If you're melee Enlarge Person is a must. Get a greatsword and hack away those 3d6!
Yep, agreed. Enlarge Person or Shield, depending if you want offense or defense.
Grease. You can use it on a weapon to make your attack drop it. You can use it on the floor if they come after you. You can use it on yourself to escape a grapple. And if you're innovative you place it at the top of stairs or on a rope... Oh and let's not forget about setting grease on fire.
Prestidigitation isn't a 1st level spell.
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Grease. You can use it on a weapon to make your attack drop it. You can use it on the floor if they come after you. You can use it on yourself to escape a grapple. And if you're innovative you place it at the top of stairs or on a rope... Oh and let's not forget about setting grease on fire.
Grease doesn't burn. You're thinking of oil.
Grease is probably the best 1st level spell in the game, but I am going to vote Enlarge person here as well.
If you're subject to arcane spell failure, I'd go with True Strike or Feather Fall (since they have no somatic component). Since you're a lightly armored fighter, I'd go with True Strike; combined with the right combat maneuver, you can accomplish some neat tricks.
Grease. You can use it on a weapon to make your attack drop it. You can use it on the floor if they come after you. You can use it on yourself to escape a grapple. And if you're innovative you place it at the top of stairs or on a rope... Oh and let's not forget about setting grease on fire.Grease doesn't burn. You're thinking of oil.
Well, that part is largely dependent on the GM, and I've personally seen grease catch fire.
But yeah, true strike is probably way better for this particular character.
If you're subject to arcane spell failure, I'd go with True Strike or Feather Fall (since they have no somatic component). Since you're a lightly armored fighter, I'd go with True Strike; combined with the right combat maneuver, you can accomplish some neat tricks.
I forgot another useful spell with no somatic component: Liberating Command from Ultimate Combat (although it's better for high level casters, it's still decent at CL 1).
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Comprehend Languages. Core Book. 10 mins is plenty to have a short conversation or read a note.
Identify. Core Book. +10 to identify up to 3 items is pretty good.
Feather Fall. Core Book. Each casting gives you 60 feet of safe falling on an immediate action with only a verbal component. You can use it on someone or something else within 25 feet if you need to.
Any of these three are good but I'd personally chose feather fall.
Grease. Don't forget that moving through the area using acrobatics makes you flat-footed (no dex to armor, no AoO) and leaves you open to sneak attacks.
Also, casting grease on a mage's component pouch is sooo much fun.
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Thank you Captain Obvious. If I'm limited to only one spell EVER, that's still the one I'd take.
You may want to read the title of the thread before you start getting snaky with people.
Assuming you are in a party with a fighter type, Enlarge Person, if you're trying to solo, probably Mage Armor.
Comprehend Languages. Core Book. 10 mins is plenty to have a short conversation or read a note.
Only if Socail PC and hace skill to make it worth while Ie Diplomancy, Intimadte, and / or Bluff.
Identify is Detect magic with +10... Just cast Detect magic and Take 10... I never cast this or use this spell ever in 35 years of playing... It is waste of time.
Feather Fall. Core Book. Each casting gives you 60 feet of safe falling on an immediate action with only a verbal component. You can use it on someone or something else within 25 feet if you need to
+1 I like this one but, may not be ever used every day
True Strike alway good
let hit 3 time per day for sure 95% and let win most CMB check
Enlarge Person if Twohanded weapon type
Reduce Person if Range type
Shield if you two weapon type, Twohander type, Range type
Liberating Command will only give you a +2 so not worth it fails becase caster level
Grese save base DC makes it usefullness drops of at level 8 and will not be worth at all after level 12.
Protection form Evil this is my winner
This spell wards a creature from attacks by evil creatures, from mental control, and from summoned creatures. It creates a magical barrier around the subject at a distance of 1 foot. The barrier moves with the subject and has three major effects.
First, the subject gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saves. Both these bonuses apply against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures.
Second, the subject immediately receives another saving throw (if one was allowed to begin with) against any spells or effects that possess or exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment [charm] effects and enchantment [compulsion] effects, such as charm person, command, and dominate person. This saving throw is made with a +2 morale bonus, using the same DC as the original effect. If successful, such effects are suppressed for the duration of this spell. The effects resume when the duration of this spell expires. While under the effects of this spell, the target is immune to any new attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target. This spell does not expel a controlling life force (such as a ghost or spellcaster using magic jar), but it does prevent them from controlling the target. This second effect only functions against spells and effects created by evil creatures or objects, subject to GM discretion.
Third, the spell prevents bodily contact by evil summoned creatures. This causes the natural weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil if such attacks require touching the warded creature. Summoned creatures that are not evil are immune to this effect. The protection against contact by summoned creatures ends if the warded creature makes an attack against or tries to force the barrier against the blocked creature. Spell resistance can allow a creature to overcome this protection and touch the warded creature
Thank you Captain Obvious. If I'm limited to only one spell EVER, that's still the one I'd take.You may want to read the title of the thread before you start getting snaky with people.
Assuming you are in a party with a fighter type, Enlarge Person, if you're trying to solo, probably Mage Armor.
He did...
He's using the option to memorise a lower level spell in a higher spell slot:)
Grease. You can use it on a weapon to make your attack drop it. You can use it on the floor if they come after you. You can use it on yourself to escape a grapple. And if you're innovative you place it at the top of stairs or on a rope... Oh and let's not forget about setting grease on fire.Grease doesn't burn. You're thinking of oil.Well, that part is largely dependent on the GM, and I've personally seen grease catch fire.
But yeah, true strike is probably way better for this particular character.
Grease was combustible in 3.5. In Pathfinder no longer is
Grease was combustible in 3.5. In Pathfinder no longer isGrease. You can use it on a weapon to make your attack drop it. You can use it on the floor if they come after you. You can use it on yourself to escape a grapple. And if you're innovative you place it at the top of stairs or on a rope... Oh and let's not forget about setting grease on fire.Grease doesn't burn. You're thinking of oil.Well, that part is largely dependent on the GM, and I've personally seen grease catch fire.
But yeah, true strike is probably way better for this particular character.
Grease was Combustible since Gray Gyax said it in dragon magazine.
+1 to protection from evil
sleep, and deal with that group of goblins. Then slit their throats and loot the bodies!
I would probably vote for endure elements, protection from evil or true strike.
Most every thing else seems too level or ability dependent.
No one has mentioned Silent Image yet? I think this is far and away the best 1st level arcane spell in the game. It is certainly the most versatile.
Spells only do what they say they do (usually). Grease doesn't say it's flammable so I would rule it isn't. Allowing otherwise opens up a whole can of "but it doesn't say I can't/it doesn't do that" arguements.
At low levels, Sleep. Across all levels, True Strike.
Can it be possible that nobody has yet mentioned "expeditious retreat"? If you are a solidly built melee fighter already you should not really need to boost your melee damage or require a +20 for a certain hit.
But moving an additional 30' per round for an entire fight? OMG that's melee gold man.
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On the subject of Protection From Evil, although shielding you from mental control is okay, the +2 resistance bonus to saves won't stack with magic cloaks of resistance, and the +2 deflection bonus to AC won't stack with rings of protection.
As you get higher in level these cloaks and rings become quite common and go up to +5. If you have Prot/Evil then you have to choose between ignoring these items and staying with the +2 from the spell instead of a potential +5, or to get the items and make Prot/Evil largely redundant.
True Strike will always be useful. While Silent Image is very good and can remain so, it depends on whether or not you can use it in such a way that the baddies don't even try to disbelieve; if they try then the save DC will be too easy. Grease will have too easy a save at higher levels too.
Note that some of these suggestions are on the bard spell list, so he could take them normally.
Color Spray my friend. At low levels it is a game over effect for mobs. At higher levels its an AE stun for 1 round.
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Prestidigitation isn't a 1st level spell.Thank you Captain Obvious. If I'm limited to only one spell EVER, that's still the one I'd take.
If you open it up to any level, then Wish is the no-brainer. It's like having everything from cant rips to 8th level,all in one.
I like protection from evil. Buffs AC and saves, but also offers a mulligan to a buddy who's failed a disastrous save.
I'm still thinking shield, if you don't use one. Helps keep those nasty wraiths off you, too.
On the subject of Protection From Evil, although shielding you from mental control is okay, the +2 resistance bonus to saves won't stack with magic cloaks of resistance, and the +2 deflection bonus to AC won't stack with rings of protection.
As you get higher in level these cloaks and rings become quite common and go up to +5. If you have Prot/Evil then you have to choose between ignoring these items and staying with the +2 from the spell instead of a potential +5, or to get the items and make Prot/Evil largely redundant.
True Strike will always be useful. While Silent Image is very good and can remain so, it depends on whether or not you can use it in such a way that the baddies don't even try to disbelieve; if they try then the save DC will be too easy. Grease will have too easy a save at higher levels too.
True on the +2 Deflection and +2 resistance in home game where magic items are give out I am right with you... But this is for PFS guy where you have set amout of gold to spend and can not take items form game to game. Only what you buy and Ring of Prottection is 8K and cloack of resistance is 4K so that 12K of your wealth that can go some place else... Like stat items Belt of Physical Might or head band and still have the same AC and saves.
I'm still thinking shield, if you don't use one. Helps keep those nasty wraiths off you, too.
+4 AC with Shield vs Wraith or +2 AC and +2 vs the save to lose CON vs the same wraith...
I will still go with Protection form Evil
I'm still thinking shield, if you don't use one. Helps keep those nasty wraiths off you, too.+4 AC with Shield vs Wraith or +2 AC and +2 vs the save to lose CON vs the same wraith...
I will still go with Protection form Evil
Quite true. I guess it depends on whether or not you're always fighting evil. If not, shield works against everything. I'd have a better answer if I knew more about the character.
The issue with Shield is that a bard can already use shields; that makes Shield a decent choice, but not a great one IMO.
I'd go grease, its so versitile, even when it begins to become less useful at higher levels it can be used to give you a +10 bonus to CMD to escape from or avoid grapples for minutes per level! Thats amazing. At low levels its amazing because it can be used to prevent things charging you, make foes prone, control the battlefield, and its a versitile spell. One of my players in Serpents Skull just used it to give an NPC a +10 to escape his manacles, since it lasts a minute he got 10 chances and did get free.
At high levels, its still useful against clumsy foes, reflex saves are usually pretty poor for the big monsters, and since it has a good duration you can generally cast it in advance before encounters with big monsters that might try to grapple, grab, swallow, you, etc., and give yourself a huge boost - especially if you combine it with Liberating Command, ideally cast by someone else so you can avoid the concentration check.
If you aren't using a shield shield is pretty good, though AC tends to be less important at high levels unless you are really focused on it. Probably my second choice after grease, I probably would not use an action for it if already in combat.
Protection vs Evil is likely to be obsoleted by items, and will probably not be an everyday cast.
Silent Image is good, but there is too much variability in how DMs deal with it for my taste, this being especially relevant for PFS play. At high levels many things get abilities which will allow them to ignore it out of hand, and worse of all it requires concentration.
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Can it be possible that nobody has yet mentioned "expeditious retreat"? If you are a solidly built melee fighter already you should not really need to boost your melee damage or require a +20 for a certain hit.
But moving an additional 30' per round for an entire fight? OMG that's melee gold man.
If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have.
Most of these spells make great wands, which you can now use without UMD, especially the long lasting buffs like shield and mage armour. I'd suggest a spell you like with an immediate casting time, like feather fall, because when you need that spell, you usually need it yesterday, and you can't pull out a wand as an immediate action. Yes, you'll be able use it a max of five times per day, and how often does it come up, but when it does come up, it's usually a life saver.
The Character is a Dirge Bard with 1 level dip in crossbloded seeker sorc(yes they all stack) with fey/serpentine bloodline so he can use mind affecting on undead, monstrous humanoids, beasts, magical beasts, and gets SpFoc/GrSpFoc for free basically from the fey +2.
He also gets trapfinding as a rogue, +1 to disable device and perception to find traps, and dis device as a class skill. 3 cantrips (acid splash, disrupt undead, spark, since bards don't) and 1 1st level sorc/wiz spell that will never get to benefit from caster level higher than 1.
Shield was my main thought, but wanted to see if there were any other advice from books I don't have basically.
If you can use mind affecting spells on undead seriously go for color spray if it is not already on the bard list.
If you can use mind affecting spells on undead seriously go for color spray if it is not already on the bard list.
Ok, this is a slight detour here, but I'm trying to sort this exact issue out myself in another thread and I'm looking for more input.
Would Color Spray really work on undead with the Dirge Bard archetype? Sure, the Blind could get through just by virtue of allowing Mind Affecting effects, but could the undead be stunned or knocked unconscious because you treat them as living? I guess the main thrust of the question is, exactly which Undead Traits can be bypassed by this? Feel free to answer in the other thread rather than clogging this one up.
I am interested in this thread, though, as I might be looking for a similar cross-blooded dip in the future of my Dirge Bard--and some recommendations for good necromancy spells to steal.
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One advantage on casting Feather Fall yourself (rather than relying on a ring) is that you can 'HALO' down the cliff and cast it just before you hit the deck; your fall speed will instantly change to 10 feet/second, without having to worry about physics or whiplash or anything like that. If you wore the ring it would automatically activate if you fell more than 5 feet, exposing you to several rounds of missile/spell fire.
On the other hand, if you are knocked unconscious and then fall....!
One advantage on casting Feather Fall yourself (rather than relying on a ring) is that you can 'HALO' down the cliff and cast it just before you hit the deck; your fall speed will instantly change to 10 feet/second, without having to worry about physics or whiplash or anything like that.
The real advantage to knowing the spell Feather Fall (vs. having a ring) is that you can cast it on other people, too.