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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celtavian" data-source="post: 6616191" data-attributes="member: 5834">I'm going to add some of my views on spells. Given the greatest strength of the wizard is his ability to change spells to fit the situation, I feel a few spells deserve a bit more description:1. Protection from Evil: This is an extremely good spell in a campaign featuring undead, fiends, or the types of creatures it protects against. It does take a concentration slot, which hurts its value. It gives the same benefit as a blur spell against the creatures it protects against without being obviated by Truesight, Blindsight, or any other means to see through illusion. It protects completely from any spell that applies the charmed or frightened condition. If you're fighting a Legendary Creature like a lich or demon lord that can shrug off most of what you cast at him, this can be an amazing defensive spell cast on your martial. You fight more powerful fiends and undead at higher level. It's use becomes more valuable as you fight more powerful enemies of the type it protects against.2. Dispel Magic: This spell is powerful in 5E. You can automatically dispel an effect of equal level or use a higher level slot to dispel a higher level spell automatically or use a lower level slot to try to dispel a higher level spell. This last use is incredibly powerful for an abjuration specialist because you can use a 3rd level slot to dispel an 8th or 9th level spell like mind blank or foresight for the cost of a 3rd level slot. If you have Portent, you can also use a high roll to dispel a higher level slot with a 3rd level spell. If you have an ability that gives Advantage or an Inspiration, you have a chance of dispelling a higher level slot with a 3rd level spell. You can get rid of spells like planar binding or mirror image automatically with no roll which ruins a costly component spell. Dispel Magic is as valuable to have as counterspell because there will be many occasions when you use your reaction for something like shield, lose your reaction to an opponent ability, or are going against a caster that has cast spells prior to entering battle. This spell allows you to eliminate their magical advantages.3. Magic Circle: This spell is essential to taking advantage of gate and planar binding later in level or for managing creatures you want to bind. If you plan to bring summoned allies with you later, you must take this spell at some point.4. wall of fire: And similar spells. These spells can be great in conjunction with knockback effects. A creature takes damage each time they enter the effect. If you cast it on them, they take damage. They run out, the fighter knocks them back into it and they take damage again. Or you thunderwave a group into it. You can make effective group use of spells of this kind. 5. Planar Binding: This spell confused me at first as well. What they did is make summoning more like traditional fictional summoning. You use this spell in conjunction with magic circle and some other summoning spell to trap a creature and bind it. It allows you to have summoned creatures without using concentration. If you have sufficient financial resources,  you can bring a small group of summoned creatures along on adventures or use them for specific encounters. Given the wizard's spell list versatility, it makes the wizard the best summoner of the arcane casters. It's not such a great spell at the level you get it at, but it can be quite powerful  in later levels when you have more cash and time to prepare. You can use a high level slot during your down time to summon and bind a powerful creature or three for months at a time. You do have to be concerned with opponents dispelling your creatures or banishing them, but you can counter some of these spells and casters are not nearly as common as they were in previous editions. If they do try to do get rid of your creatures, it still takes an action to do so that they can't spend destroying your party. This spell doesn't shine until higher level.Note: I love the new summoning rules. It is one of the new rules of 5E that sold me on the game. The new method for summoning and binding a powerful creature mirrors fiction much better than 3E or Pathfinder. It has a very traditional feel. The image of the wizard or witch creating a binding circle, summoning a creature, and forcing it to serve using a long, complicated ritual is pure traditional fantasy.6. Hold Monster or Hold Person: These spells can be quite powerful. Even a round of being held can increase damage output substantially since every hit by a creature within 5 feet of the target is a critical hit. This can be especially good for a rogue or paladin.7. Teleport: During downtime this is a spell you can use to make money if you have a DM willing to allow it. You should learn as many teleportation circle keys as possible to make yourself as valuable as possible. This is more of a role-playing element. I don't think it is a hard sell to a DM that being able to travel long distances nearly instantaneously  is a highly valuable service. Given how few wizards are truly capable of this, I would think your service would be valuable.8. Project Image: Treantmonk, if you do a cleric guide, look a the Trickery Domain. You sort of get this effect back. 9. Gate: Summoning effect must be used in conjunction with planar binding and magic circle to unlock its true power. This allows you to summon a big dog creature like a Goristro or a Yugoloth and bind it. This spell should become more valuable as they release more fiends and elementals. But you must do your research to find names of creatures or learn them in battle. It makes for cool role-play scenarios for buying the names of creatures that can be summoned.10. Power Word Kill: Automatically kill a demilich. Automatically kill a wounded Legendary Creature that can automatically save with Legendary Resistance. There is no defense against this spell. Nothing is immune. Get them within the hit point range and end them regardless of AC, saving throws, immunities, damage resistance, special abilities, or the like. I think it rates at least a purple, perhaps a blue. It is a great fight ender. 11. Weird and Phantasmal Killer: I think a bit better than brown. The save every round sucks as does the concentration. It does do 4d10 Psychic Damage (very few creatures have Psychic damage resistance) and applies the Frightened condition which gives Disadvantage on all attacks. Given the fear is in its mind, it can't get out of line of sight of the source of its fear. It will have disadvantage on attacks as long as it misses its save. It's like a reverse blur for the entire party that does damage. Even a few rounds of this spell can destroy an opponent and reduce damage against the party.</blockquote>

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