Favourite spells

[Reinhardt]

At this rate we'll collect the entire DnD spellbook.

Exactly. Sykar made the only interesting post in the thread explaining why this or that spell is cool. Others just dump random spell names, like it somehow contributes to anything. Another proof that 99% people are retards.

Identify.

because i really, REALLY like my fighter stuff identified.

 

[Bester]

At this rate we'll collect the entire DnD spellbook.

Exactly. Sykar made the only interesting post in the thread explaining why this or that spell is cool. Others just dump random spell names, like it somehow contributes to anything. Another proof that 99% people are retards.

Identify.

because i really, REALLY like my fighter stuff identified.

You're probably trying to be edgy, even though there's something to be said about item identification as a spell.
It does provide a tiny bit of "awe", can be used as a money sink, provides a bit of micromanagement. It's all good and well, but it's not enough to make it anyone's favorite spell.
Items can be identified "by usage" in an RPG. A warrior would figure out what a sword does by simply using it FOR MANY DAYS, eventually figuring out that its unique power is that it can pass through stone. Same "awe", minus the micromanagement and money sink aspect if they're not necessary.
Nobody said OP is making a D&D clone.

 

[EldarEldrad]

Fly
Town Portal
Lloyd's Beacon

- because you don't want to travel with turtle speed

Armageddon
Finger of Death
Command Word: Kill

- because you don't want to beat the shit from enemies for eternity

Timestop
Wish
Divination

- because you don't want stupid time and space constrict you

 

[Reinhardt]

You're probably trying to be edgy

No, i just don't play mages.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Stomp
Energy Stun
Vortex of Doom (i just like the name)
Stinking Cloud
Prismatic Spray
Quicksand

 

[Pink Eye]

Nothing beats the feeling of throwing a prismatic at a group of enemies. Then watching them get killed by over ten thousand damage. Fucking amazing.

 

[Reinhardt]

Who are you and what you did to our resident monk?

 

[Cryomancer]

The greatest problem of prismatic spray is that it is too inconsistent. You can turn the enemy to stone and send to another plane or deal fire damage in a enemy which heals from fire. BTW, on original D&D the maximum spell level which a caster could cast was 6 for magic users and 5 for clerics. The initial idea of tier 7/8/9 magic was not to be something that you cast in 6 second aka a turn. Meteor swarm would be something like "hey party, protect the archwizard while he finishes his army slaying spell, it is a expensive spell but our unique chance to save the citadel", not something which a archwizard at lv 20 can cast 4 times in less than half of a minute... Like some GURPS Weather spells. STORM takes an entire hour to reach full strength.

Why I saying that? Because would be cool if ultra powerful spells are also ultra expensive in reagents and time to cast. That can make the OP game more unique and interesting.

 

[Naraya]

Pew pew, Magic Arrow!

 

[Ulysa]

Time stop, the way it was done in BG where others can see what you are doing but can't do anything, is great to make your enemies feel like useless shit.

Wail of the Banshee, love the horror element.

Dimension door, so fucking cool in real time.

Tenser transformation, for when your mage is 'tired of this shit'.

Morrowind levitate.

 

[Cpt. Dallas]

WTF? No love for magic missile?

At this rate we'll collect the entire DnD spellbook.

This.
Better thread would be 'most creative/unconventional uses of basic spells'

 

[Harthwain]

Morrowind levitate.

I would add Water Walking. Because who doesn't love to be Jesus? Also, you could avoid having to fight all the sea creatures that way and it was less dangerous to fall into water than to fall from the sky.

 

[Storyfag]

Why I saying that? Because would be cool if ultra powerful spells are also ultra expensive in reagents and time to cast. That can make the OP game more unique and interesting.

Ritual magic. Still present in some tabletop RPGs, and sadly completely absent from CRPGs.

 

[Shitty Kitty]

At this rate we'll collect the entire DnD spellbook.

Exactly. Sykar made the only interesting post in the thread explaining why this or that spell is cool. Others just dump random spell names, like it somehow contributes to anything. Another proof that 99% people are retards.

If you don't know why Mage Hand and Prestidigitation are 2 of the best spells in DnD I can't say I feel like explaining why they are besides "do you actually want to be USEFUL out of combat with your arcane caster? Take these cantrips"

 

[AdolfSatan]

I'd rather see variation in use for a selection of few spells, rather than a lot of choices that are just different flavors of MAX DAMAGE. Let me use burning hands/mm to take a wooden door down, daze/entangle to avoid a fight, etc.

 

[luj1]

Black Blade of Disaster

 

[PapaPetro]

At this rate we'll collect the entire DnD spellbook.

Exactly. Sykar made the only interesting post in the thread explaining why this or that spell is cool. Others just dump random spell names, like it somehow contributes to anything. Another proof that 99% people are retards.

I recommend checking out the years of spell cheese theorycrafting ("cheesecrafting") where people have taken even the most banal spells to their creative limits.
Really gives an appreciation for the more underutilized utility spells; the lvl 1 shit you could pull with Silent Image, Unseen Servant, Floating Disk etc. et al...

 

[Fedora Master]

That probably all relies on the GMs approval though.

 

[Shitty Kitty]

That probably all relies on the GMs approval though.

I'd have a hard time turning down a brilliant use of a spell that didn't conflict with RAW though I wouldn't promise any such player that it'd work exactly how they hoped either.

 

[Humanophage]

Dominate or charm person if it changes dialogue and enables some interesting options. It's OK if it's implemented in the Bloodlines fashion.

Invisibility, great for exploration. I particularly like invisible Ogre Magi - these appear very threatening.

Mirror image limited to self. An alternative to wearing armour, enabling interesting close combat builds.

Teleport other, particularly in more vertical games. Adds a tactical layer and removes some of the need for tanking.

Create wall or force field. Worked particularly nice in Underrail, really lets you control the field and it is hard for the devs to account for it.

Summoning spells may be boring, but they are often essential when the tanks are not enough. Summon energy vortex was interesting in Ultima Online because it would attack everyone.

World spells, like in AoW2. E.g., cast a wall spell once to have a permanent wall in a city. Turn a spring into healing waters.

Flying and levitation, obviously, but these tend to be completely overpowered. Also jump and feather fall as in Morrowind. Helps it all feel like a dream.

Spells that knock others down or root them in place. Especially fun in PvP. Also close combat spells.

Vas Corp Bet Mani

CORP POR

Pre-casted Kal Vas Flam and a halberd hit.

 

[hellbent]

Web/Entangle (or Earthquake at higher levels) followed with Fireball/Ice Storm/Meteor Swarm. Bigby's Crushing Hand is just bigly fun to use in general.

Summoning spells are great for soloing along with Mirror Image/Blur and Haste. Spam your summons to aggro as you blast AOE spells. If enemies happen to get through your summons or use ranged attacks, they still can't lay a blow on you.

Levitation in Morrowind and Teleportation in D:OS. Yeah, they can be OP but still lots of fun to exploit.

 

[visions]

Chain Lightning has already been mentioned but I will mention it again because it's just incredibly cool to watch lightning hit several enemies in succession. I liked Chain Lighting the most in Age of Wonders because in that game lighting attacks also have a chance to stun your enemy. In battles where you are outnumbered it's always fun to cast Chain Lighting, anticipate it hitting several enemies and pray to the RNG gods that it will stun the more dangerous of the enemies who will probably survive the damage caused by the spell.

Also I concur with the Levitation mentions, levitating is the coolest shit ever and one of the things that makes 3D worhtwhile in crpg-s. Loved exploring high level areas with an underlevelled party in M&M 6 by flying over them. Didn't work so well in areas with dragons though. Also the obscene jumping spells in Morrowind where you could end up in fuck knows where are cool.

And Invisibility is always cool to explore areas for which you are underlevelled. One of my favorite gaming memories is when I randomly explored the tunnels under the Dwarf city in Might & Magic 7 and found the entrance to the tunnels to Nighon from there. The tunnels to Nighon led to Thunderfist Mountain, which were full of enemies that were too tough for my party but I had the Invisibility spell so I was able to avoid them and exit to Nighon Mountain. But there were also the Tunnels to Eofol in Thunderfist Mountain, which contained Behemoths and Ancient Behemoths which were way too tough for my party. The tunnels to Eofol were at times so narrow that I couldn't squeeze past one Behemoth or Ancient Behemoth without dispelling my invisibility, so I had to then make a run for it and cast invisibility again when I got the chance. After many tries I reached Eofol but got a message that assumed that I went there because I was farther along the story than I really was and went there because the story told me to, not because I wanted to see if I could do it, which was actually the case. So I ended up reloading and never completing the game (got stuck on some stupid midgame quest, not sure if it was bugged or I couldn't find some secret door, had no internet back then). But reaching Eofol when I wasn't supposed to is one of my fondest gaming memories.

I like Fly and Invisibilty because they let me poke around areas that are meant for higher levels than my party is. And flying is just fun too.

I didn't see any mention of the spell that let you talk to the dead in Arcanum, this was also super cool but unfortunately underused. I'd like to see it used again in a game and implemented more thoroughly.

Also Flood in Age of Wonders, basically makes the existing bodies of water flood over their banks. I think this could be used in a CRPG with some thought.

 

[Sykar]

Pathfinders Tsunami spell is great fun as well. Gotta love drowning dem fools!

 

[Cryomancer]

Zero Larian games here. As expected.

and sadly completely absent from CRPGs.

In general, more ritualistic forms of magic is rarely done on CRPG's cuz :

• Time rarely matters
• Would be boring in most cases. For eg, imagine having your MC on kingmaker doing a long ritual while you can't play as him.
• You have way more freedom on TT and the consequences of failure are vastly different.

What we can have at best ritual spells to identify items like on Solasta, rituals to animate the dead taking blood as sacrifice on M&B Phantasy Caldaria and that is it. What could exist in a CRRPG is the "Botch" like for example, a vampire trying to use lure of flames can "Botch: A fireball erupts in the vampire's palm, causing one point of aggravated damage. All blood points spent are lost." http://wodpedia.wikidot.com/lure-of-flames

On GURPS, you don't reach lv 5 and can learn how to cast fireball by finding a scroll. To learn how to make a fireball, first you need to learn how to create and shape fire. Then you can throw the fireball and you use your throwing skills to throw a fireball. A wizard with low DEX can be quite dangerous with a fireball to everyone, including himself and his party. Mainly when you consider that people in GURPS has very low HP. If I ever make an RPG, magic will be powerful but very risky.

 

[lukaszek]

Zero Larian games here. As expected.

look closer?