How is the Wizard vs Warrior Balance Problem Handled in Fantasy Literature?

[pawsplay]

In People of the Black Circle, Conan basically intimidates a 5th level Wizard, who decides he is done being evil and runs off with a woman instead. Then he lucks into a Belt of Spell Resistance, foils one critical spell penetration check, and smacks the wizard down with a couple of sword strokes.

In the Lankhmar stories, the Grey Mouser is more of a magic-user thief. Given time, he can whip up some decent battlefield control spells and some utility magics, but avoids using magic, since he knows he doesn't have the discipline for it (and thus risks both moral peril and losing control of his poorly orchestrated magics). Elric is immensely powerful, but knows spells almost entirely of a conjuration (summoning) nature. In Dragonslayer, magic can slay a dragon or raise the dead, but is no parlour trick and requires great preparation; even in a lifetime the most powerful mages would be lucky to cast more than about two 9th level spells.

 

[Christian]

There are certainly some authors who take the wizards seriously. I'm in the midst of re-reading Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and I can't help but notice the even the weaker Aes Sedai (who have all sworn oaths not to use magic as a weapon except in defense of their lives) tend to be pretty much invincible to non-magical characters, unless taken totally by surprise or massively outnumbered.

And even being massively outnumbered doesn't necessarily help against spellcasters who aren't under those restrictions. "Ash'aman: Kill!" (For those who haven't managed to wade that far into this mountain of books, that was the order given by the leader of another group of casters, who obediently responded by basically disintegrating an army. )

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I have noticed that even in various novels based on DnD settings, magic users tend to either simply not be present as a main character, or only ever cast very weak spells (Level three spells at the highest, this is in 3.X terms).

Hey, even Gandalf was a fifth-level magic-user.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sounds like you'd seriously need the element of surprise to take down one of those guys.

 

[pawsplay]

Hey, even Gandalf was a fifth-level magic-user.

... who soloed a Balor.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

... who soloed a Balor.

It had Bird Flu.

 

[RangerWickett]

Drizzt blinded the dragon with darkness covered arrows. Wulfgar killed it with a hammer to an icicle.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Drizzt blinded the dragon with darkness covered arrows. Wulfgar killed it with a hammer to an icicle.

"Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra"

 

[RangerWickett]

By contrast, in Harry Potter everyone can fling spells pretty easily, though most of them aren't as dangerous as a simple gun would be. For those willing to be evil, though, there's apparently no drawback to just flinging death spells willy-nilly.

In Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" series, you get magic basically through internal alchemy -- swallow some tin, and you can 'burn' it to get mana to enhance your senses. Different metals provide different powers. All you're limited by is how much metal you're able to get your hands on, and your skill. (Oh, and you have to have the right bloodline to do any of this.)

In a novel I never managed to get published, magic required you to acquire and control magical energy, and it was mentally taxing, but if you had a wild enough power source you could theoretically use magic all day long. It was 'balanced' in that usually manifesting a spell took a few seconds, which would be long enough for a guy to run up to you and chop you in half.

 

[Particle_Man]

In Jonathan Strange and M. Norrell magic is very powerful but subject to social control. But that depends on having a society like that (and in a game on having PCs like that).