The Schools Arcane

[Darkxarth]

Abjuration - Although it's hardly a simple matter to wield the magic that will produce a blast of fire or slay a gaint with a word, the highest form of the mage's arts lies at the place where magic interacts with magic.  To study the school of Abjuration is to wield the spells that manipulate the fabric of arcane power itself.

Conjuration - The Material Plane is nothing but a small and unimportant crossroads in the cosmos.  All that exists in this physical world is a mere reflection of the iconic truths embodied in the unseen worlds that border it.

Divination - History is full of missed opportunities, personal tragedies, and kingdom-shattering defeats that might easily have been averted but for a single piece of information that could have changed the course of lives and worlds.  Knowledge is power, and those who know all hold ultimate power in their hands.

Enchantment - The mind is the ultimate power.  Any fool can oppose an enemy by physical means, but to halt a foe through the sheer force of one's will - or to turn a most hateful enemy into a loyal ally - is the purest and most subtly effective manifestation of arcane might.

Evocation - The universe is the interplay of impersonal forces - some spiritual, some political, some moral, some elemental, and some whose natures have yet to be revealed.  Beneath the surface of the merely physical, fundamental energies form the true nature of all things.

Illusion - The universe is all in the mind that perceives it, and sensation is the first and only reality.  If a tree falls in the forest with no creature to hear it, then there is no tree.

Necromancy - Life and death are one, for all the living things die in time.  Death is not an ending, but a beginning.  Since one's living days are but a fraction of the eternal existance of death, life is but a useless distraction to the study and understanding of the long darkness to come.

Transmutation - Like a reflection of the large process by which worlds are built and torn down once more, all life is change, to grow, to evolve from what it was ceases to be a part of the world, and the ultimate power is that which manipulates these forces of transmutation.

Which is your favorite school of arcane magic and why?

Personally, I prefer Illusion over the others, though Enchantment is a close second.  Why would you need to use a dangerous Fireball if you can convince your enemy that you are a powerful creature, capable of much more.  But that's just me, what does everyone else think?

[Polycarp]

I've always been fond of the shapechanging sorcerer, making transmutation my favorite, but illusion, enchantment, and divination come up close.  I prefer the indirect approahces to the arcane arts.  Slinging lightning bolts is all well and good, but I like magic that requires you to be a little more creative and emphasizes the role-playing aspect, something you can accomplish with all the schools I listed.

Abjuration is a terrible school that is not very creative and has a pretty worthless spell list.  Shielding yourself from effects doesn't win battles, and it won't astound the common folk like turning people into frogs does.  The abjurer is about as useful as a bard (a decent support character) but without the bard's knowledge, charisma, or endless opportunities for roleplaying.

[the_taken]

A wonderfull question, but some of the descriptions are inaccurate.

Conjuration - The Material Plane is the center of the universe. It is a mix of other planes, bound only by it's physical limitations. However, the nature of other planes means they each are an essence and concentration of purity.

Evocation - The true nature of the univers is that it is a composition of many inumerable forces. But this is only the basics. Fire is not alive.

Necromancy - The study of death and the application of ways to manipulate it, cause it, or delay it. All things must end, but when and how is just as important.

My favorite is necromancy. When you have the absolute power to heal, hurt, destroy, or restore the living, summoning angels from heaven to set off dungeon traps just seems like a waste of time.

[Stargate525]

I like illusion and divination, myself. I know those would be the two I'd stick with if I could actually cast.

[SDragon]

the right issues of dragon actually have the divine spells listed under their appropriate schools, actually. for clerics, it's #340, and it's #341 for druids and rangers. i imagine pallies are in either #339 or #342.

[Darkxarth]

A wonderfull question, but some of the descriptions are inaccurate.

Conjuration - The Material Plane is the center of the universe. It is a mix of other planes, bound only by it's physical limitations. However, the nature of other planes means they each are an essence and concentration of purity.

Evocation - The true nature of the universe is that it is a composition of many inumerable forces. But this is only the basics. Fire is not alive.

Necromancy - The study of death and the application of ways to manipulate it, cause it, or delay it. All things must end, but when and how is just as important.

My favorite is necromancy. When you have the absolute power to heal, hurt, destroy, or restore the living, summoning angels from heaven to set off dungeon traps just seems like a waste of time.

All of the above descriptions are taken from the Complete Arcane (pages 166-169).

[the_taken]

I know.

[Captain Obvious]

Transmutation and Illusion for sure.
Thransmutation has some wicked tricks and is so versatile.
Illusion is just plain amazing. It can do anything, and i could actually do magic i would be a trickster mage without a doubt.

I don't like the way illusions work in D&D though, so i very infrequently play illusionists.

[Hibou]

I really, really like everything except Evocation and Conjuration, but my favorite would have to be either Divination, Transmutation, or Necromancy. Divination is underestimated and is FAR from being among the weakest schools, transmutation just rules because it does, and nothing beats the ability to pull a corpse from the grave or suck the life force out of the living.

Abjuration should definitely get more credit, but it doesn't seem at all that great on its own compared to other schools. The exception to this, of course, is in a case where the spellcaster is also a decent combatant, in which case certain spells can make him ridiculously effective, especially against other casters. Thoughts I've had on making these spells more interesting would be to make them Universals, so that all casters have access regardless of specialization (what spellcaster would learn to pull off some devastating magic without being able to protect himself from similar effects?), or maybe throwing some spells from other schools that seem more appropriate for Abjuration into the school (ex: Mage Armor. Yes, it creates something, but it's more protective than anything else, and Abjuration also creates barriers of various sorts to protect the caster/caster's allies).

[Darkxarth]

I've honestly got to say, I really can't see the appeal of Transmutation.  I mean, sure, you can get combat bonuses and ability boosts, but what good does that do a regular Wizard, who shouldn't be in combat anyway?  And if you're just buffing your allies, I can't see a lot of fun or role-playing opportunities there either.  It does seem to have the most spells, good for a specialist who has to pick at least one of their school's spells every level.  Maybe I'm just missing something, anyone want to enlighten me as to the greatness of Transmutation?

[Stargate525]

I've honestly got to say, I really can't see the appeal of Transmutation.  I mean, sure, you can get combat bonuses and ability boosts, but what good does that do a regular Wizard, who shouldn't be in combat anyway?  And if you're just buffing your allies, I can't see a lot of fun or role-playing opportunities there either.  It does seem to have the most spells, good for a specialist who has to pick at least one of their school's spells every level.  Maybe I'm just missing something, anyone want to enlighten me as to the greatness of Transmutation?

*cough* gishbuild! *cough*

[Polycarp]

I've honestly got to say, I really can't see the appeal of Transmutation.  I mean, sure, you can get combat bonuses and ability boosts, but what good does that do a regular Wizard, who shouldn't be in combat anyway?  And if you're just buffing your allies, I can't see a lot of fun or role-playing opportunities there either.  It does seem to have the most spells, good for a specialist who has to pick at least one of their school's spells every level.  Maybe I'm just missing something, anyone want to enlighten me as to the greatness of Transmutation?

If you think transmutation is all about combat bonuses and ability boosts, you're not using it to its fullest extent.  Take the polymorph/shapechange line of spells, for instance.  Yeah, you can use those to give yourself a combat edge if you want, but they are equally useful to hide or deceive, just like an illusionist would.  Turning yourself into an unobtrusive animal is many times just as good as invisibility, and with Alter Self even an unskilled mage can be a master of disguise.

Transmutation has all the best utility spells: fly, knock, passwall, levitate, haste, slow, feather fall, telekinesis, and so on.  It also has the etherealness spells and flesh to stone, two of my favorites.  It is a broad school that combines trickery and deception with solid utility and a few quirky but effective attack spells.  I picture a transmuter as the kind of mage that's ready for everything and totally unexpected - you'll never know where he'll show up next, what he'll look like, what he'll cast, and so on.  If you fight a necromancer, you're up against death and inflict spells (and maybe a few undead on the side).  An evoker will have the fireballs lined up, or some other assortment of in-your-face attack spells.  An enchanter will have the charm and dominate spells ready.  A Transmuter, however, could strike in any number of ways, from polymorphing into a red dragon or turning himself into a golem, to disintegrating you or turning you to stone, to throwing you around the room with telekinesis... or maybe he'll just send his lackeys after you, charged up with buffing spells.  He's a master of ruining everybody's carefully laid plans, and capable of dealing with any situation himself.

[Darkxarth]

That's a great description, Mithridates.  I think I can see the appeal now :D .  Maybe next time I play a Wizard, he'll be a Transmuter.  Anyone else have a compelling speech about their favorite school, or any school?

[Polycarp]

Of course, the downside is that - like the Diviner - the endlessly adaptible Transmuter also has the capability of ruining the DM's carefully laid plans. :D

[Epic Meepo]

If you fight a necromancer, you're up against death and inflict spells (and maybe a few undead on the side)... A Transmuter, however, could strike in any number of ways, from polymorphing into a red dragon or turning himself into a golem, to disintegrating you or turning you to stone, to throwing you around the room with telekinesis... or maybe he'll just send his lackeys after you, charged up with buffing spells.

undead[/i] lackeys after you, charged up with buff spells.