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I think that the issue is partially who the fighter competes against. A cleric who decides to be a leader is infinitely better suited for the role than a fighter (despite the weak skill points of the cleric). Ignoring spells that can assist, the presence of diplomacy and sense motive as class...

I should also point out that the 3E fighter is an odd creature. I find the Paladin and Ranger less of an issue at high levels than the Fighter as they can both fulfill their archetypes better. I never did enjoy the weak will saves of the core martial classes (with the notable exception of...

I think that the warrior/wizard problem is at its most extreme in 3E. In 1E and 2E, the fighter was simply a lot tougher (relatively more hit points, relatively much faster attach progression, equal or better saving throws, multiple attacks) relative to the AD&D magic user. In 4E, the fighter...

Well, the querstion began with how does literature address the imbalance between warriors and wizards (bards and clerics just make it painful). I see a number of ways: 1) Magic doesn't work well in combat (see Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East) so warriors are required for fights 2)...

I have actually seen a teleport have a lethal outcome in both AD&D and Rolemaster. Multiple times, in the former. It made us see teleport as a special resource to be used in emergencies and left one with a fair degree of gambler's high. It never made the spell disliked but it sure as heck...

This is a good point. But I think genre fiction is a good place to look for ways that these classes can be balanced with the game world. I think that the general sense I get is that the fighter has a very sparse set of out of combat options but doesn't dominate in combat. Ending up as rulers...

That is very close to AD&D (where casting a spell in melee was for the brave or the reckless). In low levels, this really hurts the wizard but it helps preserve the role of the fighter even at the highest levels.

Fair enough. But leading soldiers seems to be related to fighting in a very direct way. In 3E terms, it is odd to model Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great as Fighter/Bard multi-class characters. Okay, neither really exist in a fantasy world . . . but the idea that a soldier might be good at...

I removed the middle because I want to focus on the example for a moment (not to nit pick but because I think Pug and Tomas is a very good example). Tomas merges with a mythical being (the greatest of the Valheru, Ashen-Shugar) and even the language of the Valheru is a domination effect...

I seem to remember Thomas, the fighter, being bonded to a demigod and able to do significant magic (like using illusion on some sort of undead creature). If high level D&D fighters could do the same tricks than I would be forced to agree with you.

I also think some of the balancing factors of the wizard (in terms of risk) were removed. My favorite example is teleport, all versions of which have a chance of instant death in the AD&D PHB (and contemporary systems like Rolemaster). Memorizing a spell with a (albeit small) chance of instant...

While there may have been complaints about the strength of AD&D wizards (and clerics?), I wonder if they really reflect the reality of the class. If nothing else, the one place that the class seemed to underperform (very low levels) was where the changes had the least impact (as the extra...

So the Drow are 14th level characters (12th level + 2 levels of LA)? In which there could be (just guessing) classes bard, cleric and wizard? Plus a ranger with just the right favored enemy and a bow? And there are 5 of them? Does no running include opening distance? What's odd is...

Why was Druid so beloved? The low XP chart in AD&D?

I think here is where the no more than one level per adventure rule would have been really handy (well, it was that you couldn't gain more XP until you did training but it is the same thing).

True, but Fighter 2/Wizard X almost always worked out well as the period of the penalty was short enough that you were bascially short one 2nd level spell in exchange for massively increased survivability. Getting a 17 INT just meant you were a good wizard although the 15 STR was a bit of a waste.

Or, the presence of magic will make the social structure (itself) less stable. I suppose that this could be one role of Wizard's Guilds (to create a social structure for mages to prevent a power struggle between the nobility and the mages). This is more likely in (for example) AD&D 1E with few...

Perhaps the impending release of Dragon Age 2 (the computer game) gave it a boost in interest and drove some sales. It is not like there are a ton of obvious competitors and it is a pretty inexpensive set (nice production quality too) so that might not have hurt, either. I do think the lack of...

Yes. Dragon Age: Origins seemed to shine in the quality of the story (which was very, very high). DA2 lost a fair bit in story (so far, at least) and seems to be making poor use of the time jumps (which could have been very effective as a narrative technique and for explaining characters...

I will be honest and say that I did not mind the lack of variety in creatures in DA1 as I think they made up for it with atmosphere. Effects like the cool deep road maps and the great music did a lot to make the atmosphere work. The unique Fereldan cutlure (especially the dogs) and the celtic...