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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 8312066" data-attributes="member: 58197">Assuming that there is no central regulating authority, then the main driver of spell rarity would be usefulness to the typical wizard of X level--not an adventuring wizard, but an ordinary scholarly spellcaster earning a living by spell and staff.And that in turn requires considering the level of the spell, because the typical (wizard capable of casting 1st-level spells) and the typical (wizard capable of casting 7th-level spells) are two very different beasts. I would probably group spells into tiers:Low-level tier (spell levels 1-2):<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">At these levels, the typical wizard is a skilled artisan for hire, living in a good-sized town or city.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Divination magic (alarm, detect magic, comprehend languages, identify) and labor-saving magic (Tenser's floating disk, unseen servant) are their bread and butter.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Their combat spells are geared toward personal defense (shield, mage armor) and occasional gigs with law enforcement, which would favor nonlethal spells that are good against low-level humanoids (sleep, hold person).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wizards on the other side of the law will favor illusion and charm spells that facilitate crime (disguise self, charm person, suggestion, phantasmal force).</li> </ul>Mid-level tier (spell levels 3-5):<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">At these levels, the typical wizard is attached to the court of a wealthy noble, the army of a mighty warlord, or a similar organization.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">To these groups, long-range communication (sending, dream), transportation (teleportation circle, phantom steed), and information-gathering (scrying) are extremely valuable.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">These groups almost always have fortresses and citadels that require area defense (Mordenkainen's private sanctum, glyph of warding).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wizards at this level are much more likely to be involved in war. Direct damage spells that can punish tight-packed formations are key (fireball, cloudkill). Even better are spells to shape the battlefield on a large scale (hallucinatory terrain, control winds, wall of stone/force/fire). Duration and AoE size are more important than amount of damage.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Finally, mid-tier wizards are likely to be tapped to deal with magical threats, so they will have spells suited to that task. Countering and dispelling (dispel magic, counterspell, remove curse) are routinely expected. Dealing with extraplanar foes (banishment) doesn't come up as often, but when it does, you better have the spell on hand.</li> </ul>High-level tier (spell levels 6+):<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wizards at this level are so rare it's hard to even talk about what's "typical," but such wizards will either be personal lieutenants of great rulers, or power players in their own right.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">At this level, if a task can be accomplished by masses of mundane soldiers, it is beneath a wizard's notice. Archmages do not waste their time on battlefields.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Likewise, an archmage is unlikely to expend magic on luxuries that can be purchased with money.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Thus, the focus shifts to things that only a high-level spellcaster can do. This includes travel over great distances and to other planes (plane shift, teleport, gate, astral projection); personal protective magics of immense power (foresight, invulnerability, mind blank); and making disposable copies of oneself (simulacrum).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">One spell in particular deserves special notice: Clone. This spell combines a safeguard against assassination with effective immortality. A wizard with access to clone can cheat death and enable others to do so... more or less forever. As such, it will be in massive demand, but those who hold the secret will guard it jealously. (Wish also falls in this category since it can duplicate clone at no cost.)</li> </ul></blockquote>

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