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Well, what does the cleric represent then? The cleric is, in D&D, a martial servant of a god. Not a contemplative village priest, but a warrior-champion. I've always liked paladins being something asymmetric, a unique champion that only LG got. I didn't mind the other alignment-based...

Because NOT every Tom, Dick, and Harry is as capable as the PCs. The PCs are significantly more capable than the "Normal Man" (B/X) or "Commoner" (3E) and generally slightly more capable as the city guardsmen -- who are needed to guard the city. The PCs also have a very different risk/reward...

A general question -- will a "per-encounter" system lead to PCs retreating from a combat and resting for 1 minute (or whatever is necessary) to reset their per-encounter abilities? And a specific response to the idea that a wizard's "thing" is casting spells. I thought that 3E went a good way...

Right, and which RPG has been the MOST successful? D&D. With its quirky spell-prep, with its dramatic moments of wizards down to their last spell or resorting to staves and daggers, and so on. So why is it that those other systems didn't succeed to the extent that D&D did, if D&D's magic...

As a Basic/Expert grognard, I have *never* understood what this "Dead Level" fuss is about. In B/X, you got ONLY hit points if you were a fighter, dwarf, or halfling for levels 1-3 (spellcasters got new spells, and thieves got increased skill chances). Now people are saying that BAB, skills...

That's why adventures for 1st-level PCs shouldn't involve locals specifically seeking them out for help. Module B1, Into the Unknown: the PCs are just dungeon-delvers out to make a name for themselves, not beholden to anyone Module B2, Keep on the Borderlands: very similar First session of...

I'd imagine not just spell level but also the type of spell would factor into this. Giving a wizard Shocking Grasp at will has a very different effect than giving him Charm Person, Alarm, or Detect Secret Doors at will.

The phrase "it just feels 'more right'" is what the big hullabaloo is all about. I started playing D&D with the Basic Set. The fundamental concept of a wizard was a human who had very powerful magic, but it was limited. He couldn't use it all the time. That was what "balanced" magic against...

I'm not sure I understand this assertion. The addition of the crossbow was new in 3E -- suddenly, the wizard could use a powerful weapon that did 1d8 damage (same as a longbow). At 1d8 vs the fighter's 1d8+3 (for 4th-level, say), that's 60% of the fighter's damage. The wizard likely has a...

The high Int SHOULD be a big deal. It seems to me that many gamers I know are very bright people. Let's say that a gamer has scored in the 90th percentile of various tests of intellect. That's a 15 Int. If he's playing anything OTHER than a wizard, he likely has to dumb himself down in any...

It was almost as good as using a bow (a flat 1d6 damage), and your hit rolls were as good as a fighter's through level 3. The gameplay style I recall had low-level wizards' players NOT being focused on dealing damage every round of every combat -- they knew they were the big guns held in...

See, I started out in Basic/Expert. And then, at low levels, it was not "First cast your spells and then be useless," but rather "Conserve your magic and be ready to cast your auto-win spell [Sleep] when it's really needed, but otherwise just hang back and act smart. Maybe throw some daggers...

The Fighter has AC that's 2 points better (one from armor, one from Dex), attack rolls that are 2 points better (one from Str, one from WF), damage that is about 1 point better, saves that are about 1 better across the board, an additional maxed-out skill, and 2.4 times as many hp. What's two...

Really? 1st-level human warrior uses the "non-elite array" for stats, so that's a 13 Con AT MOST. He has "average" HP per HD, so 4 (see the Orc warrior in the MM), maybe +1 for Con, so 5. The fighter has a better stat array and maximum HP for his first HD. Typically 12 HP or so -- 2.4 times...

1st-level PCs in 3.5 were ALREADY pretty tough compared to the warriors and commoners around them. Max HP, elite ability score array, better equipment, and better classes. These make a HUGE difference. A 1st-level fighter with 12 hp can withstand two ordinary hits from a longsword, or three...

The wizard is typically the smartest person in the party. He's got a genius-level intellect and access to all Knowledge skills. How is that like being a commoner? In my experience, good DMs in all editions of the game made sure that wizards' intelligence and knowledge could be useful, not...

I love Vancian magic, it's one of the quirks of D&D. I love the challenge of resource management and judgement that it brings, and I don't mind NOT casting a spell on my turn if the fight is well in hand. 4E wizards are sounding less and less appealing.

Actually, it isn't.

Stay in character no matter what. Dying by acting on in-character information is, for me at least, better than living through metagaming.

Iron Will and Great Fortitude. You need every save boost you can get -- if the *cleric* fails a Fort or Will save at that level, the party is likely to die.