What School would you NEVER ban?

[Kae'Yoss]

Your average specialist wizard has to ban one or more schools of magic, which he cannot cast at all. While some stuff won't work with your charakter konzept anyway, there are things you don't want to miss. What would you never miss, even if it means going generalist?

 

[Sixchan]

BOOM! PAZOW! CRASH! PFWHW! ZAP!

Evocation all the way. I'm just too much like Tim.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

There really should be an option to choose more than one school.

A wizard can live without most schools but if you ask me, a wizard who chooses to lose either Abjuration or Transmutation (the one I ended up choosing) is either stupid or suicidal. Transmutation has lots of essential spells: Magic Weapon, all of the stat buffing spells, Haste, Slow, Greater Magic Weapon, polymorph self and other, Mass Haste, Teleport, and Time Stop. A wizard without any of those capabilities isn't really a D&D wizard.

Losing Abjuration would be almost as bad. Shield is very important. Dispel Magic and Greater Dispelling are essential past 6th level. Stoneskin is handy (although you could do without it) and Mind Blank is a spell every 15th level wizard ought to have running 24/7.

 

[hammymchamham]

I'm just too much like Tim.

My first evoker was named Tim and only casted Fire spells (or substituted fire spells)

 

[Someone]

I agree with E.B. Abjuration is needed to survive, and Transmutation is too powerfull and versatile. I voted Abjuration, though.

 

[shilsen]

As Elder Basilisk said. I chose Transmutation just because it has greater volume over Abjuration, but each is a school I'd never consider dropping.

 

[gamecat]

BLANG-BAM-FIREWORKS-MAGIC-GUY-SUPER-EXCELLENT!!!

Given that the primary class feature of arcanists is firepower, the loss of evocation is a hamstring.

I couldn't consider a character without abjuration or transmutation, either.

 

[AuraSeer]

FWACKOOM!
neeeem zap zot FWACKOOM!

Me likes the 'sploding.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I vote Abjuration (Protection from Elements is a life saver), but Illusion and Transmutation are really good for defense. Illusion is more powerful, but special senses go right through it.

Hold Monster is a really cool spell, but most Enchantment spells have size and type restrictions.

You could go without Evocations - Conjurations (Flame Arrow, Summon Monster, etc) can take its place.

 

[RigaMortus]

I voted Abjuration... What can I say, I likes da Shield =)

I could easily see banning Conjuration or Evocation, as long as you have Illusion spells you can mimic them with "Shadow Conjuration" and "Shadow Evocation" if there is a certain spell in those classes you REALLY need to have...