New Design: Wizards...

I like it!
Finally, a reason for wizards to have staves, besides just being posers, practicing their grip in hopes of scoring a Staff of the Archmagi. Really, the rules should support the archetype...and it looks like this will be the case.

For some reason, I don't like how the wand makes me thing of Harry Potter, even though it's no more cliche than the staff or the orb. Like the staff, orb, and tome, wands have been a part of wizard lore for as long as there has been wizard lore, so it must just be the 'recent-ness' of Harry Potter that forces the analogy.

But they left out the 5th trapping...funny pointed hat. Ah well, no loss.

Dr. Awkward said:

This puts the idea of a +3 wand in better perspective, I think.

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+6 wand, actually (not that there might not be +3 wands).

Interesting. I like the concept, but will reserve judgment until I see it in action.

Flavor? Neutral, verging on slightly positive. Those are some pretty iconic implements we're talking about. Having a spellbook (tome) that's a highly valued tool is a pleasant change from it being that annoying thing that you have to lug around... heavy, highly vulnerable, and oh-so-costly to transcribe into.

Rules implementation? Unknown, and this is what will make it or break it for me. I wait with growing anticipation for the first releases...

This is the first change that has really, really blindsided me. I didn't realise it was coming, even from reading the playtest reports (which look obvious in retrospect).

And... wow! I love this change.

Cheers!

This is very cool. I like the flavor of the items. I don't know what I am going to do with my iconic sword wielding wizard character...

The wizards 4 "tools"- Orb, Staff, Tome, or Wand are probably their 4 schools with the other ones peeling off to form their own class(es). Really this makes a lot of sense, from a design standpoint the best way to have a specialized wizard is to actually have multiple classes stand in for the different specialties.

I think the psion is going to kill the enchanter and take his stuff. If he doesn't, he should have.

I think the warlock is going to kill the necromancer and take his stuff. If the warlock opens up a bit to allow a non-infernal background but more, "He taps into dark magic- whatever the source." Then the warlock could be pretty cool picking up all of the necromancer undead touch attacks and other cool undead stuff.

A wizard’s orb grants better access to powers of terrain control and manipulation (such as clouds and walls), as well as retributive effects, detection and perception effects, and invisibility.

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Illusion, divination, battle field manipulation, and retribution??? (you hit me I hit you back? staff of the magi?)

The staff is best suited to powers that forcefully project powers from the wizard, such as lines of lightning and cones of fire; however, a staff also has resonances with effects related to flight and telekinesis (pushing, pulling, or sliding creatures or objects).

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Evocation and force like effects (mm, bigby's hands etc)

A tome is tied to powers that reduce or neutralize an enemy’s capability in combat in some fashion, whether by slowing the foe, dazing, or through some other fashion. Tomes are also often important for spells of teleportation, summoning, shapechanging, and a few physical enhancement effects.

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Conjuration, some targeted enchantment effects along with alter self polymorph shapechange.

The wand is a perennial favorite, as it is an ideal conduit for powers that create effects well away from the wizard’s physical position, effects which include explosions of fire, bursts of cold, and other long-range effects that can affect several enemies at once. In addition, personal protections and countermagic effects may lie in wands.

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Evocation but stuff not projected from the wizard???, abjuration, personal protections, sounds interesting

Me likes. Seems a lot more flavorful, but (potentially) malleable to whatever kind of magic styling you like. You don't need items to make the magic work, even less so do you need items in the exact form presented here. You could replace orbs with charms and tomes with songs, or convert everything to an inherent ability system of some kind.


Some fun ideas:

Cards: Have a set of one time use cards that empower your spells in various ways. They are one time use only, but they can be bought, found, or fashioned from the energies of defeated foes.

Spirits: Over time you can ally yourself with various spiritual forces of great power. The each grant you various powers when invoked, but only one can be called upon in a period of time (per encounter). The amount and power of spirits you can posses is determined by your magical potential.

Weapons: Magic swords and the like are not only for striking ones opponents with, they can also be used as conduits to enhance magical spells. The greater its power the greater the benefit, and a weapon with a special aspect translates to a similar magical benefit.

Alchemy: Taking the notion of spell components to a new extreme, alchemy allows for aspects of all things, whether they be animal, vegetable or mineral, to be processed into magical might. From collecting common items found along the road, to the preserved heart of a great wyrm, all things are the alchemists tools. Their greatest limit is not their potential uses, but choosing just what to create and have at the ready to use.

I wasn't expecting anything like this either, but the flavor is nice. I'm really curious how it'll affect game mechanics.

I'm curious what sort of tools are used for mind control and charm spells. Illusions probably are Orb effects, because of the "perception effects", but there's no mention of mind control.

Interesting.

Only thing I take issue with is the division between Staff and Wand.

Really, can't those be folded into one?

AllisterH said:

Interesting.

Only thing I take issue with is the division between Staff and Wand.

Really, can't those be folded into one?

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I don't mind that so much, 'cuz it makes wands ripe for conversion into daggers. ^_^

On first reading, I found it slightly difficult to wrap my mind around the idea of a wizard lugging a great big book or a palantir-sized crystal ball around a dungeon, but after a little thought, I figured an adventuring wizard could make his "orb" into an amulet (as Mouseferatu suggested), and his "tome" into scrolls (or maybe cards, to modify Exen Trik's idea a little).