Andy Collins interview

[Korgoth]

Keep it in context. He is comparing that to a wizard being forced to pick up a crossbow and firing in combat because he ran out of spells.

He's trying to point out that being a wizard is about using magic, not running out of magic and trying to figure out how to be useful.

I can see how the statement can be taken either way. I would like it much better if the true meaning were Glyfair's interpretation, which I think is the likely one. Surely he didn't mean that being a wizard is only about blasting people with magical energy. One would hope.

 

[blargney the second]

They've already mentioned that the ranger beat up the scout and took his stuff. I take that to mean skirmish damage, among other abilities. It's no big stretch to imagine since the introduction of Swift Hunter in Complete Scoundrel. Add on talent trees, and there's some strong potential.

Likewise, I think it's not a big stretch to infer that the wizard beat up the warlock and took his stuff... like eldritch blast. They were already tinkering with that with reserve feats in Complete Mage.

This is a big feature as far as I'm concerned. I want my magic-users to, y'know, use magic.
-blarg

 

[Talgian]

Ha, I love when he says, "We want to hear feedback. Like if we finally made elves cool."

 

[I'm A Banana]

When I was 16 years old, I was trying to figure out how to unhook a bra in the 10 second window before the girl changed her mind. He's got a real job!

OR...

He's some sort of MAD GENIUS who figured out how to pull that stunt when he was 10, and has spent the last 6 years already bored of how easily he can just *will* underwear to fly off of people.

Try, try, try to understand. He's a magic man.

 

[F4NBOY]

I wonder why they are both wearing loose boxers?????

 

[Doug McCrae]

1e and 2e wizards were the best damage dealers in the party with fireball and the like. In 3e the amount of damage melee types dealt rose, as did hit points, while spell damage remained the same. Now wizards had become poor damage dealers, their strength was to be found elsewhere.

Looks like Andy Collins wants to return the game to its 1e and 2e roots.

 

[Horacio]

Keep it in context. He is comparing that to a wizard being forced to pick up a crossbow and firing in combat because he ran out of spells.

He's trying to point out that being a wizard is about using magic, not running out of magic and trying to figure out how to be useful.

I fully agree, according with all the other bits of info we have got since yesterday, I guess that Mr Collins means that a wizard shouldn't get dry of magic power and forced to use a mundane weapon. And I like that. I don't think he meant that being a wizard is being an artillery platform.

 

[Wormwood]

However, I don't blame WotC - look at all the people who automatically consider all wizards or sorcerers to be artillery pieces.

Which is ironic considering the wizard's original role in the dawn of D&D was a literal artillery piece.

And yeah, Andy's statement was taken a little out of context. No surprises here.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Which is ironic considering the wizard's original role in the dawn of D&D was a literal artillery piece.

That's absolutely right. Gary Gygax said he based the class roles on battlefield forces - fighters = infantry, cleric = medic, thief = spy, magic-user = artillery.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I suspect Andy Collins was talking about the attribute that is most important to the core of the character concept, the essence of the class, rather than saying a wizard is nothing but a blaster.