Broken 3.0 spells and the use thereof

[Gaiden]

I don't care what anyone says - 3.0 wizards were meant to use haste. Moreover, wizards in both systems are meant to use magic items that cast spells.

As a 7th level wizard you should get a wand of haste as you will be casting it on yourself first and then on every other party member of the battle (until you can get mass haste). Oh another thing, it doesn't make sense for a wizard to have anything but item creation feats as they can just research a metamagicked version of any spell as a new spell since they can know an unlimited amount of spells. So you might as well take craft wand. That way you can ensure you get the wand.

So round 1 you will cast haste on yourself and then another party member (preferably another spellcaster that can cast haste if possible). As mentioned previously, not only does haste give you the advantage in number of actions, it also is a buff spell in and of itself (a very good buff spell). You can start to see just why haste is so good.

Once the whole party is hasted, then you move on to the other spells.

Shield goes without saying - it is ridiculously good.
Not sure if they nerfed blink, but that is also one of the best spells available - especially for the party rogue or anyone with a ghost touched weapon.

Polymorph self if you are not using the nerfed version that turns simply into an AC booster. Alter self also works particularly well (again, with the pre-nerfed version)

Summon Monster to summon thoquas is also really cool (I believe they got rid of that in 3.5)

If you don't have a cleric - the empowered versions of the stat boosters are a must - moreover, you can just get a wand of the empowered version (x1 anyway) so that you are not using all of your second level slots.

Make sure you have scrolls of all the special circumstances spells - like knock, rope trick, elemental resistance spells, etc.

 

[dvvega]

It really depends on what you want to achieve. If you want to be a combat munchkin then most of the posts here are wholly valid.

But here goes a suggestion that may be laughed at, but I think it will make your brother regret the choice in a whole different way.

It's a 7th level Wizard right? Does that mean 7th level experience? If it does, create a 4th - 6th level Dwarf Wizard (18 CON to start, with a bonus CON point) and a Toad Familiar - 21 CON). Buy Magic Item of Endurance (more CON, say +2). Deck him out in Full Plate Armour. Get him the Craft Wand Feat. Spend those sacrificed levels of experience on all the wands you want. There is no spell failure for wands and they have 50 charges. Much better than the whole memorise spells for the day thing

Now you have a Wizard with actual hit points, good FORT saves and a good Armour class (especially when you use the Shield spell - which in 3.0 was +7 cover to AC). AC = 25 (or 26 if you have +1 DEX bonus). HP Average = 4th (34) to 6th (40).

Spend any left over money on higher level wants OR scrolls of higher level spells (it's not hard to cast scrolls of higher level) and they don't have spell failure.

Another option is to Max you CHA and get Leadership at 6th level. Make it a Cleric of Healing or something cheesy like that.

 

[KarinsDad]

Duration: permanent! 'nuff said.

Even if your party was stupid enough to agree with this (remember the disorienting affect and the fact that only spell casters can get you back), your Wizard is still typically limited to 2 of these spells (3 if he is specialized Transmutation) per day and it is doubtful that all 2 or 3 enemies possible would miss their saving throws.

So even though the effect is permanent, you would have to do this for several days in a row just to beef up the party and then go adventuring.

And what does your party of Trolls gain?

Str 23, Dex 14, Con 23: bite, claw, claw, 7 natural armor, plus good chance of disorientation

No regeneration, no rend. All in all, only a modest gain at best depending on whom it is cast. For example, the party Sorcerer is probably not going to allow the party Wizard to change him into a troll and expect him to charge into combat (the Sorcerer still has his wimpy hit points after all).


On top of that, any good DM will have that "party of Trolls" tracked down and killed by NPC good guys (remember, perception is everything, not knowledge).

 

[Renfield]

Hmmm,

Can't say I ever thought 3.0 spells were really broken... they worked well yes, but a troll still made mincemeat of a players 7th level 3.0 spell using mage. I personally think WOtC has a burr in their butt about game balance and looked at spells that worked often and decided to pussify them... But those are my own issue so as DM I declared if it was better in 3.0 then use it. Though I do agree with their adjustments to Polymorph...

Improved Invisibility and the Fly spell were always annoying combinations in open air combats... I'll show this thread to one of my players, he often makes rather potent spellcasters...

 

[Hypersmurf]

Even if your party was stupid enough to agree with this (remember the disorienting affect and the fact that only spell casters can get you back)...

On the contrary, forget the disorienting effect.

It doesn't appear in the Tome and Blood writeup of Polymorph Other, which "is now official and supersedes the version presented in the Player's Handbook".

-Hyp.

 

[Elvinis75]

On the contrary, forget the disorienting effect.

It doesn't appear in the Tome and Blood writeup of Polymorph Other, which "is now official and supersedes the version presented in the Player's Handbook".

-Hyp.

Is that the newest copy of Poly?

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Round one: Wall of Force, Hemisphere, 6 inches off the ground

Can you do that? can you place a Wall of force in mid-air?

AR

 

[Pax]

Elvis: for 3.0, yes, it is.

Altamont: Yes, absolutely. Nothing in the spell's description requires it to be generated in contact with anything.