My playtest of new Mage (Essentials) spells

[ObsidianCrane]

show me the area burst 3 power of the sorcerer and i surrender...

Cool Prismatic Storm. Glad we solved that then...

You might want to consider that there are also 24 more Wizard daily attack powers than there are Sorcerer ones, and Wizards lack a power that lets you turn into a Dragon and eat your enemies...

http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/power.aspx?id=1615
show me a sorcerer power that matches this damage output...

No problems.

Swords of the Marilith, Blizzard, Veil of the Dragon

1 last point. Instance damage isn't the key here. Doing a lot of damage 1x is largely irrelevant. Doing a lot of damage every attack is what matters, and for blasting things sorcerers trump wizards in that regard with no problems.

Now the new Evoker might well change that equation around, but it will not be with second class spells like Fireball.

And I'm done.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

... and Wizards lack a power that lets you turn into a Dragon and eat your enemies...

damned, you really won... there is absolutely nothing to counter this...

 

[Truename]

damned, you really won... there is absolutely nothing to counter this...

Well, there is that red box spell that lets you turn your enemies into frikken' toads. As a level 1 daily.

Looking forward to the Transmutation mage that's got to be in the works somewhere.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The best is, you can turn them into a toad, transform yourself into a dragon and eat the toad.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Nice write-up, Nightfly.

I really wanted to try out Phantom Cage (single target vs will, 1d8+int psychic damage, "if the target moves before the end of your next turn, it takes 5 psychic damage") but didn't want to get into rules lawyering. From the wording, it seems to me that the target would take damage every time it moves, voluntarily or not, but I'm not sure that's clear.

Thanks to page 200 of the Essentials Rules Compendium, we know the answer to this:

move: Any instance of movement, whether it is done willingly or unwillingly. Whenever a creature [...] leaves a square to enter another, it is moving.

So yes, Phantom Cage damages the target even if the target is forced to move.

 

[BASHMAN]

Can you target an ally with Hypnotism? I don't see why you *shouldn't* be able to- and if you can, that is even better than the Warlord's at-will.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I believe a designer commented shortly after the sample Mage was posted that the final version of Hypnotism targeted enemies.

 

[Nightfly]

So yes, Phantom Cage damages the target even if the target is forced to move.

Agreed. PH3 contains a similar definition of "move" that should settle any argument there.

A better question is: does the enemy take damage every time it moves? It seems to me the answer is yes, since the spell doesn't say"...the first time the target moves..." If so, Phantom Cage is an awfully strong power. A creature has to approach us to attack, the fighter hits it with Tide of Iron, the druid hits it with Savage Rend, then I Beguiling Strands it next turn...that's 20 damage from movement over one round. Seems to me a cleverly built party could really rock a solo with that power.

Can you target an ally with Hypnotism? I don't see why you *shouldn't* be able to- and if you can, that is even better than the Warlord's at-will.

No. It targets "one enemy". Brilliant idea, though.

 

[keterys]

As far as I can tell, it only damages once. Just like Hellish Rebuke and Dire Radiance.

 

[Joshua Randall]

A better question is: does the enemy take damage every time it moves? It seems to me the answer is yes, since the spell doesn't say"...the first time the target moves..."

Agreed.

If so, Phantom Cage is an awfully strong power. A creature has to approach us to attack, the fighter hits it with Tide of Iron, the druid hits it with Savage Rend, then I Beguiling Strands it next turn...that's 20 damage from movement over one round.

Honestly, if your party goes to that much trouble against one enemy, they deserve the extra 20 damage. The game is built upon clever combinations of powers like that.