D&D 5E How would YOU nerf the wizard? +

[Warpiglet-7]

Make spells very interruptible.

Fighters can’t cast wish, but they act as linemen for the wizard who does.

Make it so a wizard fears a fighter up close and personal if alone. It’s a game of rock paper scissors and creates a natural need for team. Not equivalence, but an increased need for complementary function.

I think that is the most of it for me. I don’t worry about “balance” as much as some do.

Maybe I would not impose this on divine magic…have to think that out.

 

[Scott Christian]

What would you do?

The easiest way to nerf the wizard is to simply remove its utility spells: invisibility, fly, jump, light, dimension door, unseen servant, etc. Give them damage, battlefield control, dominations, etc. But remove the utilities.

Note: This does not mean you remove those things from the spell list. Maybe a wizard can cast dimension door, but it takes days. Maybe they can fly, but they lose HP as they fly. This lets wizards in the libraries and labs to do their thing, yet keeps those utilities out of combat.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Going with the presumption that in 5E D&D (of whatever particular flavor, 2014 or 2024 or ToV or A5E or whatever) and you wanted to bring thew wizard (and other full casters) down to ensure more parity with primarily martial characters, how would you personally, in your campaigns that you would actually play, do that?

Play an OLDER edition.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Play an OLDER edition.

Or a game with spellcasting rolls, like Dungeon Crawl Classics or Shadowdark.

Wizards in each are very fun, but don't have anything like the reliable all day every day magic 5E wizards do, and when their spells go wrong, it can be catastrophic trouble for them, which encourages them to hold back when they can.

 

[Aldarc]

Or a game with spellcasting rolls, like Dungeon Crawl Classics or Shadowdark.

Wizards in each are very fun, but don't have anything like the reliable all day every day magic 5E wizards do, and when their spells go wrong, it can be catastrophic trouble for them, which encourages them to hold back when they can.

I agree with spellcasting rolls. I enjoyed that sort of thing in True20, Fantasy AGE, 4e D&D, etc. However, I'm not a fan of mishap tables for spellcasting. IME, that would not only encourage wizards from holding back spells, but also encourage players not to play wizards.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I agree with spellcasting rolls. I enjoyed that sort of thing in True20, Fantasy AGE, 4e D&D, etc. However, I'm not a fan of mishap tables for spellcasting. IME, that would not only encourage wizards from holding back spells, but also encourage players not to play wizards.

Maybe. I think it depends on how often the mishaps occur and how severe they are. I think if a mishap occurred every time a spell roll failed, that would definitely dissuade players.

 

[Aldarc]

Maybe. I think it depends on how often the mishaps occur and how severe they are. I think if a mishap occurred every time a spell roll failed, that would definitely dissuade players.

I'll put it this way. I don't touch games with mishap tables for spells unless it's secluded to a handful of play options that I can safely ignore, such as the Wild Sorcerer subclass. I personally have found them to be fun-killers for me.

 

[Quickleaf]

Here's a wizard-limiting idea (for better or worse) that I've never seen in a TTRPG:

When you cast a spell, there is a window of time afterward in which you cannot cast an opposed spell. For example, Cone of Cold?

It sort of plays with the AD&D rules for specialist wizards have "prohibited schools" but focuses on a more tactical and in-game narrative version.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I would kick them squar in the nuts.

 

[Reynard]

Here's a wizard-limiting idea (for better or worse) that I've never seen in a TTRPG:

When you cast a spell, there is a window of time afterward in which you cannot cast an opposed spell. For example, Cone of Cold?

It sort of plays with the AD&D rules for specialist wizards have "prohibited schools" but focuses on a more tactical and in-game narrative version.

Wouldn't people just build to theme so they had no "opposed" spells to worry about?