After playing this game for a very long time and mostly enjoying the versatility of Wizards, I have noticed I always select the same go-to battlefield control spells each level. It’s funny because I pick these spells regardless my school or origin, they are always there.
What are the control/offensive spells that always have a safe place in your lists?
Level 1: Sleep Level 2: Web Level 3: Hypnotic Pattern (sometimes Slow) Level 4: Polymorph Level 5: Wall of Force (sometimes Animate Objects)
I've been playing through a campaign with a Bard who focused on control as much as possible... he has a lot of the spells listed here, but by far the one he cast the most was Blindness/Deafness. Not because it's like... the best spell or anything, but it's one of the few control spells that doesn't require concentration. So generally there was a bigger, nastier spell he was concentrating on (usually hypnotic pattern, but it depended on the combat). Synaptic Static fulfills a similar function, but it's higher level so it's harder to spam the battlefield with it.
I suspect rime's binding ice will have a prominent place on lists like this soon enough
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Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter) Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Slow rules. One thing I'd underestimated before I played with it a little is how powerfully it works to undermine opponents with multiple attacks. Suddenly those half-dozen trolls or that hydra across the battlefield are much less scary.
Web is great - super useful in tunnel/hallway scenarios, especially.
Slow rules. One thing I'd underestimated before I played with it a little is how powerfully it works to undermine opponents with multiple attacks. Suddenly those half-dozen trolls or that hydra across the battlefield are much less scary.
Web is great - super useful in tunnel/hallway scenarios, especially.
What I love about Slow (specially against Hypnotic Pattern) is that it does not require sight to cast and no friendly-fire. So you can manage to cast in a safe spot to avoid Counterspell.
I remember to always start hard combats generating a thick fog with Pyrotechnics and then stay there for protection. I would just step out to visualize the battlefield and then go in the fog, casting Slow or Web without worrying about Counterspell. Nice.
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After playing this game for a very long time and mostly enjoying the versatility of Wizards, I have noticed I always select the same go-to battlefield control spells each level. It’s funny because I pick these spells regardless my school or origin, they are always there.
What are the control/offensive spells that always have a safe place in your lists?
Level 1: Sleep
Level 2: Web
Level 3: Hypnotic Pattern (sometimes Slow)
Level 4: Polymorph
Level 5: Wall of Force (sometimes Animate Objects)
Looks pretty similar to my regular picks. But sometimes if I'm feeling frisky I mix it up with these spells:
L1: Color Spray
L2: Suggestion, Levitate
L3: Enemies Abound
L4: Wall of Fire
L5: Bigby's Hand, Synaptic Static
I recently ran a control- focused wizard and these are ones I liked:
Level 1: color spray, fog cloud, longstrider (control can mean buffing allies too)
Level 2: Tasha's Mind Whip, levitate, web, blindness/deafness, earthbind (if you expect to go up against flying enemies)
Level 3: dispel magic, counterspell, slow (by far my favorite control spell), haste, fly
Level 4: Watery Sphere, otiluke's resilient sphere, and evard's black tentacles
Level 5: wall of force
Level 6: scatter (another of my favorites, which I finally got to use to great effect in this recent campaign!).
I've been playing through a campaign with a Bard who focused on control as much as possible... he has a lot of the spells listed here, but by far the one he cast the most was Blindness/Deafness. Not because it's like... the best spell or anything, but it's one of the few control spells that doesn't require concentration. So generally there was a bigger, nastier spell he was concentrating on (usually hypnotic pattern, but it depended on the combat). Synaptic Static fulfills a similar function, but it's higher level so it's harder to spam the battlefield with it.
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I suspect rime's binding ice will have a prominent place on lists like this soon enough
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Slow rules. One thing I'd underestimated before I played with it a little is how powerfully it works to undermine opponents with multiple attacks. Suddenly those half-dozen trolls or that hydra across the battlefield are much less scary.
Web is great - super useful in tunnel/hallway scenarios, especially.
What I love about Slow (specially against Hypnotic Pattern) is that it does not require sight to cast and no friendly-fire. So you can manage to cast in a safe spot to avoid Counterspell.
I remember to always start hard combats generating a thick fog with Pyrotechnics and then stay there for protection. I would just step out to visualize the battlefield and then go in the fog, casting Slow or Web without worrying about Counterspell. Nice.