X-Codes]

1st:
Hail of Stone - Because "Rocks fall, everyone dies" is just fucking hilarious.

6th:
Howling Chain - You're now a Sit-O-Mancer.  Nothing to do with diplomacy, but my do people fall on their asses a lot around you.

9th:
Chain Contingency - Why have one get out of jail free card when you can have 3?

Shades - Seriously...with nice stats and DC boosters, good luck disbelieving this on a debuffer or generalist wizard.  Which means full power to any Conjuration or Evocation level 8 or below.  Also a handy way to get Howling Chain.

Just a few more.

I think the entire Shades line (Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation, their Greaters, and Shades itself) all deserve to be mentioned in their own little block, with a short caption right next to it saying "THIS IS WHY EVERYONE BANS EVOCATION!"

[Benly]

I think the entire Shades line (Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation, their Greaters, and Shades itself) all deserve to be mentioned in their own little block, with a short caption right next to it saying "THIS IS WHY EVERYONE BANS EVOCATION!"

Well, to be fair it's not just the shadow magic line. If Evocation had spells you'd want to use on a very frequent basis and you had to use shadow magic to get to them without it, that would be a somewhat tempting reason to take Evocation; the slot-level increase from using the shadow magic spells could get very annoying very quickly. The problem is that what evocation has is a lot of blasting (which other schools do nearly as well and in some cases better), some battlefield control (which, again, conjuration does at least as well), and then few enough unique spells that duplicating them with shadow magic is convenient. Shadow magic is just the last nail in the coffin.

[CantripN]

For protection, I'm gonna repeat Ice Shield (Frostburn), since DR 15 / - is great, and it lasts 10 min/level if you know how. And no, Heart of Earth doesn't cut it.

Also, I prefer Energy Absorption over Energy Immunity. Energy Resistance 10 to everything, and immunity to 1 attack which you absorb to heal is great (I've had my blaster nearly die, only to get a spell Spell Turned to me, which was scary, since it was a 20d6+100 damage spell, but then I recalled I had EA and I ate it to heal to full hp).

Glitterdust remains useful at all levels to find and mark Invisible foes.
Shroud of Undeath is perfect vs. Negative Energy, and is only a 2nd level spell.
Ray of the Python is pure awesome for defanging any brute.
Spellcaster's Bane is great for knowing what's happening spell-wise anywhere near.
Dragonskin is great for AC and Energy Resistance.
Assay Spell Resistance to ignore SR.
Dimension Door (Greater) for unmatched mobility.
Ruby Ray of Reversal removes any Polymorph/Wildshape/Trap/Magic Jar and many other stuff, with no fail.
Invisibility (Superior) is actually good, since coupled with Nondetection, you're untraceable.
Replicate Casting is a great spell for many things, and I'm quite sure you can use it to counter any 8th level or lower spell.

[Sunic_Flames]

Isn't it interesting how many of the "absolute must-have best spells" are right out of the PHB?  Makes you think.

That DMs who claim core is balanced and absolutely anything else is broken have their heads up their asses?

This. Especially if they bitch about the SC.

[snakeman830]

I'd like to mention Nondetection asan option for counter-intelligence.  Cast it on yourself to make any divination (including things like Detect Magic) have to make a caster level check DC 15+your caster level to pick anything up.  True Seeing needs to do this too, RAW.

Alternatively, you can cast it on an object (something that Mind Blank cannot do) and make that difficult to divine by any method.

Finally, it's a method of being difficult to detect magically taht still allowsyou to benefit from your bard buddy or any number of mind-affecting buffs.  Grab Protection From Chaos/Evil/Good/Law to protect yourself from the nasty stuff.

[InnaBinder]

Streamers (Shining South)
Evocation, 5th level
Consult your DM.  Poor wording either makes up to four targets stay in place or take up to 20d10 damage once, or forces them to stay in place or take up to 20d10 damage for 1/round per caster level every time they take an action.  Good for an evocation spell in the first case, OMGWTF good for an evocation spell in the second.  Battlefield control and damage, and hilarious with ToB's Thicket of Blades.

[BeholderSlayer]

Streamers (Shining South)
Evocation, 5th level
Consult your DM.  Poor wording either makes up to four targets stay in place or take up to 20d10 damage once, or forces them to stay in place or take up to 20d10 damage for 1/round per caster level every time they take an action.  Good for an evocation spell in the first case, OMGWTF good for an evocation spell in the second.  Battlefield control and damage, and hilarious with ToB's Thicket of Blades.

Oh yeah, this one is one of my favorites to emulate with shadow spells. I'm not sure which is cooler, the effect or getting to tell your enemies "TASTE THE RAINBOW, BITCHES!" (I know the spell says they are red, but why do they have to be red anyway? rainbows make the spell so much more fun.)

[X-Codes]

I think the entire Shades line (Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation, their Greaters, and Shades itself) all deserve to be mentioned in their own little block, with a short caption right next to it saying "THIS IS WHY EVERYONE BANS EVOCATION!"

Well, to be fair it's not just the shadow magic line. If Evocation had spells you'd want to use on a very frequent basis and you had to use shadow magic to get to them without it, that would be a somewhat tempting reason to take Evocation; the slot-level increase from using the shadow magic spells could get very annoying very quickly. The problem is that what evocation has is a lot of blasting (which other schools do nearly as well and in some cases better), some battlefield control (which, again, conjuration does at least as well), and then few enough unique spells that duplicating them with shadow magic is convenient. Shadow magic is just the last nail in the coffin.

The higher slot doesn't bother me, because higher slots means higher save DCs.  Higher save DCs means it's less likely my spell is going to get hosed by a lucky roll.

Sure I prepare one less Evard's Black Tentacles every time I prepare Shadow Conjuration, but, at level 7, Stinking Cloud is still an epic win (and even moreso with the +1 DC).

[Benly]

The higher slot doesn't bother me, because higher slots means higher save DCs.  Higher save DCs means it's less likely my spell is going to get hosed by a lucky roll.

Sure I prepare one less Evard's Black Tentacles every time I prepare Shadow Conjuration, but, at level 7, Stinking Cloud is still an epic win (and even moreso with the +1 DC).

Well, I'll just point out that the existence of Shadow Conjuration doesn't prompt people to ban Conjuration (except some Shadowcraft Mages). Part of that is the loss of teleportation spells, but part of it is also that if you're playing up through the levels you want to be able to throw Glitterdust and Web at 3, Stinking Cloud at 5, and so on. If you're not starting at a considerably higher level than the spells in question, only being able to prepare them in higher-level slots hurts on spells you want to use a lot.

Evocation is in the unfortunate situation of all its such spells being blasting or light battlefield control, and no better at it than other schools once you go even a little bit outside core. (Yes, core-only is broken, but it does have the good grace to give Evocation the best direct-damage spells at any given level for the most part. Spell Compendium takes even that away from them.)

[CantripN]

And yet, it has the single most powerful blasty spell ever.

Stored Lightning Bolt (Secrets of Sarlona). RAW, it's 2d6 per CL (40d6 Max), with NO SAVE to a single target, if that's what you use it for. Well worth a 7th level slot, and my last blaster would have dealt 60d6+360 casting it, all of which was HOLY DAMAGE.

I don't think that Spell Turning works on it, either, as it affects an object, not the creature itself, so other than SR, nothing saves your hide, and we can get around that easy. Spell Immunity works, though, of course.

[Sunic_Flames]

The higher slot doesn't bother me, because higher slots means higher save DCs.  Higher save DCs means it's less likely my spell is going to get hosed by a lucky roll.

Sure I prepare one less Evard's Black Tentacles every time I prepare Shadow Conjuration, but, at level 7, Stinking Cloud is still an epic win (and even moreso with the +1 DC).

Well, I'll just point out that the existence of Shadow Conjuration doesn't prompt people to ban Conjuration (except some Shadowcraft Mages). Part of that is the loss of teleportation spells, but part of it is also that if you're playing up through the levels you want to be able to throw Glitterdust and Web at 3, Stinking Cloud at 5, and so on. If you're not starting at a considerably higher level than the spells in question, only being able to prepare them in higher-level slots hurts on spells you want to use a lot.

Evocation is in the unfortunate situation of all its such spells being blasting or light battlefield control, and no better at it than other schools once you go even a little bit outside core. (Yes, core-only is broken, but it does have the good grace to give Evocation the best direct-damage spells at any given level for the most part. Spell Compendium takes even that away from them.)

Being the best at direct damage in core only is like winning the special olympics.

[idontmuchcareforit]

rope trick is the bee's knees for surveillance.

go to area to be surveiled, climb into invisible extra dimensional space, watch.
second level spell, duration in hours/lvl.

also it dodges the normal means of defending oneself against surveillance because it's not divination.

[KellKheraptis]

And yet, it has the single most powerful blasty spell ever.

Stored Lightning Bolt (Secrets of Sarlona). RAW, it's 2d6 per CL (40d6 Max), with NO SAVE to a single target, if that's what you use it for. Well worth a 7th level slot, and my last blaster would have dealt 60d6+360 casting it, all of which was HOLY DAMAGE.

I don't think that Spell Turning works on it, either, as it affects an object, not the creature itself, so other than SR, nothing saves your hide, and we can get around that easy. Spell Immunity works, though, of course.

Empowered with +3 War Mage mod per die?  Um...and maybe one or two other per die increases.  Reserves of Strength~>Maximized Time Stop~>Cast one Empowered Twinned Quickened Delayed Maximized, One Empowered Twinned Delayed Maximized for each of the 5 rounds~>Laugh as absolutely anything gets obliterated. Oh, and Elven Spell Lore to change the energy type to something untyped/unresistable.  Because there's no kill like OVERKILL!

[CantripN]

I see you've read my guide.
Yeah, that's about right. That's an Acid Sheath + Warmage 5 + Frozen Magic + Empower in any number of ways, which you can get like 5 or 6 of. No need for Delay Spell, either, as it has that build in.

That is indeed, overkill.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

And yet, it has the single second most powerful blasty spell ever.

Stored Lightning Bolt (Secrets of Sarlona). RAW, it's 2d6 per CL (40d6 Max), with NO SAVE to a single target, if that's what you use it for. Well worth a 7th level slot, and my last blaster would have dealt 60d6+360 casting it, all of which was HOLY DAMAGE.

I don't think that Spell Turning works on it, either, as it affects an object, not the creature itself, so other than SR, nothing saves your hide, and we can get around that easy. Spell Immunity works, though, of course.

Ftfy.

[CantripN]

Telekinesis is nice, too. And yet, Damage Reduction blocks it out, more or less.