What is the single best spell in the game? I have seen some good combos but if you could only have one, what would it be?

Infravision. By far the best.
Lets You see everyone as red. Extremly funny. Also In night when sleeping by a campfire and it dies. And You are hungry.
Just cast infrasion and You can even find Your a little snack in the buttom of Your backpack.

Hmm, after a too much thinking, I'll put my hands on Limited Wish spell. No comments I'll spam more - the spell speaks for itself.

However, I'd never use only one spell thru the whole game.

For I use the mages mostly for removing spellprotections so I think Pierce Shield is a great spell. And fireball also.

Magic Missiles is definately the one I use the most (well maybe cure light wounds). It also has so many uses:

1) you can injure enemies with it
2) you can easily disrupt other spell casters launching spells
3) you wizards with really bad THACO can actually hit things
4) you can cause damage to people you don't like - quickly
5) it just gets better and more powerful as you prgress in experience (up to level 9 anyway) and you get loads of them as it's a level one spell.
6) it can hurt people who might want to hurt you.
7) did I mention that it can reduce the hit points of nasties?
8) errrrmm............I'll have to get back to you.

Aye, MM is strong
Me being a devoted supporter of priest folk makes me opinion:
1. Hold person
-Oo oi! Cast and beat up all those people who are o' course strong, but not when they are held! When they are held they only take damage with a strange sound o' iron thumping on some other piece o' iron! Die, evil!

2. Chaotic commands
-Ye tired of chaos and confusion? Cast this on yerself and go fight, viciously laughing at this mageling's attempt to chaosize ye or maze ye or whatever else usually makes ye reload. Ye dont like being dominated? Ye hate mind flayers' psionic attacks? Dont worry, mighty priest will protect yer creature from all of those troubles with one touch!

3.Death ward
We all suffered from horrid wiltings, wails of banshee (not that much from this one), fingers of death and other nasty spells that remove yer creature to the nether world! But our clerics here have the solution fer ye all! Creature touched will no longer die this easy! Give 'em a fight back!

Runner up: Command, though it does no damage, but if the target fails its save, ye can pound it harmlessly with all of yer creatures that cannot have the fun of casting priest spells for ONE ROUND!

black blade of disaster with my kensai/mage :D

Hmmm.... I'm kinda split between the extremely handy knock spell (especially for thief/mages ;) )
And the good old fasioned kobold killing, fodder frying Magic missiles as it also has a better chance of hitting partially magic resistant creatures as at higher levels it throws multiple missles, each with its own mr check.

I'd say it's project image or simulacrum because that is the only way you can cast 3 time stops in a row(currently anyway) plus you can cast spells safely because only the fake ones are being attacked.And it practically doubles,triples or whtever no. of project images you have the no. of spells you can cast

after finishing the game with a 4 person party led by my avenger druid, i have to say that chromatic orb rocks.

I had 5 orbs per day, and at a high level, i can either stun them, or usually kill them outright. fast casting time and works on just about everything from golems to liches.

Abu - Dalzim's wilting. Two of those in quick succesion will take almost anything out. Ever used it on spore colonies? :D :D :D

This is not my best spell, but when a delayed fireball started dishing out more than a hundred in damage, I was impressed.

One I always have is Deathspell. Run into a pack of lizardmen you don't want to fight? Use a deathspell! It removes all those lowlevel critters in seconds.

Spoiler: It also work in the mind flayer ambush. Normally, mind flayers are ímmune to this spell, but not these! All the three times I have played that ambush, one deathspell did the trick, including the accompanying hulks!

abi dalzim horrid wiltin is extremely cool, can damage wizards even though if they have a billion protections up. Works nice on liches as well

or else it would be ruby ray of reversal I tihnk, takes out that annoying immunity to something so you cant hit them

[This message has been edited by Lokken (edited June 01, 2001).]

An' still, those spells are just too high level. I dont get how a spell can be most used of the favorite if ye only get it soo close to the end. MM is an obvious choice fer mages, so is chromatic orb, cause those help from the first moments.

One can survive with no extreme damage spells, but ye just wont be able to live a long life without breach and pierce magic, thats the useful ones fer mages.

Maybe its coz few of you have used this spell coz you either have to be an Invoker and choose to have it or get it from the Shadow Thieves.. and few of us really buy scrolls.. and its near impossible to steal from the shadow thieves...

THe spell is ICE STORM! It does 2D8 damage and there are NO saving throws.. also.. it has the ability to turn the unlucky target into ice and if he is hit again with an arrow or someting.. he will be smashed into smithereens...

Protection from evil 10" radius is a spell that you use through the entire game. I like that one.

Ice Storm is indeed destructive, esp. in combination with web against powerful bunch of nme.
Example, if ye are an invoker, in Irenicus' dungeon, ye can cast reveal Ilyich's duergar with wizard's eye, cast web and then ice storm on them; noone is likely to survive :)