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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Anthtriel" data-source="post: 3843689" data-attributes="member: 13764">Caster Level is a stupid system, and will probably (and hopefully) go the way of the dodo.The removal of Vancian casting will strongely affect Multiclass balance. Up till 4E, a single spell of a decent level was a good deal more powerful than anything a fighter could do in a single round, thus the two abilities were only at odds with each other when one was clearly superior to the other. Sure, in 3E a Fighter 19/Wizard 1 will only ever cast a utility spell, as all damage spells would be inferior to a normal attack, but in 2E, a Fighter/Wizard could whack enemies with his sword most of the day, and bring out the spells when they were needed.This will change in 4E, with stronger emphasis on at will or per encounter abilities. The Wizard's at will damage spell will directly compete with the fighter's ranged attack, so to make sure that a Fighter 19/Wizard 1 is not just a gimped Fighter 19, there must be situations (and not too rare situations, given that both rely on different tools) in which the magic attack is more useful than the fighter attack. Therefore, I strongly believe that caster level will get scrapped, and all powers will scale directly with character level. The difference between a Fighter 19/Wizard 1 and a Wizard 20 will probably not so much be the pure effectiveness in spells (though it will still be there, due to attributes and feats, if nothing else), but variety.Try this: If you give a Level 20 Fighter a 1D6 Eldritch Blast, you could as well have given him nothing at all. Give him a 5D6 Blast, and he will still pretty much never use it. Even if you give him a 9D6 Blast, without Blast Shapes, Essences and equipment, that Fighter would most of the time still be better off wacking enemies with his magic sword. Decrease his fighting potency a bit, maybe decrease the Blast by 1d6, and you end up with a character that is pretty in line with a straight Level 20 Fighter, sacrificing a bit of sheer power (maybe -2 to attacks, and one feat less), for the variety of being able to blast physical immune enemies. And you need to decrease the power of that character even less once you factor in that the 4E Fighter/Wizard will need a staff, orb or wand to cast at full potential, so he has even less incentive to actually cast.The basic assumption of 3E multiclassing was terribly wrong, and needs to be completely abolished. You don't need to "stop the abuse" of multiclass casters, you need to make them a valid option to begin with. I remember all the hate the Mystic Theurge got, until people realized that a Mystic Theurge is more under- than overpowered, especially in the beginning and the end of his career, when he cannot take Mystic Theurge levels.The one problem I can see are buffs. A Fighter 19/Cleric 1 shouldn't be able to buff himself and then outfight the Level 20 Fighter. But I assume they will take care of that.</blockquote>

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