Keith Birkner
Villager
I agree that inexperienced players gravitate toward playing wizards. I always suggest that a first time player, try playing a fighter or barbarian as thier first character because spell casting is a strategic proccess that requires lots of planning, preparation, and reading through spell descriptions. Once a player feels comfortable playing as a warrior, and has seen how a rogue or spell caster behaves, then they are free to write up a wizard and see how quickly they can kill thier character or party. New players love to cast fireball and the first time they cast fireball, I tell the players to remain quite while the Wizard tells me where they center the spell, which usually devastates the party. Oh well, I guess that wizards master never prepared the Wizard for combat. Fireballs are loud and can start uncontrollable fires. Fireball damage can collapse mines. Fine with me.
Oh, I have been known to give first level wizards a staff of the magi, just so I can watch them kill thier character quickly. That's always a good laugh. If the character doesn't kill themself with a staff of the magi, then they learn too quickly that people everywhere of all levels of experience want to hunt them for thier treasure.
Many enemies will see spellcasters as thier biggest threat and might give the fighter an attack of opportunity just so they can stop the spell caster. It's dangerous being a spell caster with no armor and poor melee abilities.
I love creative spellcasters at my table. I like when my players surprise me and defeat my well thought out plans. That makes the game exciting for me as a DM.
On the rare chance that I get to play, Wizards are one of my favorite classes to play. I focus more on controlling a battlefield with grease spells or other spells that can affect a zone. I usually only keep a couple of damage spells such as burning hands prepared. Most of My damage spells are to keep enemies from overcoming me in melee. My job in a wizard role is to help the team do the things that the other characters can't do such as bending the rules with spells. DMs hate my characters, regardless of class and do everything they can to limit my abilities such as making a whole dungeon an anti-magic zone, because I too easily thwart thier plans. I also love playing bards because they tend to be a more challenging role to play.
Oh, I have been known to give first level wizards a staff of the magi, just so I can watch them kill thier character quickly. That's always a good laugh. If the character doesn't kill themself with a staff of the magi, then they learn too quickly that people everywhere of all levels of experience want to hunt them for thier treasure.
Many enemies will see spellcasters as thier biggest threat and might give the fighter an attack of opportunity just so they can stop the spell caster. It's dangerous being a spell caster with no armor and poor melee abilities.
I love creative spellcasters at my table. I like when my players surprise me and defeat my well thought out plans. That makes the game exciting for me as a DM.
On the rare chance that I get to play, Wizards are one of my favorite classes to play. I focus more on controlling a battlefield with grease spells or other spells that can affect a zone. I usually only keep a couple of damage spells such as burning hands prepared. Most of My damage spells are to keep enemies from overcoming me in melee. My job in a wizard role is to help the team do the things that the other characters can't do such as bending the rules with spells. DMs hate my characters, regardless of class and do everything they can to limit my abilities such as making a whole dungeon an anti-magic zone, because I too easily thwart thier plans. I also love playing bards because they tend to be a more challenging role to play.
