D&D 5E It’s Official: I don’t like 5th Edition Wizards and ‘Specialists’

[Fractal Rabbit]

It’s Official: I don’t like 5th Edition Wizards and ‘Specialists’

I’ve been playing 5e since the release. And in past editions (Pathfinder included) my favorite class to play was always the Illusionist. It was the class I felt comfortable with and always returned to after forays into Fighter, Ranger, Thief then later Barbarian and Rogue and Monk.

I’ve played Wizards three times now. The First Time was the Illusionist, the second was the Transmuter, and then the Illusionist again.

I was trying to get the feel of the Old School Illusionist again but it just doesn’t happen. I even miss the old ‘generalist’ Mage. That being said, I’ve enjoyed all of the other classes and multi classes I’ve played.( I even had fun with a Drow Paladin/Monk multiclass that wasn’t as synergistic as one would hope but felt like playing a Jedi. He was sure a lot of fun.)


Does anyone have any suggestions for a class/multiclass to get “That Old Feel” back for Illusionist using the 5th Edition rules?

Am I missing something about the class rules now?

Am I the only one who doesn’t like the new Wizards and Specialist system?

 

[GameOgre]

I missed the old system until I went back and played it.
Suddenly I couldn't get back to 5E fast enough.

That was a AD&D 2E game though and nothing worse in D&D than a 1st level wizard in 2E unless........it's a 1st rogue in 2E.

 

[jaelis]

What exactly is the feel you are missing?

 

[pogre]

I'm not clear on what "old feel" means?

edit: Which is to say, "me too" to Jaelis's post.

I like the new wizards.

 

[gyor]

I suggest trying the Shadow Sorcerer.

 

[Li Shenron]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a class/multiclass to get “That Old Feel” back for Illusionist using the 5th Edition rules?

"Me too" -> what are the elements that make up the old feel which you don't find in 5e?

I am not sure about very old editions, but at least the 3e specialist wizards "feel" had everything to do with:

- which spells you knew
- which spells you were forbidden to ever know

Wizards in 5e play differently in general due to the loss of vancian preparation restrictions, so maybe you mean this general difference? Or do you mean that the actual spells have changed so much that you can't for example recreate some favourite tactics of yours?

Otherwise you can certainly force a specialist wizards in 5e to simply learn more or less the same spells as usual (at least by name), and to not learn any spell of another school or two, if that's what you want. Personally I do not miss that restriction at all, but a specific PC could of course just decide to focus on other schools.

As my overall opinion on the 5e Wizard class, I also kind of miss a "generalist" archetype (the UA Loremaster would have been good, with a more balanced implementation). But as for how school specialization works, IMHO it has never been better than now: in fact, it's always been lacklustre and boring in the past, if not outright "wrong".

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I love the warlock-as-illusionist you can create with invocations and short-rest spell slots. Take the Fey or GOO patrons to gain their mind-twisting extra spells.

 

[Krachek]

I’ve been playing 5e since the release. And in past editions (Pathfinder included) my favorite class to play was always the Illusionist. It was the class I felt comfortable with and always returned to after forays into Fighter, Ranger, Thief then later Barbarian and Rogue and Monk.

I’ve played Wizards three times now. The First Time was the Illusionist, the second was the Transmuter, and then the Illusionist again.

I was trying to get the feel of the Old School Illusionist again but it just doesn’t happen. I even miss the old ‘generalist’ Mage. That being said, I’ve enjoyed all of the other classes and multi classes I’ve played.( I even had fun with a Drow Paladin/Monk multiclass that wasn’t as synergistic as one would hope but felt like playing a Jedi. He was sure a lot of fun.)


Does anyone have any suggestions for a class/multiclass to get “That Old Feel” back for Illusionist using the 5th Edition rules?

Am I missing something about the class rules now?

Am I the only one who doesn’t like the new Wizards and Specialist system?

I play a Evocation wizard from level 5 to 11. And the Specialist is a little part of the Wizards.
At level 11, sometime I was preparing 3 evocation spells on a total a 16, and rarely more than 5 or 6.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I've no idea what you think is missing. BUT, I will suggest that perhaps you should look into playing a Warlock. You can take Minor Illusion as a cantrip and then Misty Visions and Mask of Many Faces at 2nd level. Just spam those illusions. Both the Chain and Tome pacts are compatible with that old school wizard feel.

Combine that with the Actor feat and a good Deception skill and your DM will hate you.

 

[delericho]

I would certainly appreciate the return of a Generalist wizard. And I'm also not too fon of the 8 subclasses in the PHB - I think I would have preferred something else (maybe more like the subclasses in XGtE, or even the Artificer, or similar).

But none of that has much to do with recapturing the feel of an older style of Illusionist.