How do you deal with Wizard specialists when there aren't enough spells?

[Psychic Warrior]

The something else is laugh at them for playing a specialist.

There's no good reason to do so. You're just shafting your character, and the "I'm clever, so I don't need to cast fireball" argument doesn't hold water. (Direct damage is one of the weaker options now, and you can be a generalist who decides not to cast fireball or certain types of spells.)

I couldn't disagree more. More spell slots are hard to come by in most games. Anything that ups the spells available to a wizard is worth it in my view. I think you just have to be careful what schools you get barred from.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I couldn't disagree more. More spell slots are hard to come by in most games. Anything that ups the spells available to a wizard is worth it in my view. I think you just have to be careful what schools you get barred from.

My wizard character has this problem - but being a specialist would only make it worse. Every school has something useful in it. Having a wide variety of spells is a good thing (quality over quantity).

Mind you, my response was based mainly on previous specialists, many of whom are stuck in the 2e mindset.

 

[Zappo]

Other: pick spells from lower levels.

 

[the Jester]

I create a new spell of the appropriate school and level.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

My wizard character has this problem - but being a specialist would only make it worse. Every school has something useful in it. Having a wide variety of spells is a good thing (quality over quantity).

err aren't you advocating quantity over quality? More spell access=quantity? And for some not every school has something useful in it. Necromancy leaps to mind as a school some could do without easily.

Mind you, my response was based mainly on previous specialists, many of whom are stuck in the 2e mindset.

IME specialists really have to embrace their speciality to shine. I have seen 3 specialist wizards and none were doing too well until the players decided to stop worrying aobut what they couldn't do and started focusing on what they could! So far, though, I have seen only specialist Transmuters and Evokers.

 

[Sledge]

One of my games has an abjurer. As you would expect the character seeks out abjuration spells. Unfortunately this means he has been out of Abjuration spells to learn when he levels.
The solution in this case is that the character can choose any spell, or petition for a third party. The Specialization is obviously very much there already, so I think that there is no need to penalize this character by deciding a spell for them. Any specialist that runs out of spells completely will still probably prefer another spell from their specialization. As long as you have sufficient 3rd party sources it should be easy to find one.

 

[Thanee]

If there are really no choices left (including lower level spells), then just pick any other spell (maybe one level lower than the original?).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Nightfall]

Firstly this just proves to me once more Illusionists and Diviners suck. Let the clerics do this. Secondly, I'd allow more sources than just "core". Core is just weak man. It's not like if you allow ALL these spells that the players WILL have them. There's finite limits to spellcasting, at least in plain D&D. So just grin and bear it.

Secondly STILL HATE THAT DIVINATION CAN'T BE PROHIBITED SCHOOL!!! It makes about as much senses a reindeer horns on minotaurs.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I don't play 'core only' (or WotC only) so it's never come up. If it did, I'd hand the player a copy of the Book of Eldritch Might or some other d20 spell resource.

 

[Starglim]

Specialists should be able to design new spells and learn rare spells (that is, from other sourcebooks) of their specialty, though I wouldn't say that they have to do so. A wizard can always learn a new spell of lower than his highest spell level.

A wizard doesn't have to explicitly learn a spell as a metamagicked version (though that might be an interesting way to sketch out new higher-level spells, I suppose). He just learns that lower-level spell at its normal level and has the appropriate metamagic feat.