Spell usefulness

Since there are usually many more spells per level than a character has spell slots, a common question for people new to caster classes is what spells to pick. This article assumes the caster is being played as a caster (i.e., the player is reasonably maximizing their Difficulty Class for their spells) and attempts to rank spells as Important, Situational, or Scroll (the spell's benefit is almost entirely the same via scroll or potion as cast from the SP pool), with some commentary where the benefit is not obvious. Note that it's possible for the Important spells to be more numerous than the maximum spell slots available, at which point the player must decide which to slot.

The goal is not to rank every spell in every spellbook, as that would be too verbose (there are many ways to deal elemental damage, and the spell selections will vary for different sorcerer savants).

Cleric/Favored Soul
Note that not all cure spells are listed as "important." In general, it is a good idea to have two single-target spells and two mass spells if possible, in case of emergencies during cooldowns. In low-level content, Cure Serious Wounds potions likely heal better than innate divine spells.

Important

 * 1) Nightshield, Obscuring Mist
 * 2) Resist Energy, Soundburst
 * 3) Cure Serious Wounds, Magic Circle Against Evil
 * 4) Cure Critical Wounds, Freedom of Movement
 * 5) * Smiting spells Holy Smite (blind), Chaos Hammer (slows lawful enemies), Order's Wrath (dazes chaotic enemies). These spells do not have Spell Resistance checks. Caster alignment restrictions may apply.
 * 6) * Death Ward until the mass version is available
 * 7) Cure Light Wounds, Mass, Divine Punishment, Greater Command, Slay Living
 * 8) Blade Barrier, Cometfall, Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass, Heal, Undeath to Death
 * 9) * Blade Barrier works against nonevasion melees even if not the player is not built for casting
 * 10) Cure Serious Wounds, Mass, Destruction, Resurrection, Symbol of Stunning
 * 11) Cure Critical Wounds, Mass, Death Ward, Mass, Symbol of Death
 * 12) Energy Drain, Heal, Mass, Implosion

Situational

 * 1) Divine Favor
 * 2) * Protection from Evil if not taking Magic Circle Against Evil
 * 3) * Cause Fear as a Shaken debuff to fear-susceptible enemies
 * 4) Hold Person, Seek Eternal Rest, Spawn Screen
 * 5) Prayer
 * 6) Dismissal, Divine Power, Recitation
 * 7) Flame Strike
 * 8) Banishment, Symbol of Fear, Symbol of Persuasion
 * 9) * Harm to heal Pale Master allies
 * 10) N/A
 * 11) Death Pact, Fire Storm
 * 12) True Resurrection

Scroll

 * 1) Lesser Restoration
 * 2) * Bless to remove Bane debuff
 * 3) Stat buffs such as Bull's Strength and Bear's Endurance; mainly useful for protect the NPC quests such as Hold for Reinforcements or Hound of Xoriat. Player characters should have stat items or pots that don't stack with these.
 * 4) Aid, Mass, Protection from Energy, Remove Blindness, Remove Curse, Remove Disease, Water Breathing
 * 5) Neutralize Poison, Restoration
 * 6) Break Enchantment, Protection from Elements, Raise Dead, True Seeing
 * 7) Bear's Endurance, Mass etc., Greater Dispel Magic for helping to disable Spellward traps
 * 8) Protection from Elements, Mass, Greater Restoration, Resurrection
 * 9) N/A
 * 10) N/A

Sorcerer/Wizard
In addition to the spells listed below, both Sorcerers and Wizards should have a varied selection of spells dealing different types of elemental damage, in case monsters are immune or resistant to certain elements.

Important

 * 1) Jump, Shield or Nightshield, Sleep
 * 2) * Hypnotism (unheightened) for temporary Will save debuff
 * 3) Knock, Resist Energy, Web
 * 4) Displacement, Haste, Magic Circle Against Evil, Rage
 * 5) * Fireball for DPS or to break down doors requiring a Strength check (can be scrolled for this purpose)
 * 6) Acid Rain, Dimension Door, Enervation, Ice Storm, Solid Fog (debuff enemy Reflex, concealment), Wall of Fire
 * 7) * Crushing Despair for temporary save debuff. Can be scrolled if enemy has no Spell Resistance.
 * 8) Eladar's Electric Surge, Niac's Biting Cold
 * 9) Circle of Death, Disintegrate, Necrotic Ray, Undeath to Death
 * 10) Finger of Death, Otto's Sphere of Dancing, Prismatic Spray, Waves of Exhaustion to slow and debuff enemy Reflex (can be scrolled if no SR)
 * 11) Black Dragon Bolt, Otto's Irresistible Dance, Polar Ray, Symbol of Death
 * 12) Energy Drain, Hold Monster, Mass, Power Word: Kill, Wail of the Banshee

Situational

 * 1) Sonic Blast is a cheap way to break many clustered breakables for Ransack XP. It can also be scrolled or cast from Item:Cacophonic Verge.
 * 2) Blur, Ooze Puppet (Enter the Kobold), Spawn Screen
 * 3) * Grease (if party has FoM/FoM (item)/Immunity to Slippery Surfaces) to slow enemy movement
 * 4) * Magic Missile, Scorching Ray if in Shiradi Champion
 * 5) Chain Missiles (Shiradi), Deep Slumber, Halt Undead, Stinking Cloud, Suggestion, Slow
 * 6) * Sleet Storm to impede enemies if party has FoM/FoM (item)/Immunity to Slippery Surfaces
 * 7) Death Aura, Negative Energy Burst if Pale Master
 * 8) Cloudkill, Dismissal, Mind Fog
 * 9) Globe of Invulnerability can remove enemy buffs such as Death Ward or enemy attacks such as Bees of Xoriat, Reconstruct if Warforged/Bladeforged, Suggestion, Mass, Symbol of Persuasion, Symbol of Fear
 * 10) * Create Undead's mummy has a fear aura that can immobilize enemies
 * 11) Banishment, Symbol of Stunning
 * 12) Charm Monster, Mass, Greater Shout, Sunburst, Trap the Soul
 * 13) Meteor Swarm

Scroll

 * 1) N/A
 * 2) Invisibility
 * 3) * Gust of Wind to clear enemy AoEs
 * 4) * Stat buffs such as Bull's Strength and Bear's Endurance; mainly useful for protect the NPC quests such as Hold for Reinforcements or Hound of Xoriat. Player characters should have stat items or pots that don't stack with these.
 * 5) Protection from Energy, Heroism, Water Breathing
 * 6) Fire Shield
 * 7) Break Enchantment, Protection from Elements, Teleport
 * 8) Bear's Endurance, Mass etc., Greater Dispel Magic for helping to disable Spellward traps, Greater Heroism (also available in pots from Verisgante}, Shadow Walk, Stone to Flesh, Tenser's Transformation, True Seeing
 * 9) Greater Teleport, Invisibility, Mass, Protection from Elements, Mass
 * 10) N/A
 * 11) N/A