What level slot would you spend to cast the best spells?

[Umbral Reaver]

Clearly, some spells are a lot better than others.

For example, haste is leagues ahead of anything else in the 3rd level lists. Would you learn and cast haste regularly if it were 4th level instead? How about 5th? Higher?

What other spells would you still cast if they were higher level than they are now?

[Flux Vector]

Umbral Reaver wrote:

Clearly, some spells are a lot better than others.

For example, haste is leagues ahead of anything else in the 3rd level lists. Would you learn and cast haste regularly if it were 4th level instead? How about 5th? Higher?

What other spells would you still cast if they were higher level than they are now?

Personally I think by level 5/6 most spells are in their right level, or even more often, actually are weak or very situational considering their level. Here's a list of spells I often find myself casting at higher levels or memorizing metamagicked into higher slots for additional advantages or to keep their save DCs current.

Level 0: Detect magic, prestidigitation, mage hand.

Level 1: Color Spray, Grease, Mage Armor, Silent Image, Sanctuary, Protection from Alignment

Level 2: Alter Self, Glitterdust, Mirror Image, Invisibility, Rope Trick

Level 3: Haste, Slow, Magic Vestment, Magic Circle against Alignment, Greater Magic Weapon, Fly

Level 4: Greater Invisibility, Black Tentacles, Enervation, Solid Fog, Divination, Fear

Level 5: Teleport, Wall of Stone, Magic Jar, Telekinesis

[CoDzilla]

Haste is barely worth casting as a 3rd level spell. Slow might be worth it at 4th, but for the most part spells are in the right slots and are balanced with themselves. If they aren't, it's because the slot required is too high (Polar Ray) and not too low, so those examples are irrelevant to this thread.

[Kalyth]

Umbral Reaver wrote:

Clearly, some spells are a lot better than others.

For example, haste is leagues ahead of anything else in the 3rd level lists. Would you learn and cast haste regularly if it were 4th level instead? How about 5th? Higher?

What other spells would you still cast if they were higher level than they are now?

Dont really have much of a list of spells that I would prepare or rate at higher levels. I have a ton of spells I would rate at lower levels than what they are.

Neutralize Poison
Remove Disease
Daze Monster
Slow Poison
Polar Ray
Just to name a few.

[erik542]

Kalyth wrote:

Umbral Reaver wrote:

Clearly, some spells are a lot better than others.

For example, haste is leagues ahead of anything else in the 3rd level lists. Would you learn and cast haste regularly if it were 4th level instead? How about 5th? Higher?

What other spells would you still cast if they were higher level than they are now?

Dont really have much of a list of spells that I would prepare or rate at higher levels. I have a ton of spells I would rate at lower levels than what they are.

Neutralize Poison
Remove Disease
Daze Monster
Slow Poison
Polar Ray
Just to name a few.

Summoner already gets that one at level 1 :P

Heat Stroke could possibly be a level 4 only because it is strictly better than ray of exhaustion.

Water Breathing can usually be done with Alter Self.

Share Senses is pretty crap because it can effectively be done by simply being level 5 which is 2 levels before you get Share Senses. If you are scouting or spying with your familiar you aren't in any kind of hurry and can simply wait for it to come back and tell you what it saw etc.

I'd accept Aura of the Unremarkable as a level 5 or 6. It is incredibly potent in the hands of someone smart. Nothing says beatdown more than "there's nothing going on here, nothing at all"

Hallucinatory Terrain is nice but not overly pragmatic as a level 4, probably better at 3. If you want to do that stuff, do Mirage Arcana.

Unwilling Shield is crap because it has an expensive component and is restricted heavily by it's close range. If it weren't for the expensive component it'd be very very good against beat sticks but near worthless otherwise.

That's just what I got from skimming through the SRD.