Give me your best spell ideas. What kind of spells do you really like to use ? You can give spells from other games like diablo or warcraft3, thats ok. I just want to find out what the coolest and most fun spells are. For example: - Mind Control: control a monster over a specific time and attack other monsters with it - Star wars - like force push: push monsters away from you into lava or something - trap: place a trap on the ground which explodes if a monster comes near it etc. Thank you ! If your idea is good enough i will use it in my game and give u credits if u want ;)

I like spells/powers that have extreme trade-off.
Like a nuclear blast that takes, really long time to cast, but does massive damage. Having trade-offs mean, the player is forced to use different spells based on different situations.

Just my opinion though.

Another example is Haste. (Make your character fast for a short period, then fatigued when spell wears off.)

Not specific spells, but a general spells idea:
Have simple spells, that can be combined.
For instance, wall of fire and pull. To pull monster that would run away from fire into it.
Or, featherweight and wind, to blow away enemies.

Well you get the idea. Starcraft Broodwar would have things like Medic and Stims that works great together. Generally spells that are good on their own, but have new effect when combined. (Set this up right, so you don't have to think up every combination on your own, but have an emergent system)

The spell that I find most fun are the ones that have many uses. A force push spell, for example, that not only pushes away enemies, but can throw objects at them. Or a fireball spell that can knock enemies away with the force of the explosion, or burn away their armor, not just do # hps of damage.

Run: forces the target to run forward at a certain speed (no strafing or standing still). Useless against melee characters but extremely damaging against ranged units, especially if their accuracy decreases when they move.

I always like spells that can be use for both combat and puzzle solving in the game. Like a push back spell that knock enemies back, but can be use to push a switch to open a door or a jump attack that can be use to cross pits.

Building on GeraldL's answer - emergent effects. Eg, you know the spell does fire damage, so if you use it on a forest it sets the forest on fire. Or if you use spells together, they respond to each other logically based on the rules of the game.

I've always loved teleport-type spells such as blink from WarCraft III/DotA.

Nether Swap (another DotA spell) is also one of my all-time favorite spells.
For the unacquainted this allows you to swap your position with an opponent, which is extremely useful for cutting off an opponent as they attempt to run or granting yourself a quick escape if you find yourself behind enemy lines.
Grapples, hooks, etc. are also a lot of fun.

If the pattern here isn’t yet apparent, basically I like spells that require the player to use the environment and their spatial awareness.

In an action rpg, I usually get into a pattern--some kind of combo or "comfort zone" that lets me be effective. Inevitably, that breaks down from time to time.

My favorite spells are the ones that rebalance me and let me get back to work. A big AoE push spell that buys a little breathing room, a teleport that gets me within axe-range of that archer or a purifying spell that clears away all the curses and poisons that have been eating away at my performance will always make me smile.

I like restoration and buffing spells/powers. Having a way to heal and keep fighting can mean there's less down time. I can play the game more, rather then waiting around for my character to heal, or having to run to a safe area again.

I really don't like things that make me lose control of my character. If a freeze spell affects me, I can't play the game because and I have to sit and watch my character be attacked while I wait for the spell to expire. I think it's better to have some sort of slowing spell. Although my character moves less, at least it can still move.

You could modify effects slightly for PCs and NPCs. A mobile won't complain if it can't move. Unless, of course, you program it to. :-)