Game Breaker Spells - What are they?

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

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

Because tracking hit points and ACs for multiple tentacles on each cast of the spell is much mo' troublesome than just saying "You know, there're a bunch of shadowy tentacles that instantly reform when you try to attack them and last as long as the spell does. No more paperwork! Next?"

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Because tracking hit points and ACs for multiple tentacles on each cast of the spell is much mo' troublesome than just saying "You know, there're a bunch of shadowy tentacles that instantly reform when you try to attack them and last as long as the spell does. No more paperwork! Next?"

Huh, so instead of handwaving it into a "one hit on AC 16 kills one tentacle" it's handwaved into "tentacles are unkillable and a field of them turn into a very serious obstacle"? From one point of view, I'm sure it makes sense...

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I never found any spells to be game breaking. There is always a way to put a fly in ointment.

Althought Ice Assassin is pretty mean if you know what your doing.

 

[helium3]

To me the only spell that i think is broken and have not been mentioned is Maze. It´s not a bad spell until you realize that it disable one party member for one battle, unless he is a mage or other kind of int depending character. Very unfun for the fighter player to just roll a dice every ten minutes, and unfun for everybody else for having to fight without one of the bases covered, rendering much more dificult fights.

Actually, Maze can be a really cool spell. The player who's character is in the maze can run the monsters.

 

[JDJblatherings]

Hmmm... I've never conisdered the fly spell to be "broken" sure it opens a new dimension of travel and as such vastily increases player mobility. It increases the recipients visibility. lots of critters/npc are goig to notice a flying person.

There are already things in the air, I've seen jays , robins and crows harassing eagles and other huntign birds that really coudl easily kill them but they weren't birds that ignored yuo on the ground no longer ignore you. doesnt' soudn like a big deal does it?

player "I'll fly into the castle and land on the tower to spy things out"

DM "you spook a dozen or more pigeons sitting on the roof, the guards can't help but notice."


wind, smoke, dust, annoyign birds, hungry dragons are all up there in the air, one shoudl kep that in mind.

As for flying in a dungeon- folks trying to do something moving more then half normal speed often bump into the unever ceilings when i'm DMing. Well not all that often but it does happen.


oh yeah- baclpacks, quivers and pouches just aren't designed for flying characters unless of course one finds some winged race to buy such equipment from. loosing random bits of gear should be a risk of flying.

 

[Atreides]

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.

I beleive this is the guideline to use when viewing 'game breaking spells'. Adventure planning/writing/organizing/running is a labor based activity. The DM is performing the labor with a variety of tools to ease the labor load - published adventures being one example (of many). The game breaking spells are those spells which (for a variety of reasons) dramatically increase the labor load of the adventure process for the DM. The lower the amount of labor needed to fashion a given encounter, the more encounters a given DM can design/run for his PC's within a given gaming session (whether that is a hour session or a 20 hour session).

The goal for 4e in regards to these types of spells should not be "let's nerf the wizzards" - it should be, lets create a game that is easier to design/run encounters for then it was under 3.5. Spells should encourage not discourage PC encounters.

For our 3.5 gaming group, what we found was that the 'adventure work' our DM was putting in for the game grew dramatically once the party reached 12th+ level. The campaign itself slowed down as he needed more real life time to plan a given DnD game night - which led to less DnD game nights which eventually led to campaign stagnation.

 

[DonTadow]

A spell by its definition is gamebreaking. Spells are extraordinary things that by their nature defy the laws of the world. The complaints against the spells are all without merit and can be applied to all spells in the book using that logic. Spells are suppose to shake up an encounter. A powerful spell, such as zone of truth, should not have to adhere to human limitations on sensing motive or bluff. It's what magic is. If these things are "breaking to you" I suggest eliminating magic from your game for one of the other alternatives (perhaps iron heroes).

Spells already have a limitation. The powerful ones can't be cast frequently.

 

[amethal]

I have a particular hatred for Fleshshiver, in the Spell Compendium. (6th level spell)

A living creature of hit dice equal to or below the wizard's caster level are stunned for a round, no save. (It does allow spell resistance, but Assay Spell Resistance (a swift action to cast) takes care of that if you are worried about it.)

Against 4 13th level characters, I might want to use a 13th level opponent as an appropriate encounter. Not any more, since he spends the first round stunned.

Its also possible, if difficult, to increase your caster level above your hit dice. To be on the safe side, I should use 15th or even 16th level opponents. (Or make all the BBEGs 13th level ogres or something.)

Next round, the poor sod has to make a Fortitude save (regardless of how many hit dice he has) or take 1d6 damage per level and be nauseated for 1d4+2 rounds.

Not sure what nauseated does? Look it up; you won't like it!

I'm also not keen on Illusory Pit (also in Spell Compendium), effectively a save or die spell which affects a 10' cube per level, Will negates.

Or the various "Bite of" spells cast after polymorphing or wildshaping.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

1. Mordenkainen's Disjunction - This spell deserves a Lewis Black rant.

Oh, I hate this spell with a passion.

Used on me, or used by me, it's just wrong.

Brad

 

[Sadrik]

I don't really have spells to add but I can classify how I think the spells should be implemented.

Heroic (1-10)
Skill bonus spells: (become "swift" (or whatever the equivalent is in 4E) actions with 1 round durations and give +20 to the skill check. Knock (open locks), invisibility (sneak), detect lie (sense motive), true strike (BAB), identify (spellcraft), find traps (search) etc)
Save or suck: (this is really tough: sleep, color spray, charm person, hold person, and the list goes on, are all very ingrained in the system yet seem very powerful)

Paragon (11-21)
Skill bonus spells: now with a longer duration
Save or really suck: (stat damage, unconscious,
Fly: (poor maneuverability, actually grows wings or something)
Dimension door:
Plane shift:
Regenerate:
Speak with dead:
Detect alignment:

Epic (21-30)
Negate class spells: (mind blank, true seeing,
Fly: (perfect maneuverability)
Save or die or lose: (disintegrate, implode, slay living, flesh to stone, feeblemind, polymorph [baleful or any object]){I like the 2 stat damage a round until X happens}
Teleport:
Scrying:
Raise dead: (resurrection, reincarnation)
Gate:
Wish:

Anyone else want to add their spells to this list?