Improving Wizard Implement Features

[cmbarona]

As a thought exercise, I was wondering about making Wizards a little more like the other classes, in that their class features and secondary attributes actually make a regular difference in builds and in play. So, I wanted to begin by grouping implements with attributes and general power categories. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Wand: Dexterity: Single-target attacks (rays, missles, etc.)
Staff: Constitution: Blasts and Bursts, both close and area
Orb: Wisdom: Condition-inflicting spells, e.g., Sleep
Tome: Constitution: Summoning and Conjuration

How's this look?

EDIT: Constitution is now the prime stat for tomes.

 

[Garthanos]

I recently find myself thinking after seeing posts like this one... ooh a D&D 5e feature.

 

[BendBars/LiftGates]

This was some of the stuff they talked about early after 4e was released. I think they decided against it because they didn't want to lock wizards into specific roles. Part of a wizard's appeal is his versatility.

 

[cmbarona]

Fair enough, but in that case, I think the true key to versatility is abolishing secondary stat requirements altogether, or only having one. Had they done so, Wizards would truly be versatile, as they would be less likely to pass up, say, Thunderwave due to a low Wisdom score. As it is, all the PHB Wizard powers' secondary effects key off of Wisdom, which is only used in the orb implement feature. Arcane Power's summons gain a passive benefit of longevity from a high Constitution. I haven't taken a detailed look at the rest of the AP Wizard powers, though I will remain healthily skeptical of non-Wisdom requirements until shown otherwise.

However, I think you've touched on an important issue for this thread: For the purposes of this thought exercise, I am not interested in making Wizards more versatile, which could theoretically be done in a number of other ways. Instead, I am interested in making them more specialized, as most other classes tend toward specialization.

On a final note, upon realizing that a high Constitution score is encouraged in the Summoning description in Arcane Power, I believe I would use Constitution as the key ability score for tomes, summons, and conjurations. I will edit the original post to reflect this.

 

[Nifft]

I'd boost implement mastery by adding rider effects onto Wizard Encounter powers. (This also nicely fixes how weak many Wizard Encounter powers tend to be.)

For example:

Staff: If you hit with this power, you gain a +2 power bonus to Reflex until the end of your next turn.

Orb: If you do not hit any targets with this power, one target you missed takes Psychic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier and suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.

Wand: This power gains the Force keyword, and deals extra Force damage equal to your Dexterity modifier.

Tome: You may Shift one square as a free action before or after using this power.

Cheers, -- N

 

[chronoplasm]

I'll second the above post.
I'd like to see multiple rider effects though.

Gyre and Gimble Wizard Attack
Encounter. Arcane, Force
Standard Action
Ranged 10
Target: Two creatures.
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d6 + Intelligence modifier force damage, and you may slide the target up to two squares.
Orb: If you are wielding an orb, you may slide one of the targets 1 + Wisdom modifier squares.
Wand: If you are wielding a wand, one of the targets takes a Dexterity modifier penalty to a defense of your choice until the end of your next turn.

 

[cmbarona]

Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing I'd like to see.

So let's start with the infamous at-wills. What sorts of effects might be applied to them? If you've seen other good options posted on these forums, please quote and link.

For example:
Cloud of Daggers:
Orb: Targets that begin their turn in the square grant combat advantage to you and your allies
Staff: This power also affects squares adjacent to it (I'm wary about making it a burst power, in case there are other abilities, which key off of burst powers, that would make this broken)

Thoughts?

 

[WhatGravitas]

Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing I'd like to see.

So let's start with the infamous at-wills. What sorts of effects might be applied to them? If you've seen other good options posted on these forums, please quote and link.

This is a very cool idea - I think every at-will should get about 2 rider-effects, so every at-will is fitting for at least two implements - should give a nice variety.

Some ideas:

Cloud of Daggers
Orb: You can move the cloud one square after the attack.
Tome: Allies take no damage from the cloud.

Magic Missile
Staff: Push the target one square.
Wand: Ignore cover and concealment (but not total).

Scorching Burst
Tome: Creatures ending their turn in the area take damage equal to your Constitution modifier until the end of your next turn.
Wand: You may add your Dexterity modifier to the attack roll against a single target.

Thunderwave
Orb: Can be used as a close burst 1 instead.
Staff: Knocks targets prone on a critical hit.

-> with this, I try to reinforce some themes:
Orbs: "fine control" over spell areas
Tome: "summon-like", i.e. effects are more persistent or controlled - think "smart weapons"
Staff: brute strength and defensive
Wand: Sniping - attacks single targets precisely.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Nate Jones]

Stumbling upon this thread reminded me of one of the early 4e design and development articles--an article that seemed to particularly excite me toward the prospect of 4th edition. The idea of different wizard implements differentiating different wizardly strengths seemed pretty evocative, and I remember being somewhat disappointed when WotC replaced the original article which described the relative merits and focuses of each of the 4 classic implements with an article describing the association between implements and 'wizard schools' (aka damage types). Anyway, I managed to dig up the text from the original article, and thought it might be relevant to the current discussion. I know I at least would be interested in seeing some of the ideas hinted at in the article being used to distinguish different wizard implements.

Magic saturates the world and all the extraordinary realms beyond the world. Magic is an intrinsic force present in literally all things. Magic transforms and alters the natural world, sometimes actively and suddenly, other times subtly and over long centuries.

This arcane energy source is difficult to understand and even tougher to master. Those who do so through years of study, practice, and apprenticeship to accomplished masters are called wizards.

Wizards wield arcane magic. Wizards recognize reality for what it is: a thin veneer of structure supported and energized by a force that is ultimately changeable, to those who know its secrets. Thus wizards research esoteric rituals that allow them to alter time and space, hurl balls of fire that incinerate massed foes, and wield spells like warriors brandish swords. They call upon arcane strikes, power words, and spells to unleash raging torrents of cold, fire, or lighting, confuse and enthrall the weak-minded, or even turn invisible or walk through walls.

What sets wizards apart from others who attempt to wield arcane magic are wizards’ unique implements.

Most people recognize the four classic tools associated with wizardcraft: The Orb, Staff, Tome, or Wand.

Each implement focuses magic of a particular class slightly better than the wizard would be able to accomplish bare-handed. Thus wizards are rarely without wand and staff, orb and tome, or some other combination thereof.

A wizard’s orb grants better access to powers of terrain control and manipulation (such as clouds and walls), as well as retributive effects, detection and perception effects, and invisibility.

The staff is best suited to powers that forcefully project powers from the wizard, such as lines of lightning and cones of fire; however, a staff also has resonances with effects related to flight and telekinesis (pushing, pulling, or sliding creatures or objects).

A tome is tied to powers that reduce or neutralize an enemy’s capability in combat in some fashion, whether by slowing the foe, dazing, or through some other fashion. Tomes are also often important for spells of teleportation, summoning, shapechanging, and a few physical enhancement effects.

The wand is a perennial favorite, as it is an ideal conduit for powers that create effects well away from the wizard’s physical position, effects which include explosions of fire, bursts of cold, and other long-range effects that can affect several enemies at once. In addition, personal protections and countermagic effects may lie in wands.

Thus a wizard without an implement is like a slightly near-sighted man with glasses; the man can still see, but without his glasses, he can’t read the road sign across the way. In like wise, while wizard powers are associated with a particular implement, a wizard need not possess or hold a given implement to use its associated power. For instance, a wizard can cast the wand spell cinder storm even if he doesn’t own, has lost, or is not holding a magic wand. However, holding the associated implement grants a benefit to the wizard’s attack that is just like the benefit the warrior gains when attacking an enemy with a magic sword.

 

[Samurai]

Here's what I did:

Wizard: Arcane Implement Mastery – The abilities gained have been revised, though still follow the same focus for that item.

• Wand of Accuracy: As an Immediate Interrupt once per encounter when you fail an attack roll, you may roll again, this time with a bonus equal to your Dex bonus. You must keep the 2nd result.

• Orb of Imposition: As an Immediate Interrupt once per encounter when a target succeeds at a save against an effect created by the wizard, you may force them to discard that roll and try again, this time with a penalty equal to your Wis bonus. Or you may extend an at will spell 1 turn, as normal.

• Staff of Defense: Once per encounter as an Immediate Interrupt, when you are hit by an attack, you may force the attacker to discard that roll and try again, this time with a penalty equal to your Con bonus. They keep the 2nd roll.



Also, to boost the offensive power of Warlocks a bit, I gave them their own Arcane Implement Mastery:

Warlock: Arcane Implement Mastery –Warlocks may choose to master 1 Warlock Implement at creation. There are 3 choices:

• Wand of Deadly Curses: Once per encounter as a free action, after you’ve hit a target under your Warlock’s Curse but before rolling damage, you may choose to automatically deal maximum Curse damage while using the wand. If this attack kills the target, you gain double the effect for your pact (Teleport up to 6 squares if Fey, gain double the temp HP if Infernal, and gain a +2 bonus for the Star Pact, etc)

• Rod of Infused Invocations: Once per encounter as a free action, the Warlock may choose to do one of the following:

* He may change 1 damage type keyword from a spell he casts while using the rod. For example, he could change it from cold to Radiant if facing undead, or change Fire to Cold if facing a foe immune to fire. Changing the damage type in no way affects the damage or power’s effect. This affects any ongoing damage caused by the spell as well.
* Or he may choose to attack a different defense than the spell normally affects, choosing between AC, Fort, Ref, or Will.​

• Pact Dagger: Once per encounter as a Minor action, you may slash yourself with the dagger (for your usual damage, typically 1d4+ Str + any bonus for a magic weapon). The damage counts as and replaces any magic bonus of the Pact Dagger for attack and damage rolls until the end of your next turn. There is no attack roll needed to slash yourself, and no chance of a critical hit.