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Home  Pathfinder 2nd Edition 
Pathfinder 2e – Character Optimization 
Pathfinder 2e – Arcane Spell List
Path�nder 2e –
Arcane Spell List
RPGBOT June 5, 2021
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Last Updated: March 21, 2022

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2 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
Introduction
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Table of Contents
▪ Introduction
▪ Disclaimer
▪ Cantrips
▪ 1st-Level Spells
▪ 2nd-Level Spells
▪ 3rd-Level Spells
▪ 4th-Level Spells
DND 3.5  Spells
▪ 5th-Level DND 5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 
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▪ 8th-Level
GENERAL Spells
TABLETOP  MORE 
Disclaimer
RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become
common among Pathfinder build handbooks.
▪ Red: Bad, useless options, or options which are

extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
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▪ Orange: OK options, or useful options that only apply
in rare circumstances. Useful sometimes.
▪ Green: Good options. Useful often.
▪ Blue: Fantastic options, often essential to the function
of your character. Useful very frequently.
Players familiar with Pathfinder 1e should note that spell save

DCs have changed since previous editions. Where in 1e your
save DC included the level of the spell, in Pathfinder 2e your
Spell Save DC is the same for any spell that you cast. If you
cast a 1st-level spell one turn then a 9th-level spell the next,
they will have the same save DC. Because of this change,
low-level spells can remain fantastically useful at high levels.
This guide will not cover every published spell. There are too
Search the site
many spells, and not every spell needs additional guidance.
“Water Breathing” is only useful if you need to breath water,
and there’s little I can add to clarify that or to help you make Search
informed decisions. Instead, I’ll focus on spells which may not
have obvious uses, spells which are good enough that they
should be considered staple options, or spells that are
complicated and might need extra guidance on how to use
them effectively or on why you should avoid them even if they 
3 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
sound great.
Cantrips
Cantrips are a go-to, perpetual source of magical options.
Cantrips are
always heightened to half your level rounded up, so they’ll
match the level
HOME BLOG
of the highest-level spells thatPODCAST
you can cast. ThisNEWSLETTER
scaling ABOUT 
keeps cantrips a
reliable source of damage output at any level, though you’ll
still want to
rely on leveled spells when they suit the situation rather than
counting on
cantrips as your only source of damage output. Because your
GENERAL
number of TABLETOP  MORE 
cantrips are limited, try to split your options between damage
and other
options. A spellcaster whose only capability is to deal damage
is basically
an archer with more steps.
▪ Acid Splash: Less damage than Produce Flame, but a

little bit of splash damage and
some ongoing damage on a critical success. Produce
Flame is better for
single-target damage, and Electric Arc is better for multi-
target
damage.
▪ Chill Touch: No more damage than any other cantrip
and the secondary effect isn’t
any better, but it’s touch range so your wizard needs to
run into melee,
use Reach Spell, or send their familiar. Negative energy
damage is really
tempting, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra difficulty
unless you’re
already built for melee. You can also use this to bother
undead, but
gambling on a critical failure on a Fortitude save is a bad
gamble.
▪ Dancing Lights: Dancing Lights and Light compete for
space, and each has advantages
over the other. Dancing lights lets you fly the lights
around, allowing
you to illuminate distant objects even if you can’t easily
adhere Light to
it somehow. However, Dancing Lights is Sustained which 
4 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
can make it hard to

BLOGuse in combat, and if youAND
DUNGEONS can’tDRAGONS
see in the dark youGENERAL
don’t TABLETOP
want to be stuck
sustaining Dancing Lights when a monster stomps out of
the darkness
PATHFINDER
looking for a fight.RPGBOT.PODCAST
It also doesn’t improve with spellVIDEO levelGAMES
like Light
does, so Light is typically a better option.
HOME
▪ Daze: The best criticalPODCAST
BLOG effect of any cantrip, but the
NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
damage only improves
by 1d6 every two spell levels. If you choose this, it’s for
the Stunned
effect when the target critically fails its save. Still, this
could be a
good option for big brutish enemies like ogres which have
GENERAL TABLETOP
poor Will saves  MORE 
and typically don’t resist Mental damage.
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▪ Detect Magic: An essential in any party. It’s usefulness

improves as you add more
skills from Arcana, Nature, Occultism, and Religion. You
can get this from
the Skill Feat Arcane Sense, and considering how few
cantrips you get
that’s probably a good idea.
▪ Electric Arc: 1d4+mod damage to one or 2 creatures
anywhere within 30 feet of you
with a Basic Reflex Save. If there are two creatures in
range, it’s
unlikely that you can do more damage with any other
cantrip.
▪ Ghost Sound: Despite the limitation on intricate
sounds, this is still a fantastic
tool for approaching challenges nonviolently.
▪ Light: The go-to option for magical light, while it’s not
as fun or
interesting as Dancing Lights it’s generally easier to use.
Cast it on
something that an ally will carry or wear like a hat or a
sword, and
you’ve got a light source that lasts all day with no further
effort. If
you want to look at something far away, cast Light on on 
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a rock and either

BLOGthrow it orDUNGEONS
use Mage Hand to carry
AND the light around.
DRAGONS On
GENERAL TABLETOP
top of all of
that, the light size improves at 4th spell level, putting it
well ahead of
PATHFINDER
Dancing Lights. RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES
▪ Mage Hand: An excellent utility option. 30 feet may
seem like a small range, but
HOME BLOG to get the
it’s often enough PODCAST
job done, and the NEWSLETTER
range ABOUT 
eventually
doubles.
▪ Message: Only situationally useful. You still need to
speak, so using it while
sneaking can be dangerous, and that’s the only common
situation that I can
GENERAL
think of TABLETOP
which would  MORE more
make Message  useful than
shouting.
▪ Prestidigitation: A wonderful, amusing spell, but not so
useful that it’s essential.
▪ Produce Flame: 1d4+mod damage, and if you critically
succeed you apply persistent
fire damage which could easily do more total damage
than the initial
casting of the spell. Unfortunately, fire resistance is very
common, and
the 30-foot range can be very limiting.
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▪ Ray of Frost: Perfectly normal damage for a cantrip

delivered on a ranged spell
attack with an impressive range of 120 feet. The critical
effect isn’t
very exciting, but you still get double damage like any
other attack.
▪ Read Aura: As soon as you can cast 3rd-level spells,
this is redundant with Detect 
Magic. Detect Magic only detects the highest-level
6 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
magical effect in the

BLOGarea, but DUNGEONS
you can choose to ignore
AND magic that you’re
DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP
aware of, so you can
work your way down and identify each magic effect/item
one round at a
PATHFINDER
time. RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES
▪ Shield: If you’re expecting to be attacked in the next
round, this can prevent
HOMEa big chunk BLOG PODCAST
of damage, especially NEWSLETTER
as the spell’s level ABOUT 
improves. However,
you can’t cast it again for 10 minutes so you can
generally only use it
once per fight.
▪ Sigil: Great for identifying allies when there might be
disguised foes about,
GENERAL TABLETOP
for tracking  in a MORE
your location maze ordungeon, or for
minor acts of
graffiti. Unfortunately, it appears that the effect is limited
to a fixed
image (your unique sigil), but there’s no limitation on how
many you can
have in effect.
▪ Tanglefoot: Only meaningful if you score a critical
success to immobilize the
target. Othewise, you’re minorly annoying them at best.
▪ Telekinetic Projectile: More damage than any other
cantrip, and since you can use any
unattended object and deal damage of a type appropriate
for that object
you essentially have three damage types available. The
30-foot range is a
problem, but beyond that this is the simplest damage
cantrip and likely
the easiest to manage since there are no status
conditions or complicated
mechanics to keep track of..
1st-Level Spells
▪ Burning Hands: Compare 1d6 damage in a 15-foot
cone to 1d4+mod damage to any two
creatures within 30 ft. of you. With the expected +4 abiltiy
modifier,
Electric Loop deals 1d4+4 (avg. 6.5) damage to two
creatures. You can
reasonably expect to hit two creatures with a 15-foot
cone, and Burning
Hands cast at 1st level deals 2d6 damage (avg. 7). The 
7 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
damage gap is
BLOGnegligibleDUNGEONS
and the rangeANDgap isDRAGONS
massive. The fact GENERAL
that you TABLETOP
can even
compare this to a cantrip should tell you why this spell is
bad.
PATHFINDER
▪ Charm: AgainstRPGBOT.PODCAST
a solitary target, this is close VIDEO GAMES
to a save-
or-suck, and unless
the target critically succeeds on the save you may be
HOMEable to castBLOG
Charm PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
again if the first attempt fails. There is no limitation on
creature type
as there was in Pathfinder 1e, so this spell can be useful
almost
constantly. Consider expanding your language options so
that you can talk
GENERAL
to your TABLETOP  consider
new friends, and MORE 
investing in Diplomacy
so that you can
permanently improve the target’s attitude to ward you.
▪ Color Spray: Useful early in a fight, but if you can’t get
the Dazzled/Blinded
effects into play early you’re not benefiting much from the
spell.
▪ Command: A simple crowd-control spell with a few
options. Commanding creatures
to run away or drop what they’re holding is often the best
option because
it can force an enemy to disarm themselves or to run out
of melee
(potentially provoking Reactions), and the creature must
then spend
Actions to address how you’ve inconvenienced them.
However, it’s a
single-target spell with a 2-Action casting time, and you
can generally
expect to cause 2 Actions worth of inconvenience if the
target fails their
save, which may not be a good enough trade.
▪ Fear: For half the Action cost you can Demoralize a
target. Demoralize will
only make them Frightened 1, but that leaves you with
two Actions to cast
a different spell.
▪ Feather Fall: Any experience player has seen a long
list of situations which involved
falling in a dangerous fashion. I was once in a party that
leapt from low
orbit to avoid a rematch with an angry dragon, and
Feather Fall turned 
8 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
certain death into a fast elevator ride. Every party needs

BLOGthis spell DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP
available.
▪ Grease: A good low-level area control spell, and you
can also target things
like enemy weapons to potentially cause them to drop
their weapon. Even if
they manage to hold onto their weapon, they still suffer a
HOME-2 penalty BLOG
with PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
it for the 1-minut eudration of the spell.
▪ Grim Tendrils: At low levels this is a decent AOE
DNDdamage
3.5  spell.DND With a 30-foot line
5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 
you can easily hit two or three targets. 2d4 damage
seems low, but
negative damage is rarely resisted, and the persistent
GENERAL TABLETOP
bleed damage can  MORE 
quickly become a problem for low-level creatures.
Compared to Burning
Hands, it will be easier to hit more than two targets and
with just two
rounds of persistent Bleed damage you’ll roughly match
the single-target
damage of Burning Hands. Of course, you still need to
compare this to
Electric Arc, which can target two targets and will deal
better initial
damage without the difficulty of positioning yourself to
have two or more
targets in a line from your space.
▪ Gust of Wind: If you just want to knock targets prone,
use Grease. Gust of Wind is
situationally useful when enemies rely on smoke or fog,
and when you’re
facing flying foes. Knocking a flying foe prone causes
them to fall,
potentially dealing a huge amount of damage in addition
to the 2d6 from
the Critical Failure effect. As you gain levels and flying
enemies become
more common, this becomes more and more important.
Despite not scaling
with spell level, this should be a go-to option for handling
flying
enemies, especially if not everyone in your party can fly.
At low levels
you can probably forgo this because flying enemies are
uncommon.

9 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
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▪ Hydraulic Push: Despite the relatively high damage
compared to other 1st-level spells,
this isn’tTABLETOP
GENERAL a great offensive
 option.
MORE3d6 is still not much
more than
you’ll get from a cantrip at low levels. The appeal is
pushing enemies
away from you, potentially allowing you to run away
without provoking
Reactions, and allowing you to escape grapples.
Generally you should try
to avoid those situations rather than investing in a way to
escape them,
but it’s good to know that there’s an option when things
go wrong.
▪ Illusory Disguise: You can typically handle disguises
with the Deception skill, but if
you’re not proficient in Deception it may be more
convenient to learn a
single spell, and since you add your level to the
Deception check with
this you effectively match having Expert proficiency if
you’re not already
proficient.
▪ Illusory Object: In many cases, an illusory object is as
good as a real one. Hiding
being an illusory wall is often just as good as hiding
behind a real one,
especially if an enemy doesn’t know to Seek nearby, and
even then the
rules for disbelieving illusions require creatures to make a
Perception
check to Diseblieve the spell before they can see through
it even
partially. You can easily use this in combat to block line of
sight, to 
create places to hide, and possibly to isolate enemies for
10 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
several rounds.
BLOGBut fair warning: you andAND
DUNGEONS yourDRAGONS
allies are not immnune to
GENERAL TABLETOP
your illusions.
Even if you know that an effect is an illusion, you still
need to
PATHFINDER
Disbelieve it to see RPGBOT.PODCAST
through it. VIDEO GAMES
▪ Item Facade: Very situational, but I just know that there
are players out there who
HOMEare going BLOG
to cast this on PODCAST NEWSLETTER
looted items to try to get more ABOUT 
gold when they
sell it. As a GM, remember that when creatures interact
with the affected
item they can attempt to Disbelieve the effect, and if word
gets out that
the players are trying to swindle people with this spell the
GENERAL
players TABLETOP
might  MORE 
have trouble trading with people who know their
reputation.
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▪ Jump: Situational, but it still makes both the Quick

Jump feat and the
Powerful Leap feat largely obsolete unless you’re building
to jump almost
every round. For spellcasters, this stops being interesting
as soon as
magical flight becomes convenient.
▪ Mage Armor: If you fight unarmored, Mage Armor will
replace the benefits of a
well-enhanced Explorer’s Outfit at the cost of a single
spell slot. Sure,
spell slots are valuable, but the amount of gold you save
will be
considerable. You need to cast higher-level versions of
the spell to get
the increasing benefits, so I recommend using your
second-highest level
spell slot.
▪ Magic Missile: Reliable and flexible, Magic Missile has
several great things going for
it. First, it never misses, so it’s a great option when facing
foes with
high defenses. Magic Missile deals Force damage, which
very few creatures 
11 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
are resistant to. 120 ft. range is plenty to keep you well
BLOGout of harm’s
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP
way. And finally, you can choose to cast it with 1, 2, or 3
Actions to
increase the effects at the expense of your time.
PATHFINDER
Spending more ActionsRPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES
will get more effect out of the spell, so it’s a more efficient
use of
HOMEyour spell BLOG
slots, but if youPODCAST
need to move or cast another
spell in the
same turn you can still get some damage out of Magic
Missile.
▪ Magic Weapon: This won’t remain useful beyond low
levels, but at levels 1 through 4,
this is the best weapon you can get. It only lasts one
GENERAL
minute,TABLETOP
but if you  MORE 
cast this on the biggest weapon in the party (ideally
something like a
greataxe), you can get a ton of extra damage output for
the spell’s
duration. If you can, cast this before you jump into
combat.
▪ Mending: Tempting if you like to use shields, but the
Repair activity is more
effective, doesn’t require a spell slot, and doesn’t have a
Bulk
limitation. You could save this for days when you’re not
adventuring, but
even then proficiency in Craft is easy to get and just as
good.
Ad
▪ Pest Form: Only useful for scouting and similar non-

combat activities. Be sure
that you’re proficient in Stealth, because if you’re caught
in this form
and attacked you’re likely to die almost immeidately.

12 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
▪ Ray of Enfeeblement: You must make a successful

BLOGattack rollDUNGEONS
and the targetAND
gets aDRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP
saving throw. This is too unreliable, though making a
target Enfeebled for
a full minute can be a serious debuff.
▪ Shocking Grasp: High damage for a single-target 1st-
level spell, especially with the
persistent damage, but unless the target is wearing metal
HOMEarmor or isBLOG
made PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
of metal it’s not worth the spell slot. Touch range is also
frequently a
DNDproblem
3.5  for spellcastings
DND 5E  like thePATHFINDER
Wizard who typically
 PATHFINDER 2E 
have poor defenses
and may have trouble delivering offensive touch spells
safely.
GENERAL
▪ Sleep:TABLETOP  heavily
Despite being MORE 
weakened comapred to
Pathfinder 1e, Sleep is
still a good spell, but you need to reconsider how you use
it. Its effects
no longer depend on the targets’ hit points, and work on a
normal saving
throw more like other spells. The area of effect is small,
so rather than
clearing whole encounters by putting them to sleep you
may need to target
a few creatures that are clustered together, then either
sneak past them
or eliminate them without drawing the attention of other
nearby
creatures.
▪ Spider Sting: This spell is not written in a way that’s
easy to understand, so I’ll
walk you through how it works. First, it’s Touch range so
you typically
need to get into melee range to deliver it. Second, you
need to hit with a
melee spell attack to deliver the spell. On a hit, the target
takes 1d4
piercing damage, then makes a Fortitude save. Even on
a success the target
still takes 1d4 poison damage, but if they fail they
become afflicted with
Spider Venom (the effects are detailed at the bottom of
the spell’s
description). Be sure to read the Affliction rules on pages
457 and 458 of
the core rulebook, especially the Affliction Example
sidebar on page 458. 
13 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
With that in mind, the maximum duration of Spider Venom

BLOGis just 4 rounds,
so if you’re very lucky (or if your target isn’t), they might
take as much
as 4d4 poison damage and be Enfeebled for the duration
PATHFINDER
of the effect. All RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES
told, Spider Venom is a great introduction to Pathfinder
2e’s Affliction
HOMEmechanics, but it’s unreliable
BLOG because the target
PODCAST has so
many
opportunities to resist or remove the effects.
▪ Summon Animal: 3 Actions is a big Action cost, and
with just a 1-minute duration you
typically want to cast this at the beginning of combat.
Summoning spells
GENERAL TABLETOP
are worthy  articleMORE
of their own because the options are
too numerous to
detail in anu other format, but generally you’ll summon a
creature to
fight alongside your allies in melee, both drawing
attention from your
enemies and hopefully dealing a bit of damage of
damage.
▪ Summon Construct: Mostly the same as Summon
Animal, but constructs offer different
options.
▪ True Strike: While it won’t be especially helpful at low
levels when your spell
slots are extremely limited, this is a great option at higher
levels. The
1-Action casting time allows you to cast this before
casting another
spell, dramatically improving the reliability of higher-level
spells which
require attack rolls like Disintegrate.
▪ Unseen Servant: The servant can perform Interact
Actions, so it may be able to do
things like triggering traps, activating magic items,
administering
potions to allies, etc., but the spell is Sustained so you’re
still
comitting an Action every round to get an extra set of
hands.
Unfortunately, unlike Pathfinder 1e you can’t simply issue
commands to
your servant and take a nap while they mop your floors or
something.
▪ Ventriloquism: Situational, and anyone who hears the 
14 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
effect automatically gets a save

to notice the
BLOG illusion. Rely
DUNGEONS ANDon Ghost Sound as much
DRAGONS as
GENERAL TABLETOP
you possibly can
before resorting to this.
2nd-Level
PATHFINDER Spells
RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES
▪ Acid Arrow: Decent initial damage with some persistent

HOME
damage. ItBLOG PODCAST
doesn’t require NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
you to Sustain the spell like Flaming Sphere, but it will
likely deal less
damage in total for the same spell slot.
▪ Blur: Effective at any level, this gives the target a 20%
chance for any
attack directed at them to miss. Against foes with high
GENERAL TABLETOP 
attack bonuses, MORE 
this is a helpful defensive option even for characters with
high AC
because it provides an additional layer of defense. For
characters with
low AC you may want to look for more reliable options.
▪ Comprehend Languages: Technically situational, but
meeting a creature with which you don’t
share a language is common. The wording of the spell is
specific enough
that you can cast this on your party’s Face while they’re
actively hearing
a language which they don’t know, and they’ll gain the
ability to
understand that language. Unfortunately you can’t grant
the ability to
also speak the language unless you cast this at 3rd level,
but if the
speaker isn’t hostile you can always cast this twice so
that your Face and
the other creature can understand each other despite not
speaking the same
language
▪ Continual Flame: A permanent magical light source for
6gp and whatever it costs you to
learn the spell. If you use a Spell Repertoire, don’t bother
learning
this. If you can, find an NPC spellcaster to cast this for
you or buy an
Everburning Torch for 15gp. You have the option to cast
Continual Flame at
higher spell levels, but the spell itself doesn’t offer any
specific 
15 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
benefits for doing so. As far as I can tell, the only benefit
is for the DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
BLOG GENERAL TABLETOP
light to remain in effect in an area of magical darkness.
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GENERAL TABLETOP  MORE  
▪ Darkness: This is the most clearly-written version of

this spell that I’ve seen
across several editions of DnD and both editions of
Pathfinder, but it is
still very nuanced. The base version of the spell allows
Darkvision to
continue functioning, which means that if your party has
Darkvision and
your enemies do not, casting this will provide your party
with a
significant tactical advantage. The 4th-level heightened
version of the
spell also inhibits Darkvision, but weirdly that’s only
appealing compared
to the base 2nd-level version if your enemies have
Darkvision and you do
not because it inhibits everyone equally. However, the
Darkness spell is
by no means an unassailable way to darken the
battlefield at your
convenience: Darkness suppresses magical light of
Darkness’s level or
lowel, but due to cantrips being automatically heightened,
even the Light
cantrip can easily override Darkness unless Darkness is
heightened. This
allows players to easily counter magical Darkness, but
remember that your
enemies can do the same.
▪ Darkvision: If you or one of your allies don’t have
Darkvision, this can be an
important option. Sources of magical light are typically

16 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
less costly, but

BLOGthey also DUNGEONS
give away yourAND position which can be a problem
DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP
when you’re
trying to sneak around unnoticed. You can purchase a
pair of Goggles of
PATHFINDER RPGBOT.PODCAST
Night for 150 gp, but that might be a prohibitivelyVIDEO
high GAMES
cost for several
levesl after the Darkvision spell becomes an option.
HOME
▪ Deafened:
BLOGSituational,PODCAST
and nearly never useful in
combat.
▪ Dispel Magic: An absolutely essential option. While it’s
DNDnot3.5spelled
 out in the
DND 5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 
spell’s description, the Counteract rules make the level at
which you cast
this very important. On a Critical Success you can dispel
GENERAL TABLETOP
effects up to  MORE 
three levels higher than the level at which you cast Dispel
Magic and on a
Success up to one level higher. On a failure you can still
dispel effects
of a lower level, so upcasting Dispel Magic can be a
powerful way to strip
enemeies of problematic buffs or to disarm them of magic
items like
weapons which might dramatically boost their damage
output.
Ad
▪ Enlarge: Improved reach, a little bit of extra damage,

and a nice 5-minute
duration so it’s sure to last through all but the most
absurdly-long
fights. The fact that the spell raises a creature directly to
Large size
also means that you can cast it on small creatures like
halflings and they
still get the full benefits in combat, but it also means that
you can cast
it on tiny creatures like your familiar and potentially ride
them. While
the effects of the spell improve with spell level, the 2nd-
level version
of the spell is still a significant advantage for your melee
allies, 
17 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
especially if they have Reaction options like Attack of

BLOGOpportunity, so
you can count on a 2nd-level spell to provide a significant
tactical
advantage even at high levels.
PATHFINDER
▪ False Life: WithRPGBOT.PODCAST
an 8-hour duration you can makeVIDEOthisGAMES
a staple buff which you cast
every day. The additional temporary Hit Points are
HOMEroughly asBLOGmuch as you PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
would get from an additional level, especially if your
spellcasting
ability modifier is good. If you’re generous, you might cast
this on one
or more of your allies, especially front-line allies who are
likely to
GENERAL TABLETOP
draw a lot MOREthe
of attacks. Unfortunately,  scaling on the
spell isn’t
great, so I recommend only casting False Life as a 2nd-
level spell where
your spellcasting ability modifier is the largest portion of
the total
number of temporary Hit Points.
▪ Flaming Sphere: At low levels this is a great way to get
a lot of damage out of a
single spell slot. Cast this early in a fight, Sustain it
through the
fight, and between Flaming Sphere and cantrips you can
do plenty of damage
with very little expense. Unfortunately, the fact that the
sphere is stuck
on the ground severely limits its usefulness as flight
becomes more
common, and the 30-foot range requies you to stay close
enough that most
foes will be able to walk into melee with you using a
single Stride.
18 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
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
▪ Glitterdust: A good low-level option for countering

GENERAL TABLETOP
invisibility, even on a  MORE 
successful save targets still have their invisibility negated
for 2
rounds. Unfortunately, negating invisibility in this way still
leaves the
target Concealed, which provides a 20% miss chance on
attacks against that
creature (DC 5 flat check). You can more easily targe the
creature with
AOE effects or effects which require you to see the
target, but try to
avoid attacking the target if you can.
▪ Hideous Laughter: In a fight against single enemies
this is a great option for a
low-level spell. Making the target Slowed 1 robs them of a
single Action
per turn. If you outnumber the target, that puts them at a
massive
disadvantage in the action economy, allowed your party
to more easily
overcome them by sheer numbers, and since Hideous
Laughter doesn’t have
the Incapacitation trait it remains effective against difficult
enemies.
Denying the target Reactions also means that if you’re
stuck in melee with
them you can cast this then safely run away without
suffering an Attack of
Opportunity from creatures which can have the ability to
make that
Reaction. Even at high levels, this is a fine option
because Slowed never
stops being effective, and if you gain an ability which 
19 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
allows you to
Sustain a DUNGEONS
BLOG spell without spending an Action you can
AND DRAGONS tip the
GENERAL TABLETOP
scales of the
action economy further in your favor.
PATHFINDER
▪ RPGBOT.PODCAST
Humanoid Form: VIDEO
This provides very few benefits, the GAMES
biggest of which is a bonus to
Deception checks to disguise yourself. If you need
magical assistence
HOME BLOG with PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
a disguise, Illusory-Disguise will be more effective and it’s
a spell
level lower.
DND
▪ 3.5 DND 5E
 Creature:
Illusory Theclosest PATHFINDER 
thing you’ll get to PATHFINDER 2E 
summoning a creature with an illusion,
Illusory Creature is a complicated spell. The spell’s
GENERAL TABLETOP
description is  MORE 
nearly an entire column in the Core Rulebook, so there is
a lot of text to
digest. Generally this isn’t a go-to combat option because
the damage is
poor and the damage dealt will be halved if the illusion is
disbelieved,
but there is a common and important case where this can
be helpful
offensively: if your enemy has a damage weakness, you
can alter the form
of your illusory creature to deal that damage type,
dramatically boosting
the amount of damage which your illusion can deal. The
illusion’s stats
are decent, and with two Actions per round it can hopefull
make a few
strikes before something gets through the illusion’s AC.
Tragically, the
illusion is dispelled if it’s hit even once or fails a single
save the
spell ends immediately, potentially ending before you get
to Sustain the
spell even once.
20 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
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
▪ Invisibility: Absolutely essential, invisibility can solve a
lot of problems. The
spell ends
GENERAL if you perform
TABLETOP  a “hostile
MORE action”,
 and while
that’s not
explicitly defined it likely includes anything which requires
an attack
roll or which affects another creature in a harmful way
even if it doesn’t
require an attack roll or saving throw. It’s unclear what
happens if you
do something like cast Wall of Fire while invisible, so
check with your
GM. Generally you can get away with being inivisible in
combat while doing
things like casting buff spells and area control spells, but I
don’t know
if commanding pets or summoned creatures to attack
counts as a “hostile
action”. The 4th-level version of the spell reduces the
duration but
allows you to make hostile actions without breaking the
spell, so you can
spend a minute invisibly blaster your enemies.
▪ Knock: Don’t have anyone in the party with Thievery?
Cast this to open locks.
The total bonus matches Expert proficiency.
▪ Mirror Image: A decent defensive buff that works at
any level, but the fact that even
a failed attack can still destroy one of the images means
that the images
will disappear almost immediately if even a small number
if weak foes
focus their attacks on you for a round or two.
▪ Misdirection: Situational. You want the secondary
creature to have the aura you want. 
21 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
If you’re an evil character and you want to pass unnoticed

BLOGdespite someone
casting Detect Alignment, choose something like an
animal with a neutral
alignment.
PATHFINDER
▪ Obscuring Mist:RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO
Concealed offers a miss chance on GAMES
attacks, so this can be a passable
way to defend yourself from enemies if you’re being
HOMEtargeted by BLOG
a lot of PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
attacks or something along those lines. Weirdly, the spell
doesn’t inhibit
line of sight in any way unless the target and/or the
attacker are within
the area. You can’t use this to obscure objects, or to keep
enemies from
GENERAL TABLETOP
seeing down 
a long hallway. MORE it feels like the
Honestly,
spell is missing
half of its effects.
Ad
▪ Phantom Steed: With an 8-hour duration, this is a great

option for overland travel.
However, until you can cast it as at 4th level or higher
there’s little
reason to cast this instead of buying a horse. Be cautious
about bringing
the mount into combat: it’s frail and will die if an enemy
makes any
effort to kill it, and its defensive stats never improve
beyond 20 AC and
10 hit points.
▪ Resist Energy: A staple defensive option. 10 minutes is
long enough to get you through
a fight or two, and as you gain levels and additional spell
slots you can 
22 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
afford to cast this on multiple allies or to give more than

BLOGone type ofDUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP
damage resistance.
▪ See Invisibility: A staple option for handling invisibility.
At high levels casting the
spell at 5th level will be a common daily occurance so
that you’re always
ready to face invisible enemies. The creatures and
HOMEobjects areBLOG
still PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
Concealed, but that won’t protect them from Fireball.
▪ Shrink: Situational. The target needs to be willing, so
DNDrealistically
3.5  you’re
DND 5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 
only going to use this when you need to hide an ally or
carry them around
or something. You could shrink the target to allow them to
GENERAL TABLETOP 
fit into small MORE 
spaces or to spy on other creatures, but those situations
are rare and can
be handled by other spells most of the time.
▪ Spectral Hand:
▪ Spider Climb:
▪ Summon Elemental:
▪ Telekinetic Maneuver:
▪ Touch of Idiocy:
▪ Water Breathing:
▪ Water Walk:
▪ Web:
3rd-Level Spells
▪ Bind Undead:
▪ Blindness:
▪ Clairaudience:
▪ Dream Message:
▪ Earthbind:
▪ Enthrall:
▪ Feet to Fins:
▪ Fireball:
▪ Ghostly Weapon:
▪ Glyph of Warding:
▪ Haste:
▪ Hypnotic Pattern:
▪ Invisibility Sphere:
▪ Levitate:
▪ Lightning Bolt:
▪ Locate:
▪ Meld into Stone: 
23 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
▪ Mind Reading:
▪ Nondetection:
▪ Paralyze:
▪ Secret Page:
▪ Shrink Item:
▪ Slow:
▪ Stinking Cloud:
▪ Vampiric Touch:
HOME BLOG
▪ Wall of Wind: PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
Ad

4th-Level Spells
▪ Aerial Form:
▪ Blink:
▪ Clairvoyance:
▪ Confusion:
▪ Creation:
▪ Detect Scrying:
▪ Dimension Door:
▪ Discern Lies:
▪ Fire Shield:
▪ Fly:
▪ Freedom of Movement:
▪ Gaseous Form:
▪ Globe of Invulnerability:
▪ Hallucinatory Terrain:
▪ Nightmare:
▪ Outcast’s Curse:
▪ Phantasmal Killer:
▪ Private Sanctum:
▪ Resilient Sphere:
▪ Rope Trick:
▪ Shape Stone:
▪ Solid Fog:
▪ Spell Immunity:
▪ Stoneskin:
▪ Suggestion:
▪ Telepathy:
▪ Veil:
▪ Wall of Fire:
▪ Weapon Storm:

24 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
5th-Level Spells
▪ Banishment:
▪ Black Tentacles:
PATHFINDER
▪ Chromatic Wall: RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES
▪ Cloak of Colors:
▪ Cloudkill:
▪ Cone of Cold:
▪ Control Water:
▪ Crushing Despair:
▪ Drop Dead:
DND 3.5 
▪ Elemental DND 5E 
Form: PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 
▪ False Vision:
▪ Hallucination:
GENERAL
▪ Illusory TABLETOP
Scene:  MORE 
▪ Mariner’s Curse:
▪ Mind Probe:
▪ Passwall:
▪ Prying Eye:
▪ Sending:
▪ Shadow Siphon:
▪ Shadow Walk:
▪ Subcobscious Suggestion:
▪ Summon Dragon:
▪ Telekinetic Haul:
▪ Telepathic Bond:
▪ Tongues:
▪ Wall of Ice:
▪ Wall of Stone:
6th-Level Spells
▪ Baleful Polymorph:
▪ Chain Lightning:
▪ Collective Transportation:
▪ Disintegrate:
▪ Dominate:
▪ Dragon Form:
▪ Feeblemind:
▪ Flesh to Stone:
▪ Mislead:
▪ Phantasmal Calamity:
▪ Purple Worm Sting:
▪ Repulsion:
▪ Scrying:
▪ Spellwrack: 
25 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
▪ Teleport:
▪ True Seeing:
▪ Vampiric Exsanguination:
▪ Vibrant Pattern:
▪ Wall of Force:
7th-Level Spells
HOME BLOG
▪ Contingency: PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
▪ Dimensional Lock:
▪ Duplicate Foe:
▪ Eclipse
DND 3.5  Burst: DND 5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 
▪ Energy Aegis:
▪ Fiery Body:
▪ Magnificent Mansion:
▪ Mask of Terror:
▪ Plane Shift:
▪ Power Word Blind:
▪ Prismatic Spray:
▪ Project Image:
▪ Reverse Gravity:
▪ Spell Turning:
▪ True Target:
▪ Warp Mind:
8th-Level Spells
▪ Antimagic Field:
▪ Disappearance:
▪ Discern Location:
▪ Dream Council:
▪ Earthquake:
▪ Horrid Wilting:
▪ Maze:
▪ Mind Blank:
▪ Monstrosity Form:
▪ Polar Ray:
▪ Power Word Stun:
▪ Prismatic Wall:
▪ Scintillating Pattern:
▪ Uncontrollable Dance:
▪ Unreleting Observation:
9th-Level Spells
▪ Disjunction:
▪ Foresight: 
26 of 27 9/1/2022, 12:42 AM
▪ Implosion:
▪ Massacre:DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
BLOG GENERAL TABLETOP
▪ Meteor Swarm:
▪ Power Word Kill:
▪ Prismatic Sphere:
▪ Resplendant Mansion:
▪ Shapechange:
▪ Telepathic Demand:
HOME
▪ Weird: BLOG PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 
10th-Level Spells
▪ Cataclysm:
▪ Gate:
▪ Remake:
▪ Time Stop:
▪ Wish:
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Pathfinder 2e - Arcane Spell List RPGBOT

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Home Blog Podcast Newsletter About  DnD 3.5  DnD 5e  Pathfinder 

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The RPGBOT.Podcast is celebrating 1 year and 100,000

Last Updated: March 21, 2022

BLOG DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP

▪ Red: Bad, useless options, or options which are

Players familiar with Pathfinder 1e should note that spell save

▪ Acid Splash: Less damage than Produce Flame, but a

can make it hard to

▪ Detect Magic: An essential in any party. It’s usefulness

a rock and either

▪ Ray of Frost: Perfectly normal damage for a cantrip

magical effect in the

certain death into a fast elevator ride. Every party needs

BLOG DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP

PATHFINDER RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES

HOME BLOG PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 

▪ Jump: Situational, but it still makes both the Quick

▪ Pest Form: Only useful for scouting and similar non-

▪ Ray of Enfeeblement: You must make a successful

With that in mind, the maximum duration of Spider Venom

effect automatically gets a save

▪ Acid Arrow: Decent initial damage with some persistent

PATHFINDER RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES

HOME BLOG PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 

DND 3.5  DND 5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 

GENERAL TABLETOP  MORE  

▪ Darkness: This is the most clearly-written version of

less costly, but

▪ Enlarge: Improved reach, a little bit of extra damage,

especially if they have Reaction options like Attack of

BLOG DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP

HOME BLOG PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 

DND 3.5  DND 5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 

▪ Glitterdust: A good low-level option for countering

BLOG DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GENERAL TABLETOP

PATHFINDER RPGBOT.PODCAST VIDEO GAMES

HOME BLOG PODCAST NEWSLETTER ABOUT 

If you’re an evil character and you want to pass unnoticed

▪ Phantom Steed: With an 8-hour duration, this is a great

afford to cast this on multiple allies or to give more than

DND 3.5  DND 5E  PATHFINDER  PATHFINDER 2E 

GENERAL TABLETOP  MORE 

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