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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 6169746" data-attributes="member: 58197">Yes, that is the sum total of spells per day, not counting cantrips (which can be cast at will with no use limits) and scrolls (which use a rather curious system). 5E wizard spell slots have been rather sharply curtailed, even relative to AD&D. I am assuming this mage is going to be following the classic wizard strategy of relying on low-level spells or even sitting out minor encounters, then unleashing heavy firepower in serious fights. This wizard is expecting to use one spell of level 6+ in each of the four "serious fights" of the day.14 Dexterity means a save percentage of 25%, absent any special abilities. Many PCs have such abilities. Monsters seldom do. Furthermore, lots of monsters have Dexterity below 14, while very few have more than 16 or 17. It's not exactly the "bottom end." And these spells would be... what, exactly? You're bringing a raft of assumptions from 3E that just don't apply any more. "Save or suck" has been cut way, way back. Most of the spells that have such effects grant a save every round (hold person, cause fear--also note that coup de grace no longer applies to paralyzed targets); or require concentration to maintain (polymorph, flesh to stone); or grant multiple saves before achieving "suck" (dominate person, flesh to stone); or only work effectively on a narrow set of targets (feeblemind). As far as I can tell, you have to get to 8th-level spells and dominate monster before there is a decisive option to take a single monster out of the combat with one spell, one failed save, no maintenance required.Even finger of death only kills outright if the target has 40 hit points or less. Otherwise it just deals a boatload of necrotic damage.As I said, I'm just theorycrafting for the high levels, but as the player of a 7th-level wizard I can say with certainty that blasting is a very effective option in the mid-level range. In fact, since I generally prefer to specialize in utility and control magic, it's a bit too effective for my taste--I find myself falling back on fireball more than I'd like. When you're facing a big gang of weak foes, it's hard to justify playing around with illusions and control spells when you can just wipe them off the map and be done with it. I'm hoping that the illusionist tradition in the new playtest packet will make the control mage a bit stronger.</blockquote>

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