Best Cleric Spells [Archive] - Wizards Community

Best Cleric Spells [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Keenath
03-31-07, 01:48 PM We hear so much about which spells suck -- let's go the other way.

What, in your opinion, are the best Cleric spells of their level? Feel free to use non-core books, but try to avoid anything from a specific setting, which often have different standards of what constitutes a balanced spell (I'm looking at you, FR). This doesn't have to be a list of the most broken spells; just which ones are good, which ones -- in your experience -- you wind up preparing on a regular basis.

If there are exceptions to your judgement, say so; sometimes a 2nd level spell that's great when you're 5th level loses its shine when you're 10th. And you don't have to stick to one spell per level -- if you think it's worth mentioning, call out as many as you want.

For example: All of the Animal's Attribute spells (Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance, etc) are strong choices for 2nd level -- but they drop off in usefulness once +2 enhancement bonus items become common (the item's bonus and the spell's bonus don't stack), and once everyone has +4 or better in their important stats, these spells aren't all that interesting.

And while it'd be easy just say "all the healing spells", let's leave them out unless it's one of particular interest among the group of healing spells. (I tend to give special kudos to CLW, which is the most efficient healing you can find, particularly in wand form.)
navar100
03-31-07, 07:51 PM I'll just use PHB. No Domains either.

Level 0: Guidance
Level 1: Divine Favor
Level 2: Resist Energy
Level 3: Blindness
Level 4: Divine Power
Level 5: Slay Living
Level 6: Harm
Level 7: Destruction
Level 8: Holy Aura
Level 9: Miracle

Only Blindness would I not always prepare. I would use Searing Light instead as a preference, but I think Blindness is "better".
Keenath
03-31-07, 10:43 PM "Level 1: Divine Favor"
It's good, though the Personal range hurts. And make sure that you're using the errata version -- maximum +3 bonus.
Until you reach caster level 6 or get an actual +1 weapon, Magic Weapon is a superior spell -- it gives the same bonus to attack and damage, lasts a minute per level instead of just one minute, and can be cast on an ally's weapon instead of "You".

"Level 3: Blindness"
Save-or-suck are always a little iffy to me -- I hate casting a spell and hearing, "Sorry, he made his save."
However, B/D is definitely a good spell, one of the more powerful 3rd level spells. In my game, we did a little houseruling on it, though -- It's a major balance issue that bard and sor/wiz have Blindness as a 2nd level spell, while the Remove B/D is a 3rd level spell -- you can actually get a character blinded and have to wait two levels to be able to remove it! Actually, I can't recall which fix we decided on -- we either made the Remove B/D a 2nd level spell, or made B/D 3rd level for all classes. I forget which.
Keenath
04-02-07, 04:34 PM Anyone else with an opinion now that it's Monday?
dirkformica
04-02-07, 07:19 PM Just a quick note on Magic Weapon vs. Divine Favor. Since MW is an Enhancement bonus and DF is a Luck bonus, they stack. So they're two great, low level tastes that taste great together.

Righteous Wrath of the Faithful from Spell Compendium and the Mass Vigor line of spells, also from SC are great party buffs. They are even better if you have Divine Metamagic Persist from Complete Divine. Fast Healing and an effect similar to Haste all day for the cost of 14 turn attempts and some feats is a pretty nice trade.

And if you pick up the Spell domain (SC,) Anyspell and Anyspell, Greater can really put a Cleric over the top. Now you can use those turning attempts and Divine Metamagic and apply them to Arcane spells like Draconic Polymorph from Draconomicon. Even without DM Persist, DM Quicken can let you have loads of fun with some Arcane spells.
Keenath
04-03-07, 02:34 PM Just a quick note on Magic Weapon vs. Divine Favor. Since MW is an Enhancement bonus and DF is a Luck bonus, they stack. So they're two great, low level tastes that taste great together.Yes, sure... but that's now wandering into "spell combo" range, which is interesting, but a bit beyond our topic.

Even without DM Persist, DM Quicken can let you have loads of fun with some Arcane spells.
Divine Metamagic is kind of screwed up in the first place; it's too cheap for what you get.
Anyway, if you have to spend three feats and a buttload of turn attempts (probably with ANOTHER couple feats to get enough together) to make the spell good, you're not even close to "the best spell of its level".

For that matter, if metamagic has to come into it anywhere, you're not talking about the best spell of the level anymore -- even if you're sneaking around it with various abilities like DM -- because the spell is of a higher effective level. Persistent Righteous Might is an effective 11th level spell, so it really isn't a shock that it's better than most 5th level spells.
tarkin
04-03-07, 02:49 PM Here is my list of favorite core cleric spells (Domains not listed)

Level 0: Cure Minor Wounds (Stabilize them), and Detect Magic. Purify food and Drink/Create Water are next.

Level 1: Cure Light Wounds, Sanctuary

Level 2: Death Knell (evil only), Silence, Make Whole

Level 3: Dispell Magic, Stone Shape

Level 4: Death Ward, Spell Immunity (Do some research, find out about how the bad buy loves a Fireball)

Level 5: Dispell Chaos/Evil/Law/Good, Plane Shift, Raise Dead, (Lots of good ones)

Level 6: Anti-Life Shell, Harm, Heal

Level 7: Blasphemy (overpowered)/Dictum/Holy Word/Word of Chaos, Repulsion

level 8: Discern Location

level 9: Miracle, Astral Projection, Mass Heal
Orion_II
04-03-07, 06:05 PM My Favs?

1: Bless, Cure Light Wounds
2: Align Weapon,
3: Searing Light, Dispel Magic, Prayer
4: Cure Critcal Wounds, Death Ward, Recitation
5: Mass Cure Light Wounds, Flame Strike, True Seeing,
6: Heal, Greater Dispell Magic
7: Holy Word, Destruction
8: Holy Aura, Mass Cure Critical Wounds, Firestorm
9: Mass Heal, True Resurrection
Flan
04-03-07, 06:40 PM Righteous Wrath of the Faithful is nice for meleers if you don't have a bard. +3 to hit and damage is like +9 damage for power attackers on top of the hase effect.

Revenance + Revivify = XPless raises for 1/5 the cost of Raise Dead.

Alter Fortune, expensive on XP but can save you from those nasty 1s.

Friend Shield, only chance a wizard has to survive any encounter, and can help convince them they should convert to your god, lol.

Blessing of the Righteous is basically mass align weapon with +d6 holy damage added on.

Holy Rain

Sound Lance
Keenath
04-03-07, 09:03 PM Purify food and Drink/Create Water are nextOut of curiousity, why? I suppose create water is useful if you're away from civilization for a long time-- but why purify? Do you run into ingested toxins that often?

Sanctuary: It seems good, but... do you have a trick to using it or anything? I always seem to get enemies that make their save and hit me anyway.

Blasphemy: You said overpowered -- is that because of the unavoidable daze? Only by my reading, it has no effect against any creature with more HD than your caster level. Still, I can see that repeated unstoppable daze would be pretty bad, especially compared to mere deafening for the other three alignments.
Flan
04-04-07, 01:20 AM Blasphemy: You said overpowered -- is that because of the unavoidable daze? Only by my reading, it has no effect against any creature with more HD than your caster level. Still, I can see that repeated unstoppable daze would be pretty bad, especially compared to mere deafening for the other three alignments.

It's better when a monster that can "at will" it non-stop does it, but there are ways for clerics to raise their caster level pretty high so blasphemy will work on almost anything. An easy +4 for 20k with prayer beads will put a lot of opponents into range.
Arem_K
04-04-07, 01:24 AM It's better when a monster that can "at will" it non-stop does it, but there are ways for clerics to raise their caster level pretty high so blasphemy will work on almost anything. An easy +4 for 20k with prayer beads will put a lot of opponents into range.

Then you can burn a candle of invocation for another plus 2, then add an orange ion stone for another plus 1. I think that there is a feat in the complete divine that lets you raise your caster level...
Perun
04-04-07, 01:43 AM Just a quick note on Magic Weapon vs. Divine Favor. Since MW is an Enhancement bonus and DF is a Luck bonus, they stack. So they're two great, low level tastes that taste great together.
Toss in bless, for good measure. A +1 morale bonus to attacks to you and all your allies in 50-ft. radius that lasts 1 min./level. Up until 6th level, it's pretty much better than divine favour (but stacks with it!).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Keenath 03-31-07, 01:48 PM	We hear so much about which spells suck -- let's go the other way. What, in your opinion, are the best Cleric spells of their level? Feel free to use non-core books, but try to avoid anything from a specific setting, which often have different standards of what constitutes a balanced spell (I'm looking at you, FR). This doesn't have to be a list of the most broken spells; just which ones are good, which ones -- in your experience -- you wind up preparing on a regular basis. If there are exceptions to your judgement, say so; sometimes a 2nd level spell that's great when you're 5th level loses its shine when you're 10th. And you don't have to stick to one spell per level -- if you think it's worth mentioning, call out as many as you want. For example: All of the Animal's Attribute spells (Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance, etc) are strong choices for 2nd level -- but they drop off in usefulness once +2 enhancement bonus items become common (the item's bonus and the spell's bonus don't stack), and once everyone has +4 or better in their important stats, these spells aren't all that interesting. And while it'd be easy just say "all the healing spells", let's leave them out unless it's one of particular interest among the group of healing spells. (I tend to give special kudos to CLW, which is the most efficient healing you can find, particularly in wand form.)
navar100 03-31-07, 07:51 PM	I'll just use PHB. No Domains either. Level 0: Guidance Level 1: Divine Favor Level 2: Resist Energy Level 3: Blindness Level 4: Divine Power Level 5: Slay Living Level 6: Harm Level 7: Destruction Level 8: Holy Aura Level 9: Miracle Only Blindness would I not always prepare. I would use Searing Light instead as a preference, but I think Blindness is "better".
Keenath 03-31-07, 10:43 PM	"Level 1: Divine Favor" It's good, though the Personal range hurts. And make sure that you're using the errata version -- maximum +3 bonus. Until you reach caster level 6 or get an actual +1 weapon, Magic Weapon is a superior spell -- it gives the same bonus to attack and damage, lasts a minute per level instead of just one minute, and can be cast on an ally's weapon instead of "You". "Level 3: Blindness" Save-or-suck are always a little iffy to me -- I hate casting a spell and hearing, "Sorry, he made his save." However, B/D is definitely a good spell, one of the more powerful 3rd level spells. In my game, we did a little houseruling on it, though -- It's a major balance issue that bard and sor/wiz have Blindness as a 2nd level spell, while the Remove B/D is a 3rd level spell -- you can actually get a character blinded and have to wait two levels to be able to remove it! Actually, I can't recall which fix we decided on -- we either made the Remove B/D a 2nd level spell, or made B/D 3rd level for all classes. I forget which.
Keenath 04-02-07, 04:34 PM	Anyone else with an opinion now that it's Monday?
dirkformica 04-02-07, 07:19 PM	Just a quick note on Magic Weapon vs. Divine Favor. Since MW is an Enhancement bonus and DF is a Luck bonus, they stack. So they're two great, low level tastes that taste great together. Righteous Wrath of the Faithful from Spell Compendium and the Mass Vigor line of spells, also from SC are great party buffs. They are even better if you have Divine Metamagic Persist from Complete Divine. Fast Healing and an effect similar to Haste all day for the cost of 14 turn attempts and some feats is a pretty nice trade. And if you pick up the Spell domain (SC,) Anyspell and Anyspell, Greater can really put a Cleric over the top. Now you can use those turning attempts and Divine Metamagic and apply them to Arcane spells like Draconic Polymorph from Draconomicon. Even without DM Persist, DM Quicken can let you have loads of fun with some Arcane spells.
Keenath 04-03-07, 02:34 PM	Just a quick note on Magic Weapon vs. Divine Favor. Since MW is an Enhancement bonus and DF is a Luck bonus, they stack. So they're two great, low level tastes that taste great together.Yes, sure... but that's now wandering into "spell combo" range, which is interesting, but a bit beyond our topic. Even without DM Persist, DM Quicken can let you have loads of fun with some Arcane spells. Divine Metamagic is kind of screwed up in the first place; it's too cheap for what you get. Anyway, if you have to spend three feats and a buttload of turn attempts (probably with ANOTHER couple feats to get enough together) to make the spell good, you're not even close to "the best spell of its level". For that matter, if metamagic has to come into it anywhere, you're not talking about the best spell of the level anymore -- even if you're sneaking around it with various abilities like DM -- because the spell is of a higher effective level. Persistent Righteous Might is an effective 11th level spell, so it really isn't a shock that it's better than most 5th level spells.
tarkin 04-03-07, 02:49 PM	Here is my list of favorite core cleric spells (Domains not listed) Level 0: Cure Minor Wounds (Stabilize them), and Detect Magic. Purify food and Drink/Create Water are next. Level 1: Cure Light Wounds, Sanctuary Level 2: Death Knell (evil only), Silence, Make Whole Level 3: Dispell Magic, Stone Shape Level 4: Death Ward, Spell Immunity (Do some research, find out about how the bad buy loves a Fireball) Level 5: Dispell Chaos/Evil/Law/Good, Plane Shift, Raise Dead, (Lots of good ones) Level 6: Anti-Life Shell, Harm, Heal Level 7: Blasphemy (overpowered)/Dictum/Holy Word/Word of Chaos, Repulsion level 8: Discern Location level 9: Miracle, Astral Projection, Mass Heal
Orion_II 04-03-07, 06:05 PM	My Favs? 1: Bless, Cure Light Wounds 2: Align Weapon, 3: Searing Light, Dispel Magic, Prayer 4: Cure Critcal Wounds, Death Ward, Recitation 5: Mass Cure Light Wounds, Flame Strike, True Seeing, 6: Heal, Greater Dispell Magic 7: Holy Word, Destruction 8: Holy Aura, Mass Cure Critical Wounds, Firestorm 9: Mass Heal, True Resurrection
Flan 04-03-07, 06:40 PM	Righteous Wrath of the Faithful is nice for meleers if you don't have a bard. +3 to hit and damage is like +9 damage for power attackers on top of the hase effect. Revenance + Revivify = XPless raises for 1/5 the cost of Raise Dead. Alter Fortune, expensive on XP but can save you from those nasty 1s. Friend Shield, only chance a wizard has to survive any encounter, and can help convince them they should convert to your god, lol. Blessing of the Righteous is basically mass align weapon with +d6 holy damage added on. Holy Rain Sound Lance
Keenath 04-03-07, 09:03 PM	Purify food and Drink/Create Water are nextOut of curiousity, why? I suppose create water is useful if you're away from civilization for a long time-- but why purify? Do you run into ingested toxins that often? Sanctuary: It seems good, but... do you have a trick to using it or anything? I always seem to get enemies that make their save and hit me anyway. Blasphemy: You said overpowered -- is that because of the unavoidable daze? Only by my reading, it has no effect against any creature with more HD than your caster level. Still, I can see that repeated unstoppable daze would be pretty bad, especially compared to mere deafening for the other three alignments.
Flan 04-04-07, 01:20 AM	Blasphemy: You said overpowered -- is that because of the unavoidable daze? Only by my reading, it has no effect against any creature with more HD than your caster level. Still, I can see that repeated unstoppable daze would be pretty bad, especially compared to mere deafening for the other three alignments. It's better when a monster that can "at will" it non-stop does it, but there are ways for clerics to raise their caster level pretty high so blasphemy will work on almost anything. An easy +4 for 20k with prayer beads will put a lot of opponents into range.
Arem_K 04-04-07, 01:24 AM	It's better when a monster that can "at will" it non-stop does it, but there are ways for clerics to raise their caster level pretty high so blasphemy will work on almost anything. An easy +4 for 20k with prayer beads will put a lot of opponents into range. Then you can burn a candle of invocation for another plus 2, then add an orange ion stone for another plus 1. I think that there is a feat in the complete divine that lets you raise your caster level...
Perun 04-04-07, 01:43 AM	Just a quick note on Magic Weapon vs. Divine Favor. Since MW is an Enhancement bonus and DF is a Luck bonus, they stack. So they're two great, low level tastes that taste great together. Toss in bless, for good measure. A +1 morale bonus to attacks to you and all your allies in 50-ft. radius that lasts 1 min./level. Up until 6th level, it's pretty much better than divine favour (but stacks with it!).