Essential Mage: The return of schools

[Majoru Oakheart]

I don't agree that the Mage is more powerful than the Wizard. It COULD be, if the various class features we can't see are strong, but they've already lost ritual casting, and implement mastery at the very least. That's a cost of a feat slot and a feature you can't get at all (maybe at paragon with a feat). In return they have 4 class features and can swap out encounter powers. Gaining MM as a freebie is almost worthless.

Implement Mastery can be kind of weak. I've seen a number of Staff Wizards with 12 Con or ones who never get attacked, Wand Wizards who forget to use their Wand Power and DMs who make them decide to use it even when they'd still miss. In fact, Orb Wizards tend to be the only ones who ever really USE their class feature and have it do something.

Keep in mind, that you get 4 class features in just the first 10 levels of your character. Who knows how many more features you get at higher level. If they continue at the same rate, you'll have 12 class features as opposed to 1 with a normal Wizard at 30.

If the class feature is anywhere near as useful as one of the Wizard's normal class features, you're pretty much ahead of the game. And, frankly, ANY class feature has to be as good as the ability to get +3 to hit once an encounter.

As for Ritual Casting. Well, that one's subjective. I view it as worthless. But that's coming from playing 2 different home games as well as LFR in which the total number of Rituals cast by any players I've ever seen in the last 3 years is approximately....10.

My guess is that PHB1 Wizards will get the encounter power swap as errata, its trivial and would be consistent

I'm assuming they won't, given the preview article that said that nothing will change about any of the old classes at all except Wizards getting half damage on a miss with some of their encounter powers.

Its hard to believe the 4 class features will be all that powerful.

Well, the class features say that they "make you better at your school". And there are now a bunch of powers that have the Evocation descriptor. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they give you special benefits when you use powers of your school.

So, basically this means adding pluses to hit, damage, or addon effects. Also, they seem to imply an increase in power to your class feature as you go up levels. Or at least additional class feature choices.

And the standard WOTC design principle is not to give people worthless bonuses so small that you'll forget them(although, I admit, they fail at this design principle sometimes). That makes the class features that you'll be gaining significant in some way....and only getting better than significant as you go up levels.

 

[MrMyth]

Yeah, so far this Wizard just looks more powerful than the PHB Wizard. They get class features as they go up levels, 3 at-wills instead of 2, and the ability to choose different encounter powers from their spellbook each day. All with no loss of power choice.

Doesn't seem to be a downside. Even if their class feature isn't the best, I think all of that stuff more than makes up for the lack of most of the Wizard's class features from the PHB and Arcane Power.

I mentioned this in a similar thread, but my theory is that:
1) When Essentials hits, there will be Errata giving all Wizards Magic Missile for free;
2) The 'class features' from later levels will be the equivalent of rituals, thus making up for the loss of Ritual Caster.

Which would keep them entirely on par with existing Wizard. School Specialization and (maybe) different Spellbook rules, instead of Arcane Implement Mastery. Those could easily be equivalent, especially as we haven't seen exactly how their spellbooks are working.

 

[Scribble]

If the class feature is anywhere near as useful as one of the Wizard's normal class features, you're pretty much ahead of the game. And, frankly, ANY class feature has to be as good as the ability to get +3 to hit once an encounter.

Is this a sign that the essentials classes are "better" or that the original wizard was lame?

I bet if you poured over the various builds out there for all the classes some will seem "better" then others...

 

[MrMyth]

If the class feature is anywhere near as useful as one of the Wizard's normal class features, you're pretty much ahead of the game. And, frankly, ANY class feature has to be as good as the ability to get +3 to hit once an encounter.

I think you are very much underestimating the ability to turn a miss into a hit, especially for Wizards who thrive on really potent dailies.

As it is, I think we'll see the Essentials level 1 class feature provide some general bonuses will all spells of their school, vs the PHB Wizard who typically gets one big effect once a combat based on a scaling ability score bonus - making one of their attacks hit instead of miss, making an enemy attack miss instead of hitting, or making sure an enemy fails a key save.

Different people will prefer different styles, sure. But I think you are definitely undervaluing the power of Arcane Implement Mastery, especially when we haven't yet seen what Essentials is getting in its place.

 

[DarthMouth]

I doubt all essential classes will be really balanced with his old versions, and vice versa.

I think we will need a bunch of updates to this.

 

[Kelvor Ravenstar]

What I'm surprised at is the Hypnotism power. With its ability to force a monster to use a basic melee, its just like an extremely short lived dominate, and as an At-Will!

Secondly, I'm glad that it seems they're building in more flavour about the Points of Light world into the Essential class write-ups. I caught the reference to the larger city of Nera, which I'm calling as the former capital city of the empire of Nerath. More data for my PoL map project!

 

[ki11erDM]

For the first time in 4e I want to play a class other than a martial class. So it much be an improvement : )

 

[Otterscrubber]

I'm still thorough confused by essentials when I try to read up on it on these boards. I hope they come out soon so I can read it in my hands and wrap my head around it better. All the speculation and half info is making me not like it so far, even though some of the things I hear are good.

 

[MrMyth]

What I'm surprised at is the Hypnotism power. With its ability to force a monster to use a basic melee, its just like an extremely short lived dominate, and as an At-Will!

The thing to keep in mind is that dominate is good in two ways - it gives you free attacks on the enemy (made by the dominated foe) while also removing attacks on the party (since the dominated foe isn't attacking you). Hypnotism only gets you the first part of that.

I think it's a cool power, especially with the flavor and the added versatility of it. Attacks that force an enemy to make an attack are always somewhat weak (since it requires two successful attack rolls to work), but the bonus to hit helps mitigate that, and being At-Will definitely helps the caster use it exactly when it will do the most good.

 

[Larrin]

My favourite thing about hypnotism is that it targets creatures, and therefore makes for a commander's strike-like power with allies I mean, how hard is it to hit your fighter's will? And the +4 can make up for characters without melee training.....

On the other hand, its makes another anit-grouping incentive, which is a double edged sword for wizards.

RE: ARCANE IMPLEMENT MASTERY: wand and staff aren't up to snuff, but arcane power introduced some nice ones, orb of deception is my favorite. Trading that for a mage class feature is non-trivial.