Bards shouls also be the masters of shadow spells.
Anyone else notice that the Bard Spells in PHB ((Not the expainsion books)), all fall in line with Elven magic. Just the right mix of healing, cureing, shadow, wizard identify/miss spells, divination spells, terrain chanign spells.
I really like the bards spells, because you could create any elven bard and play them (based on the spells you pick) as Healers, Charmers/Singer, illusionists, Diviners, or Shadows.
Hope new bard spells will still promote this elven feel, and balance.
Any time i feel like playing a OD&D elf, i just create a elf bard.
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Spells which you can choose between fire or cold version when you are casting it...
A spell that drained heat from one target and then used it to damage another would be funky, perhaps even as a longer-duration spell that allowed you to take a standard action to inflict cold damage to a target within close range, and on the following round, you could use that stolen heat to inflict fire damage to another target (or the same target!) on the following round. The spell would last 1 round / level, or whatever, and allow you to inflict damage each round with your standard action, either cold damage to 'charge up' or fire damage to discharge the stored heat.
The thing is, that if you want to create a fire mage or an electric mage or whatever, you should be able to do so and there is no reason why there isnt an cold based spell on every level.
True that. I remember Unearthed Arcana coming up with their 'Domain Wizards,' and chill touch being the 'Cold' Wizard 1st level spell choice, despite not really having anything to do with cold, despite the name. (Making a version of chill touch that is mechanically similar, but is Evocation [Cold] instead of Necromancy, has no special effect on undead, and inflicts Dex damage instead of Str damage, could be neat.)
Third-party sources add a fair number of options, with Relics & Rituals I & II and Monte's Book(s) of Eldritch Might having a pretty decent selection.
For the elemental / energy type stuff, the Legends & Lairs School of Evocation book very deliberately makes sure to include an Acid, Cold, Electrical, Fire and Sonic evocation spell (or several such) in each level of spells, and setting specific books (like WotC's Frostburn) also have a selection of appropriate spells (Cold specific, in this case), although they aren't open content.
As early as 1st edition, Ed Greenwood was refluffing burning hands into 'Freezing Fingers' or whatever, so there's always that route as well, just picking whatever spell and having some spellcaster research a different energy type variation, like 'Burning Grasp' (fire-damage shocking grasp) or 'Lightning Hands' (electrical damage burning hands).
For that matter, a direct damage negative energy spell for arcane casters, like a ranged version of the Cleric's inflict wounds spells, could be neat.
(Alright, time to come out of being a lurker on these forums for soooo long....)
Pathfinder has been very good in its choice of spells, and I am happy that it makes the Core rulebook so hugely fat. However, some I would like to see....
-More orbs & rays for Sorc/Wiz;
-More damage dealing spells for things like Clerics or rangers:
=> Blademind (from Complete Adventurer), where you make a melee attack with each melee weapon for everyone surrounding you, up to your ranger level (3rd level spell);
=> Arrowmind (also from CAdv), where you make a ranged weapon attack to everyone within range, up to your Ranger level (4th level spell);
=> Give Pallys amd Clerics some kind of Holy Ray/Death Ray/ Disintegration beam for Good/Evil/Chaotic clerics;
=> Give Rangers some kind of Elemental damage spell;
And that's all for now....
Actually, what I dont want, is a fireball for clerics. Its kind of one of the thing which makes the wizard and the cleric different. So, please no low level area of effect damage of equal damage as the fireball ...
However death-ray sound cool. But please, no more save or die spells. I hate those spells. Save or be knocked Unconscious are far better spells.
For rangers, some elemental spell might be ok I geuss.
I'm not advocating a kind of holy fireball or something like that, it would just be redundant. Clerics already have it through channel energy.
By 'Death Ray' I don't mean like Death like 'Power Word Kill' Death, I mean like 'Inflict [adjective] Wounds' Death. Some kind of ranged positive/negative energy spell (preferrably lower-leveled). Like the 'Laser Cleric' in 4e: burny rays of sunlight/hellfire to give the cleric some actual offensive spells that don't require you to summon something.
For me, there's enough battle spells around to keep all the spellcasters killing themselves for years without getting bored. My! when a high level druid can nuke a town with just one mid-level spell ( control winds, at higher levels, is really a "cold nuke", if used wisely) you just don't need seeing anything else.
With the actual ratio of battle spell/other spells, it would be totally unwise to let any magic at all in any half-functioning society, specially in the arcane side of it. Wizards and sorcerers, top most exponents of this art, show a pitiful lack of any socially redeemeable stuff: they know how to kill you in a thousand ways, but it's very difficult for them to magickly make a decent meal, a functioning sewer or, on a more player -oriented way, anything but destroy or barr destruction.
I think what Pcs need are options, specially in their lower spell levels. Perhaps a spell to enchant a mirror, so you can later see what had it reflexed? a great spell for spying, that'd never grow old, even if you are a 20th level wizard. And what about a feat/spell that would allow anyone what your low-level detections are showing you? your figther would praise your name in his morning prayers when he could finally discern the dopplegangers from the other thanks to your humble detect evil.
Beside that, most of the spells are made just thinking in terms of plusse/minuses, and/or exception to a rule. It's easier to invent spells if you do that, but at the end, you'd end with just a bunch of spells in many disguises. To create really new stuff, you have to stop thinking only in that way. So, what about a spell that protect something giving it the faculty to walk and actively hide? you have some bonus use ( ruling about the steath skill it'd have) but it's not just the bonus use ( "you have a plus X to use steath to hide something"): the item could move, cold hide or could run.
Some of this can be achieved just by thinking outside the proverbial box. For instance, between wall of stone and stone shape, a 10th level sorcerer could raise himself a fort in days, and repair it in the midst of a siege too.
One thing I do find lacking however is spells that cater to the oft-neglected Eldritch Knight (and possibly the Magus). They really need some spells that allow them to wield their magic as a literal weapon-something like a hammer of force energy that he wields in melee or a spell that he can cast as a swift action upon hitting an opponent in melee.
Low- to mid-level abjuration spells that would actually benefit from Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus. Currently, pretty much the only thing that gets any use out of them is up around 5th to 7th level -- Repulsion, Dismissal and Banishment?
Anyways, I recall the Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil, and the Master Abjurer PrC from Complete Mage, and have high hopes that their (or similar future PrCs') prerequisites might not be useless throwaway feats in the future.
I'd like to see more RP/story-based spells. WotC created quite a number that was fun.
Spells like Familial Geas, where the Geas not only affected you, but your descendants as well. There was one that caused great harm to a loved one when casted on you, there was another that cursed an arcane caster from casting spells or suffer negative levels (Laeral's Crowning Touch). There was Mindrape, which allowed the caster to completely change every aspect of a target's memories. There was also Morality Undone, where your character lost their conscience completely, so that even thinking about doing something evil actually sounded like a good idea in the character's mind to do.
Spells like that, and definitely less damage-dealing/combat-type spells.
Also, I know some here would be dismayed at me suggesting this, but no repeats from Spell Compendium. Spell Compendium spells (or any spells from WotC) work just fine in Pathfinder, why would you want repeats? What could Pathfinder do to make them more...Pathfinderized? Very little, if at all.
So, in Ultimate Magic, I'm looking for really new and unique spells not seen elsewhere (particularly the 3E D&D books). In fact, there's a ton of 2e spells that never got updated, those old Priest and Wizard Compendiums are perfect sources for new spells not done before.
I love the spells in Planescape Torment.
Pain Mirror (level 2)
For a while any damage taken by the caster is also dealt to all enemies within a ten foot radius.
Enoll Eva's Duplication (level 5)
Short duration spell. Whenever the target attacks or casts a spell, that attack or spell is duplicated and is cast again at the same target (same goes for physical attacks). Basically doubles usefulness of spells and attacks.
Fire and Ice (level 5)
Deals fire and ice damage to all within a 30' blast radius from the target.
Howl of Pandemonium (level 6)
All targets within the target area are confused and stunned. (they do get saves)
Celestial Host (level 9)
Summons angels. They kill stuff for you.
"Some good stuff"
Also, I know some here would be dismayed at me suggesting this, but no repeats from Spell Compendium. Spell Compendium spells (or any spells from WotC) work just fine in Pathfinder, why would you want repeats? What could Pathfinder do to make them more...Pathfinderized? Very little, if at all.
Well for one they could proof read them, those spells have issues.