Barebones spell list

[GMMichael]

Hail D&D fans!

(Yes, I'm excluding LARPers and White Wolf Mages.)

I need to put a bare-minimum spell list in my homebrew system. I was going to stick with the Final Fantasy 1 list, until I realized that those spells apply only to the mechanics of FF1, and not beyond.

So if you had a 20th level Anything-Caster, what would -definitely- be in his spell/prayer book?

 

[Stormonu]

1) Invisibility
2) Teleport
3) Flight
4) Scry
5) Domination/Charm
6) Fireball/Lightning Bolt/Cone of Cold
7) Globe of Invulerability
8) Polymorph Self/Other
9) Major Creation
10) Monster Summoning

There's certainly more (all kinds of illusions and necrmonacy stuff), but I'd list the above as my top 10.

Personally, I think the D&D schools of magic cover a lot of ground for the "minimum spell list" - Conjurations, Illusions, Charms (Enchantment) and the like.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Magic Missile and Sleep would be on most lists of optimized mages. But if you look at Goodman Games'book on powergaming 3.5Ed wizards, they'll not only tell you what to pick, but WHY.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0976808501

 

[steeldragons]

So, we're talking about a homebrew...but D&D style...that can cast clerical spells as well? "spell/prayer book" So what's the spell slots/per day dispersion you're looking at for a "20th level Anything Caster."

Going just by most "iconic/traditional" that I would include (having recently spent considerable time paring down spell lists for my own homebrew system)...and, well, assuming a close-to-D&D spell progression of gaining a new level of spells every other level this'll get you up to a 10ish level caster...something in the neighborhood of 5 1st, 4 2nd, 3 3rd, 2 4th, 1 5th per day:

[Note: in my system Light is a cantrip and Read Magic is a normal Class ability of mages/wizards not a spell. So that's why they aren't there. If you want, swap out Alarm for Light since that's a pretty basic spell-castery trope. Detect Magic is a cantrip also, but since I didn't know if you used them or not, I included it in the normal spell list since, I think, every spell-caster should/would have this power.]

1st level spells. . . . . . . .2nd level spells. . . . . 3rd level spells . . . . . 4th level spells . . . . . . . 5th level spells
1. Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . Detect Invisibility . . . Blink . . . . . . . . . . . . Charm Monster . . . . . . . Cloudkill
2. Burning Hands . . . . . .Detect Thoughts . . . Clairvoyance . . . . . . .Detect Scrying . . . . . . . Cone of Cold
3. Charm Person . . . . . .Invisibility . . . . . . . . Create Illusion II . . . . Dimension Door . . . . . . . Conjure Elemental
4. Comprehend Others . .Knock . . . . . . . . . . .Dispel Magic . . . . . . . Enchant Minor Items . . . .Create Illusion III
5. Create Illusion I . . . . Levitate . . . . . . . . . Fireball . . . . . . . . . . .Fire Shield . . . . . . . . . . .Dismissal
6. Detect Magic . . . . . .Mirror Image . . . . . . .Gust of Wind . . . . . . .Globe of Invulnerability . . .Feeblemind
7. Hold Portal . . . . . . . Pyrotechnics . . . . . . .Lightning Bolt . . . . . . Hallucinatory Terrain . . . . Fire/Ice Storm
8. Magic Missile . . . . . . Stinking Cloud. . . . . .Suggestion . . . . . . . . Polymorph [Self] . . . . . . . Passwall
9. Shield . . . . . . . . . . .Web . . . . . . . . . . . .Tongues . . . . . . . . . . Scrying . . . . . . . . . . . . .Teleport
10. Sleep . . . . . . . . . . Wizard Lock. . . . . . . Water Breathing . . . . .Wall of Fire/Ice . . . . . . . .Wall of Force
c1. Bless . . . . . . . . . . Chant . . . . . . . . . . .Continual Light . . . . . .Divination . . . . . . . . . . . .Commune
c2. Cure Wounds I . . . . Hold Person . . . . . . .Cure Disease . . . . . . .Locate Object . . . . . . . . .Cure Wounds III
c3. Remove Fear . . . . . Silence . . . . . . . . . .Cure Wounds II . . . . . Neutralize Poison . . . . . . . Dispel Evil
c4. Resist Fire/Cold . . . Slow Poison . . . . . . .Glyph of Warding . . . . Remove Curse . . . . . .. . . .Flame Strike
c5. Sanctuary . . . . . . .Spiritual Weapon . . . .Prayer . . . . . . . . . . .Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . Raise Dead

My system-in-progress actually uses lists of 12 arcane and 10 divine per spell level. But this covers all the bases [that I feel important for play, anyway] and should get you started for a while. Enjoy

 

[GMMichael]

Thanks, friends. I'm starting my spreadsheet now.

So, we're talking about a homebrew...but D&D style...that can cast clerical spells as well? "spell/prayer book" So what's the spell slots/per day dispersion you're looking at for a "20th level Anything Caster."

Clerical spells are the same as arcane spells, except that they have to be something of which your deity would approve.

A 20th level caster, choosing his level progression for survivability (min/maxers probably wouldn't survive to 20th level), has a spells per day like this (converted to D&D):

Level-Spell slots
1- 7
2- 5
3- 3
4- 3
5- 3
6- 2
7- 2
8- 1
9- 1
10- 1

[Note: in my system Light is a cantrip and Read Magic is a normal Class ability of mages/wizards not a spell. So that's why they aren't there. If you want, swap out Alarm for Light since that's a pretty basic spell-castery trope. Detect Magic is a cantrip also, but since I didn't know if you used them or not, I included it in the normal spell list since, I think, every spell-caster should/would have this power.]

My core-rules magic system uses caster damage to limit the spells being cast. Casters can choose to take the damage, or to avoid it by using spellcasting actions. Each spell level does another die of damage. So, high level spells get pretty tricky to cast, since even a min/maxed caster has only 8 actions for spellcasting.