What's the most USELESS Wizard Spell?

[Shard O'Glase]

I've got good news for you Shard. I play a conjurer so I have studied the erratas for SM I-IX very carefully. There are to things one must remember when summoning monsters:

1) Use Haste. For some strange reason the extra partial action granted by haste can be used to finish a sm-spell and make the monster appear in the same round you begin casting it. The Sage says so, anyway. Makes sense in a wierd way; haste is a good spell for all, not just everybody but conjurers.

2) The Sage says that casting a full round spell is like loading and firing a shotgun. In the first round you decide what ammo to use, i.e. which monster to summon. In the second round you target and fire, i.e. you place your newly summoned monster on the mat wherever you like (whithin 30', of course.)

If you don't believe me then... well, that's your problem isn't it?

The number 2 one I was unaware of. The rules say must make targeting decisions when casting the spell, which really weakens any one round or longet casting time spell. With the sages modification it helps the summon spells a lot. The haste thing I knew and think is cool.

The big problem is they lose their combat punch really quickly, the mid to higher level ones stay useful though. The main use for me is still utility you can get a whole passel of abilities out of these things. I guess my complaint isn't that they suck, but that they don't do what I want them to do. I want to summon things to destroy my enemies, and these just don't do that. I wish there was a summon combat monster spell or something.

 

[kenjib]

Would anyone care to continue this little exercise?

From the SRD:

Dream
Illusion (Phantasm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Unlimited
Target: One living creature touched
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

The character, or a messenger touched by the character, sends a phantasmal message to others in the form of a dream. At the beginning of
the spell, the character must name the recipient or identify him by some title that leaves no doubt as to his identity. The messenger then
enters a trance, appears in the intended recipient’s dream, and delivers the message. The message can be of any length, and the recipient
remembers it perfectly upon waking.

The communication is one-way. The recipient cannot ask questions or offer information, nor can the messenger gain any information by
observing the dreams of the recipient. Once the message is delivered, the messenger’s mind returns instantly to her body. The duration of the
spell is the time required for the messenger to enter the recipient’s dream and deliver the message.

If the recipient is awake when the spell begins, the messenger can choose to wake up (ending the spell) or remain in the trance. She can
remain in the trance until the recipient goes to sleep, then enter the recipient’s dream and deliver the message as normal. If the messenger is
disturbed during the trance, she awakens, and the spell ends.

Creatures who don’t sleep or dream (such as elves, but not half-elves) cannot be contacted by this spell.

The messenger is unaware of her own surroundings or the activities around her while in the trance. She is defenseless, both physically and
mentally (she always fails any saving throw, for example) while in the trance.

1. Contact a local ruler, who you can identify because of his high profile, but who does not know you. Feed him the results of a divination or communion spell that you cast earlier to discover something about his future. Continue to do this at a regular interval, such as once a week. Once you have spent some time giving reliable information and firmly established yourself as a "guiding dream spirit" for the person, start to subtly twist, filter, and manipulate the information you give him so that he starts to do the things you want him to do. Unlike targets of Dominate Person (same level spell for wiz/src), he has no magical aura to show that he is being influenced. It may also be cast at any range, even interplanar, making it possible to cast it on high ranking officials who are hard to gain audience with, let alone the freedom to cast spells near them while in the presence of guards. Furthermore, you could even use summon monster (since the dream can be sent by someone you touch) to summon a celestial being to deliver the message, giving the message seemingly great divine significance.

2. Cast nightmare repeatedly on a subject every night. Randomly intersperse this with castings of dream to relay warnings and threats to a person to manipulate their behavior with threats of more nightmares. This works even better if used in conjunction with a summon monster spell to have a fiendish being deliver the message, who can also feed misinformation in such a way that you are never suspected as the originator of the spell and yet you reap all of the benefits of the resulting extortion.

I'll be seeing you in your dreams. Sleep tight!

 

[Ciaran]

Re: Re: Re: All for one, and one for all!

The only use for Gust of Wind it for a sailing ship. Then it might become a pretty useful spell!

Good thought, but the spell only lasts for one round. That's six seconds of wind... not even enough time for a boat to start moving at a good clip before the wind dies down again. You'd need a spell with a longer duration to do any good in that respect.

- Eric

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Re: Re: Re: Re: All for one, and one for all!

Good thought, but the spell only lasts for one round. That's six seconds of wind... not even enough time for a boat to start moving at a good clip before the wind dies down again. You'd need a spell with a longer duration to do any good in that respect.

The problem with Gust of Wind is not that there are no conceivable uses for the spell. The problem is the combination of a modest effect, very narrow AoE, and short duration make it ridiculously underpowered for a 3rd level spell. It is just not a spell you would ever memorize, although you might put it on a scroll.

If it were a cone it would make a decent 2nd level spell. 10'x10' column only makes sense for a dungeon.

When Gust of Wind is actually used in real life play, it is to take a piece off of a Prismatic Sphere or Wall 99+% of the time.

 

[KoboldKaizer128]

Erase is useless. Don't even need a spell for that one. All those spells like "Freedom", "Temporal Stasis" and "Imprisonment" seem to have no use whatsoever, other spells could do it faster. However, the worst spell is Foresight. Mage Armour is better! In my campaign, Foresight gives automatic Reflex Saves, makes you unhittable by weapons unless the person has True Strike, and lasts for 1 round/ 2 levels. I say it's better this way.

 

[Ciaran]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: All for one, and one for all!

The problem with Gust of Wind is not that there are no conceivable uses for the spell. The problem is the combination of a modest effect, very narrow AoE, and short duration make it ridiculously underpowered for a 3rd level spell. It is just not a spell you would ever memorize, although you might put it on a scroll.

If it were a cone it would make a decent 2nd level spell. 10'x10' column only makes sense for a dungeon.

Very well put. I agree with you 100%, especially on the dungeon part. Where else will a 10-foot-wide wind effect really have that much of an impact?

It might even be a halfway decent 2nd level spell as is, though I'd look askance unless it were upgraded in some way, such as with your suggested Cone area of effect. Continuing to present it as a 3rd level spell in its current state is ludicrous.

- Eric

 

[Ciaran]

Erase is useless. Don't even need a spell for that one.

Erase may be pretty useless in a combat-oriented game, but it's atrociously valuable in combination with the Forgery skill. Imagine getting hold of a document with the King's seal, erasing the contents, and writing in whatever you want above the seal, like a draft on the royal treasury for ten thousand gold pieces...

- Eric

 

[Henry@home]

Ciaran, now THAT is using much-vaunted vertical thinking! Anyone else have any ideas to make an Erase spell useful?

As for Gust of wind, maybe I'm failing my own test, but I do agree it does have limited uses for a 3rd level spell. As a second level spell, I agree it has much potential. I've already posted one use for it - does anyone have any others?

BTW, kenjib - you are one nasty, nasty little man.

 

[Number47]

I suppose gust of wind could be made more useful with Grease. Hmm...I think that Grease might be the better spell in the first place, and it's only first level!

 

[Ravellion]

We always used Erase as a way to make room in a captured spellbook (no need to double up on spells now is there?)

Rav