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So, in the Beta, as the progress wizards get to have a spell they can always cast once per day (or else drop a level and cast it twice per day), other than the first level spell (twice per day) and fourth level (replaced by other power).
These spells should, as they can't be changed (so even worse than for sorcerers, although this is clearly a bonus over 3.5), scale well. What spells do people think would be good choices? They shouldn't get lame as the saves don't rise fast enough and shouldn't be capped so low that the effect becomes worthless. One could go with utility spells, but that would mean that the extra spells aren't that cool at the time that you get them, when they could be really handy in a fight.
For first level, I was thinking that Grease might actually be alright, given that balancing creatures are flat-footed, which is good for rogues (as per another thread I have asked, I don't see that the exception in 3.5 for creatures with over 5 ranks in balance has made it into the new acrobatics description). Ray of enfeeblement avoids the problem of save DCs being too low by not allowing one, although it's capped at 1d6+5 Str loss (which isn't much fun as that means an average of 4 loss to AB plus the same knock on damage). True Strike never gets old, either.
Second level? I guess Invisibility is always worth having, although even the nerfed Glitterdust always makes invisible creatures' locations visible even if there's no stun (and there's no SR).
Third level: haste is always nice. Ray of exhaustion causes fatigue even on a successful save (and I guess that another Ray would assure exhaustion, therefore, as per the spell description). Protection from Energy caps at 10th level, alas. Displacement is a 50% miss chance for any enemy that isn't True Seeing, which is pretty cool. Phantom Steed gets better and better and can eventually fly at 240' per round...;
I haven't really got any further than this. And maybe I missed a discussion when the playtest was on.
I'd agree with your assessment so far.
I can tell you what my Barb/Transmuter took:
1st: Enlarge Person - useful until such time as a permanent version in item form is found/made (which is out of core). Also can be used on allies, and offensively vs. casters/archers.
2nd: Spider Climb - most fly items are limited use, and sometimes spider climbing is better (no Fly checks after all). Definitely not Bull's Strength, etc.
3rd: Haste - fo schnizzle :)
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Long term buffs are also good. Things like False Life, Stoneskin, protection from arrows, see invisibility, mind blank, etc. Pretty much anything with a duration of 1 hr/level or 10 min/level that you'd want up during your main adventuring day.
Other good choices are spells that you're just pretty sure you'll need most days, that don't target enemies directly, and therefore don't provide SR or saves. Greater dispel magic, dimension door, teleport(greater), telekinesis, wall of force/stone/iron, etc.
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Long term buffs are also good. Things like False Life, Stoneskin, protection from arrows, see invisibility, mind blank, etc. Pretty much anything with a duration of 1 hr/level or 10 min/level that you'd want up during your main adventuring day.
Other good choices are spells that you're just pretty sure you'll need most days, that don't target enemies directly, and therefore don't provide SR or saves. Greater dispel magic, dimension door, teleport(greater), telekinesis, wall of force/stone/iron, etc.
I did think a little about the longer-duration buffs -- mage armour, say -- but it seems to me that at least in some cases, low-level scrolls are just as good most of the time, particularly now that there's no xp cost for making scrolls.
Don't forget those scrolls still cost you, you'll need multiple scrolls to get through the day (unless you scribe them at higher level which costs more) and if you do scribe them at low level then they'll be easier to dispell too.
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Don't forget those scrolls still cost you, you'll need multiple scrolls to get through the day (unless you scribe them at higher level which costs more) and if you do scribe them at low level then they'll be easier to dispell too.
If you're, say, 5th level, each active day of adventuring is probably netting sufficient money that the cost of scribing a 1st level Mage Armour scroll isn't that big a deal. Just make a bunch of them and use them appropriately.
That's what I've found, anyhow, that a bunch of these spells work better as scrolls precisely because you can cast them out of combat and ahead of time, which you can do because they are long-lived.
I see there is a double-post of this; I've just cut-paste my reply to that post (and erased from there).
Well, first of all, I truly, truly, truly, truly hope that Universalists would not get any bonus spells (only Specialists). Their powers are already extremely good (perhaps TOO good), plus they never had bonus spells before, so I think that giving them 1) the best powers (IMHO), 2) bonus spells, 3) bonus spells that can be chosen from ANY school, is simply too powerful.
After said that...
1st level) Protection from XXX for Abjuration (almost cheesy ! no mental control while under effect ???), Shield for Abjuration (shield bonus plus no Magic Missile? count me in !), True Strike for Divination (+20 to 1 hit, no concealment), Magic Missile for Evocation (always trustworthy, Force damage), Color Spray for Illusion (a 1-round stun is very good), Ray of Enfeeblement for Necromancy (an average penalty of -8 to Strength at 10th level is a -4 to hit and damage !); for other schools, no preferences
So, in the Beta, as the progress wizards get to have a spell they can always cast once per day (or else drop a level and cast it twice per day), other than the first level spell (twice per day) and fourth level (replaced by other power).
Actually, it's once per day for every 2 caster (or rather, Wizard) levels, so at 10th level you would have 5 times such bonus spell per day.
2nd level) Acid Arrow or Glitterdust for Conjuration (reliable damage or blindness and no invisibility? hard choice), See Invisibility for Divination (without a doubt), Hideous Laughter for Enchantment (almost more powerful than Hold Person, since it lasts until the end), Scorching Ray for Evocation (on a single target, it outshines Fireball), hard choice for Illusion - Blur, Invisibility, Mirror Image (all of them are good); for other schools, no preferences
3rd level) Dispel Magic for Abjuration, Stinking Cloud for Conjuration, Fireball for Evocation (a must !, otherwise, Lightning Bolt), Displacement for Illusion (50% miss chance? count me in!), Vampiric Touch for Necromancy (no ST and temporary hit points are a good combo...), Transmutation has more options - Haste, Slow, Gaseous Form, or Fly (but Fly is really good); for other schools, no preferences
4th level (since you can swap the choice for higher levels)) Stoneskin for Abjuration, hard choice for Conjuration - Dimension Door (for escaping) or Black Tentacles (for damage and area control), Confusion for Enchantment, Greater Invisibility for Illusion (without a doubt !), Enervation for Necromancy (!!!!); for other schools, no preferences
5th level) Dismissal for Abjuration, Conjuration faces another hard choice - Teleport (for movement) or Cloudkill (damage and area control), Hold Monster for Enchantment (but Dominate Person is a close second...), Wall of Force for Evocation (Cone of Cold is a classic, but this is way better); for other schools, no preferences
(this is actually good... some schools have better choices at 4th level, so it could be worth to swap the choice of 1 5th level spell for 2 4th level spells)
6th level) Greater Dispel Magic for Abjuration, Conjuration yet ANOTHER hard choice - Acid Fog (damage and area control... I repeat myself, I see...) or Planar Binding (utility spell, plus most 12 HD creatures are POWERFUL - especially thanks to their Spell-like abilities...), True Seeing for Divination (hands down !!!), Chain Lightning for Evocation (area damaging spell which do not harms your friends), Mislead for Illusion (Greater Invisibility + decoy = good), Disintegrate for Transmutation; for other schools, no preferences
7th level) Abjuration faces a hard choice - Banishment or Spell Turning, Greater Teleport for Conjuration (no excuses !), Evocation has to choose among Delayed Blast Fireball (a must), Forcecage (or, how to put a Fighter out of battle in 6 seconds) or Prismatic Spray (good powers), Finger of Death for Necromancy (the big gun); for other schools, no preferences *
8th level) Mind Blank for Abjuration (even toned down, it's still a good spell), Maze for Conjuration (bye-bye !!!), Discern Location for Divination (no comment on this... too powerful), Irresistible Dance for Enchantment, Horrid Wilting for Necromancy (a must); for other schools, no preferences
9th level) uhmm... any of them ? but seriously, Abjuration has a hard choice among Freedom, Imprisonment or Prismatic Sphere, Gate for Conjuration (hands down !!!), Meteor Swarm for Evocation (but Crushing Hand is very good, too), Wail of the Banshee for Necromancy (no kidding), Time Stop for Transmutation; for other schools, no preferences *
*actually, Universal has a dominating spell on this level (Limited Wish at 7th, Wish at 9th), but only a Generalist Wizard can choose this spell; and, since I really don't like the bonus spells for Generalist Wizards...
and I guess that the thing about save DCs coming from Charisma modifier is a misprint?).
Not that I know, but this merely refers to the abilities gained at 1st, 8th, and 20th level - not to the bonus spells.
"Arcane schools grant one ability at 1st level, 8th level, and 20th level, as noted in their description. Unless otherwise noted, these abilities are activated by using a standard action. The wizard’s level is used when determining the caster level of these effects. The DC for any save is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the caster’s Charisma modifier. Arcane school powers that mimic spells are spell-like abilities, while the others are supernatural.
In addition to these abilities, each school also grants a number of bonus spells.(...)" (page 194)
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That doublepost must have emerged hours after this one.
On the question of the universalist, I don't have a problem with them getting the spells; the restrictions on specialists are so weak anyhow that there's no significant disadvantage to taking them and even in 3.5 where giving up a school really meant giving them up, evocation was trivially easy to give up, leaving you to pick one more school to drop or else be a diviner (so even the 3.5 rules were just forcing you towards being, probably, a conjuror).
So I'm fine with the universalists getting the bonus spells, particularly at the lower levels. There might be some more spell nerfs needed, but at least some have been nerfed (eg, Irresistable Dance, which can ruin 50% of BBEG fights).
Also, I enjoyed your rundown of spells, although I think that some (Colour Spray, say) get too weak later on because their DCs don't increase fast enough. And you are right on both your corrections of me.