Inquisitor spells worth beating saves by School:
note: Living Grimoire doesn't have to worry about spell picks going obsolete because it gets all the spells via scrolls like a Wizard.
(1) Enchantment:
Command: sure, Hideous Laughter lasts longer but when stuff hits the deck it usually doesn't live very long anyway. Aprroach triggers AoOs and can bring things into better range for melee full attacks.
Castigate: Take out a single-target. Shorter range than Hold Person, but no Humanoid restriction. Shaken for a round (vulnerable to Shatter) even on made save.
Hold Person: Spell range *matters*. Hold Person is Medium not Close and those dangerous Cultists and Votaries et al like to keep their distance.
Litany of Eloquence: Swift action, no Save (can't remember if this is accurate), can't act until rest of my team gets to first. If you've got the slots this is hard to beat. In Wrath you've got a lot of slots. Turn on Bane Weapon with benefits on Living Grimoire
Forced Repentance: Humans, Elves and the like that have gone to the dark side are vulnerable to this. Doesn't get a save to break it each round so can dispatch when you want. Higher DC than Castigate/Hold but also a spell level with plenty of other things to cast.
Hold Monster: more targets, longer range than Repentance, but gets a save each round.
Castigate, Mass: Medium range, enemies only, 30 ft radius. Now we're talking. Very much worth casting even if only a 40% chance of beating saves. Cowering creatures can take no actions, get -2 to AC, and lose DEX bonus. Save every round so kick them while they're down.
Greater Command: More flexible than Castigate, Mass since can give different Commands but generally worse. Close Range, Prone gives a malus to ranged attacks. Castigate has Fear tag.
Litany of Madness: Swift Action Confusion no save. Target gets a save the round after it is applied and each round after.
Overwhelming Presence: Medium range 30 ft radius, Enemies only, applies one round Stagger no save, Helpless on save. If fails first save, then makes save in subsequent round still takes 1d6 WIS damage and Staggered 1d4. These rolls can be Maximized/Empowered. Usually a ninth level spell, so Inq/Bard get it a level early.
(2) Necromancy:
Inflict Spells: LG is not a spontaneous caster so can use meta without full round. Never been an Inflict enthusiast, but it does target touch AC and does at least some damage on made save. Scrolls can be effective on Cam vs Elemental in Maze for instance.
Boneshaker: Ray spell that doesn't require a touch attack. If you're playing RTwP use it with a meta rod to force a high concentration check on a caster, or just do guaranteed damage to a boss you otherwise can't touch. Again, meta can make the math worth it.
Fear: Cones can be clunky but applies Shaken even on made save if you don't have a Dazzler or access to Frightful Aspect (yet). Better with good ranged damage in party, but still triggers AoOs and keeps mobs from attacking
Circle of Death: 40 ft radius, Medium range, Fort Save, 1d4 HD of creatures per caster level die if under 10HD, take 100 damage if 10HD or over.
** The number of hit dice affected CAN BE EMPOWERED/MAXIMIZED **
Affects creature in center first, so can be more or less targeted.
Undeath to Death: same vs Undead. Use a Rod. Go off.
Harm: Touch Spell, *bypasses Spell Resistance*, 10 pts per CL, Will save for half. Caps at CL 15.
Umbral Strike: ranged touch, 1d6 per level half cold/half negative, Blind on failed Fort save, half damage on made.
(3) Evocation (can use Favorite Meta on Empower in combination with Maximize Rods if you want to nuke):
Ear-Piercing Scream: doesn't require ranged attack, in RTwP forces Concentration check even on made save, stops spell with failed one. Easy to up damage with meta.
Searing Light: Ranged Touch, NO SAVE, 1d6 per CL vs Undead max 10d6. Use with meta vs Undead is good.
Holy Smite: Medium Range, 20 ft radius, 1d6 per CL (max 10d6) to Evil Outsiders + Blind for one round. Can be Extended for two, Empowered/Maximized for more damage. Damage + control AoE is good.
Will save to negate Blind and take half damage. Also does 1d8 per 2 CL max 5d8 + Blind to Evil non-Outsiders, and half damage no Blind to Neutral. Can be used to turn on Instill Vigor Mythic.
Order's Wrath: Lawful version with Daze instead of Smite, Blind creatures can still do things if badly, but are easier to hit than Dazed ones.
Unholy Blight: Evil version, applies 1d4 rounds of Sicken
Chaos Hammer: applies 1d6 rnds of Slow
Flame Strike: Medium range, 10 ft radius, 15d6 max, half fire, half divine
ARBITRAMENT: 40 ft radius centered on caster, CG/CE (demons)/LG/LE are Sickened if HD = CL or lower, Staggered if HD = CL - 1 or lower, Nauseated if HD = CL - 5 or lower, Killed if CL - 10, all cumulative.
There are a *lot* of ways to raise CL now. Haven't tested it with new DLCs yet. Lann, Wolj, Nenio, Daeran, Ulbrig, Sosiel, and Greybor are all immune to this spell. Not sure about Cam.
It says Will partial. Not sure how the saves work but Blasphemy can be a pain even on made save. AoE Sicken + Stagger is a big deal if you can pull it off. FoM doesn't prevent Stagger now, few things immune to either one.
Holy Word, etc: the Aligned versions do not have the HD = CL effect that makes Arbitrament good if you design around it.
Blade Barrier: Never cast it. You guys seem to think it's good.
(4) Abjuration (Abj focus is prereq for Spell Specialization Dispel/Dispel, Greater if you want to use with Dispel Synergy/Destructive Dispel):
Stunning Barrier: This stays on until it triggers. The Stun duration goes to two rounds if cast with Extend Rod. Worth it vs vulnerable foes even at low chance of save fail.
"A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a –2 penalty to AC, and loses its DEX bonus to AC (if any).
Attackers receive a +4 bonus on attack rolls to perform Combat Maneuvers against a stunned opponent."
Dismissal: kill an Outsider that fails a Will save. Haven't tried this on the Sonic Crystal (says "extraplanar") thingies yet, may work on them. Doesn't work in the Abyss itself natch.
Banishment: AoE dismissal, 2HD per CL limit
Inq gets these early, but not early enough to make up for slow spell progression.
Dispel Magic (Greater): Dispel Focus feats now in-game make these more practical to use, as does more CL boosts.
Other schools not worth mentioning.
To sum up: a lot of value in Enchantment, but narrow focus on attacking Will Saves (Azata has your back there), build arounds plus nukes in Necro and Evo, Abj has some utility if you want to make the Inq your Dispeller.
