D&D General Why Do You Think Wizards Are Boring?

[deganawida]

This is only my opinion, and it may be very idiosyncratic, but full casters are not kinetic enough for me. They don’t do enough. They stand around, chant words, wiggle fingers, and something amazing happens. There’s no swinging your sword in a brilliant arc, no narrowing your focus just to the target before you loose, no feel of the tumblers as you pick it while monsters are nearby, no recitation of a powerful poem that leaves your enemies enthralled. It’s just standing around, casting a spell, and magic happens.

 

[Hussar]

Not so much boring as frustrating. At least for me as a dm.

1. Eating WAY too much time. Everyone else finishes their turn in a minute or two. Then the game grinds to a halt while the caster player screws around with placing fifteen different area effects in just the right place only to end the turn with a fire bolt.

2. Endlessly asking for stuff. Hey can you do up my familiar for me? I know you don’t have this book but can I have this spell from that book? On and on and it never ever stops.

3. Every problem gets solved by a spell. Instead of even considering a mundane solution, the first response is always “let’s just cast a spell”.

Did I mention that my current campaign is probably the last time I will allow full casters?

 

[Incenjucar]

No challenge to play, no defining flavor, play like video game characters, deflate the rest of the game with their naps.

 

[Zardnaar]

Clerics and Druids get other things to do besides casting - Druids Wildshape, Clerics get combat skill, channel divinity and destroy undead

Wizards get more spell slots

Even then the extra spell slots aren't that many. At lower levels it's not really much more than the clerics Tasha ability and bard dice used to be roughly on par with a 1 lvl slot.

Or if you compare it to some things Li light clerics channel divinity I rate that ability on par with a lvl 2 spell slot but the cleric can do it 2-6 tines per day (varying by level, number of short rests etc).

So technically they get a few extra spell slots. Are they better as other abilities or other classes? Generally no. Not as much fun.

Tomelock can also give them a run for their money on rituals assuming players even care about them.

Wizard slot in our party is filled by a Order of Stars Druid. Better in some ways worse in others but close enough and more fun/interesting.

 

[Hussar]

Honest question here. Does anyone else feel like the casters eat too much table time? Or is this just me?

 

[TwoSix]

Honest question here. Does anyone else feel like the casters eat too much table time? Or is this just me?

Depends on the table. I have some slow players in general, so the extra time for spells isn't as noticeable, because they're just kinda slow about everything.

In my tables which are a little more mechanic-savvy, yea, there's definitely an extra level of complication from spells, unless they're spells everyone is really familiar with (like bless).

 

[Guest 7042500]

I've only ever played OD&D.

For me, the fun parts of being a magic user were selecting my loadout of spells at the beginning of the adventure, and estimating when to use a spell to get the most benefit out of a scarce resource.

Once you get to 7th level or so that goes away; you have enough spell slots to be ready for almost anything, and enough that you will still have some left when the front line fighters are beat up and it's time to go home.

There was no challenge left. I've never played a magic user past 8th level.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Spellcasting has way more call and response.

The martial characters attack, miss, turn is done with very little back and forth.

The caster has to pick a spell, announce the spell, the Dm has to confirm the spell works the way they say, then has to roll a save and give confirmation from the caster, then adjudicate the results. Then they have to deal with some effects over and over on multiple turn.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Spellcasting has way more call and response.

Especially clerics.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Also casters in general are long rest classes, designed specifically to murder pacing by needing naps after few encounters. And as per the 'make other classes worse' point, they encourage the designers to make everyone else need constant naps too.