No worries man, text really doesn't carry intent all too well. I never meant to be snarky, just wanted to bring my point across - a little too forcefully maybe. But I wasn't in any way implying (or thinking) that you are a moron for considering BoB. I've read posts by many people who think it's a good spell, and IMO it simply isn't.
I had indeed gotten the vibe that you were rather new to D&D - which is great, welcome to one of the best gaming experiences out there! Always good to see new players come into the fold! So I undertook to make sure you didn't choose what I consider to be a very weak spell indeed, a spell which nevertheless still manages to have a good press. People new to the game can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer mass of options, so I'm trying to be ultra-clear when I review a feat, spell, class etc. Maybe this sometimes reads as if I was dissing the person asking. I apologize for not being clearer in that regard, too.
So, to get to the point: Bud, I'd rather you not take Blade of Blood, it's a weak spell. Consider Obscuring Mist instead, it comes in handy in many more situations than I can even think of right now. In my experience, casters I've played have never regretted knowing or memorizing this spell.
After reviewing the Blade of Blood Spell, I guess I can see what you mean, though. I mean, yeah I can cast the spell with no damage to HP, but for only 1d6 extra damage, which, from what I've gathered, is a waste of a day's spell. Being level 3 with 19 HP, the 5 damage isn't all that bad, but unless I was buffing myself with Lesser Vigor, it would be a spell I'd cast once, MAYBE twice in an encounter, as any more would lower my HP to dangerously low levels, which I'm guessing is bad for one who is supposed to be doing a decent amount of melee. So, using my common sense as a computer RPG gamer (Which I hope translates at least somewhat to tabletop games), and your advice, I think you are right in that the Blade of Blood spell is an example of a waste of space. There are some questions on other spells that I was looking at, some of which are one level away, a few two to three levels away, one of which is awhile away, but it couldn't hurt to plan ahead I guess.
Vigor, Lesser: How does the Augment Healing feat interact with this spell? Only on the first round, all fifteen rounds, or not at all?
Sun Bolt: I ran across this level 2 spell on the dnd tools website provided earlier in the thread, and thought, "Wow, really similar to the Searing Light Spell at Level three that I hear many people talking about." While it seems useful right now, I do feel it will be outclassed by the Level 3 spell, and once I get Searing Light, I would never use Sun Bolt ever again. What are your thoughts on this?
Spiritual Weapon: From what I could tell from reading this spell, it seems like a damage over time spell in the form of a weapon dealing 1d8 force damage (Which I do not understand. What is the difference between force damage and normal damage?) for one round for every caster level. Also deals +1 for every additional three caster levels. While not much at first, I do see this improving as I gain levels, as this weapon uses your BAB for attacks, which means at later levels, it can attack more than once per round. It also seems more or less independent of the caster, meaning I can cast this on a target, and let the weapon go at it for the duration of the spell, while I'm swinging my sword or casting other spells and not worrying about the Spiritual Weapon unless I need it to change targets. Are my assumptions correct, and is this a good damage spell to take at 2nd Level?
Righteous Wrath of the Faithful: Okay I know that this one's a long way off, but I have to ask now: How useful is this spell since I am more or less the ONLY one worshiping the Asgardian Pantheon? In fact, most of the other PCs (including our Cleric), are either not religious at all or don't have a patron deity, at least from what I could tell. Is it a waste of space for a 7th level spell with only the base benefits?
Resurgence, Ray of Resurgence: I've heard Resurgence is good, what about the Ray version of this spell? I know that the ray means I can't cast this buff on myself, but it also means that I can be further away from my intended target and still use it. Should I just stick with Resurgence?
Magic Weapon: What in the Holy Hell name of God does the +1 enhancement bonus do? I know it does not stack with the masterwork bonus, does this mean that this spell is useless to me since I'm using a masterwork Cold Iron Longsword? Is this spell useless period? If so, why do I find it fairly common among most casters?
Align Weapon: Long question short: should I take it or just invest my gold in a Holy weapon?
Body Blades: Grapple bonus, grapple defense, +4 to Escape Artist in certain situations, and can be used in the offhand as a Light Martial Weapon. Seems legit but is the damage it deals (1d6 or two points of damage to grappling attacker) leave something to be desired?
Visage of the Deity (Lesser, normal, Greater)- Looks flashy and really cool, but is that all these spells really are?
Two Weapon Fighting: Okay I know it's a feat, not a spell, but does it interfere with my casting abilities? I think it does with the Sorcerer and Wizard, but I can use Shields in my offhand, so does that mean I don't have to worry about spell failure on spells requiring a somatic component? And if I were to, say, wield two longswords together, would my Weapon Focus and Specialization apply to only one or both of the swords?
There are definitely more, but these are the ones at the top of my head. I probably will take Obscuring Mist immediately, but I need to find one damage spell as I was woefully unprepared in my first encounter. We were fighting Shadows, which I guess are incorporeal and immune to weapon damages, and the only way I could hurt them is with Cure Light Wounds spell. So after the session I was looking for one spell that dealt damage at first level so I could still help in the killing if we faced a similar situation, but, sadly, the highest damage spells from first level are the ones that you informed me that although they would be somewhat helpful now, they would end up taking up valuable space in my spell slots. So I guess I may have to go with no damage spells until at least when I have access to 2nd Level Cleric Spells. I guess I'd better pray that I don't have a similar encounter like the last.