You're a 3.5 Enchanter. What are your opposed schools?

[ForceUser]

What would you choose? I'm developing a concept for an enchanter, and I'm having a hard time giving up schools!

Abjuration--No sane wizard gives this up.

Conjuration--Who doesn't want dimension door or teleport?

Divination--Not an option.

Evocation--I find this the easiest to give up. An enchanter is a subtle spellcaster anyway; conceptually, not having evocation fits right in. That's one.

Illusion--What sane wizard gives up invisibility?

Necromancy--Arguably the second opposed school, except...false life. And much later, astral projection, easily the most useful high level spell when planar adventures become the norm. Astral projection is the difference between a party wipe on the 666th layer of the Abyss, and a mere defeat. So this is tough to give away.

Transmutation--Haste. Slow. Fly. Shapechange. Giving this school up would hurt, but it's a possibility. I guess.

What would you choose?

 

[Crothian]

Evocation and Illusion

 

[MacMathan]

It depends if you are the only arcane caster. If you are the solo then I agree with Illusion and Evocation(it has been usurped by Conj. anyway..grumblegrumble). If you are not then I would choose illusion and necromancy and let someone else handle the astral at high level.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

Easy choices: Evocation & Necromancy.

Who needs nukes when you can dominate a convenient foe.
Who need undead when you can dominate a convenient anyone.

 

[Raloc]

Use the 3e specialization rules. Teleport is so not Conjuration.

 

[Corsair]

Easy choices: Evocation & Necromancy.

Who needs nukes when you can dominate a convenient foe.
Who need undead when you can dominate a convenient anyone.

Agreed. Conjuration and transmutation easily make up for anything Evocation or Necromancy bring to the table, and since you're likely not much of a combat caster anyways, it shouldn't matter a lot.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Abjuration--No sane wizard gives this up.

I gave up abjuration for a necromancer I played up to 11th level and didn't have any major problems. We seldom faced casters (and those we did had very high caster levels) so Dispel Magic was irrelevant. Wouldn't have had Antimagic Field long and never really needed it anyway. The one spell that would've been really useful was Stoneskin.

I feel Evocation is important for Fireball. Conjuration can't really do area kill. Well okay, there's Cloudkill but what do you do from 5th to 8th level? Wall of Force is a fantastic spell too. I think Necromancy's the easiest school to give up as there's really nothing essential there. Not familiar with the uses of Astral Spell though as I've never played up that high.

 

[beaver1024]

I would say Illusion and Necromancy.

Illusion is easy to get rid of. Invisibiliy is nerfed into uselessness nowadays. Too many things counter it and it last such a short time as to be mostly useless for mages anyhow. Most of all True Seeing and Blindsight counters pretty much the whole school.

Similarly with Necromancy a low level spell like Deathward pretty much counters the whole school.

Conjuration hasn't usurped everything from Evocation yet. There's still force effects, walls, contigency and a few other things that is unique to Evocation. As an enchanter you'll need all the flexibility that Conjuration and Evocation can bring.

 

[DaveStebbins]

I would also vote for evocation and illusion. Evocation is just a school I like to leave out. It feels very D&Dish and , if I'm playing an enchanter, I want my arcane caster to have to think and strategize more. Illusion is easy to lose because, except for invisibility, most of the spells are similar to enchantments, requiring will saves. So creatures which will be vulnerable to illusions will also be vulnerable to the caster's more powerful enchantment spells. And if a creature is immune to the enchanter's specialty spells, chances are it is immune to illusions also, so that's just another school's worth of spells you can't use in that situation.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Easy choices: Evocation & Necromancy.

Who needs nukes when you can dominate a convenient foe.
Who need undead when you can dominate a convenient anyone.

^
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Yup

Evocation is overrated. You'll have a hard time roleplaying an echanter/necromancer anyway, so why bother? The only reason why necromancers study enchantment is because its hard to meet nice girls when you're an evil wizard who traffics with fallen souls.