Best prohibited schools

[Aust Diamondew]

I making a conjurer for my friends new 3.5 game (reminiscient of my ould conjurer from AD&D).

And I'm wondering what schools are the least damaging to give up? I'm definitley keeping abjuration and transmutation, they have just too many useful bread and butter type spells. And I'm proably giving up evocation like conjurers had to do in AD&D (and I'm tired of mages who just blow the #@*% out of everything). So that leaves enchantment, illusion and necromancy to give up.

Which one do you guys think would be the least useful (I'm trying to keep my spells from being redundant).
T
hanks.

 

[drunkmoogle]

Actually, giving up Abjuration isn't as painful as you would think it is.

When I play specialists, I usually pick two from Necromancy (the easiest RP choice, cause it's Eeeevil), Abjuration (protections are better done by the cleric), Enchantment (Protection from Alignment nerfs the entire school) and Illusion (never liked Invisibility).

My final choices, if I decided to specialize in a non-divination school, would be Enchantment and Illusion, partly because nobody seems to hand out wands and scrolls with illusion and enchantment spells on them . Enervation is too great of a spell to pass up, imo.

 

[smetzger]

Necromancy.

It has some good spells. But it doesn't have anything you must have and its likely you won't miss it.

 

[sledged]

I was thinking conjuration, but that's obviously not an option. I'd say ditch Illusion.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I'd say.... don't specialise. To me the loss in versatility is simply not worth a few extra spells per day.

 

[shilsen]

Evocation is the best one to give up, and after that I'd say Necromancy.

 

[Nightfall]

This is why I hate 3.5. You can't give up divination any more!!

Well maybe hate is a strong word. I just think not being able to give up divination = stupid. :/

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually, giving up Abjuration isn't as painful as you would think it is.

But.. Dispel Magic...!

-Hyp.

 

[Bobbert]

Enchantment seems like the best choice to me, due to its narrow focus (lots of powerful mind-affecting spells, but not much else, and no good defensive spells like Illusion), and the fact that so many creatures are immune to Enchantments in the first place. Illusion has much of the same limitation, but I'd give it a slight edge because of spells like blur and mirror image.

 

[The Souljourner]

Enchantment is definitely a good one to give up, normally. However, I think you'd be really hurting yourself if you gave up both evocation and enchantment. That's like 75% or more of a wizard's offensive arsenal. Sure, there are a few conjuration damage spells, but they're almost all pretty sucky. The other players will be pretty pissed if you bring a wizard that can't do anything other than cast grease, web, and stinking cloud.

I usually pick enchantment and illusion.... I'd pick necromancy if it didn't have false life in there... talk about a must have spell!

-The Souljourner