What Makes A Spell Or Power Useful In An RPG?
I’ve had an article on the site for more than a year called The Best Wizard Spells in Dungeons and Dragons. On Saturday, I found this comment on the article:
ANY spell is useful. You just have to use your imagination and get creative. Just because DMs only know to to do adventures that involve killing the orc for the pie doesn’t make spells useless. A real DM knows how to tailor a game for multiple scenarios, only 30% of which should involve actual combat.
All the useful spells you picked were spells that involved simple-minded “dungeon bashing”. Just the type of dumb mentality that created stupid 4th Edition. Thanks you 4rons
I deleted the comment, of course, as I don’t particularly like to be randomly insulted on my blog.
Now, insults and creative punctuation aside, this comment got me thinking about something:
What makes a spell or power useful in Dungeons and Dragons?
There are, in my mind, a few possible criteria:
- It should have opportunity for frequent use. Decipher script is limited in its use, Charm Person is not.
- It should be useful to overcome a challenge. That challenge doesn’t have to be combat; it can be social, or it can be plot-related.
- It should be something that can’t be done with mundane means. Light isn’t nearly as useful when you have a lantern around.
I’m sure there are other things that can make a spell or power useful in Dungeons and Dragons. What do you think? What makes an ability useful, and what makes it worth choosing over another spell or ability in your roleplaying game?
Spell names in Dungeons and Dragons
photo credit: super-structure
While we’re on the subject of magic, I thought it’d be worth it to revisit a topic I covered on the articles side of the blog a while back, but haven’t done here:
Here’s a list of some of the names in Dungeons and Dragons that have been passed down to the present day. For most of them, we have Gary Gygax himself to thank. Most of the names came from the original Dungeons and Dragons Greyhawk campaign in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, when Dungeons and Dragons was in its infancy. Read more
The Best Wizard Spells in Dungeons and Dragons
Note: This is an old post from the article section of my web site. It may be a bit dated. What do you all think? What would you add or change on this list?
For players who like to play Wizards and Sorcerers in Dungeons and Dragons, sorting through spell lists can be very time-consuming. In addition, many spells sound good on paper, but wind up being relatively useless when actually playing Dungeons and Dragons. Below, you will find a completely subjective approach to picking the best wizard spells for your character.
Before we get to first level spells, however, watch this tribute to Magic Missle:
First-Level Arcane Spells
- Detect Magic
- Magic Missile
- Enlarge
- Ray of enfeeblement
- Grease
- Shield
Second-Level Arcane Spells
- Rope Trick
- Alter Self
- Invisibility
- Glitterdust
- Scorching Ray
Third-Level Arcane Spells
- Haste
- Blindsight
- Nondetection
- Fireball
- Dispel Magic
Fourth-Level Arcane Spells
- Polymorph
- Stoneskin
- Black Tentacles
- Charm Monster
- Greater Invisibility
Fifth-Level Arcane Spells
- Summon Monster V
- Teleport
- Wall of Force
- Magic Jar
- Mestil’s Acid Sheath
Sixth-Level Arcane Spells
- Contingency
- Greater Dispel Magic
- Antimagic Field
- Disintegrate
- True Seeing
Seventh-Level Arcane Spells
- Limited Wish
- Hold Person, Mass
- Forcecage
- Spell Turning
- Simbul’s spell sequencer
Eighth-Level Arcane Spells
- Polymorph Any Object
- Summon Monster VIII
- Mind Blank
- Greater Planar Binding
- Horrid Wilting
Ninth-Level Arcane Spells
- Shapechange
- Timestop
- Meteor Swarm
- Gate
- Mage’s Disjunction
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