How is the Wizard vs Warrior Balance Problem Handled in Fantasy Literature?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Another note about magic items: in many legends, the creating of magic items does not require the services of a spellcaster. You just need to know the right ritual and use the right materials. Sometimes a magic weapon can be created as simply as by tempering it's blade in the blood of a certain creature, at a certain time. This means that the potential number of magic items is boosted...

 

[pawsplay]

Well, the main thing fantasy literature has is limits and not many mages. If you have 2 of the 7 mages on the continent in your adventuring party, it is a little silly.

Unless you're playing the Belgariad RPG, of course. Or Amber. Or Star Wars (Rebellion era)...

 

[pawsplay]

Could D&D abandon its reliance on magic items without ceasing to be D&D? I really don't know. It could be that it is too much of the D&D 'vibe', or 'dna'.

I've played with some pretty stingy DMs. Running away from gargoyles because you can't hurt them feels pretty D&D to me.

 

[pawsplay]

I find it interesting that much of the time when Conan faces seriously magical opposition, he survives it and conquers by virtue of the magic items he has in that adventure (the phoenix on the sword, the black seers of yimsha) in addition to his guts and strength.

Which is pretty much the way that high level D&D fighters have to overcome such foes too.

D&D is a game where magic items are not just important, they are vital. High level fighter types in games of OD&D, AD&D I used to play would have a variety of magic items which helped them in all manner of situations, and enabled them to play 'jack of all trades' just as much as the wizards. Of course, this was before 3e decided how much magic people 'should' have, and introduced a 'big n' magic items which sucked up the level-appropriate magic, but I digress

Cheers

Although Conan is quite the badass, his main superpowers seem to be really good saving throws, and a knack for getting his hands on other people's best stuff.

 

[Fallenibilis]

Personally one of my all time favorite adaptions of magic was done in the book, A Madness of Angels: Or The Resurrection of Matthew Swift.

Basically to perform magic runes had to be drawn to be used as a focus (similar to how alchemy is used in FMA) using inks and pigments meaning the amount of power one could evoke was based on time in battle your only gonna be able to get off small glyphs but if you prepare the battle field or are given a long period of time to work on it your powers could be catastrophic. One of the Villains had a cool work around though by tattooing the runes on his body he turned himself into a walking focus for his art.

I personally thought it was both and adequate way to mitigate power levels, and provide a flavorful way to perform magic.

Fallenibilis

 

[pemerton]

Basically to perform magic runes had to be drawn to be used as a focus (similar to how alchemy is used in FMA) using inks and pigments

<snip>

One of the Villains had a cool work around though by tattooing the runes on his body he turned himself into a walking focus for his art.

I personally thought it was both and adequate way to mitigate power levels, and provide a flavorful way to perform magic.

Wouldn't it tend just to produce PCs with lots of bodyart?

 

[Fallenibilis]

Wouldn't it tend just to produce PCs with lots of bodyart?

Depends if you used the rules for alternate spell books where you can tattoo them on your body your either gonna end up a moderate amount of low level (1-4) spells or very few high level ones (5-9) as you only have 30 "pages" visible, and only another 26 that you can't see without using your familer or a mirror . Thus you only get about 56 pages worth of spells.

Secondly your gonna have to be pretty sure thats a spell you want to be using alot cause theres no way to write over it.

Thirdly i would rule that you would have to worry about what happened in the book any thing that messes with the design (in this case it was extra marks and glyphs were added on top of the characters tattoos) such as scars or fading (thus it costs money/time to maintain) would cause it to not work or apply some sort of Arcane Spell Failure.

Fallenibilis

 

[Votan]

Unless you're playing the Belgariad RPG, of course. Or Amber. Or Star Wars (Rebellion era)...

I don't know. As the expanded universe has continued going, it seems like dozens of powerful Jedi are running around (ranging from Starkiller to Darth Krayt before his fall).

Amber, on the other hand, is a great example of a setting where the PCs are supernatural but not necessarily spell casters. Corwin is not a mage (even if Merlin is) but he sure isn't one to dismiss as a consequence. Nor would you want to dismiss Benedict as being a mere warrior.

 

[Kingreaper]

It wouldn't be to everyone's tastes, but you've got me thinking about a D&D edition (or just variant) in which the spellcasting classes' powers/abilities were innately superior to those of the martial classes--but in which the "assumed level" of magic items was explicitly higher for the martial classes, and in which there were far more magic items that could benefit a non-caster than a caster.

A possibility: Magic items just don't work well for casters.

Either:
A) magic items draw on your magic potential, and, well, Conan isn't using his, but that wizard is, so the wizard has none left to power a magic sword
or
B) Magic items disrupt magic spells. If you have a magic sword, you'd better be prepared for that fireball to actually end up coming out of the hilt, instead of where you wanted....

 

[Zhaleskra]

Wouldn't it tend just to produce PCs with lots of bodyart?

I think you're thinking of the Patyrn species from the Death Gate Cycle. Sartan too, they both use "Rune" magic in different ways, and it's the Ps that have it all over their bodies.