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I've started to notice an interesting trend in my spell preparation choices. I'm a LG cleric of Iomedae in PFS (click my name for more info), currently 7th level. Strangely, I find myself often unsure of what to prepare in my last couple of 2nd-level slots each day.
As a melee cleric, I devote some of my spell slots to buffs each day. I also like to prep some "answer" spells. (Darkness got you down? Daylight coming up. Invisible baddies? Invisibility purge. Troublesome cleric or wizard? Pilfering hand on the spell component pouch/holy symbol. And so forth.)
But now I'm noticing I'm in kind of a weird spot. See, at levels 3-4, I often prepped a bull's strength or two, giving me a +2 to attacks and damage (longsword, one-handed) that my other buff spells just couldn't match.
But then when I hit 6th level, my divine favor spells started giving me the same +2/+2, except costing only a 1st-level slot, and stacking with the STR belt I'll be buying pretty soon. So suddenly bull's strength isn't looking so impressive.
I've established sort of a "standard" array of spell preparations, but there's a gap in my 2nd-level spells, and I'm not sure what to fill it with.
Here's a sample of a fairly typical set of prepared spells for me right now:
1st
Liberating Command
Protection from Evil (probably soon replaced with a wand)
Divine Favor x3
Shield of Faith (Domain)
2nd
Pilfering Hand
Shatter
Bless Weapon (Domain)
[EMPTY] x2
3rd
Invisibility Purge
Daylight
Resist Energy, Communal
Heroism (Domain)
4th
Dismissal
Holy Smite (Domain)
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I currently have 17 WIS (hence the lack of a bonus 4th-level spell), to be bumped to 18 at 8th level. Again, I like to mainly focus on buffs and "answers".
So what are good spells to have on hand in the 2nd-level spell slots?
Thanks!
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Have you considered casting Bull's Strength on other PCs than yourself?
By now, most PCs that would get any substantial benefit from it already have a +2 STR belt, so they'd only net a +1 to attacks and damage. There's gotta be a better use of a 2nd-level slot than that, right?
Also, Lesser Restoration can be worthwhile, given how many attacks do ability damage...
I've considered it, but I'm already toting around some scrolls, which work just as well.
I suppose I could prep remove paralysis to break people out of hold person or slow...
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Hold person is a nice combat ending spell. Grace is good for just about everything. Communal Protection from Evil is also nice, especially if you're going to be fighting vampires or harpies or something. I've seen Weapon of Awe put to great use. Failing all else, you could just leave a slot open for later preparation.
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I used to prep spiritual weapon, but I find it can't ever hit anything. Unlike rays and touches, it targets normal AC. And unlike most faux-attack spells (like pilfering hand) or magical maneuver spells (like hydraulic push), it uses my actual BAB instead of treating my CL as its BAB. And unlike my ordinary attacks, it gains no benefit from me having heroism and divine favor up. So it feels like the worst of everything; thus, I stopped prepping it.
Defending Bone is DR 5/bludgeoning for a long time.
Resist Energy is a long duration buff that gives a lot of resistance--if you have any idea what's coming, it's a life saver.
Shield Other is a favorite of mine, but mostly for healer types, like my Hospitaler Paladin and Oracle of Life.
Silence shuts down casters much better than Pilfering Hand.
Sound Burst is an AoE stun, and probably the best level 2 "attack" spell on the Cleric list because of it.
Spiritual Weapon is great at lower levels, but it quickly becomes obsolete.
Check out Weapon of Awe one of my favorite level 2 buffs and you can always leave a slot open in case you wanna prepare something else later
A lot of cleric spells are situational: you want them once in a blue moon but when you do you want them very badly. This is why Scribe Scroll is a great feat for clerics to have (or Craft Wand for things like lesser restoration that can get used in huge gobs when you run into high-level poison attacks on multiple players.)
Aid for temporary hit points and the blessing ability.
Resist energy is almost never a bad spell to have at least one of available.
Hold person only targets humanoids, but if you're expecting to run into some of them it's a real game-ender. Particularly if you cast it on the big guy with the low Will save who's about to tank your fighter.
Sound burst is an area-effect save-or-stun. This is HUGE, and the sonic damage, while small, is unlikely to be resisted.
Silence is great for stealth, and for shutting down enemy spellcasters.