I dont know about you but I see alot of spells that are not equaly appreciated. The biggest for me is Time Stop, ya' know, when did you last see a dragon with the spell like ability of time stop, yeah you cant attack but you can set up all sorts of mischief for your foes. My favorite cpgn envolving it was one with arctaris when he cast time stop and set up 4 spheres of ultimate distruction, and sent his construct familiar murcurial spider into the brain of my ( I was DM ) Pyrolastic dragon via the ear canal, which I could not find a good/logical idea to stop him and ended up killing the dragon from the inside out as soon as the spell effect was over. HOW ANNOYING.
What are some under estimated spells in your openion?
That was a fun campaign. I think the mercurial spider was my favorite part. Good times.
By the way, does your internet browser have a spell checker?
oooo I *love* time stop - I am going to be DMing a collosal red dragon and he is going to have time stop on his spell list... breathe fire, PC's react, time stop, wait for it, wait for it, PC's react, breathe again ... rinse and repeat till protection from fire is out or the party is dead.
AH I am looking forward to testing that out.
Don't forget casting delayed blast fireball repeatedly while waiting for breath recharge.
in my experience Time Stop is neither under estimated, nor under appreciated.
Underestimated spell?
Shrink Item!
Just put some trinket in a room, something that looks valuable and they're definately going to put in their backpack, and then laugh your ass off when the players come up to the wizard, who claps his hands and transforms the 'trinket' into a 16ft tall, thousands of pounds statue, while still in your backpack.
And don't forget the massive slingbullet, shrunk down to regular size. Wizards readies to drop the spell, Fighter slings the stone. *splat*
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I had a player choose an unusual avian race for a dungeon crawl. No problem, I thought. They hacked and slashed their way through a couple of rooms, making plenty of noise, and they discovered the bandits liked to throw things at the party, particularly alchemist's fire. At the next door, the avian stops and prepares a Gust of Wind. The rogue opens the door, flasks fly at them, flasks fly back at surprised bandits, and the rogue shuts the door again for a minute to allow the fire to burn down.
Gust of Wind works against medium to fine creatures with some effectiveness. It's also easy to keep swarms at bay, if you don't count them as a single large creature. And as mentioned, it makes incoming ranged attacks pretty ineffectual.
in my experience Time Stop is neither under estimated, nor under appreciated.
I got to agree. Reminds me of the Fighter vs. Wizard thread that was popular a couple of weeks ago. I think time stop was the first spell mentioned as being the one the wizard should open with and I don't recall anyone disagreeing with that sentiment over the course of a fairly long thread.
Sorry, a 9th level spell can't qualify as "underestimated." You've spent 17 levels trying to learn how to do it. It's got to kick ass. Tell me a cool use for a low-level spell instead.
I don’t know if Tensor’s Floating Disc is still available in 3.x, but my wife managed to really twist it into something unusual. The group (fairly low level – about 3rd-4th level) was having real trouble with an entire tribe of Kobolds that was in their way. They were out numbered and couldn’t bull their way through, and negotiations were just right out. So--- the party managed to rill a hole in a separating wall near a corner the group couldn’t get around, the cleric used Create Water to the max and created a large pool of water just around the corner. The Kobolds went nuts, thinking it was an attack and ended up getting all wet. Then, we had a flurry of action. The water was transmuted to oil. A Molotov cocktail was placed on Tensor’s disk and sent around the corner. As soon as the disc got out of the mage’s view it dissipated, dropped the lit oil, and set all the Kobolds on fire. Problem solved. It was truly unique; I’ll never forget it.
So, under estimated spells aye?
Unseen Servant
A great first level spell, not to mention it still rocks at high levels as a good trap-soaker, and can help you scout, and if I'm not incorrect it allows you to even pick up some light objects... Yep, it's a spell to be under estimated with a look through, but it's usefulness is most impressive.
Your friend,
Sir Smashes Alot
I was just about to echo Peruhain's sentiments about 9th level spells qualifying as "under estimated".
Belker Claws.
I don’t know if Tensor’s Floating Disc is still available in 3.x,
It is... But it might not be as good for your wife.
It is no longer controllable like that. It can only follow the caster, unless the caster gets too far ahead of it (in which case it hovers). No more riding on a Floating Disc for the caster. :-(
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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in my experience Time Stop is neither under estimated, nor under appreciated.I got to agree. Reminds me of the Fighter vs. Wizard thread that was popular a couple of weeks ago. I think time stop was the first spell mentioned as being the one the wizard should open with and I don't recall anyone disagreeing with that sentiment over the course of a fairly long thread.
Agreed. Time Stop is widely known as the most powerful spell in the game after Wish (and possibly before Wish). I can't say anyone underestimates it.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Agreed. Time Stop is widely known as the most powerful spell in the game after Wish (and possibly before Wish). I can't say anyone underestimates it.in my experience Time Stop is neither under estimated, nor under appreciated.I got to agree. Reminds me of the Fighter vs. Wizard thread that was popular a couple of weeks ago. I think time stop was the first spell mentioned as being the one the wizard should open with and I don't recall anyone disagreeing with that sentiment over the course of a fairly long thread.
Eh. Shapechange owns both of them, in the hands of a clever player. Shapchange is like having unlimited spells. I would rate Time stop as better (though less versatile) than wish. Wish has nearly unmatched versatility, but is weak compared to miracle due to the unavoidable xp cost.
I pretty much play a wizard, um...all the time, yes I know, broaden my horizons, try new things etc. etc. I am, however the only one in our party willing to have all fifty thousand books open in front of me at one time, I've got it down now.
A few spells I continue to have pretty good luck with, even now at my higher level. Truestrike, very appreciated by our archer, falselife, I'm a wizard, my hit points reflect that, and spell vulnerability. Mage armor is another good one, I don't think it's unappreciated, as much as it is taken for granted.
Now, where the heck is the spell check on this thing.
I don’t know if Tensor’s Floating Disc is still available in 3.x,It is... But it might not be as good for your wife.
It is no longer controllable like that. It can only follow the caster, unless the caster gets too far ahead of it (in which case it hovers). No more riding on a Floating Disc for the caster. :-(
Sure you can: (from SRD)
"It can hold 100 pounds of weight per caster level." and "If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you."So if you direct it, you can control it's movement. Hop on and control away I'd say.
As an NPC spell, Magic Aura is underestimated. It can keep low-level PC busy for hours trying to figure out how to undo the 'illusion' or deal with the obvisious 'trap'
Truestrike, very appreciated by our archer,I was under the impression this had a personal range. Unless you're implying the archer liked having another party member around with accurate ranged attacks of their own.
You're right, my bad, I actually had to go dig out my character's spell list to see what the heck I was thinking of. That's what I get for trying to think logically while kids are dancing around me.
The one I was thinking about for our archer is the new Targeting ray.I find that with most of my spells having a twenty foot radius, accuracy is never really a problem ;)
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One spell I use to great effect and which characters tend to ignore is Leo's Tiny Hut (Leo is the half brother of that other, non-OGL guy). Tiny Hut is an outstanding spell I believe is underutilized in favor of the flashier 3rd level spells. It provides:
- total concealment allowing the caster inside a 40' diamter spherical shell to hide in, cast spells, buff others and move around
- protection from wind, rain and temerature extremes - be they natural or magical in nature
- provides light and warmth without the need of a campfire
- lasts 2hrs/level, making it a viable overnight shelter as soon as it becomes available (5th level mage).
- the exterior shell can be any colored desired, allowing the mage to camouflage his entire party for "hidden" camping
But the real utility of this spell is when the mage brings this up during battle. With one spell, he is unable to be struck by magic missles, archers, and those attempting to use lightning bolt, acid arrow or other aimed effects must guess his location in a large volume of space to hit him, he is immune to gust of wind and other weather-based spells and (perhaps - up to DM) glitterdust spells or similar effects. And if that mage is flying or levitating, he can make the hut the color of the sky, making it hard indeed for enemies to spot him and providing a perch from which he can launch attacks or spy for long periods of time without invisibility. If he has a familiar, he can choose the spell to affect the familiar instead, creating a second, diversionary hut 20ft from his location or create a hut that he can enter and leave at will as long as the familiar holds its ground.
Tiny Hut only gets better when it is combined with a Leo's Secure Shelter. The Shelter fits within the Tiny Hut, has the same duration and the two work in tandem to provide a hidden fortress for camping. If the wizard has time to prepare and a bit of room, he can cast Secure Shelter even underground, surround it with a Tiny Hut, and have the place serve as a redoubt against whatever the rogue can lure back into the location. A wand of Tiny Hut is incredibly useful, ensuring the wizard always has this clever means of protection at his disposal.
Shatter
So useful in sooooo many situations.
Explosive Runes
One of my favorite spells...it's never failed. Literally a party has NEVER seen this coming once. They always just blow up.
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Shatter
So useful in sooooo many situations.
*smacks his forehead* I knew there was another one I found useful. Shatter is terribly underrated.
Alternatively, you can target shatter against a single solid object, regardless of composition, weighing up to 10 pounds per caster level.
I have had casters sunder masts of ships (he was high level), tear sails apart, crush doors, stave in the sides of small boats, sunder bridge supports, shatter wagon wheels, destroy ropes and all sorts of other nastiness.
Grease.
Even if a creature consistently makes its save to avoid falling, it has to Balance check if it wants to move; a moving creature is therefore always flat-footed in the area of a grease spell.
Grease.
Even if a creature consistently makes its save to avoid falling, it has to Balance check if it wants to move; a moving creature is therefore always flat-footed in the area of a grease spell.
Ah yes! (rubbing hands together gleefully) Thank you so much! We are just starting Savage Tide, I believe I can have fun with that one.
Sure you can: (from SRD)
"It can hold 100 pounds of weight per caster level." and "If not otherwise directed, it maintains a constant interval of 5 feet between itself and you."So if you direct it, you can control it's movement. Hop on and control away I'd say.
You know... I never looked at it that way. I always took that to mean "if you don't tell it to 'stay,' it follows you like a puppy."
So I am looking back over the spell, trying to see it from two points of view:
1) How can I argue that a caster can remotely control the disk,
and
2) How can I argue that a caster can't remotely control the disk.
And I am finding that the writing isn't horribly clear either way. Flaming Sphere is clear. Floating Disk, not so much.
So I am going to file it under "things I would love to read the author's original intention of," and expect to see either ruling in he future.
Thank you for pointing out another perspective for the description.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Grease.
Even if a creature consistently makes its save to avoid falling, it has to Balance check if it wants to move; a moving creature is therefore always flat-footed in the area of a grease spell.
Unless you have 5 or more ranks of Balance. Which is a good reason to have such.