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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 5081959" data-attributes="member: 82106">You can't compare powers from different classes this way. Wizards are balanced with weaker encounter and at-will powers and considerably better daily powers. Invokers have better at-wills and encounter powers but less potent dailies. Wizards also have a considerably easier time buffing their at-wills and encounter powers than Invokers do because its much easier for them to do things like get really effective weaplements. Its also easier in general to use feats to add to the damage types used by wizards. So, yes, in absolute terms Invoker at-wills are better than wizard ones and WH wouldn't stand out in the invoker's spell list, but it is not really relevant.Personally I've always favored Icy Terrain as a wizard encounter power at level 1. It is reasonably accurate, does OK damage, and the combination of prone plus difficult terrain is pretty good control. The terrain thing is also nice because it doesn't rely on hitting. There are plenty of situations where just dropping it into an area even if there is one target or even sometimes no targets there currently is useful. Its a good way to mess up things like shifty kobolds and many skirmishers (true it has a harder time hitting them in general but the terrain it creates can often pin them down quite well). The minor action option can come in handy once in a while too if you're just aiming to do damage and your allies need to move through the area. Finally cold is generally a pretty good damage type, though not the best. Force Orb is not a bad spell. The problem is it really isn't all that well matched to the job the wizard is supposed to be doing. You're a wizard, not a sorcerer, so leave the striking to others.Chill strike is a possibility and it could be a decent choice, but I'm not that excited about daze at level 1. Now and then it could come in pretty handy but most monsters you'll face at lower levels probably won't care much if they're dazed. Coupled with the fact that its single target vs FORT and I'm not that enthused. If it had range 20 that might make it a bit more interesting. It may however be worthwhile to train it in at say 5th level to use against some of the more annoying leader monsters you start to see popping up, it does work fairly well against those.Burning Hands I consider to be tactically almost useless. The huge area means its pretty hard to find a time when you can actually use it. In theory it sounds good, but again why are you trying to be a striker? It is just off-mission for a wizard. Conduit of Ice I'm not sure about. The fact that the enemy can bring the difficult terrain with him to vex your party with could be an issue now and then. The familiar rider might make it a bit more interesting. The 5 damage part could foul up the monster's attack plans a bit, but really if its disrupting them that much 5 damage isn't enough to cause me as a DM to screw up my whole plan. I really would need to see this one in action. Charm of Misplaced Wrath actually doesn't look bad. Daze plus a good long push and possibly a secondary attack? It seems to pretty much obsolete Chill Strike. Daze isn't GREAT at first level, but if you can push 3 at the same time that helps a lot. Chance to drop an enemy into a pit? I'm all for that every time. Its vs Will so this is just begging to be dropped on a brute which can then deliver a nice whop to another opponent boosted by your implement bonus. I'd seriously consider this and I would rate it as definitely better than WH considering you'll likely get decent use out of it.OID is always tempting. Prone is not GREAT, but it can be worthwhile. Considering the extra 2 damage you're guaranteed to do its actually not doing horrible damage and it can come in handy to make a zone of minion death if you need to keep them out of a certain spot. Goes without saying the orb makes it better. I think I still like CoMW better overall.Grasping Shadows is really a lot like Icy Terrain. It offers pretty similar control and damage but against a weaker defense. Empowering Lighting I don't know, it doesn't really offer any decent control. Push 1 is not THAT great. Once in a while you might get a nice drop into a pit out of that, but its unlikely. Another of the "I'm not a striker" powers. Astral Wasp is also not that interesting. Again, you aren't a striker. Overall I'm thinking Charm of Misplaced Wrath is about the best. Icy Terrain and OID are pretty tempting too and Grasping Shadows is competitive with Icy Terrain if not CoMW. Conduit of Ice seems a bit complicated but it could be OK. So far nothing I've seen has really convinced me Icy Terrain isn't still about as good as it gets in this slot.</blockquote>

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