Spells that are annoying to DMs

[Dragonbait]

Prismatic spray? http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prismaticSpray.htm

Disjunction http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesDisjunction.htm doesn't send things to other planes.

Fixed it, thanks Voadam

 

[Chimera]

Comprehend Languages.

There's just something really annoying about working on a great handout that has some strange script written on it or working for hours and hours on a new spoken language for the character's to have to muddle through and once it comes into play one of the spellcasters simply casts Comprehend Languages and undoes hours of work.

Whereas that just sounds like a personal mistake to me.

"Oops, I just wasted hours of my own time because I forgot about a simple spell that would walk right through my overly complicated plot device."

 

[Lordgrae]

Spells that blind without a save.
Touch spells that strip stats.
Non touch spells that strip stats.

Basically any spells that don't allow for saves that have status effects. One of the characters in my recently finished AoW campaign was a Druid who enjoyed these kinds of spells.

Also, not a spell, but annoying, Fell metamagic feats, and Born of Three Thunders. (Both also used by said Druid. So annoying.)

 

[Gundark]

I got a few.

Another vote for protection from <insert energy type in here> spells. Just makes some encounters lame.

Assay Spell resistance - Wow. For creatures that their CR is based off of SR, I hate this enounter breaking spelll.

Spell immunity and greater spell immunity, death ward, and pretty much every other enounter breaking spells.

Spells that monkey wrench plots - ie. murder mysteries become too complex at a certain level (I'm not talking about the plot, but too complex with how the killer has to hide from the divination spells).

And over all any spell that takes a long time to look up and read I would consider ditching.

EDIT: Oh and save or die spells and spell like abilities/effects. They suck for both DM and player (mostly the player side), just get rid of them all together.

 

[Bad Paper]

Find the Path

Is this a joke? What is annoying about FtP?

 

[Thurbane]

Invisibility, Fly and Teleport...

 

[seans23]

Evard's Black tentacles.

mass resist energy.

 

[phindar]

EDIT: Oh and save or die spells and spell like abilities/effects. They suck for both DM and player (mostly the player side), just get rid of them all together.

One house rule I tried was to make Save or Dies into Save or 0 hp. Still scary, but not, "Oh, you failed your save? Roll up another character, sucker!"

However, I feel this way about the Dominates, Confusions and other things that take a player's control off his character. Playing the character is what the player does, why mess with that?

 

[3catcircus]

Phantom Steed.

It basically makes normal transportation methods worthless and is a poor man's short-distance teleport. Especially at mid-levels 5th-10th. A 6th level caster has a phantom steed that moves at 120 ft/round (12 mph). Given the movement rules, you could essentially hustle at 24 mph x 6 hrs = 144 miles. Even at 3rd level, you can go 24 miles before the spell ends.

All of those cool chase scene type encounters are now null and void.

 

[Pants]

Save or Die spells - I hate 'em mostly because it's such an anticlimactic way to go. We use a houseruled version of these spells that anyone who fails the save drops to 0 minus the spell's level. Plus, only magical healing can stabilize such a person.

Mordenkainen's Disjunction - The nuke of D&D. No one really wants to fight fire with fire. The ultimate 'no one has any fun' spell.

Firebrand (Magic of Faerun) - Ugh. I had a wizard who could cast this spell and my god, it was just terrible. Maybe not super-overpowered, but definitely annoying enough to ban it from my current game. I loathe this spell.