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<blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 9330839" data-attributes="member: 7635">Assuming I am tasked with keeping the wizard looking something like the wizard of yore, but with some more modern updates.Classic wizards started out squishy and ended up gods. I don't think that is a good progression. A wizard should start out competent but not progress to utter insanity. Raise the floor, dramatically lower the ceiling. So, for me, calls to make wizards glass cannons are less appealing than keeping them viable but not dramatic. That said, I would want to change the ramp of magical scaling and effects. I would do this in a couple of ways.1.) I retool magic to focus less on spike damage and more on consistent output. I would smooth outlier spells (fireball) and allow more interesting types of effects added to damage spells to make them viable. Fire applying burning, cold reducing speed, acid doing damage over time. 2.) I would adjust save-or-suck spells to be less encounter-ending. Yes, it's fun when the wizard shuts a fight down in one spell, but it also ruins tension and fun when a climatic encounter ends up a curb-stomp or a TPK. 3.) Higher level magic would not ratchet up so quick. I would carefully rebalance effects like flight, teleport, invisibility, divinations, and such to beter allow for martial or skill-based characters to shine. I don't want magic to be an &quot;I win&quot; button, but a tool to do things.4.) I like the idea of moving certain spells to subclass-only. Give necromancers access to animate dead, illusionists to major image, transmuters to polymorph. Make the specialists feel unique and give them signature spells no other caster gets. The current design is basically &quot;pick the best spells for each level&quot; rather than go by theme and I'm tired of wizards all being 5-color goodstuff. 5.) Cantrips are fine, though some of the better ones should move to specialists.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Remathilis, post: 9330839, member: 7635"] Assuming I am tasked with keeping the wizard looking something like the wizard of yore, but with some more modern updates. Classic wizards started out squishy and ended up gods. I don't think that is a good progression. A wizard should start out competent but not progress to utter insanity. Raise the floor, dramatically lower the ceiling. So, for me, calls to make wizards glass cannons are less appealing than keeping them viable but not dramatic. That said, I would want to change the ramp of magical scaling and effects. I would do this in a couple of ways. 1.) I retool magic to focus less on spike damage and more on consistent output. I would smooth outlier spells (fireball) and allow more interesting types of effects added to damage spells to make them viable. Fire applying burning, cold reducing speed, acid doing damage over time. 2.) I would adjust save-or-suck spells to be less encounter-ending. Yes, it's fun when the wizard shuts a fight down in one spell, but it also ruins tension and fun when a climatic encounter ends up a curb-stomp or a TPK. 3.) Higher level magic would not ratchet up so quick. I would carefully rebalance effects like flight, teleport, invisibility, divinations, and such to beter allow for martial or skill-based characters to shine. I don't want magic to be an "I win" button, but a tool to do things. 4.) I like the idea of moving certain spells to subclass-only. Give necromancers access to animate dead, illusionists to major image, transmuters to polymorph. Make the specialists feel unique and give them signature spells no other caster gets. The current design is basically "pick the best spells for each level" rather than go by theme and I'm tired of wizards all being 5-color goodstuff. 5.) Cantrips are fine, though some of the better ones should move to specialists. [/QUOTE]

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