What do you think is the most useful school of magic?

Eternalknight · Nov 9, 2002

This is inspired by a thread started by ParagonofVirtue. Your thoughts?

shilsen · Nov 9, 2002

This poll definitely needs a "None/All of the above" choice. A school's usefulness depends on what it is that you want to do. Blow things up - Evocation is most useful. Control someone else's actions - Enchantment. Knowledge is power - Divination. And so on.

Eternalknight · Nov 9, 2002

Think of it in an all-round capacity, and it doesn't need that option

shilsen · Nov 9, 2002

Eternalknight said:
Think of it in an all-round capacity, and it doesn't need that option

Then, like most people on the poll above, I'd plump for Transmutation.

Ridley's Cohort · Nov 9, 2002

Definitely Necromancy. In my experience you can never have too many Gentle Reposes prepped. Adventuring is dangerous business.

Crothian · Nov 9, 2002

Illusion, the versatility of Illusion in unmatched anywhere.

Oni · Nov 9, 2002

This poll really shows that they game designers gaffed a little when it game to school balance.

I feel like in making the change of having spells only belong to one school rather than multiple schools like 2nd ed. they kinda forced this on themselves. Some spells winded up in odd places to make the schools more balanced, while transmutation became way too powerful because they could only place spells in one school and many if they had to pick went to transmutation. One of the things I would like to see going into a new edition would be bringing back spells being in multiple schools, it makes it easier to balance the schools and is more logical in my opinion.

Dr. Zoom · Nov 9, 2002

I voted for Conjuration for most useful school. Illusion is a close second.

Elder-Basilisk · Nov 9, 2002

I voted Abjuration. No matter what kind of Arcanist you are, you need shield, dispel magic, globes of invulnerability, protection from elements, mind blank, etc.

I don't think that proves that WotC messed up too badly however. A school being useful is not the same thing as a school being useful to specialize in. While, I think that on the whole abjuration is more essential than transmutation, conjuration, or evocation, a free slot and half of my free spells coming from any of those schools would be far more useful than a free slot that has to be used for Abjuration and half of my character's free spells being abjurations. An extra glitterdust would usually be more useful than protection from arrows. Similarly, an extra haste or fireball would often be more useful than dispel magic. (Although the dispel magic is a pretty useful slot spell) It would certainly have been nice to pick up Cat's Grace as a second level spell instead of Resist Elements (but that wasn't an option as an abjuration specialist).

If you ask me, the priority of schools sacrificed and of school specialty should be different.

Abjuration should be a tier 1 sacrifice--giving it up is as difficult as giving up evocation, transmutation, or conjuration. On the other hand, it's accurately placed as a tier 2 specialization. It's not as good to specialize in as the top tier schools.