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Message: <blockquote data-quote="index" data-source="post: 1647764" data-attributes="member: 21195">EDIT - Typos.  Lots of typos.PH only spells?  Gah, every wizard I play, I research newspells ASAP.  It feels great to drop a 'positive energyburst' instead of a fireball when your friends aresurrounded by undead.  (And my DM even allowed it to heal 1point per die to living creatures!  Sweet, I was justlooking for truely friendly friendly fire.)Also, I don't understand most players' concentration on combat spells.  Magic is for doing what only magic can do.  Let the warriors dish out most of the damage.EDIT - I was whining about the limited number of spells, but since I started this post, I've read Thanee's post on that subject.(My most important question to DMs from now on beforeplaying a Wizard : how much time and cash will I have toscribe spells?  If they won't guarantee me the ability toexceed a Sorcerer, then I won't play a Wizard.)1 - Charm Person, Chill Touch, (Erase), Identify, Magic    Weapon, Mage Armor, Shield, Truestrike2 - Alter Self, Arcane Lock, Detect Thoughts, Fog Cloud,    Glitterdust, Rope Trick, Summon Monster II, Web3 - Dispel Magic, Fireball OR Lightning Bolt, (Fly), Haste,    Magic Circle against Evil, Shrink Item, Summon Monster    III, Tongues4 - (Animate Dead), Charm Monster, Mass Enlarge Person,    (Polymorph), (Remove Curse), Scrying5 - (Break Enchantment), Cone of Cold, Cloudkill, Fabricate,    Teleport, Wall of Stone6 - (Antimagic Shell), Geas/Quest, Legend Lore, Planar    Binding, (Stone to Flesh), Wall of Iron7 - Limited Wish, Mordenkainen's Sword, (Plane Shift OR    Heightened Enlarged Disintegrate), Simulacrum8 - (TWO OF: Clone, Greater Planar Binding, Moment of    Prescience, Polar Ray), Mind Blank, Polymorph Any Object9 - (Gate OR Mordenkainen's Disjunction OR Prismatic    Sphere), Shapechange, Timestop, WishIf you're going to take any great number of evocationspells, get the Energy Substitution feat.  Nothing says'Booyah!' like an electric burst when your opponents havemaxed out their fire resistance.  If your DM will allow it,take a house rule feat, Positive Energy Substitution, so thatyou can damage hordes of undead without affecting yourfriends who are caught in the middle.Take Spell Mastery for Scrying (to find whoever stole yourspellbook) and Limited Wish (since it can substitute for somany other spells).  Once you get Wish (and have XP toburn), spend the XP for a Wish instead of a feat slot to getSpell Mastery again.  If your DM is nice, he'll allow the5000 XP cost of wish to simulate three feat slots worth ofSpell Mastery.  (The few items that grant feats have a basecost of 4000 gp.  Paying XP instead of gold, we get 4000/5 =800 XP.  Double to simulate a slotless item, to 1600 XP.1600 goes into 5000 XP three times.  Pay 6400 XP instead ofthe minimum 5000 XP for the Wish to get four slots worth ofSpell Mastery.)  Considering how many emergencies Wish canget you out of, you want that to be one of your masteredspells, of course, despite the XP cost.  Remember that youcan always prepare a mastered spell, then scribe it in areplacement spellbook WITHOUT casting it.The explanatory text is rather long, because I also discusswhy I left out certain spells.0-level spells - Prestidigitation, prestidigitation,prestidigitation.  Prepare it.  Someone once called this'very limited wish'.  It really is that useful.  The gatherand clean functions of this spell alone are worth thetraining time to become a wizard.  The soiling function isgreat for confusing tracks, especially after first cleaningaway the scent of your passage.  Though of course, I usuallyresearch a 1st level version with (level) hours duration andfive foot cube area.  If your short on clerics, or thecleric is a boob who forgot to take Heal skill, cleaning outwounds helps keep the DM from looking up the disease charts.Every DM I've seen has also allowed Prestidigitation to getrid of fleas, lice, etc.  In a realistic campaign, thewizard can become EVERYBODY'S friend this way.0-level spells - Acid Splash or Ray of Frost.  Great whencombined with sneak attack.  Give a wand of Ray of Frost toyour 'Use Magic Device' rogue friend.  Kill people withbarely a mark on them, and no weapon for evidence.0-level spells - Detect Poison.  Very good for checking lootfor booby traps.  The NPCs you take out DO booby-trap theirstuff, don't they?  Don't you?  Also great for checking thebags and bags of food on your wagon after you defeat anassassin.  (Did he mess with our stuff before coming afterus?)  Also, it's dangerous to handle poison without thisspell for double-checking.0-level spells - Detect Magic.  Also great for loot.0-level spells - Disrupt Undead.  Cannot be combined withsneak attack unless you have a very generous DM or you use awish.  Still worth it for maybe making undead bane items later if you don't have any Summon Monster spells.  (Why is Summon Monster an undead bane prereq when it can't summon undead?)0-level spells - Mage Hand.  Not as good as unseen servant,but often you need to load your 1st level slots with moreimportant stuff.0-level spells - Mending.  Make Money Fast.  Okay, makemoney slow.  But still, there's only so much dry-cleaningvia Prestidigitation you can get paid for in one town, andyou have to make money to pay for your adventuring somehow,right?1 :Alarm - I almost put this on the list.  But many times, it'sbest to let the wizard sleep through night fights if theyaren't bad so he can prepare spells properly the next day.Let your familiar sleep during the day and stay awake atnight.  Have the Craft (trapmaking) rogue string tripwiresattached to the metal cans that hold the spare chain linksfor repairing the warrior's chain shirt.Charm Person - Awesome for interrogation.Chill Touch - Hey, look, I'm no longer unarmed!Color Spray is better than sleep in many instances, butstill becomes useless too quickly.Endure Elements was on my 3.0 list, but it got nerfed.Erase - I don't use this while adventuring.  I make money between adventures using this as a bleach spell.Sure, it only does 'one or two pages', but it doesn't saywhat size those pages are.  I turn huge single sheets ofbrown paper into white paper with this spell.  Somecloth-makers like to start with pure white cloth beforedyeing, also.That's definately a house-rule usage of 'erase', but thespell is so weak for 1st level, that I've never had troubletalking a DM into allowing it.Expeditious Retreat - Very nice buffing spell for firstlevel characters.  Without the house-rule 'bleaching' effectfrom Erase, pick this instead.Identify - Necessary for loot.  NPCs (or even fellow PCs)might try to rip you off.  I despise how this spell gotnerfed (only IDs one functioni, ever), but most DMs ignore the nerf.Mage Armor - I'm not sure about this one, since I usuallyjust cope with the arcane spell failure chance from leatherarmor or, at high levels, a better replacement.  It's niceto make bracers of armor with this later, but you can get alittle more protection out of magicked leather armor withouta specific spell prereq if you're willing to live with asmall arcane spell failure chance.Magic Missile - Not worth it at low levels.  Only worth itat mid levels because it hits almost anything.  If I hadmore than eight 1st-level choices, I'd put it on the list.Magic Weapon - Use with poisoned crossbow bolts andtruestrike (see below) for sniping BBEGs, since non-magicweapons may bounce off some of them.  What do you mean,poison usage is evil?  And a sword isn't?  Bull crap.  It'smore evil to allow the BBEG to continue killing people, IMO.Obscuring Mist is a great battlefield control spell, but I'drather wait for Fog Cloud at 2nd level.Shield doesn't last long enough, but it's great to latermake an item that stops magic missiles and helps your AC alittle.Sleep becomes too useless too quickly.  Buy it on scroll. Though I will admit to having cast two sleepspells, along with the other wizard in the group, to takedown a bunch of camping orcs so the rest of the group onlyhad to take on a few.  A small swarm of 1st level barbarian orcs is about the only time it's worth it.Summon Monster I is not on my list because Summon Monster IIetc can simulate it, and the duration is crippling.  Goodfor setting off traps when tossed logs won't, though.  Andyou don't have to feel too guilty since the summonedcreature always reforms on it's home plane, unhurt.Truestrike is there because of it's great sniping potential.Actually use the 1/4 mile range of a heavy crossbow.From that far away, who's going to see you to return fire?Especially when you can fire a crossbow from a proneposition.  This is GREAT against BBEGs who don't liveunderground.Note that truestrike falls under 'doing what only magic cando'.  Who else can one-shot-one-kill from 1/4 mile at 1stlevel?  (And heavy crossbow will often do enough damage tokill CR 1 threats.  When you meet higher CR threats,hopefully you'll be able to afford to upgrade your crossbow,or at least buy poison.)There are lots of other 1st level spells I like, but we wereasked to keep it down to eight 1st-level spells.2 :Alter Self - natural armor and/or strength.  And disguise.Arcane Lock - One of the must-have spells.  Wonderful forkeeping party thieves out of your stuff.  A properlyconstructed spell book can even be locked with this.  Toobad you can't get rid of it without Dispel Magic.Otherwise, it'd be nice for sleeping in inns.  Put this on a set of manacles for prisoners.  You can open them any time, no one else can.Continual Flame - Great way to make money - pay 50 gp formaterial components, sell for 90 gp - but it's too hard tofind buyers for full value.  Your group needs this spell, but it's easy to buy castings from other wizards.Detect Thoughts - Another interrogation must-have.  Also,it's basically a 'detect creatures'.  Your paladin with'detect evil' will find the mindless undead this spelldoesn't, but you still need to be wary of constructs and vermin.Fog Cloud - Good battlefield control spell.  If you're verycareful, your victims might think it's natural weather.Glitterdust - Detect invisible AND blind?  Sweet!  And itlooks nice, too.Knock - Another I hated leaving off my short list.  Get awand.Magic Mouth - Anti-pick-pockets, and a great replacement for1st level Alarm.  I wanted to put this on my list, butArcane Lock just barely edged it out.  I'm not sure that wasa good choice.  You can do things like add an arming'command word' to a magic mouth, as well as a disarmingword, and roll a ball around corners to yell out warning ofskeletons or other threats.Mirror Image - Another I hated pruning off my list.  Forceyour attackers to waste attacks that otherwise might havekilled you.  Or at least force them to waste an area attackon you.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":-)" title="Smile    :-)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":-)" />  Once you get a reputation for using thisspell, start using Silent Image to make copies of yourself(missing with crossbow bolts, naturally) to draw enemy firewhile you hide.Protection from Arrows - I wanted to put this on my list --it's great for your warrior friend who likes to wade intogroups of crossbow-firing humanoids -- but alas, I can onlypick eight.Rope Trick - Safe camp site.  There are certainly betterspells for general adventuring, but when you need a safecamping spot, you really need a safe camping spot.Shatter - The wizard's sunder.  Too bad I don't have roomfor it.Spider Climb - I had not noticed this moved to 2nd level.Almost worth my short list.  Most definately worth boots, ormaybe a wand.Summon Monster II - The Summon Monster spells are way toohandy for general utility.  The best specialist to play is aconjurer, since he can always summon creatures to cover hisweaknesses.Web - More battlefield control.  Better than Hold Person insome ways.  Great way to catch a falling comrade ifsomething is nearby to anchor the web to.Again, there were lots of other second level spells I wantedto put on the list.  I didn't bother with buffing spellsbecause that was usually the cleric's job when I've played.  If Fox's Cunning affected skill points, I'd keep it up constantly,but since it doesn't...3 :Daylight - Not enough room on the list for this.  Great fordispelling darkness, but dispel magic will do the same thing50% of the time, on average.  Get a 2/day item.  Not ascroll, unless you're sure you'll always be outside thedarkness you need to bring down.Dispel Magic, Remove Curse, Break Enchantment - If it's notobvious why these spells are on my list, I think we've beenplaying in very different games.  It is acceptable to getRemove Curse and Break Enchantment on scrolls instead oflearning them.  1/day items would be even better.Fireball - The classic wizard spell.  I prefer others,myself, but if you don't take this spell, others will lookat you like some sort of retarded cripple.  "What do youmean you can't throw a fireball?  I thought you were awizard!"Fly - Cast this on the foolish warrior who wants to go aftera dragon.  Don't bother with this spell if your campaign haswinged elves and you have Alter Self.  If the duration ofPolymorph weren't nerfed so badly, I'd say just wait to turninto a dragon.  Those critters can FLY.Also use Fly to drop very heavy loads (see Shrink Item,below) of flaming oil on invading armies.  If you're highenough, even ballistas won't hit you.  If you're worriedabout missing, cast Truestrike.Flame Arrow - In combination with Fly, this is GREAT fordropping a barrel of arrows on an invading army, but I don'thave enough slots on my list to choose it.  If the campaignhas winged elves for me to emulate with Alter Self, I'd takethis spell instead of Fly.Gaseous Form - Wonderful for escape and evasion, too bad Idon't have enough slots to put it on my list.  It's asubstitute for Spider Climb, Fly, Protection from Arrows,and, in fog or smoke, Invisibility.  Also, it makes youimmune to poison.  If the first hit from a dose of poisonmakes you worried about surviving it a minute later, castthis spell.  If you're not too worried about people laughingat you, learn this instead of Fireball.  After all, when youuse Shrink Item to fire trees and oil barrels from yourcrossbow, fireball isn't a must-have.Get a switchable item of gaseous form.  Float up among theclouds, change back to drop ordinance, then turn gaseousagain before you saplt.  How many people worry about flying spies when they look up at the clouds?Haste - The classic buffing spell for wizards.  Even withthe nerfing, it's good if you have lots of friends.  This isanother spell where people will look at you funny if youdon't take it.Magic Circle against Evil - Block domination, bonuses areokay, and absolutely necessary for Planar Binding.  PlanarBinding says nothing about matching the alignment of theMagic Circle spell with the alignment of the creature youwant to call.Magic Weapon, Greater - I wanted to wait for this spell, butinstead I had to put Magic Weapon on the 1st level list.  Inmy experience, many DMs like to throw high-DR monsters at1st level characters.Shrink Item - Great way to preserve bodies (use the'cloth-like composition' option), nice long duration.Before a fight against a BBEG, especially a brute, cast thison a few trees and fire them as crossbow bolts.  (Seetruestrike and magic weapon above.)  When they break, thespell should end.  Even a remorhaz has trouble eating peoplewhen it has several trees sticking out of it.  There aremore refined ways to use that tactic.  At minimum level,this will affect only six cubic feet, so take a 48 (or less)gallon barrel of oil, tie a burning rag to it, shrink itinto a 'cloth-like' composition, and load it inside aspecial crossbow bolt that will tear it on impact.For digging tunnels, the miners can spike small holes, stickin your shrunken stuff, and, from a distance, shred it so itexpands and shatters the rock.  Because you can cast thisspell days ahead of time, at high levels you can carry asmall block of clay, toss it down, and block a corridor todeter pursuit.  Or drop it on people.  Won't hurt as much asboulders, but it has more possible uses.If you need to carve a lot off an object, shrink it downfirst.  Your DM will probably have the spell cancel as soonas you take off one noticeable slice, though.  Still,smashing a rock instead of a huge boulder with asledgehammer is a good way to make gravel.Summon Monster III - Celestial Bison.  Moo.Tongues - By this time, you're probably running intocreatures who you don't share a language with.Vampiric Touch - Didn't this used to heal the user ratherthan merely giving temporary hit points?  Don't bother withthe current version of this spell.4 :Animate Dead - The wizard version of Raise Dead.  If you canget an amulet of the planes, or know anyone who does, turnfallen comrades into undead, take them to the Heroic Domainsof Ysgard, destroy their undead form, and watch them benefitfrom a True Resurrection the next morning.  The clericalPlane Shift can be simulated with Limited Wish, so you cantravel that way, also.I know it's cheese, but I have carefully studied the books,and -- by the books -- it works, because of the interaction between True Resurrection and undead.Animate Dead is also useful for evil wizards.  Hide yourskeletons inside armor, hand them shields to protect youwith, and tell everyone they are 'minor golems'.Charm Monster - Version of Charm Person with usefulduration.  Get guides and 'friends', it's not just forinterrogation.  Get diplomacy skill as a supplement.Detect Scrying - By the time you cast this spell, it's toolate.  Get an item.  Also, it only alerts you if the scryingsensor is within 40 feet.  Get real.  Whenever I scry, Iusually look down from a hundred feet or so to get anoverview.Dimension Door - I want this on my list for escapinggrapples, crossing chasms, etc, but I have other things toput in the fourth level slots, and Teleport does everythingDimension Door does, but better.Enlarge Person, Mass - Another great wizard party-buffingspell.  The first time your group gets waxed by the reach ofsome ogres or giants, they'll really appreciate this spell.For the ultimate cheese, make sure one of your allies has aspiked chain.Fire Trap - This is a very nice, relatively cheap way to setup magical traps, but druids get it as a 2nd level spell, soyou should let them handle the job if you can.  Only onefire trap can be placed on one object, so you can't set up abox with lots of fire-trapped corks to be forced out oftheir holes.  However, if each fire-trapped cork is in asturdy collar, which in turn is set into lipped holes in thebox ...  BOOM.Fire Trap has such a small radius, you can usefully put iton the end of reach weapons.  The spell can be put on very small closures, so make some special crossbow bolts for it.Invisibility, Greater - Wonderful buffing spell for yourrogue friend, but I don't have enough slots to put this inthe sample book.  Learn if you skip Animate Dead, Polymorph,or Remove Curse.Polymorph - Nerfed too badly.  Get an item.  Take this onlyas a substitute for Fly and Alter Self, if you can waituntil 7th level for these abilities.Okay, it's still a good combat buffing spell.  Take it.WotC took one of the best wizard spells and reduced it'sduration until it's nearly useless for non-combat uses.  (Iused to like turning into a dragon for their ability tocover vast distances in a single day.)  But at (level) minutes,it's still long enough to be a terror in combat.  Basically,WotC took a powerful combat spell that was often usedinstead out of combat, and nerfed it so that it's ONLY usedin combat now.Okay, maybe it's not quite that bad.  You can always changeinto an umber hulk for tunnel digging.Scrying - If you're not abusing -- er, using -- Scrying, youdeserve to be ambushed.  Some nice DMs will allow Scrying tooptionally substitute for Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, whichis wonderful when you need to scout an area rather than finda specific person.Scrying is also a great way to find someone who has stolenfrom you (though if you know nothing other than they haveyour stuff, they'll probably get +5 on the Will save), soyou might want to take this as a mastered spell with thefeat Spell Mastery.5 :Bigby's Interposing Hand - Hey, look, it's kind of sort ofalmost as good as the FIRST LEVEL Shield spell, except itdoesn't stop magic missiles.  What was WotC thinking?  Ifyou learn this spell, I WILL laugh at you.Cone of Cold - Sad but true: you need a few direct attackspells or people look at you funny.  At least you can usethis to preserve foods.  Also, freeze a portion of a pond,then teleport it out to the desert and sell it.Contact Other Plane - Good way to gather information, butrisky, and our list is too small.  Get a 1/day (or 1/week) item if you really need it.Cloudkill - Wonderful extermination spell.  My greatest fearas a player is that truly evil NPCs will grow wise to theuses of this spell.  Wipe out 90% of your target town.Fabricate - Oh yeah!  Wonderful money making spell.  Got abunch of followers?  Got a bunch of hides from slainmonsters?  Make everyone leather armor.  Got some bouldersand trees?  Make stone-tipped arrows, bows, and defensivewalls.  Need to dig a trench in some stone?  Take the timeto use that stone as the raw material for whatever.Did you actually waste some skill points on some Craftskills before you realized you'd die of old age beforecompleting a mighty masterwork composite longbow?  (Only aslight exageration by the book.)  Use this spell instead.If your DM won't allow you to make more than one object withFabricate despite it's hefty volume of effect, havebreakable sprues connecting the various objects.  If you'remaking a bunch of armor for an army, make a large roll ofchain mail for others to cut and join into chain shirts, ormake similar rolls of lammes for lammelar armor (D&D scalemail or banded mail).Feeblemind - Great way to make enemies who will hunt youforever once they get fixed up.  Some will hunt you downmerely because you scare them by using this on others.  It'salmost a save-or-die spell.  Because of the Will save, it'snot the mage-slayer it used to be.  Don't learn unless youfirst learn Bestow Curse to lower saves with.Magic Jar - Too many things can go wrong.  Use this only tocreate an item to move into when your body dies.Overland Flight - Why did WotC make this spell the samelevel as TELEPORT?  Are they nuts?Passwall - Good infiltration spell, but our spellbook slotsare limited, so we'll need to depend on Teleport instead.Also, the usage of this spell is somewhat specialized.Permanency - Is there anything you can do with this spellthat you can't do with the Craft Wondrous Item feat?  I'dlearn this only if the DM was EXTREMELY stingy with gold.Small slotless misc items are the way to go.  And if he'sthat stingy, you can dominate local economies with the otherspells I'll discuss.Planar Binding, Lesser - Won't fit on the list.  Who caresabout carefully worded contracts?  Call a bunch of lanternarchons until you find a few curious enough to stick aroundand follow some friends of yours without a binding contract.Tell them that the dismissal condition for their contractis, 'go home whenever you feel like it'.Rary's Telepathic Bond - Nice, but I've gotten too used togroups that backstab each other.  In groups that cooperatewell, you almost don't need this.  It's nice to be able tocommunicate over a distance, but tactical signalling can bedone with flaming arrows.Sending - Usually the only reason to use this spell insteadof delivering a message in person via Teleport is becauseSending usually has a 95% chance of crossing planes.  Notgood enough for our limited selection of slots.Teleport - Dimension Door, but better.  Escape grapples.Make lots of money as a courier.  Pretend to be in twoplaces at once, when actually you're in two places severalminutes apart.Transmute Rock to Mud - I really really really like thisspell.  Really.  Even with WotC nerfing it to only dig tenfeet deep (it'll still bring down walls, guys), I like it.Every 9th level mage of mine since 1st edition uses this tobuild solid rock homes.  (Rock to mud, pour in molds,dispel.  Granite is about ten times as strong as concrete,maybe five times as strong as expensive modern concrete.)Too bad I don't have room for it on my list.  If your DM issmart enough to disagree with WotC and say that Wall ofStone is permanent rather than instant, learn this spell.I'm tempted to dump Cone of Cold or Cloudkill for thisspell.  If WotC hadn't nerfed it to ten foot depth, I would.(So, I can still drop a cliff face on an army, but I can nolonger dig my own 'dungeon' with one casting of this spell?Dang it, that makes me so bitter, I'm going to go do somecliff-dropping.)Wall of Stone - Have you noticed that this is an instantspell rather than a permanent spell?  Is WotC INSANE?  I'llbuild my own tower!  Who needs dwarven workmen?  I have Knowledge (architecture and engineering)!  Also, itdoesn't say what TYPE of stone the spell produces.  Over aperiod of days, make a huge pile of your favorite ore nottoo far in the wilderness, cover with normal-looking rock,do some blasting or Fabricate-carving so it looks likeyou've done some digging, and sell your new mine to some rich dwarves.Make a wall of coal for fuel.  Quartz for glass.  Limestonefor lime, whitewash, and concrete.  Even if you're limitedto granite, this spell will make you rich.6 :Analyze Dweomer - Almost a necessity with the nerfing ofidentify, but we're on a budget, so let Legend Loresubstitute.Antimagic Shell - Buffing spell for your monk friend.  Ormore accurately, an ANTI-buffing spells for your foes.Contingency - Very nearly a must-have, but we're gettingLimited Wish at the next spell level.Disintegrate - Good multi-purpose spell.  Massive damagewith no body to regenerate or to be brought back from thedead.  Also decent for digging.  Great for disposing ofevidence.  But there aren't enough spellbook slots.Dispel Magic, Greater - Get this on scroll or other item oryou'll regret it.  Not enough room in our spellbook to learnit.Flesh to Stone - Good way to suspend a dying person, goodway to take out an opposing wizard, but we don't have enoughspellbook slots.  Get one-use items for people instead.Geas/Quest - Ultimate contract enforcement, and a nicereplacement for capital punishment.Globe of Invulnerability - Very nice but we're on a budget.And your enemy will enlarge his buddy to throw boulders atyou.Heroism, Greater - Another nice spell, but we're on abudget.Legend Lore - Knowing is half the battle.  Learn it.Permanent Image - Wonderful for disguises.  Slap on yourmonstrous friends so that they look and sound human.  Put iton decoys too.  Too bad I don't have enough spellbook slotsfor it.Planar Binding - I'd prefer Lesser Planar Binding, but Ifilled up my 5th level slots.  See my comments regardinglantern archons.  There are lots of other uses, too.Remember that these creatures are called, not summoned --they are REALLY there, and don't disappear until they wantto go home.Unless you want a bad off-world reputation, when a celestialdies and leaves behind valuable items, call anothercelestial to take their stuff (and body, if any) home.I was thinking of using Limited Wish to simulate this, but300 XP a pop is too expensive when you're being nice andtelling these celestials they can go home instead of helpingyou.Stone to Flesh - Not needed to break petrification if youhave Break Enchantment, but with the nerfing of TransmuteRock to Mud, it's a decent way to both dig and feed an army.If you can get Transmute Rock to Mud, Break Enchantment, ANDPlanar Binding, skip this spell.  (You can use PlanarBinding to call ordinary (outer planar) animals as food,something you can't do with Summon Monster spells.  Also,there are several celestials you can call for help with foodproblems.)Summon Monster VI - Planar Binding is better unless you haveno time to prepare, or you want no-guilt cannon fodder.  Andif you don't have time to prepare, you don't have the rightspells ready anyway, since you're a wizard.Tenser's Transformation - Are you INSANE?  That's abarbarian's job, not yours.  This is a 'if I die, I'm takingsome of them with me' spell.  Good luck actually succeedingwhen you can't cast spells.  The BBEG will expend emergencyminions on you to slow you down, watch you drop dead whenthe duration runs out and you lose the CON bonus thattemporarily propped up your hit points, and he willjustifiably spit on your grave and laugh.  He'll probably piss on your grave too just to be mean.Without the loss of spellcasting, this would be a worthyspell.  Get an item with the 4th level cleric spell Divine Power instead, it's superior.True Seeing - Nice, but I'm on a budget.  Do any 12 HDcelestials have this power?  Call them up (Planar Binding) and ask.Wall of Iron - If you thought my ideas for Wall of Stonewere abuse, read the text for this spell.  Follow up withFabricate to give your entire army of followers good armor.(You DO have the Leadership feat, right?)7 :Banishment - Good way to send yourself home when stranded onanother plane, but Limited Wish can simulate the 5th levelcleric version.  Oops, it's a 6th level spell now.  Uh, use Plane Shift.Control Weather - Very nice for a navy fleet admiral.  Goodfor the wizard of an agricultural community.  Otherwise,we've got better uses for our limited spellbook slots.Delayed Blast Fireball - A good way to make up for theextreme lack of evocation spells on this list, but seeHorrid Wilting and Polar Ray (below).  As soon as you get areputation for using this spell, very simple illusions(glimmering red 'pearls') will scare the crap out of youropponents.Drawmij's Instant Summons - Nice, but you don't need itoften.  Cast from scroll over a spare spellbook, or betteryet, a chest full of emergency supplies, and have yourcleric friend implant the gem under your skin wherejailers won't find it to confiscate it.Ethereal Jaunt - Nice but you won't need it often.  Use Plane Shift instead.Finger of Death - I'd rather learn a Heightened, Enlargedversion of Disintegrate.  A 4th level cleric spell providesimmunity to death effects, and I think undead are immune,too.  Any killing spell that can't kill undead is worthlittle to me.Limited Wish - The emergency swiss army knife spell.  Whosays wizards can't raise the dead?When simulating other spells, don't forget to check theclerical domain lists.  If your DM has the psionics book,and uses the default psi=magic option, check that source fornifty powers.  Any time you simulate a spell of lower levelthan you are actually capable of (such as less than 5thlevel clerical domain spell), simulate a Heightened andEnlarged (or Extended or whatever) version instead.  (Bydefault, Limited Wish gives you save DCs as a 7th levelspell even if you aren't simulating a heightened spell, butyou might still want to expressly Heighten in case of MinorGlob of Invulnerability or the like.)Mordenkainen's Sword - A very nice 'summons'.  You need payattention to it only to switch targets.  Use it forsundering, for ruining the spells of other wizards, or makea lightsaber for your warrior friend.Phase Door - This would be nice for wizards with the usualbig spellbooks, given the 'until used' duration, but since we're on a budget, we'll have to depend on Teleport.Plane Shift - Only learn this if you plan to do lots ofplane-hopping.  Otherwise, use Limited Wish to simulate thelower level clerical version.One good use for plane shift is to visit the positivematerial plane for healing.  This is very dangerous unlessyou have two such spells prepared.  If someone is ready topop from too much energy before others are fully healed,they should cut themselves and bleed off excess energy.The Positive Material Plane is a really nasty place to takeundead, and the Negative Material Plane is a really nastyplace for everyone else.Another good place to plane shift to for healing is theHeroic Domains of Ysgard.  As long as the injured people arestill alive, if they die there, they get a free TrueResurrection the next morning.  This is also a good place topractice combat.  Beware of armies that might steal all yourequipment.Prismatic Spray - Cute but too unpredictable.Reverse Gravity - Way, way, way back (1st edition) when this spellaffected an area instead of a volume, it was awesome.Cavorite, anyone?  But now?  Hey, there are much easier waysto pump water uphill.  Forget this spell.  By the time youcan cast it, you can expect your foes to fly.  It's only useis for dismantling structures of stacked stone (rather thanones made with Wall of Stone or carved from solid rock).Simulacrum - If you don't take this spell, I will laugh atyou.  Sure, it's costly, and the simulacra have to makeheavy use of temporary hit point magic to avoid costlyrepairs, but you can make simulacra of other creatures.You HAVE been saving souvenirs, haven't you?Ask some of those outsiders you've been calling for tinysamples.  Offer to trade if you think you can trust them.Plane shift to the abyss just to kill some demons and takesome samples to make simulacra with.  (Don't try this inthe hells, the devils are organized, and will find you evenif you disguise yourself.)Your simulcra of such creatures will be more fragile, andwill have a lower BAB, but will have all the other abilitiesof the original.  (Some outsiders have spell-casting abilityas a certain level of cleric, sorcerer, etc.  That abilityshould also probably be reduced.  Also, I'd convert all 'atwill' abilities to '3/hour', but that's a house rule notsupported by the text of the spell.)Make simulacra of creatures with Alter Self, Polymorph, oralternate form ability, have them disguise themselves asyou.  It's expensive to replace them, but it's moreexpensive to replace yourself.Instead of spending your hard-earned XP on magic items,spend 1000 XP to make a simulacrum of yourself, and let itslowly destroy itself making lots and lots of items, costingmore than 1000 XP in total.  Eventually, you'll be able to make simulacra capable of casting Limited Wish and Wish.Spell Turning - Nice, but best in item form.Summon Monster VII - If you have time to prepare, the onlything this does better than Planar Binding is hugeelementals.  Skip it.Waves of Exhaution - Great against melee and missilecreatures (no save), nearly useless against spell-casters.Useless against undead, constructs, and many others.Easy to cure with Restoration or mostly cure with LesserRestoration.8 :Clone - You need this in case of death.  Or you can createan item that will use Limited Wish to simulate Raise Dead,or better yet, Plane Shift you to the Heroic Domains ofYsgard while you're still dying rather than dead.  In fact,make both items.  Make them slotless and small, and haveyour cleric friend implant them behind your sternum orinside your skull.  Make a set for him too since he's such anice guy.I liked the 1st / 2nd edition version much better.Everybody who wished for immunity to insanity, then clonedthemselves, please raise their hand.Discern Location - Very powerful divination; your targetcanot hide without a Mind Blank or the help of a diety.  Butyou won't use it often enough to have it as one of only four8th-level spells.  When you really need this spell, wish fora scroll of it that's usable 1/day.  Or if you don't havewish yet, or don't have 5000 XP to spare, buy a scroll.Horrid Wilting - Typeless damage, fortitude save means noEvasion, looks very good.  But it's useless against undeadand constructs.Maze - Good way to protect one creature.  You can look likeyou teleported away when you're actually buffing yourself.Because opponents can attempt an INT check every round toescape, it's not very useful in combat.  If stupid opponentsare giving you trouble at this level, you've got otherproblems.Maze isn't useful often enough to bother learning when wehave only four 8th-level slots.  If you REALLY need to leavean area for ten minutes to return later, use Rope Trick orTeleport, or simulate them with Limited Wish.Mind Blank - Immunity to scrying is nearly priceless,especially at this level.  Plus your mind is immune toreading and influence.  It even stops Wish and Miracle from messing with your mind!  Cast this every single day until you can afford to make an item.  If you don't NEED this spell, I'm not sure how you got high enough level to cast it.Moment of Prescience - Wonderful protection againstsave-or-die effects.Polar Ray - Sucky damage, single target, but NO SAVE.  CastTruestrike first.  Not many creatures are immune to cold,but learn the Energy Substitution feat anyway.Polymorph Any Object - If the maximum duration were'instant' rather than 'permanent', this would be a must-havespell.  As is, it would still be must-have if not for ourlimit of four 8th-level slots in our book.  Need a mount?Turn a friendly and trustworthy cat or dog into a smarthalf-celestial horse.  Or into a half-celestial unicorn,though it would have to be a young one on account of it'shit dice.  Turn yourself into a dragon, though that mightlast only a week.Your DM might be nice enough to let you use this spell torepair your simulacra.  I'd say it could repair (casterlevel) hit points of simulacra damage.The more I look at the other 8th level combat spells, themore I think this is THE combat spell for 8th level.  Letyour friends and your simulacra army handle the small stuff,and use this spell to turn the ceiling above the BBEG intoseverely acidic sticky goop.  Prepare this spell twice,since it's a save-or-die that works against undead andconstructs.Polymorph Any Object can substitute for several otherspells, but I'm leaving them on the lower level listsanyway.  You might be able to talk your DM into also lettingit substitute for Fabricate.Considering the volume of effect for this spell, it becomesTHE tunneling spell once you're high enough level.Since golems are immune to most spells but vulnerable toordinary fire, turn the floor under an iron golem into oiland ignite.  (Yes, it's cheesy, but the D&D designers leftgolems vulnerable to non-magical fire.  If you don't want tobe so cheesy, use acid instead.)Prismatic Wall - Too easy to go around.  With so few 8thlevel slots, learn this only if one of your buddies canconsistantly toss enemies through this wall.Shout, Greater - At first this seems like a good spell, butit only damages certain types of objects, and creatures areallowed fortitude saves, which means undead and constructsare immune.  Don't bother with this spell.Summon Monster VIII - If you prepare ahead of time, thisbeats Greater Planar Binding only for greater elementals andcolossal fiendish monstrous centipedes.  It only beatsregular Planar Binding for those creatures, celestialtriceratops, fiendish dire tigers, gargantuan fiendishmonstrous spiders, and fiendish tyrannosaurs.  Sure,sometimes what you really need is a disposable brute, butyou can usually finesse around such situations.Sunburst - Wonderful anti-undead spell.  Typeless but sucky(6d6) damage against most creatures.  If this spell did notallow a save, or at least required a fortitude save (yetstill affected undead and constructs) it'd be great.  But asis, I have visions of vampires with two rogue levelscongratulating themselves for learning Evasion.  I'd ratheruse Polymorph Any Object to turn a huge chunk of ceilinginto acid because of that.Symbol of Death - Nice for traps, but constructs and undeadare AGAIN immune.  What is the DEAL with 8th level spellsthat don't harm constructs and undead?Temporal Stasis - This looks like a nice spell, but undeadand constructs are (say it along with me, class) immune.Fortitude saves are not nice for the spell-caster.9 :Astral Projection - Nice adventuring option, but I don'tthink we need it often enough to learn it as one of onlyfour 9th-level spells.Etherealness - With Plane Shift, why do we need this spell?Gate - Better than Greater Planar Binding or Summon MonsterIX if you can eat the XP cost.  Useful to move armies orshield against horrendous attacks if you don't use thecalling function.Mordenkainen's Disjunction - Don't use this to destroy anartifact unless you have Moment of Prescience to help yourWill save.Power Word Kill - Too bad undead, constructs, vermin areimmune.  And anyone with Mind Blank or Death Ward.Prismatic Sphere - The ultimate defensive bunker.  UseLimited Wish to simulate Permanency to make it permanent.Shapechange - Hey look, I'm superman!  Okay, ahalf-celestial gold dragon using the gold dragon's alternateshape ability...Time Stop - Super haste.  While you're the only one moving,turn the floor under the BBEG into acid (I like PolymorphAny Object) and put a bag of cayenne pepper and finelyground glass over his head.  He'll appreciate it, really.Wail of the Banshee - Oh great, ANOTHER spell that undeadand constructs are immune to.Wish - Wish for duplicates of other spellbooks you knowabout.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":-)" title="Smile    :-)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":-)" />  Don't forget to wish for immunity to Feeblemindand insanity.  Don't forget that you can wish for magicitems with a market price of 25,000 gp or less.  That's ascroll of an 8th level spell, caster level 15, usable onceper day.  (A once per day scroll should cost eight timeswhat a normal scroll costs, by the DMG guidelines.  And Iwould add Craft Wondrous Item to the usual prereqs.)  Muchbetter than wishing for an 8th-level spell a single time,right?  You could also wish for a scroll of a 9th-levelspell reusable once per two days.</blockquote>

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