D&D 3E/3.5 Which 3.5 spells aren't improvements

[Stalker0]

I feel like shield was an over-reaction. Players were like "ooh... 7 is such a big number!" But it's a one-fight wonder and was easily circumvented.

So yeah, I'll tack on shield.

I agree, shield feels like a waste now. On the one hand my wizard needs the ac, on the other using a round to cast that thing just never feels worth it.

I'm mixed about the darkness change. While I agree with others it doesn't feel like darkness, it is so so much easier to dm now. I was damn tired of saying you move at half speed through this area but now can move normal speed, you can see this guy but not that guy, etc.

 

[Thanee]

Shield still has an 'unusual' bonus type for a wizard. Bracers of armor give armor bonus and therefore do not stack with Mage Armor, but with Shield.

Bye
Thanee

 

[jessemock]

I think you're missing something here. Polymorph combines the beneficial effects of the old Polymorph Self and Polymorph Other - it can be used on any willing target. Baleful Polymorph now has all of the offensive uses of Polymorph Other.

You mean that, if a crowd of hobgoblins are charging up some rickety scaffolding, I can use Baleful to turn the lead guy into a walrus?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Shield still has its good points - negates magic missile attacks, which are real threats to wizards facing other wizards (in fact it is pretty much the only guaranteed spell counter to magic missiles in common use for wizards)

Also it makes much more sense that the shield spell gives all round protection rather than introduce facing into a system that basically doesn't have facing (not an issue if you are going to use facing, of course).

Cheers

 

[Kae'Yoss]

You mean that, if a crowd of hobgoblins are charging up some rickety scaffolding, I can use Baleful to turn the lead guy into a walrus?

Can only be small or smaller afaik, and he gets a bonus on his save when the new form couldn't survive here. And when he fails the save, he must make a will save or become a rabbit/mouse/whatever in spirit as well as in shape.

 

[Psion]

Also it makes much more sense that the shield spell gives all round protection rather than introduce facing into a system that basically doesn't have facing (not an issue if you are going to use facing, of course).

How so? There is no facing because the presumption is that you can change your facing at will. Not so with the shield's facing.

That is such a non-issue to me. (That you can't represent "half coverage" well on a grid is a bigger bugbear, but still not enough to bother me.)

 

[Thanee]

I guess the reason for doing away with the facing stuff is more for ease of play and to avoid silly situations, where people guess about what side the shield might be on (or metagaming issues).

The AC bonus was a bit much at +7, so toning that down a bit seems appropriate.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Plane Sailing]

How so? There is no facing because the presumption is that you can change your facing at will. Not so with the shield's facing.

That is such a non-issue to me. (That you can't represent "half coverage" well on a grid is a bigger bugbear, but still not enough to bother me.)

Sorry, what I mean is this:

In 3e you had to worry about the shields facing (since it could only protect you from "half the battlefield" at one time, and if you got flanked it was only useful against one attacker). Things were even worse if you were only allowed to change its plane of protection on your own initiative!

Now in 3.5e you just cast the shield spell and it gives you +4 shield bonus against all comers. Much more useful, can't be bypassed and no pesky positioning on battlemaps to contend with.

Cheers

 

[drnuncheon]

Improved Invisibility is and has always been a combat spell - if you don't want to attack someone, invisibility is enough, no need for the 4th-level spell.

Unless your primary spellcaster is a sorcerer, in which case he's not likely to have both.

J

 

[Darklone]

Shield 3.0 got several PCs killed when enemies sidestepped the shield.

I like 3.5 shield much more.