...not (necessarily) the most powerful, but what are the high level spells that are the most grandiose, terrifying, nightmarish, the sorts of things that inflict lasting mental trauma on all who witness them?
What I mean by this... Mind Blank is an exceptionally useful and valuable spell, but flashy it isn't. On the other hand, Cursed Earth (from Ultimate Magic) is probably not going to appear on most casters' spell list, but it makes an impression.
Off the top of my head:
-Fireball/Lightningbolt and similar blast spells. Makes for a very strong impression.
-Wall Spells, if used right, work well for this. Find a way to get a frightened foe, then make a maze of ice/fire/stone/etc. Really does a number on enemy morale.
-Prestidigitation is a flashy spell for a diplomat. Even truces held in dark, grimy mines have you attending in a perfectly-maintained suit, smelling faintly like roses, and with a meal both smelling and tasting fit for a king (even if its merely stale biscuits and dried beef).
-Arcane Mark/Brand, for the criminally inclined. Leaving you own personal symbol at the scene each time. Alternatively, merchants have this to do wonders with branding.
-Hedging Weapons (Horror Adventures). Nothing like having 3 -4 swords made out of force perfectly parrying every attack made against you.
-Vision of Hell. Pretty self-explanatory.
-Baleful Polymorph. Spring this on a dragon, then offer the enemy a chance to surrender. See how many refuse.
I don't know, but its basically a deflection bonus to AC (1+1@ 6, 10, 14, and 18th CL) from images of your god's favored weapon, and you can sacrifice 1 pt of the bonus to throw a weapon for 2d6 force damage. (Anti)Paladin, Inquisitor, and Cleric 1.
Spawn Calling is pretty rad. A full week or nothing but chanting and blood, the caster themself slowly dying from hunger/exhaustion as they sacrifice more than a dozen people (or a couple high level folks) and finally bringing forth the Rough Beast's spawn, crawling out of the earth and roaring at the heavens it intends to consume! You could obviously get a lot more done just summoning some high level outsiders in a single round, but that's not as dramatic. Mini-Tarrasque ftw.
Jatembe's Ire. Love the visuals on that one.
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Hungry Earth - All of the sudden, the ground beneath your (allies) feet tries to drag the targets under. That must be an horrendous sight to behold.
Death Clutch (Horror Adventures) - Rip the heart out of your opponent's chest from a distance, and allow him to see it beat for another six seconds before he/she dies
Lunar Veil would be pretty noticeable during the day.