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).

Important

 * 1) Nightshield, Obscuring Mist
 * 2) Resist Energy, Soundburst
 * 3) Prayer, Cure Serious Wounds, Magic Circle Against Evil
 * 4) Freedom of Movement, Cure Critical Wounds, Recitation
 * 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, Greater Command, Divine Punishment, Slay Living
 * 8) Heal, Cometfall, Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass, 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, Resurrection (can also be scrolled), Symbol of Stunning, Destruction
 * 11) Cure Critical Wounds, Mass, Death Pact, Symbol of Death, Death Ward, Mass
 * 12) Heal, Mass, True Resurrection, Implosion, Energy Drain

Situational

 * 1) Divine Favor
 * 2) *Bless to remove Bane debuff; can be scrolled also
 * 3) *Protection from Evil if not taking Magic Circle Against Evil
 * 4) *Cause Fear as a Shaken debuff to fear-susceptible enemies
 * 5) Find Traps, Spawn Screen, Seek Eternal Rest, Hold Person
 * N/A
 * 1) Divine Power, Dismissal
 * 2) Flame Strike
 * 3) Banishment, Symbol of Persuasion, Symbol of Fear
 * 4) *Create Undead's mummy has a fear aura that can immobilize enemies
 * 5) *Harm to heal Pale Master allies
 * N/A
 * 1) Fire Storm
 * N/A

Scroll

 * 1) Lesser Restoration
 * 2) 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.
 * 3) Aid, Mass, Remove Curse, Remove Blindness, Remove Disease, Protection from Energy, Water Breathing
 * 4) Neutralize Poison, Restoration
 * 5) Break Enchantment, Protection from Elements, Raise Dead, True Seeing
 * 6) Bear's Endurance, Mass etc., Greater Dispel Magic for helping to disable Spellward traps
 * 7) Protection from Elements, Mass, Greater Restoration
 * N/A
 * N/A

Important

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

Situational

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

Scroll

 * N/A
 * 1) Invisibility
 * 2) *Gust of Wind to clear enemy AoEs
 * 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) Protection from Energy, Heroism, Water Breathing
 * 5) Fire Shield
 * 6) Break Enchantment, Protection from Elements, Teleport
 * 7) Bear's Endurance, Mass etc., Greater Dispel Magic for helping to disable Spellward traps, True Seeing, Greater Heroism, Shadow Walk, Tenser's Transformation, Stone to Flesh to help allies
 * 8) Protection from Elements, Mass, Greater Teleport, Invisibility, Mass
 * N/A
 * N/A