This poll is to sample the popular vote for the best first level wizard spells. The most interesting information I hope to glean here is where people go after the standards. Therefore, it is important to cast at least 5 votes in this poll. Voting for the the top two or three spells really doesn't provide any interesting information. Also, if you change your mind, you should change your vote.
I know it's tough to make these choices, and that selecting spells requires a lot of context. Assume you know nothing about the adventure ahead, you have just made the lowest level character able to cast these spells, you don't know what the other party members are going to be, or how many, and that the campaign is going to be a long one. If you need some information about your character, assume a regular human with good class-required ability scores, and average scores for all other abilities. Also assume that you might end up with a gish (melee caster) version of the character at times, and other times with a straight-caster, just to give some of the melee spells a chance. Otherwise, assume no houserules in making your selections, but the DM has veered off the by-the-book path before, so this isn't a bang-your-head-against-a-wall kinda DM. However, he will rule on any relevant houserule requests after you have made such a selection, just to make sure you make the selections in good faith. In brief, make all reasonably safe assumptions necessary for the poll.
Extra credit: explain some of your off-the-beaten path selections in your post, argue against other folks' selections, correct grammar, or berate the original poster for screwing up the poll.
Alarm can be cast more than once and as a ritual. (Enemy wizard casts Invisibility and you cast Alarm near the only exit to the cave, when the wizard enters that area your alarm goes off and you cast Sleep in that area (or other AoE spell))
Find Familiar is also a ritual, maybe go for a bat to use with your Fog Cloud spell. (Can change your familiar by casting this spell again, even if it hasn't died yet)
Fog Cloud is concentration, but if they can't see then you probably won't get attacked all that much and won't have to make any concentration rolls. Also if you chose a bat familiar you can use it's senses to see in the fog. (Right before casting this spell yell, "SMOKE BOMB!"... also cast it often)
Magic Missile does automatic damage. (This spell can be op if you are a 10th level Evoker as the bonus is added to the damage roll, and since the level of spell determines the number of darts, each of those darts will do the damage rolled)
Shield helps to save you from most attacks. (Stay away from most attacks, the few that you do face will be mostly misses thanks to the +5 bonus)
Sleep is automatic and non-violent. (Use at the right time... Bedtime!... for your enemies)
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"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
I like utility and control spells because they are more conducive to creative problem-solving than straight damage-dealing, in my opinion. So I went with catapult, charm person, detect magic, find familiar, and shield. I pretty much always have these spells prepared - with them, I can be helpful in most situations, whether it's combat, puzzle-solving, overland travel, or a social encounter.
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"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
Magic missile - auto hit force damage - sign me up
Find familiar - scout, friend and alchemist fire carrying suicide bomber / dragons breath bomber
Identify - unless your allowed to simply fondle an item to discover properties a ritual to find them all out - even the curses? priceless
Mage armour - safety first, try to avoid being beaten like a pinata
Featherfall - The only time you dont memorise it is the time you find a pitfall (every damn time!)
*honourable mention - at first level burning hands should be taken its a group clearer.
I dislike shield. It can turn a hit into a miss, great. But it just cost a spell (although when you reach 18th? do you take magic missile or this to have at will - thats a perm +5 ac costing a reaction) Its he same reason false life isnt on the list, Its good but it costs too much - unless its the difference between life and death, and if thats the case more than once or twice your party may have bigger problems.
Magic missile - auto hit force damage - sign me up
Find familiar - scout, friend and alchemist fire carrying suicide bomber / dragons breath bomber
Identify - unless your allowed to simply fondle an item to discover properties a ritual to find them all out - even the curses? priceless
Mage armour - safety first, try to avoid being beaten like a pinata
Featherfall - The only time you dont memorise it is the time you find a pitfall (every damn time!)
*honourable mention - at first level burning hands should be taken its a group clearer.
I dislike shield. It can turn a hit into a miss, great. But it just cost a spell (although when you reach 18th? do you take magic missile or this to have at will - thats a perm +5 ac costing a reaction) Its he same reason false life isnt on the list, Its good but it costs too much - unless its the difference between life and death, and if thats the case more than once or twice your party may have bigger problems.
I love Identify, but to be honest, it's no longer needed. You can find out the same info with a short rest. Identify can be quicker (depending on number of items and number of party members: a 6-person party can identify 6 items faster than one wizard with Identify), but neither will identify curses. Then again, [spell]Identify[spell] has other uses: identifying what spells are affecting a creature or object, and identifying which spell, if any, created an object.
I have to strongly disagree with you on Shield, though. +5 AC is roughly the same as imposing Disadvantage on the enemy, and you only have to spend the resource (spell slot and reaction) if you're hit. As a Wizard, you're probably going to want to avoid getting hit as much as possible, given your low HPs and the fact that you're more than likely concentrating on a spell. Adding a +5 AC reaction spell to your arsenal is a huge advantage towards that goal. Yes, it costs a spell slot, but with cantrips being a decent source of damage, even if you somehow end up using all your slots for defense, you're still doing decent damage. At higher levels, you'll have more than enough slots. Plus, like you said, with Spell Mastery at level 18, Shield is a no-brainer.
Yeah Tonio, I understand the 'shield saved my life' argument. But its a crutch that burns spells and I wont encourage people to play with it - not after having seen people want to blow second level spell slots on it because they had run out of first level ones using it. Just... no. Others are free to experiment.
Identify is as you mention useless as is - hence my fondle comment - a blind one armed hook handed pirate, aged 3 years old can determine a magic items properties by rules. To this I simply say, no. Never. So for me Identify determines properties, without it you can if the item is attuneable sense and try to blind attune over a short rest (locking yourself to a cursed item in this manner) but identify will also identify a cursed item - after all if you can identify what magic went into an item - 'and whats this necromancy and enchantment are there as well? but why would this simple +1axe require that -- ohhh yeah blood bound rage inducing, yup its a cursed item dudes!' then you know. If you cant? then detect magic will clue you in by determining every school of magic and end up being a better identifier spell for curses than identify - Your right that shouldnt happen because it makes no sense so we go back to identify doing what its description implies - identify. Its about world science in the end - how your game world works may be different and I hope it makes some kind of sense as well :)
Sure, you can homebrew your world (as DM) so that a short rest won't do what it does in the rulebooks, and so that Identify does more than it says it does in the rulebooks, and that may result in a more fun game for you and your players... if so, great! But that's homebrew territory, not rules as written.
Regarding Shield... I dunno what else to say. A dead Wizard casts no spells. I'd rather burn all my slots on Shield and attack using only cantrips, than not cast Shield and waste my slots being unconscious or dead. Agree to disagree, I guess.
If you are being hit - why are you being hit? Your a wizard not a frontliner (excluding elven bladesingers - so yes shield makes a sensible choice there) so stop yourself from having to expend spells on mistakes. I dont disagree with you using shield to prevent damage - but if you keep having to, I ask again what is wrong with this picture?
Identify isnt about homebrew. Its as written capable of less than detect magic - thats wrong. It also could be written out of the game because INT 3 child beggars can be paid to identify your magic items as it stands - thats wrong. This is a rules problem and where there is a rules problem the DM has to intervene. Whether you remove Identify from the game or fix it, just dont let your players pick it unless you pre-educate them about the mechanics of detect magic and beggar scholars if you want to enforce baffling rules that encourage the madness of beggar-conomies.
Wizards get hit because PC’s tend to target enemy spell casters first and then mop up the rest of the opponents. In turn intelligent opponents tend to target PC spell casters no matter how hard we try to stay out of melee!
I agree that Shield shouldn't be a spell you use often, but let's face it. The DMs loves to put us in situations where we can't avoid attacks without being completely away from combat. Party ambushed? Hordes of enemies coming from behind, where you thought you were safe. In the middle of combat and feeling satisfied after fireballing a group from far away? Get ready for an arrowrain.
I used to think that Shield was bad since having to use it meant that you did something horribly wrong, but after playing through Forge of Fury with a wizard, I found out that these cases happens way too many times outside of your control. If you're in a fortress with limited escape routes, you'll never know which direction enemies are coming from, so it's extremely difficult to stay at the "back" of the battlefield.
Shield, Mage Armor, Ice Knife, Sleep, Protection from Evil and Good, Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, and Find Familiar are the ones I chose.
1. Shield gives you a +5 bonus, and I use it a lot as an Abjuration School member just to a) let my Arcane Ward recharge, and b) turn the powerful monster's hits into misses (Usually, I just let my Ward take damage from minor threats and use Shield for the big baddies.)
2. In a similar vein, Mage Armor gives you a much-needed boost in defensive power, at the cost of a single 1st level spell slot per day.
3. Ice Knife lets you make an attack roll against one creature and then an AoE save against many! The obvious disadvantage is that with bad rolls and good opponents, you could potentially do no damage with a first level spell slot. However, with a high enough modifier and spell save, it can become a powerful spell.
4. Sleep looks like a no-brainer to me: at first level, you can just send half of the kobold horde to sleep! (I do have a question about this one. Can it be used to knock out elementals? It only specifies undead and creatures that can't be charmed, but do the elemental's Elemental Nature trait stop this from working?
5. Protection from Evil and Good gives disadvantage on attacks to a wide variety of creatures, with only a 25gp string attached. It does require concentration, but it works wonders for the wizard to hang out in the back while an affected creature walks through a wave of skeletons
6. Chromatic Orb is a powerful spell that lets you make a ranged attack for 3d8 damage. The only requirement is a 50gp diamond, which is easily obtained after a couple of sessions.
7. Magic missile gives you automatic force damage! what's not to like?
8. Find Familiar is only 10gp and you can get a magical familiar that acts like an automatic Help action in combat. The creature summoned is pretty weak, but anyone that actually attacks it is wasting an action for a relatively insignificant threat.
Those are my reasons. I hope you agree
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"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
sleep creates the unconscious condition... so I would guess any creatures with immunity to that condition would not be able to be put to sleep
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"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
4. Sleep looks like a no-brainer to me: at first level, you can just send half of the kobold horde to sleep! (I do have a question about this one. Can it be used to knock out elementals? It only specifies undead and creatures that can't be charmed, but do the elemental's Elemental Nature trait stop this from working?
It can! "Elemental Nature. An elemental doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep." Require is the key word here! They can eat, drink, and sleep, but they are not required to.
(At least that's my interpretation but it seems pretty straightforward.)
As for my favorites!
Ice Knife : I like that its a two-layered damage ability and is more controlled than Burning Hands.
Identify : Great information-gathering and figuring out the properties of an item immediately.
Catapult : Great damage on a single target, but more than that I just like the flavor of it. I had a wizard that would flip copper coins before casting the spell on them. Can even relocate an enemy's dropped weapon... into another enemy. Fun stuff.
Chromatic Orb : Even more great single-target damage with the added benefit of having a wide range of damage types. Just great.
Mage Armor : Its practically armor all day for the price of a spell slot. High value.
Magic Missile : Auto-hit force damage? Awesome. Its great for the first 6 or so levels before other options outshine it but if you ever just absolutely need to guarantee a hit, this is the one to do it.
I really want to like Detect Magic but sometimes I feel like it should have just been a Wizard feature. Your mileage will definitely vary. Shield is good if you're not putting yourself in a situation where you're in range of getting smacked every turn and burning spell slots trying to prevent that. Its great against the stray arrow, spell, and sneaky enemy but its really more of a contingency thing, imo.
Shield, Mage Armor, Ice Knife, Sleep, Protection from Evil and Good, Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, and Find Familiar are the ones I chose.
1. Shield gives you a +5 bonus, and I use it a lot as an Abjuration School member just to a) let my Arcane Ward recharge, and b) turn the powerful monster's hits into misses (Usually, I just let my Ward take damage from minor threats and use Shield for the big baddies.)
Thats ingenious - using it to avoid a hit is one thing, but to bubble bobble as well? fair enough, worth having prepared.
Shield and being targeted by monsters though. If you are going to spend a first level spell on defense, make it mage armour, at least have some one in front of you for cover purposes from the obvious threat. If your traveling in the open across field and dell then yes you can be shot at - unless, say for example your a mage who decides to ride in style and have a carriage or wagon so they can read and not become saddle sore. That lowers the ambush surprise round potential on you and with the brake on the carriage, significant cover where you need it. In a dungeon environment where you as a party descend into the depths of monster infested nests? Why would you fail to expect being flanked from side tunnels and take precautions? Caltrops, trip wires with bells, ball bearings , gravel and loose rocks, glass, mantraps deployed to delineate unexplored pathways should prevent 'oh my gosh they flanked us' surprise. With that warning you can consider how your formation can be changed to accommodate this new threat and rely on shield and a prayer (of healing)
I tend to go for defense and utility at level 1 and have my cantrips do the damage, so these are my six top picks.
Mage Armor - Best spell at lvl 1, even worth taking Magic Initiate (Wizard) for this even when playing Wizard. Absorb Elements - great against many hazards and other spellcasters. Shield - "I win" button vs nasty brutes. Expeditious Retreat - "I nearly lost" button Jump - Throw it on the Fighter or Barbarian, give them a rope, have them jump across the chasm. Sleep - Almost like damage. Optional: Find Familiar - Because why not?
If you are being hit - why are you being hit? Your a wizard not a frontliner (excluding elven bladesingers - so yes shield makes a sensible choice there) so stop yourself from having to expend spells on mistakes. I dont disagree with you using shield to prevent damage - but if you keep having to, I ask again what is wrong with this picture?
There's a world of difference between "I keep using all my level 1 slots for Shield because I don't know how to avoid getting hit" and "I very rarely get hit, but when I do, I neutralize it with a level 1 slot, using Shield". I don't get hit often, when playing my Wizard. We roll for HPs each level (I don't like it, but I'm not the DM), and I've been lucky enough to get 6's almost every level, with -- I think -- a single 5, so I've got oodles of HPs. But when ranged enemy attackers target me to try to get me to drop concentration on Haste (which would mean one turn lost for the Barbarian), you can be sure I'm gonna hit that Shield button!
Identify isnt about homebrew. Its as written capable of less than detect magic - thats wrong. It also could be written out of the game because INT 3 child beggars can be paid to identify your magic items as it stands - thats wrong. This is a rules problem and where there is a rules problem the DM has to intervene. Whether you remove Identify from the game or fix it, just dont let your players pick it unless you pre-educate them about the mechanics of detect magic and beggar scholars if you want to enforce baffling rules that encourage the madness of beggar-conomies.
I don't disagree with you. While I like how you no longer needIdentify to learn what magic items do, I'm not crazy about how it devalues the spell. Be that as it may, if you're changing how it works, or how identifying items by interacting them during a short rest, or changing how Detect Magic works, you're homebrewing. Which is fine, but you can't argue about why one spell is good or bad if you're not talking about the same version of the spell the rest of us are. (In my case, we removed the material component for it, which doesn't really matter at this point, since we're high enough level that a 100gp pearl is peanuts, but at lower levels, it felt more appropriate to just have the Wizard identify the items through a ritual spell than having the party members "fondle" the items over a short rest, and getting rid of the material component allowed that before we had the funds to afford to keep a 100gp pearl.)
I really want to like Detect Magic but sometimes I feel like it should have just been a Wizard feature. Your mileage will definitely vary.
Yeah, I really only ever use Detect Magic as a ritual, and mostly only to find magic loot after battles, hehe. Probably the best way to use Detect Magic is Warlocks' Eldritch Sight invocation.
I really want to like Detect Magic but sometimes I feel like it should have just been a Wizard feature. Your mileage will definitely vary.
Yeah, I really only ever use Detect Magic as a ritual, and mostly only to find magic loot after battles, hehe. Probably the best way to use Detect Magic is Warlocks' Eldritch Sight invocation.
Yeah, when I play warlocks, I get the Invocation, but otherwise? It's just not worth it to have it prepared. (Especially since it's a ritual, and you can cast it for free anyway, if you're willing to just wait 10 minutes)
Alarm, detect magic, feather fall, hideous laughter and ice knife for me.
Alarm is pretty straightforward, very useful. I don't always take it at the start of the game, but it always get put in my spellbook at some point.
Detect magic is useful for spotting magic traps early on. Or sneaking a random magic item into ones own bag with out other PCs knowing the worth of such an item...
Feather fall is always a reassuring thing, especially because I have a truly sadistic DM. It also provides an opportunity for a quick get away in a pinch.
Hideous laughter can be devastating against flying opponents. 20d6 fall damage because a Dragon rolled a one on it's wisdom save? Even if it takes it's legendary resistance, that is still the possibility of getting rid of one limited use ability for a 1st level spell slot. Plus, being knocked prone is one unfortunate place to find yourself in the middle of a boss battle, I'm sure your party's big hitter will enjoy having an enemy already on the floor when the large bladed implement is applied.
Ice knife does good damage, and it sounds cool. The dexterity save is only a negative when compared to magic missile, and it does a damage type that not many low level enemies resist. Couple that with a limited area of effect and a two-round damage output, and you have a fairly good damage dealer for a good few levels.
Alarm, detect magic, feather fall, hideous laughter and ice knife for me.
Alarm is pretty straightforward, very useful. I don't always take it at the start of the game, but it always get put in my spellbook at some point.
Detect magic is useful for spotting magic traps early on. Or sneaking a random magic item into ones own bag with out other PCs knowing the worth of such an item...
Feather fall is always a reassuring thing, especially because I have a truly sadistic DM. It also provides an opportunity for a quick get away in a pinch.
Hideous laughter can be devastating against flying opponents. 20d6 fall damage because a Dragon rolled a one on it's wisdom save? Even if it takes it's legendary resistance, that is still the possibility of getting rid of one limited use ability for a 1st level spell slot. Plus, being knocked prone is one unfortunate place to find yourself in the middle of a boss battle, I'm sure your party's big hitter will enjoy having an enemy already on the floor when the large bladed implement is applied.
Ice knife does good damage, and it sounds cool. The dexterity save is only a negative when compared to magic missile, and it does a damage type that not many low level enemies resist. Couple that with a limited area of effect and a two-round damage output, and you have a fairly good damage dealer for a good few levels.
Feather Fall I haven't been able to use since I got it -- which sucks, because I didn't have it when I really needed it (we were fighting Perytons!)!
Tasha's Hideous Laughter has been in my prepared list since, I think, level 1, and I love it. It's best when your party members cooperate and don't smack on the affected target (mine don't always), though. ;D
Ice Knife I missed when picking spells, not sure why... but the druid in our party has used it a lot, and to great effect.
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This poll is to sample the popular vote for the best first level wizard spells. The most interesting information I hope to glean here is where people go after the standards. Therefore, it is important to cast at least 5 votes in this poll. Voting for the the top two or three spells really doesn't provide any interesting information. Also, if you change your mind, you should change your vote.
I know it's tough to make these choices, and that selecting spells requires a lot of context. Assume you know nothing about the adventure ahead, you have just made the lowest level character able to cast these spells, you don't know what the other party members are going to be, or how many, and that the campaign is going to be a long one. If you need some information about your character, assume a regular human with good class-required ability scores, and average scores for all other abilities. Also assume that you might end up with a gish (melee caster) version of the character at times, and other times with a straight-caster, just to give some of the melee spells a chance. Otherwise, assume no houserules in making your selections, but the DM has veered off the by-the-book path before, so this isn't a bang-your-head-against-a-wall kinda DM. However, he will rule on any relevant houserule requests after you have made such a selection, just to make sure you make the selections in good faith. In brief, make all reasonably safe assumptions necessary for the poll.
Extra credit: explain some of your off-the-beaten path selections in your post, argue against other folks' selections, correct grammar, or berate the original poster for screwing up the poll.
My 5e Houserule Considerations. Please comment freely.
I voted for one, then changed it to 5... but the 6 spells I would take to face almost any situation or campaign are; Alarm , Find Familiar , Fog Cloud , Magic Missile , Shield , and Sleep .
Alarm can be cast more than once and as a ritual. (Enemy wizard casts Invisibility and you cast Alarm near the only exit to the cave, when the wizard enters that area your alarm goes off and you cast Sleep in that area (or other AoE spell))
Find Familiar is also a ritual, maybe go for a bat to use with your Fog Cloud spell. (Can change your familiar by casting this spell again, even if it hasn't died yet)
Fog Cloud is concentration, but if they can't see then you probably won't get attacked all that much and won't have to make any concentration rolls. Also if you chose a bat familiar you can use it's senses to see in the fog. (Right before casting this spell yell, "SMOKE BOMB!"... also cast it often)
Magic Missile does automatic damage. (This spell can be op if you are a 10th level Evoker as the bonus is added to the damage roll, and since the level of spell determines the number of darts, each of those darts will do the damage rolled)
Shield helps to save you from most attacks. (Stay away from most attacks, the few that you do face will be mostly misses thanks to the +5 bonus)
Sleep is automatic and non-violent. (Use at the right time... Bedtime!... for your enemies)
I like utility and control spells because they are more conducive to creative problem-solving than straight damage-dealing, in my opinion. So I went with catapult, charm person, detect magic, find familiar, and shield. I pretty much always have these spells prepared - with them, I can be helpful in most situations, whether it's combat, puzzle-solving, overland travel, or a social encounter.
"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
Magic missile - auto hit force damage - sign me up
Find familiar - scout, friend and alchemist fire carrying suicide bomber / dragons breath bomber
Identify - unless your allowed to simply fondle an item to discover properties a ritual to find them all out - even the curses? priceless
Mage armour - safety first, try to avoid being beaten like a pinata
Featherfall - The only time you dont memorise it is the time you find a pitfall (every damn time!)
*honourable mention - at first level burning hands should be taken its a group clearer.
I dislike shield. It can turn a hit into a miss, great. But it just cost a spell (although when you reach 18th? do you take magic missile or this to have at will - thats a perm +5 ac costing a reaction) Its he same reason false life isnt on the list, Its good but it costs too much - unless its the difference between life and death, and if thats the case more than once or twice your party may have bigger problems.
I love Identify, but to be honest, it's no longer needed. You can find out the same info with a short rest. Identify can be quicker (depending on number of items and number of party members: a 6-person party can identify 6 items faster than one wizard with Identify), but neither will identify curses. Then again, [spell]Identify[spell] has other uses: identifying what spells are affecting a creature or object, and identifying which spell, if any, created an object.
I have to strongly disagree with you on Shield, though. +5 AC is roughly the same as imposing Disadvantage on the enemy, and you only have to spend the resource (spell slot and reaction) if you're hit. As a Wizard, you're probably going to want to avoid getting hit as much as possible, given your low HPs and the fact that you're more than likely concentrating on a spell. Adding a +5 AC reaction spell to your arsenal is a huge advantage towards that goal. Yes, it costs a spell slot, but with cantrips being a decent source of damage, even if you somehow end up using all your slots for defense, you're still doing decent damage. At higher levels, you'll have more than enough slots. Plus, like you said, with Spell Mastery at level 18, Shield is a no-brainer.
Yeah Tonio, I understand the 'shield saved my life' argument. But its a crutch that burns spells and I wont encourage people to play with it - not after having seen people want to blow second level spell slots on it because they had run out of first level ones using it. Just... no. Others are free to experiment.
Identify is as you mention useless as is - hence my fondle comment - a blind one armed hook handed pirate, aged 3 years old can determine a magic items properties by rules. To this I simply say, no. Never. So for me Identify determines properties, without it you can if the item is attuneable sense and try to blind attune over a short rest (locking yourself to a cursed item in this manner) but identify will also identify a cursed item - after all if you can identify what magic went into an item - 'and whats this necromancy and enchantment are there as well? but why would this simple +1axe require that -- ohhh yeah blood bound rage inducing, yup its a cursed item dudes!' then you know. If you cant? then detect magic will clue you in by determining every school of magic and end up being a better identifier spell for curses than identify - Your right that shouldnt happen because it makes no sense so we go back to identify doing what its description implies - identify. Its about world science in the end - how your game world works may be different and I hope it makes some kind of sense as well :)
Edited for rogue words hiding in sentences
Sure, you can homebrew your world (as DM) so that a short rest won't do what it does in the rulebooks, and so that Identify does more than it says it does in the rulebooks, and that may result in a more fun game for you and your players... if so, great! But that's homebrew territory, not rules as written.
Regarding Shield... I dunno what else to say. A dead Wizard casts no spells. I'd rather burn all my slots on Shield and attack using only cantrips, than not cast Shield and waste my slots being unconscious or dead. Agree to disagree, I guess.
If you are being hit - why are you being hit? Your a wizard not a frontliner (excluding elven bladesingers - so yes shield makes a sensible choice there) so stop yourself from having to expend spells on mistakes. I dont disagree with you using shield to prevent damage - but if you keep having to, I ask again what is wrong with this picture?
Identify isnt about homebrew. Its as written capable of less than detect magic - thats wrong. It also could be written out of the game because INT 3 child beggars can be paid to identify your magic items as it stands - thats wrong. This is a rules problem and where there is a rules problem the DM has to intervene. Whether you remove Identify from the game or fix it, just dont let your players pick it unless you pre-educate them about the mechanics of detect magic and beggar scholars if you want to enforce baffling rules that encourage the madness of beggar-conomies.
Wizards get hit because PC’s tend to target enemy spell casters first and then mop up the rest of the opponents. In turn intelligent opponents tend to target PC spell casters no matter how hard we try to stay out of melee!
Professional computer geek
I agree that Shield shouldn't be a spell you use often, but let's face it. The DMs loves to put us in situations where we can't avoid attacks without being completely away from combat. Party ambushed? Hordes of enemies coming from behind, where you thought you were safe. In the middle of combat and feeling satisfied after fireballing a group from far away? Get ready for an arrowrain.
I used to think that Shield was bad since having to use it meant that you did something horribly wrong, but after playing through Forge of Fury with a wizard, I found out that these cases happens way too many times outside of your control. If you're in a fortress with limited escape routes, you'll never know which direction enemies are coming from, so it's extremely difficult to stay at the "back" of the battlefield.
Basically a spell that I hate to love.
Shield, Mage Armor, Ice Knife, Sleep, Protection from Evil and Good, Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, and Find Familiar are the ones I chose.
1. Shield gives you a +5 bonus, and I use it a lot as an Abjuration School member just to a) let my Arcane Ward recharge, and b) turn the powerful monster's hits into misses (Usually, I just let my Ward take damage from minor threats and use Shield for the big baddies.)
2. In a similar vein, Mage Armor gives you a much-needed boost in defensive power, at the cost of a single 1st level spell slot per day.
3. Ice Knife lets you make an attack roll against one creature and then an AoE save against many! The obvious disadvantage is that with bad rolls and good opponents, you could potentially do no damage with a first level spell slot. However, with a high enough modifier and spell save, it can become a powerful spell.
4. Sleep looks like a no-brainer to me: at first level, you can just send half of the kobold horde to sleep! (I do have a question about this one. Can it be used to knock out elementals? It only specifies undead and creatures that can't be charmed, but do the elemental's Elemental Nature trait stop this from working?
5. Protection from Evil and Good gives disadvantage on attacks to a wide variety of creatures, with only a 25gp string attached. It does require concentration, but it works wonders for the wizard to hang out in the back while an affected creature walks through a wave of skeletons
6. Chromatic Orb is a powerful spell that lets you make a ranged attack for 3d8 damage. The only requirement is a 50gp diamond, which is easily obtained after a couple of sessions.
7. Magic missile gives you automatic force damage! what's not to like?
8. Find Familiar is only 10gp and you can get a magical familiar that acts like an automatic Help action in combat. The creature summoned is pretty weak, but anyone that actually attacks it is wasting an action for a relatively insignificant threat.
Those are my reasons. I hope you agree
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
Check out my Expanded Signature
sleep creates the unconscious condition... so I would guess any creatures with immunity to that condition would not be able to be put to sleep
It can!
"Elemental Nature. An elemental doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep."
Require is the key word here! They can eat, drink, and sleep, but they are not required to.
(At least that's my interpretation but it seems pretty straightforward.)
As for my favorites!
I really want to like Detect Magic but sometimes I feel like it should have just been a Wizard feature. Your mileage will definitely vary.
Shield is good if you're not putting yourself in a situation where you're in range of getting smacked every turn and burning spell slots trying to prevent that. Its great against the stray arrow, spell, and sneaky enemy but its really more of a contingency thing, imo.
Thats ingenious - using it to avoid a hit is one thing, but to bubble bobble as well? fair enough, worth having prepared.
Shield and being targeted by monsters though. If you are going to spend a first level spell on defense, make it mage armour, at least have some one in front of you for cover purposes from the obvious threat. If your traveling in the open across field and dell then yes you can be shot at - unless, say for example your a mage who decides to ride in style and have a carriage or wagon so they can read and not become saddle sore. That lowers the ambush surprise round potential on you and with the brake on the carriage, significant cover where you need it. In a dungeon environment where you as a party descend into the depths of monster infested nests? Why would you fail to expect being flanked from side tunnels and take precautions? Caltrops, trip wires with bells, ball bearings , gravel and loose rocks, glass, mantraps deployed to delineate unexplored pathways should prevent 'oh my gosh they flanked us' surprise. With that warning you can consider how your formation can be changed to accommodate this new threat and rely on shield and a prayer (of healing)
I tend to go for defense and utility at level 1 and have my cantrips do the damage, so these are my six top picks.
Mage Armor - Best spell at lvl 1, even worth taking Magic Initiate (Wizard) for this even when playing Wizard.
Absorb Elements - great against many hazards and other spellcasters.
Shield - "I win" button vs nasty brutes.
Expeditious Retreat - "I nearly lost" button
Jump - Throw it on the Fighter or Barbarian, give them a rope, have them jump across the chasm.
Sleep - Almost like damage.
Optional: Find Familiar - Because why not?
I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.
There's a world of difference between "I keep using all my level 1 slots for Shield because I don't know how to avoid getting hit" and "I very rarely get hit, but when I do, I neutralize it with a level 1 slot, using Shield". I don't get hit often, when playing my Wizard. We roll for HPs each level (I don't like it, but I'm not the DM), and I've been lucky enough to get 6's almost every level, with -- I think -- a single 5, so I've got oodles of HPs. But when ranged enemy attackers target me to try to get me to drop concentration on Haste (which would mean one turn lost for the Barbarian), you can be sure I'm gonna hit that Shield button!
I don't disagree with you. While I like how you no longer need Identify to learn what magic items do, I'm not crazy about how it devalues the spell. Be that as it may, if you're changing how it works, or how identifying items by interacting them during a short rest, or changing how Detect Magic works, you're homebrewing. Which is fine, but you can't argue about why one spell is good or bad if you're not talking about the same version of the spell the rest of us are. (In my case, we removed the material component for it, which doesn't really matter at this point, since we're high enough level that a 100gp pearl is peanuts, but at lower levels, it felt more appropriate to just have the Wizard identify the items through a ritual spell than having the party members "fondle" the items over a short rest, and getting rid of the material component allowed that before we had the funds to afford to keep a 100gp pearl.)
Yeah, I really only ever use Detect Magic as a ritual, and mostly only to find magic loot after battles, hehe. Probably the best way to use Detect Magic is Warlocks' Eldritch Sight invocation.
Yeah, when I play warlocks, I get the Invocation, but otherwise? It's just not worth it to have it prepared. (Especially since it's a ritual, and you can cast it for free anyway, if you're willing to just wait 10 minutes)
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
Check out my Expanded Signature
Alarm, detect magic, feather fall, hideous laughter and ice knife for me.
Alarm is pretty straightforward, very useful. I don't always take it at the start of the game, but it always get put in my spellbook at some point.
Detect magic is useful for spotting magic traps early on. Or sneaking a random magic item into ones own bag with out other PCs knowing the worth of such an item...
Feather fall is always a reassuring thing, especially because I have a truly sadistic DM. It also provides an opportunity for a quick get away in a pinch.
Hideous laughter can be devastating against flying opponents. 20d6 fall damage because a Dragon rolled a one on it's wisdom save? Even if it takes it's legendary resistance, that is still the possibility of getting rid of one limited use ability for a 1st level spell slot. Plus, being knocked prone is one unfortunate place to find yourself in the middle of a boss battle, I'm sure your party's big hitter will enjoy having an enemy already on the floor when the large bladed implement is applied.
Ice knife does good damage, and it sounds cool. The dexterity save is only a negative when compared to magic missile, and it does a damage type that not many low level enemies resist. Couple that with a limited area of effect and a two-round damage output, and you have a fairly good damage dealer for a good few levels.
I prefer Leomund's Tiny Hut to Alarm for long rests, but that's not a level 1 spell. =)
Feather Fall I haven't been able to use since I got it -- which sucks, because I didn't have it when I really needed it (we were fighting Perytons!)!
Tasha's Hideous Laughter has been in my prepared list since, I think, level 1, and I love it. It's best when your party members cooperate and don't smack on the affected target (mine don't always), though. ;D
Ice Knife I missed when picking spells, not sure why... but the druid in our party has used it a lot, and to great effect.