5 of My Favorite (Lower Level) Battlefield Control Spells in Pathfinder

There are few strategies as satisfying as casting a single spell and watching the GM's eyes go wide, realizing that you have single-handedly altered the conditions of an encounter. If you've never played a spellcaster who focuses on battlefield control spells (magic which alters the conditions of the battlefield so as to restrict or eliminate the enemy's options), then I would highly recommend giving this style a try for all the reasons I mentioned in Don't Underestimate The Power of Battlefield Control Spells (in Pathfinder).

And whether you're a fresh face or an old hand, these are some of my personal favorite spells to whip out time and time again.

You fools you... wait, are those tentacles?!

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Spell #1: Obscuring Mist

While this one is an old classic, it doesn't get nearly as much love as I think it deserves... at least partially because it really needs particular party abilities/equipment to make the best use of, as I mention in my Batman character conversion guide.

What makes obscuring mist so great? Well, it creates a 20-foot radius cloud of fog centered on you, which makes it impossible to see beyond 5 feet in any direction. While this fog can be dispersed by strong wind, or blasted away by fire, there's no spell resistance and no save, which means it makes a fantastic defense against archers, gaze attacks, and basically anything that requires line of sight. The drawbacks are, of course, that it blocks allies as surely as it does enemies, and that it's centered on you rather than a point you designate. And while it lacks the debilitating effects of more advanced fog and cloud spells like stinking cloud, cloudkill, etc., it's a great defensive spell to keep on hand in a lower-level slot.

To really get the most out of this (and other fog spells), you really need some way to see the enemy while they can't see you. Whether it's with inherent abilities like smog sight (available to half orcs), class features like a blinded oracle's increased senses, or magic items like fogcutter lenses or a goz mask, the ability to shroud the party in a mist so they can fight from cover while the enemy is blinded is a one-two punch that can create absolute mayhem. It won't work on all enemies, obviously, as many of them have tremor sense, blindsight, etc., but it can be an encounter killer against things that rely on their eyes, and don't have gust of wind or fireball prepared.

Spell #2: Entangle

There are few spells that have ruined as many days in my campaigns as entangle. Whether it was a mass of melee brutes getting ready to charge in, a squad of archers who thought they were safe, or a spellcaster hanging back to stay out of harm's way, this spell always ruins their day. Anything that restricts enemy movement while leaving your allies free to position themselves can be a dramatic shift in balance. And while this spell may lose efficacy as you go up in levels (especially against larger, more physical monsters who are tougher to hold), it always remains useful for larger battles against smaller enemies, or handling minions so they can't get in and gum up the works.

In addition to the base spell, which is first level, there's also sickening entanglement, which adds a status effect to those caught in the area, and thorny entanglement which gives the area the ability to fling rather damaging thorns at those who are outside the affected area, in addition to harming those within it. These spells are 2nd and 3rd level respectively, and they can add extra punch as the party fights bigger threats.

Spell #3: Grease

I heard no end of complaining when Pathfinder specifically stated that the grease from this spell is not flammable. However, I think far too many people were caught up in how they couldn't deal damage with this spell, and forgot about the utility of it in other circumstances.

Because for a first level spell, grease is a nasty thing to throw down. It lasts minutes per level, covers a 10-foot square, and anything in it when it shows up has to immediately pass the Reflex save or fall down. Being prone means you're at a negative to attack, and everyone around you gets a bonus to stomp you in melee. Additionally, grease means that anyone trying to move quickly through an area risks taking a tumble, so even fast-moving enemies won't be able to just jet around the battlefield without consequences. Also, it ignores SR, which can make it particularly handy for those pesky golem fights.

The secondary benefit of grease, of course, you can attempt to cast it on items. This means you could use it to try to make the enemy drop their weapon or a wand, but you can also slap it onto allies dealing with grapple-happy foes, since greased armor provides a +10 circumstance bonus on escape artist and CMB attempts to escape a grapple, and boosts one's CMD by 10 to avoid being grappled again. A solid, low-level utility spell that is best cast by you, but which can be put into a wand if your main use is going to be boosting your allies' defenses instead of hampering your foes. There's also a greater grease option, which allows you to coat more objects, or to cover more squares, which can add make a good spell even better!

Spell #4: Web

A spell that has vexed several GMs who've had me at their tables, web is a nasty piece of work if you have the right terrain. Whether you're holding a bridge against an advancing force of undead, or there's creatures coming down a hallway in a dungeon, or even a decent-sized chasm you need to cross, web can be a particularly useful spell... both for detaining enemies, but also for setting them on fire if you want to let them out.

While other useful iterations include web bolt for individual targets, or web cloud for a much larger area of effect, web also has the benefit that it creates difficult terrain, and lasts for a very long time. While it won't be useful against giant spiders, incorporeal creatures, fire-based creatures, and a host of other challenges, there's still plenty of reason to keep this spell up your sleeve if you want to catch your share of flies as the game goes on.

Spell #5: Create Pit

There are few things as satisfying as just dropping your enemies down a hole and leaving them there, and doubly satisfying if the barbarian has bull rush, or you have a spell like hydraulic push to shove even more foes in. That's why if you need to create a hazard in a hurry there are few funnier ways to do it than create pit. While it likely won't kill most things that fall into it (since it only goes down to 30 feet), it can quickly handle all sorts of things you don't want to deal with in the heat of the moment. It can also block off escape routes, or at the very least make them significantly more dangerous to take. Even better there are other varieties of this spell like roaming pit, which moves around sucking down enemies, acid pit, and hungry pit.

As with all the other spells, this one has its weaknesses as well. Creatures who can fly, who are too large, or who have high enough Reflex saves not to worry about falling in, tend to have no issue with pit spells. However, creatures that need to stand on their own two feet, who aren't too big to fit, and who aren't the most dexterous are going to find this a significant challenge to overcome. And while these spells don't last as long as most others on this list, they can be quite useful to keep on-deck for when you need to mess with a ground-based foe.

One Last Thing Before You Go...

For folks who may not have come across it yet, I've been doing something a little different with my Table Talk feature. The last 2 installments have been featured over on Vocal instead of here on Improved Initiative. And while That One Time My Bard Made The Dungeon Master's Girlfriend Jealous did pretty well in terms of views and shares, I wanted to draw folks' attention to the latest installment... The Silver Raven Chronicles Part One: Devil's Night.

What makes the Silver Raven Chronicles different from my previous Table Talk features is that instead of giving a session-by-session breakdown of how the campaign went, I'm writing a series of short stories that encapsulate the high notes of the game as it unfolds. My hope is to convey the narrative, while minimizing the time we spent on combat grind, dead-end chases, and digressions that happen in every campaign in order to present a tight, tasty, and engaging view of how the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune is going to get itself a black eye at the hands of our party.

So if you're a fan of my fiction, you just want to support my work, or you're a fan of punching fantasy fascists, then you're definitely going to want to give this a look!

Like, Share, and Follow For More!

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

Everything Has a Weakness (So Be Sure You Know Your Options)

There is an old saying one of my martial arts instructors taught me when I was young; soft on hard, hard on soft. The idea was that you need to match the type of strike to where you're hitting your enemy, otherwise you're going to do more damage to yourself than you will to them. The stomach is a soft target, so you strike it with a fist for a hard blow for best effect. The head is a hard, rigid target so you should use a softer blow like a palm strike instead of a punch so you don't shatter your knuckles on your opponent's skull.

What does that have to do with gaming?

We've all had those moments in our games where we've run face-first into a wall. Where the enemy's armor class was too high, their strength too great, their damage resistance too big, or their movement speed too fast. When you come up against one of these challenges, you've basically got two options; throw up your hands and admit defeat, or switch tactics to strike at their soft spots.

Dammit, parried AGAIN?!

I'll be talking about Pathfinder here, but the basic theory can be applied to almost any game. All you have to do is ask, "What is this enemy bad at defending?" and that should be the first step of your strategy.

A High Armor Class Isn't As Unstoppable As You Think

Take your shot, there's a 20 on that die.

One of the most common situations you'll run into is an enemy with a really high armor class. Maybe it's a rampaging tank, or a magically-augmented machine, or your party just wasn't built to for the battlefield, but for whatever reason you need to roll really high just to land a hit on this thing.

The issue is that you're probably attacking the enemy's biggest strength, when you should instead be either attacking something different, or reducing that strength in some way. When you find yourself facing this situation, consider alternative options like:

- Attacking a Saving Throw: It doesn't matter what kind of armor you have on when a fireball goes off, or the illusionist hits you with color spray. This typically requires use of a spell, but items like grenades and thunderstones as well as wands and scrolls make this option available to any PC.

- Attacking Touch Armor Class: Whether you're hucking a tanglefoot bag or shooting a scorching ray, it is generally much easier to hit a target creature's touch armor class than their standard one. While not all items/abilities that hit touch armor class will deal damage, many of them can cause useful status effects that will make the combat easier.

- Attacking Combat Maneuver Defense: A big, bad suit of armor and a heavy shield can make someone tough to hit, but it doesn't add anything to their combat maneuver defense. So whether you want to trip them, disarm them, or grapple them if you're really sassy, this can be an extremely useful alternative attack strategy. It will provoke attacks of opportunity, of course, and the higher an enemy's size, Strength, and Dexterity are the tougher it's going to be to succeed... but it should be considered all the same.

- Reducing The Enemy's Armor Class: There are dozens of ways you can reduce the enemy's armor class in order to make it less potent. Items like a tanglefoot bag (or tanglefoot arrow, if you want to keep the target at a distance) can provide a serious advantage, as can spells like adhesive spittle. Tripping the enemy puts them prone, which gives you a +4 advantage to hit them. Sundering their shield or armor would mean they no longer gain a benefit from that particular item (though it also means you'd have to repair it before you could use it yourself when the battle is over).

High Saving Throws Aren't Unassailable

Parry this, ye blasted casual!

Another issue (particularly for spellcasters) is that enemies often have saving throws that are just too high to give your spells any real impact. Assassins that can cartwheel through area of effect magic without taking any damage, frenzied giants whose constitutions are nearly unstoppable, or learned wizards whose minds and wills are like juggernauts.

Again, this won't make you completely useless (especially if you choose spells that still do something even if the target succeeds on their save). It just means you need to aim for the target's vulnerable areas instead. Try strategies like:

- Switching Saves: Most enemies will have one save that's worse than the others. If they're acing your Reflex and Will saves, consider testing their Fortitude. A variety of tricks in your bag helps a lot here.

- Reducing Saves: As with armor class, an enemy's saves can be reduced. If you can render an enemy shaken (whether it's through a spell, an Intimidate check, or some other feature), that imposes a -2 penalty on their saving throws. If the enemy can be entangled, that reduces their Reflex saves. Doing damage to (or imposing a negative on) an enemy's attributes will reduce an associated saving throw.

- Focusing on Other Areas: If an enemy has really good saving throws, it's likely their touch armor class (or even their regular armor class) isn't very good. Targeting that area instead will allow you to get more bang for your buck.

Other Issues You May Need To Counter

Armor class and saving throws are the most common challenges for players to overcome, but they're far from the only ones. Which is why it's a good idea to consider having a plan for some of the following effects.

- Flight: Flying enemies are the bane of any melee character. Whether it's ensuring you have a way to fly yourself, tanglefoot arrows to cut their speed and bring them back down to earth (if you're lucky), or even something as simple as a lasso to rope and hold your foe in place, this will show up in game sooner or later. And, of course, always have a back-up weapon, wand, or spell for the occasion.

- Damage Reduction: Some creatures take a particular type of weapon to hurt. What a lot of players don't know is the higher the magical enchantment is on a weapon, the more forms of damage reduction it ignores. For the magi, paladins, and warpriests out there, if you can get the flat bonus to +4 or higher, it allows you to ignore silver, cold iron, and even adamantine requirements for DR. Something to keep in mind, along with knowing that tossing acid and alchemist fire at werewolves is also a solid choice.

- Elemental Resistances/Immunities: This is a big one, especially for characters who are committed to their fire, ice, or lightning schtick. Always have a way to switch up which element you're using, and make sure that you're not stuck with only one option. Otherwise you're going to find yourself in a situation where your biggest sledgehammer might as well be a feather duster.

- Darkness/Senses: One of the big advantages a lot of enemies have over the PCs is that they can see in places the party can't. Whether it's normal darkness (which is typically rendered null by magic weapons that shine like a torch, as well as regular darkvision), deeper darkness (something you need a daylight spell at the very least to get rid of), or the ability to turn invisible (glitterdust and smog pellets are your best friend in these situations), there's always a chance the foe tries to use their ability to see, or to go unseen, when it's the biggest disadvantage to the party.

The Game is Always Multi-Dimensional

There are so many different tools and strategies that it's impossible to be prepared for everything that might come your way. With that said, it's good to have at least 2-3 backups in your belt pouch should your main gun happen to be ineffective against a particular encounter. And the more options you can keep on-hand (especially if it provides the option to the rest of the party), the easier a time you're going to have throughout your campaign.

With that said, I would like to take a moment to remind everyone of an old project of mine I worked on for TPK Games. Because the Feats of Legend series was a lot of fun, but it also put a lot of unique tools into players' hands. So if you haven't had a chance, take a moment to glance over them!

I try not to play favorites... but if you were going to pick one, I'd recommend this one.

- 20 Infernal Feats: From devil-spawned tieflings, to worshipers of dark powers, if the fires of hell run in your veins then these feats will be perfect for you.

- 20 Undead Feats: Whether you want to put one foot in the grave to gain some of the resistances of the living dead, or you've simply run too much dark power through your soul, these feats are what you've been looking for.

- 20 Celestial Feats: From the faithful, to those whose ancestry mixes with the celestial realms, these feats put the power of the holy light into your hands. The bane of wicked foes!

- 30 Fey Feats: A bigger collection than normal, these feats are for those with a tie to the first world... a place where the rules don't apply, and logic has never managed to take root.

- 20 Orc Feats: One of the best-reviewed collections of the Feats of Legend series (by Endzeitgeist himself) this one lets you put some real fire in your orcs and half-orcs!

Like, Share, and Follow For More!

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

Think A Fighter's Bravery is Useless? Well, Think Again...

Fighters are a simple class, relatively speaking. They're where we tend to suggest new players start, and we tend to think of them as pretty basic. They get good armor, good proficiencies, a butt-load of feats, and they can hit hard pretty much without fail.

Approacheth me, brother!

The class feature we all tend to ignore is Bravery, which gives a fighter a small bonus on saves against fear as they increase in level. Sure, Will saves are the bane of a fighter's existence, but most of the time we're all too happy to trade out Bravery for other features. However, Da_Penguins made quite an argument for just how you can make Bravery a valuable class feature for your fighter over on the Pathfinder subreddit.

While I highly recommend checking out the entire thing, some of my favorite suggestions were...

A Little Something For That Will Save

As I said just a bit ago, Will saves are the bane of a fighter's existence. Sure you can bump it up with feats, and with racial bonuses, but there's only so much you can do about your weakest save. One option that may have slipped past, though, is to take the advanced weapon training option Armed Bravery at 9th level. This allows you to take the bonus from your Bravery feature, and apply it to all Will saves. Given that 9th level is when you start facing more enemies with heavy-hitting magic, it's not a bad option to go with. It also makes you harder to Intimidate, adding a bonus to the DC equal to double your Bravery bonus.

The Cure For What Ails You

The major problem for relying on Bravery, even if you can make it an all-purpose Will save patch, is that it's a small bonus. But if you're a worshiper of Cayden Cailean, and you're willing to do a little day drinking, you can boost it up. The feat Courage in a Bottle from Inner Sea Gods increases your Bravery bonus by +2 while you're intoxicated. If this would give you more than a +6 bonus against fear, then you're considered immune to it. That bonus applies to everything, as well, if you have something like Armed Bravery on your sheet.

You can take this feat as soon as you have Bravery as a class feature, and it can give your wine-swilling swordsman, or drunken mauler, a bit of an advantage when they step on the field. And it's a handy boost if you're dual-classing with the Drunken Brute barbarian archetype, too.

When You're So Brave, You're Scary

Intimidation is one of those things fighters and barbarians tend to rely on when they need someone to comply with their wishes, but they aren't quite ready to beat them soundly about the head and shoulders just yet. Undaunted Bravery allows you to add your Bravery bonus both to the DC to Intimidate you, and as a bonus on any Intimidate checks you make. If, of course, you're a worshiper of Cayden Cailean. If you've got some brew in your system, and you couple that with Courage in a Bottle, you might be looking at a significant weapon on the field. Especially if you use feats like Dazzling Display, or if you've got Cornugon Smash on your sheet. If you combine it with Intimidating Prowess, then you've got a pretty nasty snowball on your hands.

Pumping Up Your Bravery

If you're going to use Bravery for more than just getting out of being spooked, then there are some items you should have to get the best bonuses you can. The Band of The Stalwart Warrior is pricey, at 14k gold, but it gives you some good protections, and increases your fighter level by 4 for the purposes of determining Bravery. The Amulet of Courage, cheaper at only 6k, will cast remove fear on you once per day, and increase your Bravery bonus by 1. That will add up, and these items can be combined for the best results.

These are all the thoughts I had for this week's Crunch installment. Hopefully it helped get your mind spinning on what you might do with Bravery the next time you put a fighter together. For more content by yours truly, check out my Gamers archive, or head over to Dungeon Keeper Radio to see what sorts of shenanigans we're working on now. If you want to keep up to date on all my latest releases, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, consider heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron. Because every little bit helps!