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Message: <blockquote data-quote="NoWayJose" data-source="post: 5537835" data-attributes="member: 84810">Some brainstorming ideas: 1) if a party doesn't include a thief, having a utility wizard would actually be net-beneficial to the party 2) if the party has or later gets a rogue, the rules for the wizard might allow and even encourage changing his spells (ie., not a 3e sorcerer) so that they're not redundant with the thief. Why waste a slot on a knock spell when there's a thief around? 3) consider common-sense rules that discourage wizards from using magic when there's a mundane approach, ie., if a wizard tries to slag a lock with fire, it may or may not succeed, but if it doesn't, it ruins/melts the lock such that it cannot be picked. Then the thief can't pick the lock. Therefore, the wizard will always want to wait for the thief to go first. If a wizard tries a Jedi mind trick on an NPC and it doesn't succeed, perhaps a side-effect/backlash turns the NPC more hostile, thus it's always wiser to allow another party member to try conventional persuasion first. 4) reconsider sacred cows of magic. There's no reason why a fire ray needs to be so hot and sustained that it can melt locks, in fact, that amount of intense radiation sounds like a much higher level damage output. Assume that low-level spells evoke a brief half-second instance of magical fire, enough to flash-burn living tissue, but not enough to set fire to hardened wood. 5) consider novel approaches to resource-management of magic, like mana points, longer casting times, deducting a healing surge and/or hit points if a wizard exceeds a standard mental strain of casting spells too frequently or 'too hot', etc. 6) tweak rules such that wizards are quite vulnerable when casting magic in melee and rely on companions to tactically protect them during casting. A wizard without such strategic shielding can instead use magic wands for firepower, which are safer to use but wouldn't be overpowering vs a mundane weapon. Where there's a will, there's a way. In 4E, if there wasn't so much negativity about un-balance, perhaps there could be a will and a way. If after real effort, it turns out that negativity is completely justified in hindsite, then I'll accept a metaphorical lashing. Until then...</blockquote>

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