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That's a little harsh. The resource management aspect of D&D has been a fundamental design principle of the game for its entire existence. Especially for low-level spellcasters. A great many of us, both as DMs and players, LOVE that aspect and chose D&D over other systems because of it. I...

I'm not quite sure what you're saying. I mean that from one edition to another -- from Basic/Expert to 1e to 2e to 3.5 -- some numbers stayed pretty much the same. A wizard's mundane attack, the typical town guardsman's crossbow, and the damage of the Fireball spell, the benefit of a Potion of...

Why? There have been dozens of RPGs made over the past 20 years. Huge array of systems and rules. Why didn't you play a system that was more fun for you? And if you have been playing such a system, does the hobby not benefit from having a diverse array of games with different rulesets for...

I want to see more dodecahedron. Monster damage! Spell damage! Weapon damage! The d12 gets no love. HD for a couple of classes, one core weapon, and one monster attack (triceratops trample). I think there's some SC spell that uses the d12. Poor, unloved dodecahedron.

It's getting a huge Con bonus and a trample attack that uses d12s??? Awesome!! That will be one rockin' sacred cow. Sure, it might go down eventually, but it will take some of those evil "sacred cow-haters" with it. And really, there's always a need for more things that use the d12.

They'll give wizards the ability to have Mage Armor always on, and have its bonus increase with level. Fighter/mages may have access to feats or abilities to increase this bonus further.

Where the absolute numbers do provide some insights is in the diminished impact of the things that haven't changed. A wizard whacking an enemy with his staff for 1d6 damage (any edition) is a lot less effective if HP are much higher. A squad of town guards with crossbows (1d6 in Basic, 1d8 in...

What? No, it didn't, and I never claimed it did.

They're not in my Basic set (gnomes as monsters are, gnomes as PCs aren't), so they're expendable.

He specifically calls himself a wizard. In Tolkein's world "wizards" were Maiar. Gandalf was a wizard. Gandalf was a Maiar. No contradiction. In other fiction, "wizards" gain power through deals with devils or demons. In other fiction, "wizards" have innate power honed through education. In...

Sure. And I don't want D&D to even try to be all things to all roleplayers. I don't think it needs to try to be White Wolf or GURPS or Rolemaster or Amber. Don't like the randomness of rolling dice? You might like Amber. Want more detail in your critical hits? You might like Rolemaster. Want...

Which wizard archetype? The lowest-level wizards in D&D, for the past 30+ years, usually hang back and do rather little in combat but can throw a big spell once in a while. A wizard in LOTR rarely uses magic because it attracts attention, and often uses weapons. The wizards in Conan the...

Yeah, I get that. I don't agree, because I love the things that make D&D uniquely D&D, but you had to start with 2e. The trend towards instant gratification isn't going to make the game any better for me. I just want to make sure people know I'm not saying "I like the old-school feel because...

No, that's NOT what I'm saying. I'm saying it's NOT unfun to be effective in bursts. I'm saying it's NOT unfun to resort to the daggers or just hang back. I did not feel my fun was limited. edit: Looks like you changed your text. Yes, I accept in a game my role is constrained. What's...

Again, I just don't get this. If I play a Magic-User in B/X, I know that my role is to cast the big spell now and then, NOT to cast a spell every single round. If I can't have fun in that role, I shouldn't play a Magic-User. Also, if I play a Magic-User in B/X, I know that my character is one...

Well, of course not really. He's basically a demigod. "Conserving magic" is a thoroughly ludicrous idea if you're talking about Gandalf. Saying that his player is a "superior roleplayer" is absurd because he's not a character in a game.

Well, I play MOST games the same way I learned them decades ago. Scrabble, Risk, Monopoly, soccer, baseball, basketball, card games, etc. Learned some new poker variations and mix those in with the old standby games; have tweaked the Risk rules on card trades. Why must RPGs be subject to this...

But that's the point of disagreement. To me, playing a novice wizard, it feels RIGHT to only be able to control the magic for a brief burst of power each day. Not to be able to throw minor blasts of flame all day long. Why? 1) Game Tradition. I grew up on B/X. I LOVE the feel of the...

The PCs have elite ability score arrays. The Commoners, Experts, and Warriors have a "normal" stat array. This is a HUGE difference in power. The PCs have maximum HP for their first HD, the NPCs have average. So a 1st-level wizard (excluding Con bonus) has as many HP as a 1st-level human...

I really don't get this. The wizard isn't that bad with the crossbow and his damage isn't that bad either. At 4th level his BAB is 2 behind, but his Dex is likely pretty high and he can certainly afford a MW crossbow. So with the usual Inspire Courage he's looking at maybe +6 to hit for 1d8+1...