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<blockquote data-quote="Vayden" data-source="post: 4509421" data-attributes="member: 57791">After thinking some more about what motivated my OP here, as well as looking at all the good responses, I think one of the things I was trying to express earlier that didn't get through was that in 3.x, with a Wizard/Sorceror who had decent access to scrolls and wands, magic was the answer to EVERYTHING after about level 5. Gaping Ravine? Potions of fly for everyone! Guards? Mass invisibility! Cluster of orcs? Spam sleep spells, or illusions, or whatever. Need to convince the king of something? Glibness! Unless the monsters had good enough saves or good enough spell resistance, you could literally have a spell for any situation you ran into. And when magic turns into Batman's utility belt, and the only time you're stumped is because you didn't bring the right spell today, then magic feels less special and magic and more like a tool-belt. Gandalf didn't teleport to the other side of the Grey Mountains, or cast Mass Protection from Cold when they were caught in the blizzard trying to cross them - for most situations, he relied on his skills and heroism; magic was something special he busted out in key situations, and it wasn't guaranteed to work even then (yes, I know, flip-side of that is that he used his sword to fight most of the time - I don't have a problem with spamming scorching burst and magic missile though - call me a hypocrite if you want, but it feels different). I know that's not precisely what I laid out in the OP, but I think it's what I was trying to get across.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Vayden, post: 4509421, member: 57791"] After thinking some more about what motivated my OP here, as well as looking at all the good responses, I think one of the things I was trying to express earlier that didn't get through was that in 3.x, with a Wizard/Sorceror who had decent access to scrolls and wands, magic was the answer to EVERYTHING after about level 5. Gaping Ravine? Potions of fly for everyone! Guards? Mass invisibility! Cluster of orcs? Spam sleep spells, or illusions, or whatever. Need to convince the king of something? Glibness! Unless the monsters had good enough saves or good enough spell resistance, you could literally have a spell for any situation you ran into. And when magic turns into Batman's utility belt, and the only time you're stumped is because you didn't bring the right spell today, then magic feels less special and magic and more like a tool-belt. Gandalf didn't teleport to the other side of the Grey Mountains, or cast Mass Protection from Cold when they were caught in the blizzard trying to cross them - for most situations, he relied on his skills and heroism; magic was something special he busted out in key situations, and it wasn't guaranteed to work even then (yes, I know, flip-side of that is that he used his sword to fight most of the time - I don't have a problem with spamming scorching burst and magic missile though - call me a hypocrite if you want, but it feels different). I know that's not precisely what I laid out in the OP, but I think it's what I was trying to get across. [/QUOTE]

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