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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    Dec 2009

    Default Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    In the next session or two, whenever I get enough XP to hit level 7, I'll have the ability to Persist my spells (Metaphysical Spellshaper, not DMM, with Naberius to mitigate the ability damage), and my DM has ruled that Touch spells have a fixed range for the purposes of Persistent Spell. I did warn him just how many spells that opened up for me, but he allowed it, so I won't complain.

    However, I had only really been looking at Persisting Personal and Fixed Range spells prior to this ruling, so I'm wondering what some good Touch spells to Persist would be for a buff focused Archivist. I'm already planning on using some of the usual suspects, such as Mass Lesser Vigor, Recitation, and Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, and I've also slipped Barkskin onto the list, as that saves on the cost for a Natural Armor, either the standard amulet or added via the MIC rules.

    So, what are your favorite spells for party buffing? My DM has been fairly permissive when it comes to finding crafting partners, and I'm an Archivist, so assume all the core Divine Casting lists are in play.

    MrRigger

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    Ettin in the Playground
     
    GnomeWizardGuy

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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    Greater Magic Weapon is a biggie. It saves your party a lot of money on enchanting their weapons so you can spend it on other things. Especially if you can chain it onto a bunch of armor/shield spikes with Defending or something to really shore up the party's survivability.

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    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Courier6's Avatar

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    biggrin Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    For yourself, divine power, and bite of the werebear(druid) are awesome. Magic weapon is also good, so is magic circle of protection from X, and every melee character will want haste, if you can convince your DM that southern magician/ alternative spell source let arcane casters make divine scroll then you can get haste as a first level spell(trapsmith). Vigor and enlarge person are very good all day buffs. If you really want the DM to tear his hair out use persisted Summon Giant or persisted Nature's Ally IV(druid) (1d4+1 Black Bears) and Animal Growth(ranger)


    Also, really Book of Erotic Fantasy?

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    Greater Magic Weapon lasts an hour/level. The returns for persisting it are minor compared to, say, Divine Power/Righteous Might. Haste has a variable range as does summon monster so they're not eligible. Vigor is very good to persist. Divine Protection, Shield of Warding, and Deathward are all worth considering.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    For yourself, divine power, and bite of the werebear(druid) are awesome. Magic weapon is also good, so is magic circle of protection from X, and every melee character will want haste, if you can convince your DM that southern magician/ alternative spell source let arcane casters make divine scroll then you can get haste as a first level spell(trapsmith). Vigor and enlarge person are very good all day buffs. If you really want the DM to tear his hair out use persisted Summon Giant or persisted Nature's Ally IV(druid) (1d4+1 Black Bears) and Animal Growth(ranger)


    Also, really Book of Erotic Fantasy?
    I can't help where the PrC comes from, just that my DM said he wanted Powerful Characters. I haven't even brought out the really stinky cheese yet, and I'm already to the point that enemies have to roll 15-18 or higher to hit me, and this is without Persist. So I want to be able to not just boost myself, but make sure the rest of the party is able to keep up with me.

    Divine Power is nice, but due to the other half of my gestalt, I have full BAB and a d12 HD (it's a homebrew monster class, but not the focus of the discussion), so the attack bonus increase nor the temp HP are needed. And Bite of the Werebear is lovely, and I definitely plan to utilize it once I get 6th level spells, but that's still a ways off in the future (I have used Bite of the Wererat to great effect already, though). However, both of those are Personal only spells, and not really what I want to focus on. Still, thank you for the suggestions.

    Greater Magic Weapon is one I'll probably end up using, though I know one of the other party members can also cast this one. He's not able to Persist, but it's still Hours/level duration, so he'll be alright.

    Magic Circle Against X is nice, I hadn't thought about that one. When I think about Magic Circle, I think about Planar Binding, but it can definitely work as a nice buff.

    Haste is, as always, a great buff, but due to being Close range, ineligible for Persistent Spell.

    I already addressed the Vigor line, and I'll definitely use Mass Lesser Vigor (and upgrade to Vigorous Circle if it ends up being necessary).

    Enlarge Person is a good one I hadn't thought about, but none of our party are strictly humanoid (we have a Dragon type, an Outsider type, and a Monstrous Humanoid type), and Enlarge Person is also Close range, making it sadly ineligible.

    Summon Giants and Summon Nature's Ally IV both suffer the same problem, they are Close range, and thus can't be Persisted. Good thought, though.

    MrRigger

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    hex0's Avatar

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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    Quote Originally Posted by Courier6 View Post
    Also, really Book of Erotic Fantasy?
    If that is in play, why not grab the Ability Enhancer feat and persist Animalistic Power on everyone?

    Edit: Or Draconic Might. Or Chasing Perfection.
    Last edited by hex0; 2012-10-07 at 03:26 PM.
    Current homebrew in development: Wild Surge Rager

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    If that is in play, why not grab the Ability Enhancer feat and persist Animalistic Power on everyone?

    Edit: Or Draconic Might. Or Chasing Perfection.
    Well, I don't know what the Ability Enhancer feat is, for one, so that certainly has something to do with it. And where might I find Animalistic Power and Chasing Perfection? Draconic Might looks pretty attractive.

    MrRigger

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Colossus in the Playground
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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    Delay Death is a good one, of course, especially combined with Beastland Ferocity; make your whole party immortal. Of course, both are natively single target and Delay Death is actually Close.

    Polymorph is of course Touch if you can get it somehow. I think Adepts get it as a level 4 spell so that's one option. Mass Shield of Faith would be nice but I think it's a Close spell too in the Mass-form. Tho if you're doing Barkskin, you could do an individual Shield of Faith of course; that's Touch.

    Sheltered Vitality would be a good one. Favor of the Martyr is better but Medium Range so ehh.
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  9. - Top - End - #9
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    Quote Originally Posted by MrRigger View Post
    Well, I don't know what the Ability Enhancer feat is, for one, so that certainly has something to do with it. And where might I find Animalistic Power and Chasing Perfection? Draconic Might looks pretty attractive.

    MrRigger
    Ability Enhancer is in Dragon Compendium. Basically, any spell you cast that gives an enhancement bonus to an ability gets increased by 2. Animalistic Power and Chasing Perfection are both in Player's Handbook II. Giving +6 to ALL stats all day is good for just about every character.
    Last edited by hex0; 2012-10-07 at 04:42 PM.
    Current homebrew in development: Wild Surge Rager

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    We've never actually had anybody go below zero HP yet, but I'll keep Beastland Ferocity in mind. Delay Death is also Close Range. I'll definitely get them on Scrolls, at the very least, just in case.

    Polymorph is on the Adept list, and we've got a Rogue in the party, so he'll probably appreciate being able to sneak attack a stupid number of times per round while in Hydra form. Not sure if he'll want to spend all day in that form, but if we end up in the middle of hostile territory where stealth isn't an option (and given I'm using Luminous Armor, stealth isn't a first resort), spending all day in battle mode would work.

    Sheltered Vitality will probably make its way on my buff list once I'm able to cast it. Especially since my DM is figuring out HP damage is not necessarily the best way to attack us.

    I'll ask my DM about Ability Enhancer, but frankly, my feat choices are already pretty well set (Leadership at 9, for one). Animalistic Power and Chasing Perfection do look nice, though, even without Ability Enhancer.

    MrRigger

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    Quote Originally Posted by MrRigger View Post
    I'll ask my DM about Ability Enhancer, but frankly, my feat choices are already pretty well set (Leadership at 9, for one). Animalistic Power and Chasing Perfection do look nice, though, even without Ability Enhancer.
    You have to waste a feat for spell focus transumatation for ability enhancer, though if you have ability enhancher active with chasing perfection you have a +5 to baleful polymorph from the two feats.
    Current homebrew in development: Wild Surge Rager

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Colossus in the Playground
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    Default Re: Best Spells for All Day Party Buffing?

    Quote Originally Posted by MrRigger View Post
    We've never actually had anybody go below zero HP yet, but I'll keep Beastland Ferocity in mind. Delay Death is also Close Range. I'll definitely get them on Scrolls, at the very least, just in case.
    The combination of having both persisted is hilarious. You can't die and you can act normally regardless of your HP.
    Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
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