I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
Mika said:In regard to the "5 minute adventuring day", one problem is that there are only story/world reasons not to take a long rest whenever you can -- there are few if any mechanical rewards for pressing on. In 4E, milestones get you extra daily magic item uses (eventually nixed) and action points (which are of diminishing value if you start accumulating more than you expect to be able to use that day). In prior editions, the only reward for pressing on is that you might go into a new encounter with your buffs from a previous encounter still in effect -- not much incentive if you have time to rest up, regain all of your resources, and re-cast those buffs. All you lose from taking an extended rest is time -- and the value of the lost time is strictly up to DM fiat.
This is a problem that can be solved with some solid DM advice, mostly. Use a carrot and a stick, and you have basic methodology. There are few D&D situations where some combination of XP, safe havens, deadly wilderness, night-time encounters, and enemy resupply or flight won't have some noticeable effect.
It's also something you can add mechanics to, if you want. A specific note in the adventure about what happens when the party takes a rest.
The big idea is just to keep that in mind, to not allow the challenge to be tackled bit-by-bit, because in that case, the challenge becomes diminished: the PC's can recover, but the enemies remain static, making it inevitable that they'll win eventually.
tuxego said:Instead of housing such a distinction in Themes, perhaps WotC could house the distinction in sub-classes, thus:
(1) The Arcanist, who gets no At-Wills but does get Ritual Casting;
(2) The Mage, who gets At-Wills and School Specialization but no Rituals; and
(3) The Witch, who gets one At-Will and a Familiar. ("Sound familiar?")
That way, even people who don't use Backgrounds and Themes could still play the type of Wizard they prefer. ("It's an ideal solution!")
Sure. As long as it is possible to play a wizard that doesn't employ at-will magic, it remains possible to play the kind of wizard that people who cut their teeth pre-3e might expect, and that's important. That playstyle shouldn't be discounted. Not EVERYONE wants to do something magical every turn. Some people prefer to play a game in which magic is not ubiquitous in play.