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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ECMO3" data-source="post: 9663069" data-attributes="member: 7030563">As far as base mechanics and what is possible in 5E or 2024 I would agree.  In play though an optimized fighter will generally destroy a caster in terms of average DPR or total damage over the course of a campaign.Part of this is that a caster using spell slots for damage is often wasting those slots because of their comparative value for other things (as you allude to).I don't think this is true in all editions thoug.  In 1E AD&D a Fighter and its subclasses rule in both overall power and DPR.  While you can talk about what is theoretically possible for a 1E Arcane caster, in RAW play they were EXTREMELY weak.  For example, Fireball is a great DPR spell, but your 1E 5th level Magic-User only has a 3% chance of even knowing fireball and is just as likely to have rolled up Feign Death or Detect Illusion as the 3rd level spell in his book.  And even if he does know it, he can't cast it in combat very well unless he wins initiative and uses it on the first round, and that is before we start talking about Magic Resistance.Pretty much in 1E you had Fighters to do the fighting, the talking, the leading and playing the main role.  At high level they were literally Lords.  Clerics to do the Healing to keep the fighter swinging, Thiefs are useful on the rare occasion you needed a lock picked.  After that everyone else was a plot device.</blockquote>