A wizard 'fix' I'm considering trying

[Plane Sailing]

For many people, the wizard is just fine. This probably isn't the thread for you!

For some people, the wizard is lacking something (or several somethings). I don't want to get into a wholesale redesign of the class (although I think it could do with it - it should have a controllerish class feature just like all the other classes have a role-providing class feature. It also should have more powers which could benefit from a secondary ability of the various builds (wis/dex/con)).

However, I think I might be able to do something to bring back some of the flavour of old wizards without being overpowering.

Improved Flexibility
Rather than the spellbook containing two of each utility and two of each daily from which the wizard can prepare whichever he wants after each extended rest - I'm going to allow the wizard to have 2 quantum utilities and 2 quantum dailies 'available' at each level as per normal - and it is at the point of use that he chooses which of them he wants to use.

e.g. if his 1st level dailies are Sleep and Acid Arrow, he can have either of them potentially available, and at the point where he decides to use his 1st level daily he can decide between Sleep and Acid Arrow, depending upon what seems most useful to him at the time.

This doesn't work with utility encounter powers.

Better Fireball

Fireball just sucks at everything. It isn't even good at minion clearing. The 3rd level encounter attack Fire Shroud will do more damage in the same area without hurting friends (just doesn't have the long range).

My proposed fix is that Fireball adds the line
Effect: ongoing 5 fire damage.

This boosts the damage, lets THE archetypal spell have some extra welly to it and allows it to be a big minion clearer which it fails to do at the moment compared to, say, Stinking Cloud. Average damage over the course of an encounter is still going to be way below Stinking Cloud in most cases, but at least the wizard will feel that it is worth taking, that it will last more than just a fraction of a round.

Cheers

 

[Nymrohd]

The fire wizard powers in particular are all weak as far as control is concerned imo. They are all about damage, and at best they give some ongoing fire damage. I think it would be better if they did somewhat less damage and instead were explosive, as in they pushed whoever they hit. . .

As for deciding which spell to use, especially in conjunction with Expanded Spellbook, it becomes too flexible at no cost. Maybe instead he can switch one daily spell during a short rest?

 

[Plane Sailing]

As for deciding which spell to use, especially in conjunction with Expanded Spellbook, it becomes too flexible at no cost. Maybe instead he can switch one daily spell during a short rest?

Expanded spellbook gets ditched in this scheme as it would be too good.

Switching during a short rest wouldn't meet the versatility I'm aiming for - there would still often be the situation where you've not got the right spell prepared.

Cheers

 

[Nymrohd]

Still there should be some kind of exchange. Maybe you need to look over your spellbook and waste a standard action doing so (which can be reduced to minor by a paragon or epic feat to replace Expanded Spellbook on feat choices).

 

[Talon378]

Still there should be some kind of exchange. Maybe you need to look over your spellbook and waste a standard action doing so (which can be reduced to minor by a paragon or epic feat to replace Expanded Spellbook on feat choices).

What if you were to add a feat called "Quick change" that would allow you to switch prepared spells for another of the same level out of your spellbook for a minor or maybe a move action? This would allow this to work with Encounter abilities and you could even incorporate it with the expanded spellbook to allow for a true "wizard" feel for that guy that always seems to have the right spell for the job? I think it is safe to say that this would make the Wizard alot more fun to play without making him unbalanced when you figure that the Wizard has truly very few unbalancing sells anyway. He would just become more versatile with this set-up.......


Dallas

 

[FireLance]

Expanded spellbook gets ditched in this scheme as it would be too good.

How about with Expanded Spellbook, the wizard picks two daily spells of each level after each extended rest, and can cast either? For utilities, if he has one encounter utility and two daily utilities of the same level in his spellbook, then he can prepare either the encounter utility or a quantum daily.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

For many people, the wizard is just fine. This probably isn't the thread for you!

For some people, the wizard is lacking something (or several somethings). I don't want to get into a wholesale redesign of the class (although I think it could do with it - it should have a controllerish class feature just like all the other classes have a role-providing class feature. It also should have more powers which could benefit from a secondary ability of the various builds (wis/dex/con)).

However, I think I might be able to do something to bring back some of the flavour of old wizards without being overpowering.

Improved Flexibility
Rather than the spellbook containing two of each utility and two of each daily from which the wizard can prepare whichever he wants after each extended rest - I'm going to allow the wizard to have 2 quantum utilities and 2 quantum dailies 'available' at each level as per normal - and it is at the point of use that he chooses which of them he wants to use.

e.g. if his 1st level dailies are Sleep and Acid Arrow, he can have either of them potentially available, and at the point where he decides to use his 1st level daily he can decide between Sleep and Acid Arrow, depending upon what seems most useful to him at the time.

This doesn't work with utility encounter powers.

I would introduce this as a feat.

Better Fireball

Fireball just sucks at everything. It isn't even good at minion clearing. The 3rd level encounter attack Fire Shroud will do more damage in the same area without hurting friends (just doesn't have the long range).

My proposed fix is that Fireball adds the line
Effect: ongoing 5 fire damage.

This boosts the damage, lets THE archetypal spell have some extra welly to it and allows it to be a big minion clearer which it fails to do at the moment compared to, say, Stinking Cloud. Average damage over the course of an encounter is still going to be way below Stinking Cloud in most cases, but at least the wizard will feel that it is worth taking, that it will last more than just a fraction of a round.

Cheers

I like this one and had the same idea.

 

[Kzach]

Improved Flexibility
Rather than the spellbook containing two of each utility and two of each daily from which the wizard can prepare whichever he wants after each extended rest - I'm going to allow the wizard to have 2 quantum utilities and 2 quantum dailies 'available' at each level as per normal - and it is at the point of use that he chooses which of them he wants to use.

I honestly think this is way, way, way too powerful. It turns the wizard from a weakling into a god. By allowing this, it opens up the door for choosing diametrically opposed powers, giving the wizard ultimate versatility in any situation.

Imagine just the ability to have Feather Fall and Shield as your utilities? You go from having to choose between one ability that rarely comes into play in combat, but potentially saves the life of the character in extenuating scenarios (feather fall), and a no-brainer combat choice (shield).

The wizard goes from being good in one situation or the other, to being great at both. He'll never suffer falling damage and he'll always be immune to at least one attack per encounter.

And that's ONLY one utility at 2nd level. Imagine just how incredibly powerful that becomes as you go up levels and accumulate dozens of dailies and utilities.

Waaaaaay overpowered.

I'd offer an alternative, but I think people are probably sick of me promoting my fix by now

 

[Plane Sailing]

Imagine just the ability to have Feather Fall and Shield as your utilities? You go from having to choose between one ability that rarely comes into play in combat, but potentially saves the life of the character in extenuating scenarios (feather fall), and a no-brainer combat choice (shield).

The wizard goes from being good in one situation or the other, to being great at both. He'll never suffer falling damage and he'll always be immune to at least one attack per encounter.

Shield is an encounter power, so is excluded from my 'quantum daily' rules

I think it would give greater versatility, but turns them into a god? I hardly think so. It isn't as if you are giving them both powers, and since we are typically talking about dailies here, it would be pretty often that the wizard say, uses 'expeditious retreat' and then really really wishes he still had access to featherfall but it is too late, because the quantum state of utility 2 has already collapsed into expeditious retreat and the 'slot' is expended.


Incidentally the idea was inspired by a weaker version of this which is included in the mnemonic staff from AV (exchange one prepared spell for a different one from your spellbook on the fly as a daily).

 

[Plane Sailing]

And that's ONLY one utility at 2nd level. Imagine just how incredibly powerful that becomes as you go up levels and accumulate dozens of dailies and utilities.

Waaaaaay overpowered.

I don't want to dismiss your point out of hand though - I'll have a quick trawl through utilities and see whether if there are any particularly problematic levels.

Cheers