Just as the name states, what are the best three level 2 Occult spells? Currently I'm rocking Hideous Laughter and Calm Emotions, looking for a third.
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Since you already have two spells that target will, you should probably pick up a different kind of spell (such as a buff) so you have something good to do against enemies with a strong save. Reasonable options include:
-Spiritual weapon. Damage isn't quite as good as it's contemporary, flaming sphere, but the spell is still quite good as an option to have for longer fights. The long range and force damage makes it very versatile.
-Dispel magic. Very handy to have in many different situations. If you pick it up you should probably make it your signature spell.
-Blur. Very nice buff, giving a 25% evasion chance to yourself or an ally. If you know you're going into a fight this is probably one of the best pre-buffs available at your level. It helps that it stays exactly as good while you level so it doesn't need to be heightened.
-Sound Burst. Targets fortitude, which is somewhat uncommon for the Occult list. It's also kind of a mini-fireball that deafens, so it can be pretty clutch against casters. 30 foot range hurts your ability to set it up the way you want it, though.
Ditto on Dispel Magic. Invisibility is also handy.
Illusory Creature is super funky too. Lots of applications for it.
I would agree about all of the above.
The 2nd and 3rd level versions of Comprehend Language are great to have on hand, especially for a character with solid social skills, but those are also great things to use via wand or scroll, as you aren't likely to need frequent castings.
Resist energy is also nice to have as an option.
Mirror Image, because even though it’s been nerfed it’s an amazing defensive spell.
Illusory Creature is also choice, IMO, as it has a lot of strength as a non-Summon spell that functions almost better (and can be a lot of different things)
Your other choices are solid and I’d vary these based on my 1st level choices and overall build.
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I feel as though Blur is a better choice than mirror image at early levels - the longevity is nice to have when your spell slots are more limited. It also has far fewer limitations (can target allies, affects spells and not just strikes). Later on Mirror Image gets more value since 2nd level spells are worth less and Image can potentially keep you alive against some powerful boss foe while you cast your high-level spells.
I feel as though Blur is a better choice than mirror image at early levels - the longevity is nice to have when your spell slots are more limited. It also has far fewer limitations (can target allies, affects spells and not just strikes). Later on Mirror Image gets more value since 2nd level spells are worth less and Image can potentially keep you alive against some powerful boss foe while you cast your high-level spells.
I think it depends on the combat. Lots of foes? Blur.
BBEG or hard hitter? Mirror Image all day.
Yup to the spells above. Also want to give a shout out to Augury. Its not going to be the thing you cast in battle, but it can be the thing that helps you avoid it.
This is my favorite spell if I can get it via a “cheap” method because it’s so situational, like the Witch that got augury, or Bards with the spellbook. It also ages really well.
Since you already have two spells that target will, you should probably pick up a different kind of spell (such as a buff) so you have something good to do against enemies with a strong save. Reasonable options include:
-Spiritual weapon. Damage isn't quite as good as it's contemporary, flaming sphere, but the spell is still quite good as an option to have for longer fights. The long range and force damage makes it very versatile.
-Dispel magic. Very handy to have in many different situations. If you pick it up you should probably make it your signature spell.
-Blur. Very nice buff, giving a 25% evasion chance to yourself or an ally. If you know you're going into a fight this is probably one of the best pre-buffs available at your level. It helps that it stays exactly as good while you level so it doesn't need to be heightened.
-Sound Burst. Targets fortitude, which is somewhat uncommon for the Occult list. It's also kind of a mini-fireball that deafens, so it can be pretty clutch against casters. 30 foot range hurts your ability to set it up the way you want it, though.
Thank you! Sound burst I always thought was pretty weak? Hmm what do you mean it's good vs casters what does deafened do vs a caster?
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"You can’t hear. You automatically critically fail Perception checks that require you to be able to hear. You take a –2 status penalty to Perception checks for initiative and checks that involve sound but also rely on other senses. If you perform an action with the auditory trait, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost; attempt the check after spending the action but before any effects are applied. You are immune to auditory effects."
Verbal components.
Thanks! Would Deafness be a viable alternative vs casters if your team already does a lot of damage? Or is Sound Burst just much better?
I’d say Sound Burst comes with enough auxiliary benefits (area damage and stun chance) that it’s probably better than Deafness. That said, Deafness lasts quite a bit longer so if you really need an anti-caster tool it might be better for you.
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"You can’t hear. You automatically critically fail Perception checks that require you to be able to hear. You take a –2 status penalty to Perception checks for initiative and checks that involve sound but also rely on other senses. If you perform an action with the auditory trait, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost; attempt the check after spending the action but before any effects are applied. You are immune to auditory effects."
Verbal components.
Do verbal component spells add the auditory trait? All I'm seeing is that they add the concentrate trait to the spell. If so, counter performance is a lot stronger than I thought it was.
Do verbal component spells add the auditory trait? All I'm seeing is that they add the concentrate trait to the spell. If so, counter performance is a lot stronger than I thought it was."You can’t hear. You automatically critically fail Perception checks that require you to be able to hear. You take a –2 status penalty to Perception checks for initiative and checks that involve sound but also rely on other senses. If you perform an action with the auditory trait, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost; attempt the check after spending the action but before any effects are applied. You are immune to auditory effects."
Verbal components.
I could have sworn deafened interacted with Verbal components but maybe I was wrong? I would like some light shed on this, as well.
Though I will not deny that Spiritual Weapon is a good spell some considerations from my end, as my Cleric has already used it in our current AP. First it is a sustained spell which may (or may not) mess with your current action routine. Second it is an attack spell, i.e. you actually need to hit the enemy's AC (which if I am not entirely mistaken is a little frowned upon lately, due to the absence of items that improve spell to-hit).
The main issue with AC spells which is the all-or-nothing nature of them is much less of a factor in Spiritual Weapon since if you miss you still get to keep using the weapon on subsequent turns and didn't "waste" your spell.
The main issue with AC spells which is the all-or-nothing nature of them is much less of a factor in Spiritual Weapon since if you miss you still get to keep using the weapon on subsequent turns and didn't "waste" your spell.
True, nonetheless spells targeting AC might be harder to land than basic save spells, especially versus bosses and that is all I am pointing out.
In our current AP I needed to roll 15+ to actually hit and despite taking out the boss with a crit (natural 20 for the win) I will now reconsider when and how to best use this spell.
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It is notable, though, that Spiritual Weapon has a range of 120ft. Not that combats will typically take place at ranges like that in general, or in APs in particular, but it's got some righteous target-swapping potential that Flaming Sphere just can't compete with. It also does force or physical damage.
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Never tried it myself personally but Illusiory Creature is actually closer to first edition shadow summons than it is to major image. The illusion can do damage now!
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If you're willing to consider heightened spells, Illusory Object cast at 2nd (or higher), can be fun, since it basically includes all the basic senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell) and lasts an hour.
Typical combat use is to use it like a wall spell, except its shape and material are more flexible. 20 foot burst gets you 44 squares to work with, which could be a perfect spiral, forcing a medium sized enemy (or multiples of them) to waste a number of actions to get out unless they try to touch it, or actively use a seek on it. Worst case it eats up at least a single action as they interact with it or seek against it (not unlike a successfully saved slow).
Or to create a hazard like a trap of some form.
Of course, enemies trained in Occult can spend an action to Recall knowledge to identify it while being cast that it is an illusion spell instead of a wall spell. On the other hand, if its pre-cast and you draw them into it, then they really do need to touch it for some reason or use Seek on it to even be allowed to disbelieve.
1 hour duration makes it potentially useful for things like ambushes or negotiations.
Warning!! I loved my Calm Emotions spell. Then I realized that it has the incapacitate trait.
Page 633 "If a spell has the incapacitation trait, any creature of more than twice the spell’s
level treats the result of their check to prevent being incapacitated by the spell
as one degree of success better, or the result of any check the spellcaster made
to incapacitate them as one degree of success worse"I liked the spell so much that I made it a signature spell but without heightening it quickly loses it's usefulness.
I also love it. One of the best (if not the best) Incapacitation spell of the game. A must have for me.
But you need to heighten it at your highest level, so, I don't know if it qualifies as it's a level 2 spells only at level 3 and 4.
Honestly, calm emotions served me so well in a few situations that I've seriously considered learning it at increased level.
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Honestly, calm emotions served me so well in a few situations that I've seriously considered learning it at increased level.
My Angelic Sorcerer learns it at each level. It is really one of the most potent incapacitation spell:
- Extreme effect: If the enemy fails its save, it's out of combat (few enemies have support abilities).- Good AoE: Incapacitation spells target mooks, so you will very easily get the benefit of an AoE. And it can be Widen.
- Long duration: You need to sustain it, which is its main drawback, but you can maintain it during 1 minute.
- Low level: Most good Incapacitation spells are level 7+.
The only problem you can face with this spell is that intelligent enemies may attack their allies to "wake them up" from Calm Emotions. But even that means they lose 1 or 2 actions, which is still a nice effect.
It's the only spell I've found with the good old save or suck vibe.
Nobody has mentioned False Life, for a level 2 spell slot once your a bit higher level say 5-6 when you won't be using a level 2 Calm Emotions would False Life be good for an extra 10HP?
False Life does have the benefit of being a viable pre-buff that's usable very far in advance of a fight (it's similar to Longstrider in that regard). I'm not totally sold on the spell, but 10 hp is a decent bit at that level, especially for a squishy.
False life and longstrider tend to be seen as wand spells because of their long duration and relatively no gain for heightened
Good 2nd Level spells that age well:
Blur with its 20% miss chance (not 25% since with a they only miss on a 1,2,3,4) is a great 2nd level buff.
Faerie Fire is also great since it is a no save.
Wouldn't Fairie fire be better off as a wand also?
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Wouldn't Fairie fire be better off as a wand also?False life and longstrider tend to be seen as wand spells because of their long duration and relatively no gain for heightened
Good 2nd Level spells that age well:
Blur with its 20% miss chance (not 25% since with a they only miss on a 1,2,3,4) is a great 2nd level buff.
Faerie Fire is also great since it is a no save.
A lvl 2 Wand is 160GP, make your wallet a favor and buy scrolls of Fairie Fire instead that are only 12GP, I don't think that you will cast that spell enough to justify the wand in the entire character life unless your GM loves invisible stuff.