The Apprentice’s Companion IV

Fourth Level Arcana

By Darkgolem

Last Updated 4/28/07

Fourth level spells have the encompassing and high damage effects of 3rd level spells, but with added utility and even more effects. As a rule, the spells available at this level are more about affecting the status of your enemies than doing direct damage. In fact, the status affects available as fourth level spells are some of the most useful and most powerful in the game.

The one spell that neither sorcerer nor wizard should be without is Phantasmal Killer. This spell can immediately eliminate a swarm of weaker creatures that would whittle away precious hit points to battle in melee.

If you really want a spells that causes damage from this list, consider Charm Monster as a great way to indirectly add damage for the party. Trust me: a charmed Beholder is worth so much more than a few castings of Ice Storm!

Finally, Bestow Curse is an excellent way to reduce the damage taken by the party. Cursed monsters hit less frequently and for less damage. In the long run, this saves spell points for the healer(s) and may be the difference bewteen success and failure.

Wizard and sorcerer ratings are a gauge (on a scale of 1-5) of how worthwhile that spell might be for that class to take.

Acid Rain Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: medium School: Conjuration Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 6 seconds (dot effect extendable) Damage: 3d4 every 2 seconds per 3 caster levels Target: foe, positional, breakable Save: none Wizard Rating: 3 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes: “You create a storm that sends down a single torrent of searing rain.  Any creature that is hit with the rain continues to take 3d4 acid damage every 2 seconds, every 3 caster levels”.  Unlike most damage over time spells, the damage effect of this spell can be extended.  This makes the spell more worthwhile, since it doubles the damage for half the cost, doing a range of 6d4 for every three caster levels over time. On the other hand you draw a large amount of aggression from enemies who are effected by this spell.

Bestow Curse Cool down (seconds): Wizard 6 Sorcerer 3 Casting Time: fast School: necromancy Range: medium Components: somatic, verbal Duration: permanent Save: will to avoid Target: foe Wizard Rating: 5 Sorcerer Rating: 4 Notes: “The target is cursed, giving –4 penalty to attack rolls, skill rolls and saving throws.”A staple spell for both sorcerers and wizards.

Burning Blood Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: necromancy Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: instant Damage: 1d8 fire + 1d8 acid every round for 1 round/level (extendable) Target: foe Save: Fortitude for no damage (separate for each damage type) Wizard Rating: 4 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes: “You taint a living creatures blood with a hot, corrosive infusion, dealing 1d8 points of acid damage and 1d8 points of fire damage per round per caster level.  A successful fortitude save negates the damage for 1 round.”  This is an excellent spell to use against living spell casters;  the damage and save time mitigate against the caster successfully casting while under it's effect, though it does not rule successful casting out.  This spell does not affect undead, oozes, constructs.  The damage from this spell is extendable, allowing a massive amount of single target damage to be delivered over time.

Charm Monster Cool down (seconds): Wizard 18 Sorcerer 9 Casting Time: fast School: enchantment Range: medium Components: somatic, verbal Duration: 10 minutes (extendable) Save: will to avoid, (special) Target: foe Wizard Rating: 5 Sorcerer Rating: 4 Notes:  “An enemy monster is charmed and will fight as a trusted friend and ally.  Charmed monsters get additional saving throws every 3d6 +12 seconds.”  This spell does not work on rust monsters, in addition to vermin, oozes, undead and constructs.

Contagion Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: Necromancy Range: short Components: somatic, verbal Duration: permanent until removed Save: fortitude to avoid Target: foe Wizard Rating: 2 Sorcerer Rating: 2 Official Description: “Infects a living enemy with the chosen disease, which strikes immediately and deals damage to one or more attributes.  A successful fortitude save negates the damage."  This spell allows the spell caster to chose from 7 different diseases to be cast on a target.  The target in question automatically is affected by the disease when first cast, if a the creature fails it's save, then must make a new save every 60 seconds until it makes two separate saves successfully in a row.  If any save is failed the ability damage is reapplied, eventually accumulating to drain all of the ability score from the effected target unless the disease is saved against. Creatures drained of all any stat but constitution are automatically affected with a critical hit when hit in combat.  Creatures drained to zero constitution die.  When cast, a selection of buttons with the different diseases that can be selected appear.  These separate buttons can be placed on ones button bar rather than selecting while in combat.  The diseases and their effects are: Blinding Sickness - Blinds target and deals 1d4 strength damage. Cackle Fever - Deals 1d6 wisdom damage. Filth Fever - Deals 1d3 dexterity and 1d3 constitution damage. Mind Fire - Deals 1d4 intelligence damage. Red Ache - Deals 1d6 strength damage. Shakes - Deals 1d8 dexterity damage. Slimy Doom - Deals 1d4 constitution damage.

Crushing Despair Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: enchantment Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 1 minute/level (extendable) Area: 10' radius circle Save: will to avoid Target: foe, positional Wizard Rating: 3 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes: “An invisible cone of despair causes a great sadness in ones enemies, giving –2 penalties to attack, saving throws, skill checks and weapon damage.”  This spell is a circle, not a cone, and the cast effect (but not the results) is visible.

Dimension Door Cool down (seconds): Wizard 300 Sorcerer 150 Casting Time: School: Conjuration Range: medium Components: material, verbal Duration: 2 minutes Target: Friend, Self, Positional Wizard Rating: 4 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes: “Creates a magic portal that transports you and your companion back to the entrance of the dungeon.” This spell is very useful in rare occasions, but has a special component (ogre magi horn), which costs 3000 gold pieces apiece.  Best to carry as a scroll, and not worth a sorcerer taking as a spell.  The portal must be clicked to be used.

Enervation Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: School: Necromancy Range: medium Components: somatic, verbal Duration: permanent Save: None Target: Foe, Directional Wizard Rating: 4 Sorcerer Rating: 4 Notes: “A black ray of crackling energy suppresses the life force of any creature it strikes, granting an enemy 1d4 negative levels.  If the target has as many negative levels as it has hit dice, it dies.  Each negative level gives a creature a -1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks and effective level.  Negative levels stack.”  This is an excellent debuff, but does not work on red named bosses or stronger.

Fear Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: necromancy Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 6 seconds per level (feared) or 3 seconds (shaken) (extendable) Area: 15' long, 10' wide cone Save: will to avoid or shaken Target: foe, directional Wizard Rating: 4 Sorcerer Rating: 4 Notes:  “An invisible cone of terror causes each living enemy in an area to become panicked.  Cornered enemies cower.”  Useful for herding enemies into traps, and affects all hit dice, unlike cause fear and scare.  If an enemy saves, it is still shaken for 3 seconds.

Fire Shield Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: evocation Range: self Components: focus, material, somatic, verbal Duration: 6 seconds/level (extendable Damage: (1d3 +3) + caster level (max 15)) (see below) Target: self Save : none Wizard Rating: 3 Sorcerer Rating: 2 Notes: “Wreathes the caster in hot or cold flames.  Any creature striking you in melee takes 1d6 + 1 per caster level (max +15) damage.  The fire version of this spell deals fire damage and reduces damage the caster takes from cold by half.  The cold version of this spell deals cold damage and protects from fire.  The flame from this spell will burn away any webs that attempt to entangle you.”  The duration of this spell is prohibitive to regular use, but this spell is very useful for soloing or intense combats.  A wizard with stoneskin and fire shield is a deadly opponent.  Both the cold and hot versions of this spell allows the caster to ignore web spell.  This spell is presently bugged, doing only 1d3 + 10 maximum, and not adding damage enhancements or enchantments.

Fire Trap Cool down (seconds): Wizard 60 Sorcerer 30 Casting Time: medium School: Abjuration Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 60 seconds or until triggered. Damage: 1d4 + (1/level), max 20 Target: foe, positional Save : reflex for 1/2 Wizard Rating: Sorcerer Rating: Notes: “Creates a trap that wards an area.  When an enemy triggers the spell by entering the area, a fiery explosion does 1d4 fire damage + 1 per caster level (max 20).  A successful reflex save reduces the damage by half"  This spell is better than nothing for a trap, but that is all that is good that can be said about it.

Force Missiles Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: Evocation Range: long Components: somatic, verbal Duration: instant Damage: (2d3 + 6) + 2/per missile Target: foe Save: none Wizard Rating: 2 Sorcerer Rating: 2 Notes: “A powerful missile of magical force darts from your hand, unerringly striking it's target, dealing 2d6 +2 points of force damage.  You gain 1 missile for every 4 casters levels.”  This spell is bugged, granting 1 missile every 3 caster levels.  The damage of this spell is substandard, but has the benefit of ignoring incorporeality and never being affected by damage reduction.  However, point for point, it is lesser to magic missile, being that magic missile does 15 + 5d2 (total avg 22.5)  for 10 points, while force missiles does (even with the bug) 24 + 10d3 (avg 44 points) for 20 points, but with ¼ the frequency.

Ice Storm Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: medium School: conjuration Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 15 seconds Area: 10' radius diameter Damage: 3d6 bludgeon + 2d6 cold Save: none for damage, DC 12 reflex for slipping Target: foe, positional, breakable Wizard Rating: 3 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes:  “Great magical hailstones pound down dealing 2d6 cold and 3d6 bludgeoning to targets within the area.”  Unlike many damage spells, this spell does not do 1d3+3 dice, but in fact 1d6 dice.  The save for balance is not able to be changed by feats or ability scores, and affects both friend and foe.  If a person is in the area of the spell, he will slip toward the lowest point, be unable to jump, and unable to change elevation at all, even being unable to climb, for example, steps.  This physical portion of this spell affects golems.

Lesser Globe of Invulnerability Cool down (seconds): Wizard 60 Sorcerer 30 Casting Time: medium School: abjuration Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 6 seconds per level (extendable) Area: 5' diameter Target: self Wizard Rating: 2 Sorcerer Rating: 1 Notes: “An immobile, faintly shimmering sphere surrounds you and excludes all magical spell effects level 3 or lower.  Such spells fail to target anyone within the globe, but any type of spell can be cast through or out of the magical globe.”  This spell has the detraction of removing beneficial spells of level 3 or lower while one stands in the effect, meaning that higher level spells which penetrate the globe will not be hindered by protections.

Phantasmal Killer Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: illusion Range: long Components: somatic, verbal Damage: 3d6 with save Save: fort save or die, 3d6 if saves Target: foe Wizard Rating: 5 Sorcerer Rating: 5 Notes:  “Creates a phantasmal image of the most fearsome creature imaginable by forming the fears of the enemy's subconscious mind into something its conscious mind can visualize.  Touched enemies must make a Fortitude save or die from fear.  A successful Fortitude save still results in 3d6 negative energy damage.”  The classic caster killer.

Remove Curse Cool down (seconds): Wizard 6 Sorcerer 3 Casting Time: fast School: abjuration Range: medium Components: somatic, verbal Target: friend, self Wizard Rating: 5 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes: “Removes a curse on an ally, counters and dispels bestow curse.”  Counter spelling is not available in the game, but the ability to remove already present curses makes this well worth it.  Because this spell is available at 5th level to clerics, it is not necessarily a wise choice for a sorcerer.

Repair Critical Damage Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: transmutation Range: medium Components: somatic, verbal Target: friend, self Wizard Rating: 5 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes: "Transmutes the structure of a living construct ally to repair 4d8 + (1 per caster level) damage.”The best single target warforged healing spell present in the game.

Shout Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: evocation Components: verbal Area: 8' long, 6' wide cone Damage: 5d3 + 15 Save: fort save for ½ damage Target: foe, directional, breakable Wizard Rating: 4 Sorcerer Rating: 2 Notes “Emits an ear splitting yell that does 5d6 damage to targets in its path.”  This spell is listed at the time of this guide's posting as allowing enlargement with the feat.  This is not true, while the spell will cost more, the cone does not increase in size.  Because this spell has only a verbal component, it can be cast in armor with no arcane spell failure chance.  Unlike the pen-and-paper version of this spell, it has no special affect on constructs.

Solid Fog Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: long School: conjuration Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 30 seconds/level (extendable) Area: 20' radius Target: foe, positional, breakable Wizard Rating: 4 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes: “A bank of fog obscures sight, slows movement" This spell slows movement of foes within the cloud to 20% of original rate and affects creatures usually immune to spell affects, such as slimes and oozes.  It does not affect vermin, nor a minotaur's charge.

Stoneskin Cool down (seconds): Wizard 8 Sorcerer 4 Casting Time: fast School: transmutation Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 1 minute per level or until discharged. Target: friend, self Wizard Rating: 5 Sorcerer Rating: 4 Notes: “Wards an ally with damage reduction 10/adamantine.  Once the spell has prevented a total of 10 points per level (maximum 150 points) it is discharged.  Otherwise it lasts 10 minutes per level.”  This spell is outstanding for particularly difficult combats.  It has a special component (powdered diamond and granite) which costs 3000 gold pieces for 10 components.

Symbol of Flame Cool down (seconds): Wizard 60 Sorcerer 30 Casting Time: fast School: Evocation Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 1 minute/level until triggered, then 20 seconds (extendable) Damage: 1d6/level, max 10d6 Target: foe, positional Save: reflex to avoid Wizard Rating: 2 Sorcerer Rating: 2 Notes: “You scribe a potent rune of power in the air.  When the symbol is activated by a target approaching, any targets which come withing range of the symbol take 1d6 per caster level (max 10d6) damage.  A successful reflex save negates this affect.”  This spell triggers when a creature approaches within approximately 10 feet of it (about the radius of a hypnotic pattern or solid fog).  It does not trigger on creatures who are already in the area of the spell when it is cast, only those who walk within the affect.  If in a position where enemies can be led repeatedly into the area of the symbol, it can affect the same enemy multiple times. Unlike many Dungeons & Dragons Online spells, Symbol of Flame does 1d6 not 1d3 +3 per level.

Summon Monster IV Cool down (seconds): Wizard 240 Sorcerer 120 Casting Time: long School: conjuration Range: medium Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 240 seconds Target: self, positional Wizard Rating: 4 Sorcerer Rating: 3 Notes:  “Summons a fiendish spider to fight for you for a brief time.  Casting this spell locks out casting any other summon monster spells for 4 minutes.” The spider that is summoned stays at range and spits poison and webbing at opponents about half the time.  It is fairly durable, and functions moderately well as a distraction and blocker in combat.

Wall of Fire Cool down (seconds): Wizard 60 Sorcerer 30 Casting Time: fast School: Evocation Range:  long Components: material, somatic, verbal Duration: 3 seconds/level (extendable) Area: 30 wide, 3 foot deep wall Damage: 2d6 + 1/level (max +20), 2d4 to those close to affect Target: foe, positional, breakable Save: none Wizard Rating: 5 Sorcerer Rating: 4 Notes: “Creates a Wall of Fire.  This spell does 2d6 + 1/caster level (max 20) damage to enemies passing through it, 2d4 to nearby enemies, and double damage to undead.”  One of the best spells in the game.  Not only does it do excellent damage over time, it is one of the best spells to use against undead.  A spell caster draws a lot of aggression from this spell and should stand in the wall while blocking if no other option is available.  This spell will affect opponents through doors (it must be targeted on the door or ground near the door).   This spell always appears perpendicular to the facing of the caster, with the caster facing the center of the wall's width.