Thoughts on non-adventurer spells

Personally, I view the focus on adventurer-magic is simply because that’s what we’re expecting/need to Adventure. That said, the amount and variation of day-to-day magic would greatly depend upon the local economy, with major metropolitan settings having access to far greater variation than a frontier hamlet simply because there are more spellcasters available to be creative and enterprising.

IMC wizards often provide their Unseen Servants with a semi-transparent/opaque appearance to keep better track of where/what its doing. This is a simple fluff change requiring no actual adjustment to the spell’s stats. Often placed upon small statues.

Zero level castings such as Prestidigitation are commonly taught at major settlements to any willing to learn and are set into everyday objects to improve daily living. Ie: the Kitchen Chest uses Prestidigitation’s warmth/cooling effect to prepare meals without a fire, while the Flavor Shaker uses the same to improve food/drink to the user’s taste.
 

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Redecorate - change a room's appearance to suit your likings. This includes furniture, carpets, tapestries, (painted) ceilings, lighting, window dressings etc. Duration is instantaneous. A higher level version might alter the room's size and shape, and create furniture etc. from thin air.

Lift Carriage
- like Overland Flight, but targets a vehicle instead. Very nice for transporting goods and personnel over long distances.

Makeover - this is the Rod of Splendor's function, as a spell. Look your best every day of the week, and look even better for parties!

Blessing of Good Health - a simple bonus to Fort saves made to resist nonmagical diseases, with very long duration. Every midwife knows how to cast this.

Befriend Brownie - like Charm Person, but targets a Fey of up to 4 HD, and has a duration of one day, which can be prolonged by another day indefinitely as long as you provide the target with a bowl of Milk, Cream, or Yoghurt in the evenings.

Level Ground - what it says on the tin. Instant construction site, basically. Also gets rid of residual water and puts a fundament of hardened earth in the ground.

Palace in a Night - like Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion, except it is lower level, the resultant palace is not situated on a pocket plane but on the Prime Material, and casting time is one night. Who needs a palace on a pocket plane - nobody can see it there!

Light of Truth
- divination that creates a visible light, which flickers whenever somebody within the spell's area knowingly utters a falsehood. Very useful for business negotiations, peace deals etc.

Bestow Minor Curse - Cantrip version of Bestow Curse. Nice for neighborhood disputes. If you don't like your neighbours policy regarding ownership of apples growing from your tree (but on his side of the fence), he can enjoy his new set of warts!

Riddle Me This - the Mage's Wikipedia, this divination spell instantly provides the answer to one question. Mechanically, this works like Bardic Knowledge, taking your caster level as your effective Bard level, and assuming you take 10 on the check.

Haul It - quadruples the target's carrying capacity for 1 hour/caster level. Good for hard work in the harbor, or a severe shopping spree with your GF.

Analyze Substance
- for a duration of 1 minute/caster level, you automatically know the exact composition of all nonmagical materials you so much as look at. You also know their basic physical properties (density, conductivity, melting point, acidity etc.).

Quell Anxiety - for the duration of this spell, you forget all about your anxieties and will not get nervous for any reason. You're confident and unperturbed, as well as immune to the shaken condition (i.e., you can get frightened or panicked, but you cannot get shaken). You gain a +2 bonus to saves vs. fear effects, and a +2 bonus to Cha-based skill checks due to your confidence. Exceedingly nice for that exam or job interview.

Minor Clairvoyance/Clairaudience
- you may extend one of your senses so your perception with regards to that sense works as if you were standing at a point within close range that is within line of effect of you at the time of casting. Peer around the corner without being seen!

Sudden Affection - like Charm Person, but the duration is instantaneous. Note that normal interaction with the target may result in their affection for you cooling over time - or not. Often used at prom night or at parties.

Ghostwriter - for the duration, you gain 1 rank/caster level in Profession (Novelist). Write your autobiography!

Calm Weather
- a more limited version of Control Weather, this spell allows you to calm the winds and stop all precipitation for the duration. Nice if you can't stand the rain, or fear for your crops.

Long Distance Call - enspell a set of two talismans. The owner of one talisman can speak a command word to enter into conversation with the owner of the other talisman as if they were in the same room, over any distance (but on the same plane). Duration is permanent until discharged, then 10 min/caster level.

Hide Life - the caster hides his lifeforce in an object. As long as that object exists, it works for him much like a Phylactery does for a Lich, although the spell only works for living casters. As soon as the object has reanimated/regrown the caster once, it is destroyed.

Leave Me Alone - like Forbiddance, but only affects targets of up to 4 HD. Is also much lower in level. Good for keeping the neighbour's kids off the lawn, or those pesky giant rats out of your wine cellar so you don't have to hire first level adventurers equipped with rusty daggers.
 

An awful lot of the magic in D&D is designed for adventurer types. And that sort of makes sense. After all, many of the great advances in medicine came from doctors working on wounded soldiers.

But I was wondering about magic of a more day to day nature.


So what suggestions would you have for magic that would be useful around the home, town or business?

You mean like the Light spell? Everburning torches?
 

Groom Person Or Animal
Provides personal grooming services for the person or animal touched. Includes bathing, cutting/trimming/shaving hair, cleaning teeth, elimination of fleas or other similar pests, mending/cleaning/polishing non-magical clothing or equipment, etc.

Very useful for those who have to travel and wish to arrive looking their best.
 

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