Dragon Magazine #365's Character Concepts: Masterful optimization advice by WotC

Nifft · Jul 27, 2008

Ardulac said:
That's pretty much what I think they would be changing it to, an automatic magic missile. Based on the wording with "wizard at-will originally", I find it unlikely that the article was based on old playtest information. That is, unless, it was like it is now, they changed it to just Magic Missile, and then they changed it back. Which is possible. I get the impression that this is instead an early office version of errata to limit the Arcane Initiate choice. Either way, it seems clear that the article is using such a version due to the other clues.

There's an old maxim about not looking for malice where stupidity could suffice. I'd extend that to not looking for ingenious stealth errata where errors could suffice.

It's not like WotC has a long history of iron-clad rules-abiding NPC creation.

Cheers, -- N

Kordeth · Jul 27, 2008

Nifft said:
There's an old maxim about not looking for malice where stupidity could suffice. I'd extend that to not looking for ingenious stealth errata where errors could suffice.

It's not like WotC has a long history of iron-clad rules-abiding NPC creation.

Cheers, -- N

Or, y'know, the author just thought magic missile was the best choice, since it counts as a ranged basic attack, and rather than wasting verbiage by saying "the characer gets training in Arcana and one at-will wizard attack as an encounter power. He chooses magic missile," it was condensed down to "he gets training in Arcana and magic missile as an encounter power."

Nifft · Jul 27, 2008

Kordeth said:
Or, y'know, the author just thought magic missile was the best choice, since it counts as a ranged basic attack, and rather than wasting verbiage by saying "the characer gets training in Arcana and one at-will wizard attack as an encounter power. He chooses magic missile," it was condensed down to "he gets training in Arcana and magic missile as an encounter power."

Don't quote me when you say that. I'm not the one claiming magic missile was required by secret errata.

Cheers, -- N

Kordeth · Jul 28, 2008

Nifft said:
Don't quote me when you say that. I'm not the one claiming magic missile was required by secret errata.

Cheers, -- N

No, but you were the one suggesting it was an error--I was pointing out that it isn't necessarily either. After all, the level 4 entry just says "Level 4: +1 Strength (17), +1 Intelligence (17)." Surely we aren't to assume the author thinks all fighters automatically get +1 Str and +1 Int at 4th level?

Nifft · Jul 28, 2008

Kordeth said:
No, but you were the one suggesting it was an error--I was pointing out that it isn't necessarily either. After all, the level 4 entry just says "Level 4: +1 Strength (17), +1 Intelligence (17)." Surely we aren't to assume the author thinks all fighters automatically get +1 Str and +1 Int at 4th level?

sigh

There are both errors and bad decisions in the build.

Neither is an indication of "stealth errata".

Is that clear?

-- N

Kordeth · Jul 28, 2008

Nifft said:
sigh

There are both errors and bad decisions in the build.

Neither is an indication of "stealth errata".

Is that clear?

-- N

I wasn't arguing that any of that was "stealth errata." I'm fully aware of the problems in the article. I was just pointing out that this particular instance isn't automatically an error or "stealth errata." I also don't think it's a particularly bad decision, but that's neither hear nor there.

Runestar · Jul 28, 2008

And at any rate, the swordmage will be out in a few months. :lol:

Ardulac · Jul 28, 2008

Nifft said:
sigh

There are both errors and bad decisions in the build.

Neither is an indication of "stealth errata".

Is that clear?

-- N

I don't know that I'd use the term "stealth errata". That seems to imply that I think they are already intending for it to be the case. I'm just saying that it might be something they are throwing around or have decided to do with the next set of updates.

And while I find many of the decisions in the 2nd half of the article to be poor/illegal, the emphasis the author puts on close spells for that character and the fact that it is the only power which isn't explained (in either article as far as I can tell) seems to indicate that he didn't think he had a choice. Besides, magic missile is almost hands down the worst choice for the otherwise decent teleporter. The only thing magic missile has over eldritch blast is additional range (at the price of some average damage).

Athildur · Jul 28, 2008

Erm...the arguments about Magic Missile were not about the teleporter. Unless this build suddenly also got the multiclass feat into Warlock, Eldritch Blast isn't even an option for the fighter/wizard.

*sigh* sometimes I do wonder whether people that write articles about new character builds in magazines and such actually play the game and have tested it, or whether they're "pretty sure this is going to be good", and convinced that they should know because of whatever reason...whatever happened to demanding a bit of quality? *sigh*

Ardulac · Jul 28, 2008

Athildur said:
Erm...the arguments about Magic Missile were not about the teleporter. Unless this build suddenly also got the multiclass feat into Warlock, Eldritch Blast isn't even an option for the fighter/wizard.

The argument about Magic Missile that we were having is about whether it is required by Arcane Initiate or if the author chose it. So it ended up coming up because both characters took Arcane Initiate and Magic Missile.

Dragon Magazine #365's Character Concepts: Masterful optimization advice by WotC

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