Surprisingly Useful Spells

[Macbeth]

I saw this thread on surprisinlgy useful items, and I was thinking: are there any spells that seem fairly mundane, but can really save your butt? In particular non-damage spells that can make a huge difference...

The first thing that comes to my mind is Grease. I had never really appreicated this spell until I started creating a Sorcerer for a sea-fairing game. Ships rolling about at sea are already hard to keep your balance on, a greased deck just makes matters worse.

 

[fusangite]

Rope Trick -- a player utterly thwarted my plans to have the party torn apart by hyenas with this spell.

 

[jcfiala]

Just this week I realized how useful Mordenkaiden's Tiny Hut is. You're warm, you're comfortable, you've got light if you need it, the lookout can see 360 degrees around from the inside, but anyone outside can't see in. (And if you pick the color of the hut right, you blend in with the environment.)

 

[Gruns]

Hmm...

Magic Missle -- It's automatic damage, it scales up with level, it's area effect! Just kidding...

My real pick:
Daze -- So great for those single, big, dumb BBEGs like ogres. I waste my turn, and a level 0 turn to cause you to basically lose your turn and let everyone get past reach. Good trade.

Later!
Gruns

 

[Voadam]

Mage's magnificent mansion

Very high level but it gives you extraplanar shelter for two hours/level to sleep and food for over a hundred people.

I recently used it in a game to aid a starving village under siege.

 

[Slife]

Enlarge. But only if it works on all objects, and only if it's reversable. Good buff, good attack spell, useful out of battle. I always have a slot for it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Longtime fan of Grease, but Shrink Item has been one of my faves since it was introduced, and is one of the main reasons I tend to play Transmuters when I play arcane spellcasters. I consider it a "must-have" spell.

Repeated uses of the spell can make a non-magical bag or pockets as full of good stuff as a Heward's Haversack...and a Gnome in Tinkerer's leathers can have a blast with it...

 

[D-rock]

Wall of stone

Usually gives you enough time to get out of there.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

My players are really good at using Charm DM on me.

 

[jcfiala]

I'm becoming fond of the Shadow spells - Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation... that sort.

1) Wide variety of effects.
2) Whichever effect you do choose has been heightened.
3) So, with appropriate feats to raise your save DCs, they can allow you to provide some extra oomph to the spells. They admittedly get to save twice, but it's a higher save.