Falling Icicle
Adventurer
I can see where people are coming from when they perceive a lack of non-damaging effects for spellcasters. Yeah, there are utility spells, but you only ever know 7 of those, and 2 of them are from your paragon path and epic destiny (which usually involve things like letting you re-use powers and such rather than provide unique effects of their own). And I do miss the illusions, charms, and summoning spells of old. I really hope the Arcane power book will reintroduce those types of magic.
And for the durations, I can see where people are coming from on those too. A ONE TURN spider climb? Once per day? What the hell? That said, this seems to be true of only a small number of powers. I don't really mind the sustaining thing, as it puts a reasonable limit on how much a caster can buff himself at once. Being invisible, flying, stoneskinned, protected from arrows, and resistant to energy all at once was a bit much, I'll admit.
But one thing I think people often overlook is that much of the utility effects are more appropriate for rituals. I think the ritual system has wonderful potential. There's no limit to how many rituals you can know, and no preparation is needed, so using these types of spells is even easier and more flexible than it was in previous editions (though, admittedly, much more expensive). To the poster that said you can't fly over mountains anymore, I'd point out the rituals Phantom Steed and Overland Flight (Dragon 366). Those kind of long term effects can and do still exist, they're just not spells anymore - they're rituals.
Unfortunately, I think people's perception of the ritual system was hurt by the lack of rituals in the core book, and the redundancy of them. There are several rituals in there just for asking questions of the DM, for example. I think much of that space could have been better served with rituals that provide the fun utility magic that people miss. The new rituals in Dragon 366 help to fill in some of those blanks, but alot more work still needs to be done.
And for the durations, I can see where people are coming from on those too. A ONE TURN spider climb? Once per day? What the hell? That said, this seems to be true of only a small number of powers. I don't really mind the sustaining thing, as it puts a reasonable limit on how much a caster can buff himself at once. Being invisible, flying, stoneskinned, protected from arrows, and resistant to energy all at once was a bit much, I'll admit.
But one thing I think people often overlook is that much of the utility effects are more appropriate for rituals. I think the ritual system has wonderful potential. There's no limit to how many rituals you can know, and no preparation is needed, so using these types of spells is even easier and more flexible than it was in previous editions (though, admittedly, much more expensive). To the poster that said you can't fly over mountains anymore, I'd point out the rituals Phantom Steed and Overland Flight (Dragon 366). Those kind of long term effects can and do still exist, they're just not spells anymore - they're rituals.
Unfortunately, I think people's perception of the ritual system was hurt by the lack of rituals in the core book, and the redundancy of them. There are several rituals in there just for asking questions of the DM, for example. I think much of that space could have been better served with rituals that provide the fun utility magic that people miss. The new rituals in Dragon 366 help to fill in some of those blanks, but alot more work still needs to be done.
