Best 6th level Spells

[fujaiwei]

Try being a sorcerer who only gets 3x 6th level spells *ever*! Feel my pain in trying to make choices for my soon-to-be-12th-level sorcerer

In perspective, I guess I shouldn't be sweating it at all. I definitely am too much of a fence-sitter to ever choose spells if I were a sorcerer - I'd just start taking levels of fighter to simplify my life.

 

[Plane Sailing]

My planned list definitely included disintegrate prior to 3.5e coming out, but it may well get dropped from the list now and replaced with acid fog (area control, no SR to worry about, good synergy with confusion). The other two on my list at the moment are:

Greater Dispelling (to be taken at 13th level when it's extra bonus starts to kick in) and probably
Greater Heroism at 15th level. Shame it has a poxy duration compared to Heroism (why is it that so many higher level spells have better power but much worse duration?) but it is a great defensive bonus for me or offensive punch to give to my cohort

p.s. prior to 3.5e coming out my list included Eyebite (wow, a multi-use spell that gives charm/fear/sicken/sleep and you can use it as a free action for a few rounds in addition to doing other stuff!) and Globe of Invulnerability ("get out of silence free" etc). Unfortunately 3.5e completely changed eyebite into an [evil] spell which has only one effect and lost it's gaze attack element, and Globe of Invulnerability suddenly can't affect pre-cast spells, so if you cast it while under a silence spell it no longer excludes the silence spell from its area. Way to go nerfing interesting spells, eh?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

My planned list definitely included disintegrate prior to 3.5e coming out, but it may well get dropped from the list now and replaced with acid fog (area control, no SR to worry about, good synergy with confusion). The other two on my list at the moment are:

Greater Dispelling (to be taken at 13th level when it's extra bonus starts to kick in) and probably
Greater Heroism at 15th level. Shame it has a poxy duration compared to Heroism (why is it that so many higher level spells have better power but much worse duration?) but it is a great defensive bonus for me or offensive punch to give to my cohort

There might be two reasons for the difference:
a) Sorcerors and Bards with a limited spell selection don`t want to see their older spells become useless, so the higher level one still has a weakness. This point might be moot with the 3.5 option for bards and sorceror to change their selected spells.
b) Higher "pluses" should not be underestimated. A +2 bonus is mostly equally useful for all levels - if it stacks with all the other bonus - since you always roll d20. A +2 means an improvement of 10 % added to the chance of success.

p.s. prior to 3.5e coming out my list included Eyebite (wow, a multi-use spell that gives charm/fear/sicken/sleep and you can use it as a free action for a few rounds in addition to doing other stuff!) and Globe of Invulnerability ("get out of silence free" etc). Unfortunately 3.5e completely changed eyebite into an [evil] spell which has only one effect and lost it's gaze attack element, and Globe of Invulnerability suddenly can't affect pre-cast spells, so if you cast it while under a silence spell it no longer excludes the silence spell from its area. Way to go nerfing interesting spells, eh?

Yes, I also hated what they did with Eyebite (and Emotion). The spell greatly lost its flexibility.
Coming from Shadowrun, I was very accustomed to spells having a very limited use, and was surprised by the flexibility of D&D spells like Emotion or Eyebite - and I grew to like it. But unfortunately, the 3.5 designers didn´t seem to like it. (I wonder why they kept Prestidignation the way it was).

 

[Plane Sailing]

I think one of the few multi-use spells that slipped through the 3.5e net was my beloved pyrotechnics. How many times has that spell saved the party in our first 7 levels of gaming? The option to choose to target Will or Fort saves is excellent, and the blinding fireworks has a stupendous range AND area of effect. It did wonders on the barbarian cavalry charge that was heading for us (and the restriction of having to have a fire to ignite makes it a creative spell too).

re: durations, the big problem I see is that while heroism is 10min/level and thus can last for nearly 2 hours - you can be heroic for the dungeon and ready for any encounter, greater heroism is only 1min/level, and so is only any good for springing ambushes or when you *know* you are going to get into a fight as soon as you open the door. It is hardly better than 1r/level in many cases and who wants to waste time on a spell like that if you are suddenly dropped into an encounter?

True Seeing has exactly the same problem vis a vis See Invisible (not to mention the silly range limit with true seeing). Duration too short to use for more than one encounter.

Ah well.

 

[Thanee]

10 min./level (See Invisibility) isn't exactly short...

Bye
Thanee

 

[nameless]

I second the advice to take Mass Suggestion.

There are very few "will save or be screwed" spells that affect multiple targets. Mass suggestion does double-duty as a combat spell and an out of combat ace. While it won't take down the BBEG, few wizard tricks will (quicker than a fighter will, anyways). But any of his dumb minions are toast, and big beef (like animals and elementals) aren't known for good will saves. Against the BBEG, you'll probably have more effective single-target or no-save stuff. Against everyone else, you have a single spell that hamstrings the enemy group for the entire combat.

 

[Plane Sailing]

10 min./level (See Invisibility) isn't exactly short...

Well, that is exactly my point - See Invisibility is a nice long duration which will see you through several encounters, the higher level True Seeing won't as it has a much, much shorter duration; it seems like a "better" version of the lower level spell but just like GH vs H it does it at the cost of duration. Too heavy a price to pay IMO.

 

[Thanee]

Ohh, ok, now I see... "vis a vis"



Bye
Thanee