Game Breaker Spells - What are they?

[the Lorax]

What do you see as possible "game-breaker" spells?

Spells that "break" the rules:
Discern Lies/Zone of Truth
Teleport
Speak with Dead
Save or Die spells
Dominate Person/Monster
Magic Circle vs Evil
Fly
Polymorph

Seriously, if you cant handle those spells, you must turn in you DM liscense, right now, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

You want bad spells? I'll give you my top 5, PHB only.

5. Clolor Spray - crazy strong at low levels, useless beyond them
4. Simulacrum - What is the type of this thing you just made? Its under the casters control and knows everything, the best spy in your base of all - YOU!
3. Trap the Soul - Your save is a personal suspicion check?
2. Bigby's Crushing Hand - Grappleing is simply not fun - never has been.
1. Mordenkainen's Disjunction - This spell deserves a Lewis Black rant.

 

[Merlion]

I understand where you are coming from and I agree that this should be a concern. But to me the system (so far) never specifies how the wizard uses the spell to unlock the door. A rogue uses lockpicks; a mage... I don't know... "feels" inside the lock or something. ."

Well, since Knock can, I believe, be used at range, it pretty clearly boils down to something akin to he tells the lock to unlock and it does.

As I see it in this fasion some wizards may be better at unlocking doors than others (higher skill bonus) while still "telling the lock to open"; maybe some use the lockpicks because to "helps the concentrate" or they started out as a rogue and "old habits die hard."

But it still clashes rather powerfully with a pretty big fantasy trope.

To me, the only balance issue that could at all need addressing is that its automatic. I have no problem with a chance of failure, but it should be linked to the mage's magical power, not his skill as a locksmith.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Seriously, if you cant handle those spells, you must turn in you DM liscense, right now, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

Guess I'll continue to be an unlicensed, lawbreaking, defiant (highly successful) DM.

It's not being able to handle those spells, it's not wanting to deal with them because it's a significant extra effort on top of everything else.

However, I'd be delighted to read your Lewis Black rant on Mord's Disjunction.

 

[ptolemy18]

Certain adventure types will no longer work at a certain level, while new adventure options open up.

Exactly!!!

The difference between a 1st and 15th level adventure shouldn't be just the number of hit points being thrown around. High-level magic -- much more so than high-level fighting abilities, unless they totally nerf wizards like some people evidently want them to -- opens up a new element of unpredictability.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Seriously, if you cant handle those spells, you must turn in you DM liscense, right now, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

Obviously your players are not smart enough to truly abuse them if you have never had trouble with them in a game. Either that or you set up so many ridiculous defenses against them that they have learned not to even try.

Either one is not typical.

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Yo folks, could you tone down the snipes against other people's DMing capability or gaming intelligence down a bit before a mod comes around and starts typing in blood red? Thanks all.

 

[Caliber]

Can I truly be the only DM who has trouble with Evard's Black Tentacles? Its a huge radius, and their grapple checks are so high (and scale with caster level!) that only people spec'd out to resist that sort of thing have any chance. Sure, they don't do much, but while you're stuck getting your ass handed to you by an AC-less, HP-less tentacle, fireballs/lightning bolts/arrows/whup-ass (assorted) is raining down on your head.

I've seen a few combats basicly boil down to which side casts it first, and have had to start coming up with specific tactics against it for my big bads. That sounds like a deal breaker to me ...

 

[ruleslawyer]

I just think that as implemented, black tentacles is silly. The darn things are capable of grappling and interfering with movement, so they must be material in some way, no? Yet they're not subject to hp damage? "Immune to all types of damage" is a bad thing to include in spells in general, IMHO.

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Can I truly be the only DM who has trouble with Evard's Black Tentacles? Its a huge radius, and their grapple checks are so high (and scale with caster level!) that only people spec'd out to resist that sort of thing have any chance. Sure, they don't do much, but while you're stuck getting your ass handed to you by an AC-less, HP-less tentacle, fireballs/lightning bolts/arrows/whup-ass (assorted) is raining down on your head.

I've seen a few combats basicly boil down to which side casts it first, and have had to start coming up with specific tactics against it for my big bads. That sounds like a deal breaker to me ...

Huh? Did they change that from "AC 16, 1 HP/caster level" per tentacle in 3E to something weird in 3.5? *goes to check SRD*

Edit after checking SRD: MUAHAHAHAHA, what kind of crazy edit is THAT? And why the heck did it happen? Oh my...one more reason I'm happy I didn't switch to 3.5

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Seriously, if you cant handle those spells, you must turn in you DM liscense, right now, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

You want bad spells? I'll give you my top 5, PHB only.

5. Clolor Spray - crazy strong at low levels, useless beyond them
4. Simulacrum - What is the type of this thing you just made? Its under the casters control and knows everything, the best spy in your base of all - YOU!
3. Trap the Soul - Your save is a personal suspicion check?
2. Bigby's Crushing Hand - Grappleing is simply not fun - never has been.
1. Mordenkainen's Disjunction - This spell deserves a Lewis Black rant.

Well, I must admit, I enjoy crafting worlds and adventures, but I somehow don't like to actually run them. Can I quote your post to ask my group that I no longer have to be a DM (and thus being the only one in my group that doesn't "have" to do it? )

But in fact, I know how I can handle most of the spells I listed. But that doesn't mean I really like to "handle" them, and some of the aspects do not pose a problem to me as the DM but more to me as the gamist, because they seem to unbalanced.
Polymorphing a Fighter into a Troll, Annis Hag or Stone Giant is pretty powerful, and probably already out of line with most 4th level buffing spells. Let's not go in exotic creatures from other MMs, which might make things worse.
Dominate Person/Monster is a spell that I like in concept, but lacks in execution. Either it is rendered void by Protection from Evil/Magic Circle against Evil, or it is even more powerful than a instant-death attack (during an encounter. if the PCs still manage to survive, it is defintiely nicer). (But I think I said that already )