Taking a look through the books for pathfinder there are hundreds of combat or combat related spells, several non-combat adventurer related spells, but few spells that just flat out help improve quality of life.
So my question is a two parter, firstly does anyone know of a good source of non combat non adventure related spells that do things like help build houses, educate people etc?
And secondly does this ever come up much in the games people play? (for example do high level wizards frequently ask GM permission to do spell research to create a spell that builds stuff, or creates armies of unseen servants to go about town and wash windows and light oil lamps)
Also please note i am not saying there is anything wrong with the lack of this type of spell from the game, i was just pondering why wizards spend all their time coming up with new ways to kill people :P
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Lyre of Building / Fabricate can build houses. In my campaign we also used CMD / Wondrous items to make the following few items for our village:
Everburning Log - Casts Endure elements on the interior of a house 1/day, with a duration of 24 hours.
Flavored Spoon (Sustaining Spoon) of apple cinnamon oatmeal. As well as a pot that makes enough for about 30 people a day. "The Giant's Head Inn" is all the rage in Falcon's Hollow, as it is the only place for a hundred miles with spiced oatmeal on its daily menu. Get it while it lasts! (we took the orphans, after killing one of the Giants in an encounter, and used it's head for the mantle of our Inn which the orphans now run... you can also pick up delightfully carved wooden miniatures)
A sleeping bag that lets you sleep 2 hours instead of 8 while travelling. (sleeps 1, 1/day so no sharing it)
As for making simple life easier: honestly the Lyre of Building is DA BOMB!
Both Ultimate Campaign and Ultimate Magic have rules for doing mundane things (like educating the masses... sort of... and spell creation).
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A lot of spells already exist primarily for out-of-combat stuff. The aforementioned Fabricate is useless in combat, while Prestidigitation and Mending are wonderful utility spells that allow a host of out-of-combat awesomeness.
Other good out-of-combat spells include Create Water, Purify Food and Drink, Create Food and Water, Allfood, Age Resistance, Ant Haul, Arcane Lock, Control Water, Control Weather, Plant Growth, Divination,
And that's just going through D in the alphabet, plus a few I remember off the top of my head.
I play an 8th level Wizard who specializes in out of combat utility magic. He has been talking non-stop about how close he is to Fabricate and Wall of Stone. Unseen Servant and Floating Disk are constant fixtures for him. Most of the Divination and Enchantment schools are best used outside of combat. Planar Binding is also done outside of combat. He spends 8 hours per day crafting too. Rope trick is where that happens, and the best camping spell for most of the game. Scribe Scroll, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Construct and Forge Ring keep me busy building something for somebody all the time. There are lots of great utility spells out there, you can do a whole lot already with no houserules at all.
Pathfinder is set in a very high magic society. There is a good number of spellcasters in the population and so much can be solved with concepts.
Communication magics from whispering wind on up are decidedly out of combat spells. Charm person is not at its best in a fight. Spells which assist in large scale construction exist and continual flame obsoletes lamplighters whereever some spellcaster takes an interest.
Is there a reason you want to make the mundane population entirely irrelevant?
A lot of spells already exist primarily for out-of-combat stuff. The aforementioned Fabricate is useless in combat, while Prestidigitation and Mending are wonderful utility spells that allow a host of out-of-combat awesomeness.
Other good out-of-combat spells include Create Water, Purify Food and Drink, Create Food and Water, Allfood, Age Resistance, Ant Haul, Arcane Lock, Control Water, Control Weather, Plant Growth, Divination,
And that's just going through D in the alphabet, plus a few I remember off the top of my head.
Ah yes, prestidigitation. For cooking, cleaning, and trying to hide murders. You know, the daily stuff.
That is mainly, because truly considering the implications of magic on everyday life leads to the tippyverse and most people don't want to play in that world.
Other than that, check adventures and regional books for flavourful magical items for everyday use. (The taldor book has some great luxury items for the bearded of oppara)
LazarX
What?
A settlement of 15 people will have a spellcaster! One with 30 people will likely have 3!
If your saying pathfinder adventurer writers really want to be writing novels, then I do agree with you!
With cantrips doing what they do, every adult will have made use of a spellcaster, or easily know where to find one. in golarion no one would be the suspicious 'ignorant of magic' peasant
Communication magics from whispering wind on up are decidedly out of combat spells. Charm person is not at its best in a fight. Spells which assist in large scale construction exist and continual flame obsoletes lamplighters whereever some spellcaster takes an interest.
Is there a reason you want to make the mundane population entirely irrelevant?
The same question could be asked of the inventors of the printing press in our world.
I just find it an interesting thought experiment to ask how a world would grow and change over time if magic were possible, and it seems to me that if magic were possible a society would greatly benefit from some research and study into improving the average persons life.
That is mainly, because truly considering the implications of magic on everyday life leads to the tippyverse and most people don't want to play in that world.
Other than that, check adventures and regional books for flavourful magical items for everyday use. (The taldor book has some great luxury items for the bearded of oppara)
Thanks Kalridian, i just went and googled the tippyverse and its exactly the kind of thing i was looking for :)
The whole economy is another thread.....and nope....settlement rules...it will be a proper spellcaster
If even 7% of the population can cast even 1st level spells, which they can, that is a very high magic world.
It seems to me that setting and rules don't quite match each other's outlook
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Not someone who travels from house to house pretidgitating shoes.
And now, I'm going to create a gnome NPC who robs people, but scouts out places to rob by going house to house prestidigating shoes.
Not someone who travels from house to house pretidgitating shoes.And now, I'm going to create a gnome NPC who robs people, but scouts out places to rob by going house to house prestidigating shoes.
Excellent stuff
I've always kinda rolled with the concept that magic COULD do all that stuff, but if you're a wizard who's spent decades/centuries studying magic then you're unlikely to feel the urge to just go around casting spells for peasants. Likewise, if you're a sorcerer then you literally have arcane power running through your veins. Why would you go and serve some merchants or something?
So if you want to hire an Arcanist then expect them to charge an arm and a leg. As for a divine caster? That'll depend somewhat on the god they follow but by definition they're already servants of the highest power possible, so don't expect to wow them with your terrestrial authority. As for helping peasants... are you saying that serving you is a better use of our time than serving our god?
Granted, there'll be exceptions, but for the most part magic users don't have much reason to improve the lot of the common man with their powers. You'll get the odd mage who decides to help people out of a sense of philanthropy, or as part of a plan to gain public support, or for some other reason, but for the most part a mage is going to be more interested in studying than solving the little people's problems.
honestly i would go around helping random people
BUT
if i was....say... The Mayor of said group of people, i would go out of the way to make my private militia as comfortable as possible
i like the ideas you had with your town and tavern
very nice
I LOVE things like this
maybe in stead of saying, nobody would do that, why would they do that ,this doesn't work because nobody in the world would ever wast their time doing this
i personally know players that would go around using create water to stop a building from burning down
we could just go with it and throw out ideas like, oh i dunno
a wagon that casts mount like... 3/day at a 2nd caster level?
a well that purifies the water in it 1/day?
everburning torches seems a bit expensive for them to be EVERYWHERE, but if i was the mayor they would be
If you bust out the ol' Spell Compendium from 3.5 and let casters use Amanuensis, you don't need a printing press. 6 seconds to copy a page from a book perfectly, and all you need is a 10 Charisma/Int and a single level in Sorcerer/Wizard. Gainful employment at a printing agency, photocopying books all day.
I've always kinda rolled with the concept that magic COULD do all that stuff, but if you're a wizard who's spent decades/centuries studying magic then you're unlikely to feel the urge to just go around casting spells for peasants. Likewise, if you're a sorcerer then you literally have arcane power running through your veins. Why would you go and serve some merchants or something?
So if you want to hire an Arcanist then expect them to charge an arm and a leg. As for a divine caster? That'll depend somewhat on the god they follow but by definition they're already servants of the highest power possible, so don't expect to wow them with your terrestrial authority. As for helping peasants... are you saying that serving you is a better use of our time than serving our god?
Granted, there'll be exceptions, but for the most part magic users don't have much reason to improve the lot of the common man with their powers. You'll get the odd mage who decides to help people out of a sense of philanthropy, or as part of a plan to gain public support, or for some other reason, but for the most part a mage is going to be more interested in studying than solving the little people's problems.
Casters are the 1%.
everburning torches seems a bit expensive for them to be EVERYWHERE, but if i was the mayor they would be
When kingdom building, Everburning torches are a relatively inexpensive upgrade to a building square. So much so that I imagine most cities are lit like crazy after a certain period of time.
No one has mentioned Unseen Servant yet. A servant you can verbally abuse without them spitting in your soup.
Casters are the 1%.
Nope, in PF they are the somewhere between 3% and 7 %
When kingdom building, Everburning torches are a relatively inexpensive upgrade to a building square. So much so that I imagine most cities are lit like crazy after a certain period of time.everburning torches seems a bit expensive for them to be EVERYWHERE, but if i was the mayor they would be
One caster Calls (note: Not summon) an lantern archon and tasks them with using they're Continual flame SLA on a pile of rocks (or whatever). Perhaps the city trades in good deeds/decrees for this task.
Alternately someone with the False focus feat
or
Custom magic item that can cast continual flame 3/D, 1/d, at will, or whatever. Expensive at first, but a drop in the bucket for a kingdom building across centuries. Plus the fire hazard is dramatically reduces, though fire is still needed for heating/cooking to varying degrees based on location.
There was a 1.5 spell called Servant Horde. it was one of my favorites. Basically it was a 3rd level wizard spell that summoned 2d6+CL unseen servants. Now, add the reach metamagic to that a couple of times and you have a bunch of restless servants to do whatever needs to be done over a large area. A Mid-level caster can cast it once per day and give them some standing orders. "Take those brooms and sweep the streets" All at the cost of one spell per day.
Make a magic item of this and you've got a veritable army of mindless workers to keep your city, or at least the wealthy part) spotlessly clean.
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I recently found out (in a scenario) that in the ivy district of absalom, they have bound [things] to keep the sewers flowing well and cleaning the waters of disease. In other words, the rich folk's s#~! don't stink.
The idea that every gate to the district has a permanent prestidigitate affect everyone who walks through it was pure fabrication on my part though.
I've always beleaved that the spell Enlarge Person was invented for use in Child Birthing.... really. Think about it.
But...
Oh.
Hum...
Yea...
Without getting too graphic how about reduce person when the baby crowns.
I recently found out (in a scenario) that in the ivy district of absalom, they have bound [things] to keep the sewers flowing well and cleaning the waters of disease. In other words, the rich folk's s#$~ don't stink.
The idea that every gate to the district has a permanent prestidigitate affect everyone who walks through it was pure fabrication on my part though.
Building on this,
How about archways where everyone who walks through is prestidigitated clean and has a mending effect cast. Even the bums in that city will be clean and presentable.
I've always beleaved that the spell Enlarge Person was invented for use in Child Birthing.... really. Think about it.
Would that also enlarge the fetus?
i'm liking the new ideas
i think earlier, someone mentioned logs that do endure elements on a household once a day?
how about magical forges that cast heat metal?
for construction there's no way to beat a lyre of building
i think in the 3.x stronghold guise, there is lots of magic related stuff for residents of a castle and such,one of them is basically a magical megaphone
I've always beleaved that the spell Enlarge Person was invented for use in Child Birthing.... really. Think about it.Would that also enlarge the fetus?
Depends on when it's considered a separate creature. Even if it's not until the child is coming out at some point the baby shrinks as it's separated and I imagine the mother would consider that a great relief.
Great question - made me just realize that the spell modify memory could be the Tutor's spell of choice. Did your pupil learn something wrong way back? Just modify that memory so he learned it correctly. Can't explain a concept sufficiently, just whip up a memory of you 'showing' them. Need to undo that excursion in the broom closet, just... er...
Could be useful.
Increasing the strength and grapple checks of a birthing mother may not be the best idea if she's of ill-temperment.
Bartenders need ray of frost to produce frosted mugs... a real aid to chilled drinks.
Gnomes (who get Prestidigitation as a racial trait) would run ethnic restraunts and laundry's ...
You only really need prestidigitation for chilled drinks. Ray of Frost is if you want to make frozen Margaritas in the desert.
ray of frost for ice cubes :p
and ice-cream
i like the idea of magical ice cream
ray of frost for ice cubes :p
and ice-cream
i like the idea of magical ice cream
Prestidigitation can make any flavor you can imagine on the spot.
ray of frost for ice cubes :p
and ice-cream
i like the idea of magical ice cream
It already is.
but the flavoring only lasts an hour from the time it is cast... so left overs just loose their flavor! "Any actual change to an object (beyond just moving, cleaning, or soiling it) persists only 1 hour."Prestidigitation can make any flavor you can imagine on the spot.ray of frost for ice cubes :p
and ice-cream
i like the idea of magical ice cream
True. If you sell it by the scoop it won't last an hour.
Also in the quasi-midevial time period most people wont have a home freezer.
I'm pretty sure magic like Cure Disease and Cure Blindness/Deafness would be the most popular around. I think that Cure Light Wounds after the birth would be way more useful than either Enlarge or Reduce Person and Polypurpose Panacea would be the spell of choice for during childbirth.
I'm pretty sure magic like Cure Disease and Cure Blindness/Deafness would be the most popular around. I think that Cure Light Wounds after the birth would be way more useful than either Enlarge or Reduce Person and Polypurpose Panacea would be the spell of choice for during childbirth.
Here's a weird thought which I don't have an answer to.
What would happen if you cast regenerate (or used a ring) on the mother as she was going into labor? It would really depend on the nature of when the baby is considered it's own creature and how magic works.
1) Everything is fine. Mother regenerates, baby is fine, etc.
2)Mother keeps giving birth as multiple babies are "regenerated". Part of the mother until chord is cut, then regenerate the "missing" part of the mother. (ouch, ouch, ouch)