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*TTRPGs General
Did magic-users use weapons more often in older editions?
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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 5284662" data-attributes="member: 19675"><p>It depends upon the player.</p><p></p><p>In my very first D&D game ever, way back in 1977, the guy playing the mage wound up using his staff, but not until the last few encounters before his PC and mine (a human 2hd sword-wielding fighter) were engaged in the final battle of the game. He had run out of all spells except a Magic Missile, which he used in the final battle's opening salvo...vs a Purple Worm.</p><p></p><p>A guy I've been playing with since the mid-1980s mixed the use of his spells and his weapons across editions 1Ed-3.5Ed in order to preserve his spells for when he actually needed them. The result was that he almost never ran out of spells.</p><p></p><p>I've also seen spellcasters who don't even bother carrying a weapon unless its a magical staff of some kind.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I also mix my use of weapons & spells, and have even designed full-caster based PCs whose actions defaulted to using weapons and didn't use spells until absolutely necessary- often not even in combat. One gnome in particular emphasized alchemical grenade attacks followed by short-sword attacks before using spells, and Adragon Van Basten, the "Mage-Brute" was a standard sorcerer (with the Draconic Breath feat) who wore scale mail, used a maul and almost never cast a spell in combat (for a variety of reasons).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 5284662, member: 19675"] It depends upon the player. In my very first D&D game ever, way back in 1977, the guy playing the mage wound up using his staff, but not until the last few encounters before his PC and mine (a human 2hd sword-wielding fighter) were engaged in the final battle of the game. He had run out of all spells except a Magic Missile, which he used in the final battle's opening salvo...vs a Purple Worm. A guy I've been playing with since the mid-1980s mixed the use of his spells and his weapons across editions 1Ed-3.5Ed in order to preserve his spells for when he actually needed them. The result was that he almost never ran out of spells. I've also seen spellcasters who don't even bother carrying a weapon unless its a magical staff of some kind. Personally, I also mix my use of weapons & spells, and have even designed full-caster based PCs whose actions defaulted to using weapons and didn't use spells until absolutely necessary- often not even in combat. One gnome in particular emphasized alchemical grenade attacks followed by short-sword attacks before using spells, and Adragon Van Basten, the "Mage-Brute" was a standard sorcerer (with the Draconic Breath feat) who wore scale mail, used a maul and almost never cast a spell in combat (for a variety of reasons). [/QUOTE]
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Did magic-users use weapons more often in older editions?
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