Paladins have spells? Next thing you’re going to tell me is that rangers have spells too.

ಠ_ಠ

Look, I understand that martial characters with a limited spell list have more exciting things to do than prepping for utility. A 5e paladin is going to be feeding slots to divine smite. Ranger is going to lock down that hunter’s mark. These are your bread and butter abilities, and there’s nothing wrong with relying on them. I would encourage you not to rely on them exclusively though.

The common wisdom is to pick up the spells that you can use reliably every day. That’s why you’ll see more aura of vitality than daylight. It’s why Ranger probably preps conjure barrage over water walk. But like any good Batman wizard, I think it pays to keep all your options open, even if you’re a lowly half-caster. If you know that drow are coming up, that daylight spell is suddenly huge. If you’re in a pirate game, water walk is suddenly worth another look.

I’ve seen too many players turn their brains off and sit on the old reliable spells, even when they know the adventure might call for specific solutions for specific problems. I’m not too proud to admit that I’ve fallen into that trap myself, dragging a demon-possessed ally three days back to town because I forgot my own spell list. By the same token, some of the most fun I’ve had as a paladin lay in my “unexciting” oath spells. After all, there’s no better way to stop a runaway carriage than to ask the horses to be reasonable.

So for today’s discussion, what do you say we talk about those “suboptimal” spell selections that came in clutch? What’s your favorite not-very-good spell that you like to keep on hand anyway? Sound off with your best uses of little-used magic down in the comments!

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