Just a fun little theorycrafting idea I had. You can pick from any spell list, since we have a prepared caster for every list if you count Witch. Keep in mind that, since it has to fill all of your slots, that excludes any spells higher than 1st level.
Inspire Courage. All the Inspire Courage.
Magic Missile and Fear are probably the two best answers to this I can think of.
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Luckily, the spell that is objectively the best spell in every edition is among the 1st level spells - Grease.
There is no situation that isn't improved with the application of Grease, and no problem that Grease cannot solve. If you aren't casting Grease in every encounter, then you are a disappointment as a person and a failure of a wizard.
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Heal.
You can never have enough healing.
Seconding PossibleCabbage. Just make me a Warpriest Cleric and I'll be the tank. Lower-level Heals will be reserved for patching up the party after.
Heal.
You can never have enough healing.
Or soothe if you happen to be occult: passing out a +2 vs mental effects might be useful for low level spells even if the healing isn't desperately needed. For any list though, heal does win hands down for versatility in the 1-3 action affects.
Soothe caught my attention because of bard and their Composition Cantrips: Between them, normal cantrips and focus spells it wouldn't be bad to have all soothes... [as cantrip/focus spells don't use slots]
For a character in an actual campaign? Grease and Heal are solid choices, though I kinda like jump because its out of combat applications are a bit easier to come across.
For a character who doesn't adventure? Summon animal. Did you call a bunch of adventurers to meet with you? Summon a cat to pet when you rotate around in your chair to address them ominously. Feeling lonely? Summon a dog and take it out for a walk. Want to get somewhere down the block quickly? Summon a rhino to ride, people will get out of your way. Feeling bored? Summon a roc to fly you around. Not useful for adventuring, summon spells are decent at best and only with your best slots, but it has a lot of entertainment potential.
EDIT: For a compromise between entertainment and actual usefulness, Illusory Object is a pretty flexible spell. There are creative combat and noncombat uses, and you can always use it for entertainment purposes in downtime.
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You get a heal, and you get a heal, and I get a heal, everybody gets healed!
If not for the 1st level limitation, Heroism. Buffs are usable in literally every combat situation, and Heroism is amazing and heightens even though it doesn't even really need to.
Heal is probably the best with the limitations - not because Heal is an amazing 1st level spell, but it's solidly useful in almost every situation and heightens. By picking Heal you waste your low level spell slots to get decent mileage out of high level spell slots, which is probably the best tradeoff in this challenge.
Fear is actually not a bad pick either, and even may be better than Heal depending on the circumstances. It has kind of the opposite effect, where it lets you get mileage out of all of your spell slots, not just high level ones.
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Tobas of Telven managed to slay a dragon and win a kingdom With a Single Spell, so I think produce flame would be my choice.
Tobas of Telven managed to slay a dragon and win a kingdom With a Single Spell, so I think produce flame would be my choice.
Some wizards resort to solving problems using a sock containing a half-brick, so there's that... ;)
Combat wise I'd go magic missle and stay as far from the melee as possible.
Heal is a fantastic choice.
That said, I think you all are sleeping on fear. It's a spell that consistently wins fights.
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Tobas of Telven managed to slay a dragon and win a kingdom With a Single Spell, so I think produce flame would be my choice.Some wizards resort to solving problems using a sock containing a half-brick, so there's that... ;)
To be fair, Rincewind only knows one spell. And not in the "it is the same spell in all his slots" but its one spell that takes up all his slots (including his ability to spell "wizzard" correctly). He can never learn or cast another spell, because the only one he knows keeps scaring the rest of them off.
Heal is a fantastic choice.
That said, I think you all are sleeping on fear. It's a spell that consistently wins fights.
I think it's because it's totally useless vs mindless targets so it's going to be useless for some fights: it's rare for a a party not to need some healing in a fight [at least rarer than mindless foes]. That and it only has a heightened at 3rd. For a spell that you're going to use for every adventure, you're going to have a bad time with one that full of oozes, constructs and undead. Even without immunity, just meeting foes with better will saves can make it a less effective choice.
So I think it's less sleeping and more taking into account it needs to be of use in most situations and it's hard to come up with out of combat uses for fear.
Heal is a fantastic choice.
That said, I think you all are sleeping on fear. It's a spell that consistently wins fights.
I think it's because it's totally useless vs mindless targets so it's going to be useless for some fights: it's rare for a a party not to need some healing in a fight [at least rarer than mindless foes]. That and it only has a heightened at 3rd. For a spell that you're going to use for every adventure, you're going to have a bad time with one that full of oozes, constructs and undead. Even without immunity, just meeting foes with better will saves can make it a less effective choice.
So I think it's less sleeping and more taking into account it needs to be of use in most situations and it's hard to come up with out of combat uses for fear.
That's fair, it definitely does depend on the enemies you come up against.
True strike could help a gish-y type limp along if Heal somehow wasn't an option.
The answer is simple.
Fireball.Always fireball.
ALWAYS, FIREBALL.
Keep in mind that, since it has to fill all of your slots, that excludes any spells higher than 1st level./quote]
No spell slot that can't turn itself into a pyroclastic spheroid is a spell slot of mine!
The only answer other than Grease that I will tolerate.
Most Undeads are not immune to Mental. Only Constructs, Oozes and Swarms (for targetted spells).
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I think that summon fey should be a contender. There aren't that many fey right now but most of them are spell casters so you get more spell versatility.
Most Undeads are not immune to Mental.
There are mindless undead: Various types of zombie or skeleton for example. In a game with plenty of undead, I'd expect to see these types of undead in it. Additionally, I never said or implied that all [or even most] undead are mindless: they are just one of the major types that have mindless in them. I thought it was clear, when right before that I talked about "mindless targets" and "mindless foes, that when i talked about "oozes, constructs and undead", it'd be understood that I was talking about MINDLESS "oozes, constructs and undead".
Only Constructs, Oozes and Swarms (for targetted spells).
Not all constructs or oozes are mindless either. Look at Immortal Ichor, Soulbound Ruin, Soulbound Doll and Homunculus. Swarms have special rules and aren't mindless so I didn't include them: they would be immune to the fear spell but my point was made with "oozes, constructs and undead".
Most Undeads are not immune to Mental.There are mindless undead: Various types of zombie or skeleton for example. In a game with plenty of undead, I'd expect to see these types of undead in it. Additionally, I never said or implied that all [or even most] undead are mindless: they are just one of the major types that have mindless in them. I thought it was clear, when right before that I talked about "mindless targets" and "mindless foes, that when i talked about "oozes, constructs and undead", it'd be understood that I was talking about MINDLESS "oozes, constructs and undead".
Only Constructs, Oozes and Swarms (for targetted spells).Not all constructs or oozes are mindless either. Look at Immortal Ichor, Soulbound Ruin, Soulbound Doll and Homunculus. Swarms have special rules and aren't mindless so I didn't include them: they would be immune to the fear spell but my point was made with "oozes, constructs and undead".
Weirdly enough, undead who aren't mindless aren't immune to being frightened, which seems odd to me - it's hard to picture a banshee or wight or wraith being afraid.
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Weirdly enough, undead who aren't mindless aren't immune to being frightened, which seems odd to me - it's hard to picture a banshee or wight or wraith being afraid.Most Undeads are not immune to Mental.There are mindless undead: Various types of zombie or skeleton for example. In a game with plenty of undead, I'd expect to see these types of undead in it. Additionally, I never said or implied that all [or even most] undead are mindless: they are just one of the major types that have mindless in them. I thought it was clear, when right before that I talked about "mindless targets" and "mindless foes, that when i talked about "oozes, constructs and undead", it'd be understood that I was talking about MINDLESS "oozes, constructs and undead".
Only Constructs, Oozes and Swarms (for targetted spells).Not all constructs or oozes are mindless either. Look at Immortal Ichor, Soulbound Ruin, Soulbound Doll and Homunculus. Swarms have special rules and aren't mindless so I didn't include them: they would be immune to the fear spell but my point was made with "oozes, constructs and undead".
I seem to recall having no problems with undead running scared from a good Turn Undead.
I seem to recall having no problems with undead running scared from a good Turn Undead.Weirdly enough, undead who aren't mindless aren't immune to being frightened, which seems odd to me - it's hard to picture a banshee or wight or wraith being afraid.Most Undeads are not immune to Mental.There are mindless undead: Various types of zombie or skeleton for example. In a game with plenty of undead, I'd expect to see these types of undead in it. Additionally, I never said or implied that all [or even most] undead are mindless: they are just one of the major types that have mindless in them. I thought it was clear, when right before that I talked about "mindless targets" and "mindless foes, that when i talked about "oozes, constructs and undead", it'd be understood that I was talking about MINDLESS "oozes, constructs and undead".
Only Constructs, Oozes and Swarms (for targetted spells).Not all constructs or oozes are mindless either. Look at Immortal Ichor, Soulbound Ruin, Soulbound Doll and Homunculus. Swarms have special rules and aren't mindless so I didn't include them: they would be immune to the fear spell but my point was made with "oozes, constructs and undead".
True, but it seems odd that you can frighten them with means other than turn undead/divine magic
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Why? They're fully intelligent creatures capable of experiencing emotion. Seems weird and arbitrary to exclude fear from that list and then carve out another exception for a specific kind of fear caused by a divine caster.
The answer is simple.
Fireball.Always fireball.
ALWAYS, FIREBALL.
The only answer other than Grease that I will tolerate.Keep in mind that, since it has to fill all of your slots, that excludes any spells higher than 1st level./quote]
No spell slot that can't turn itself into a pyroclastic spheroid is a spell slot of mine!
This! Not practical for every situation but sometimes you just have to burn the world .
True, but it seems odd that you can frighten them with means other than turn undead/divine magic
Who said it's not divine? The fear spell is on every list.
As to general fear effects, why wouldn't a lich or a vampire be afraid of something that might end their eternal existence. They have a lot to lose after all: all of eternity. Who else has a better reason to run away? Nothing about undeath prevents cowardice.
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Why? They're fully intelligent creatures capable of experiencing emotion. Seems weird and arbitrary to exclude fear from that list and then carve out another exception for a specific kind of fear caused by a divine caster.
Who said it's not divine? The fear spell is on every list. As to general fear effects, why wouldn't a lich or a vampire be afraid of something that might end their eternal existence. They have a lot to lose after all: all of eternity. Who else has a better reason to run away? Nothing about undeath prevents cowardice.
Its neither weird nor arbitrary as the reasoning why undead are supposed to be susceptable to fear from turn undead is that they are not afraid of you but the power behind you. Its called wrath of god for a reason and not wrath of you, because no matter how powerful you are "here on earth", you are no greater divine being. And who knows, perhaps there are worse fates than "just" being destroyed on the prime material plane?
Of cause this is some older editions mystical mumbo jumbo heritage thingy but because of this I can easily understand why people are wondering that a banshee should be afraid of an old man in a bathrobe or a savage carrying an axe.
Having said so I am totally ok with the fact that fear effects work on intelligent undead in PF2 for exactly the reasons that @squiggit and @graystone already mentioned.