Is the Wizard the most powerful class?

[Ave Rage]

The Cleric has powerful spells, but he has to ask for them.

The Sorcerer is strong but doesn't understand the 'why' just the 'how'

The Druid looks too inward (only in the forest)

The Wizard not only can cast his own spells (not given to him by the forest spirits/diety) but he also understands how they work and thus can improve upon and eventually surpassing every other caster. Like how anyone can shoot a gun but it took a person who understood how the bullet traveled to put the grooves down the barrel for greater accuracy/distance.

This thought just popped into my head as I'm extremely tired and in about 5 minutes i'm going to be in my bed asleep. Maybe I'm missing something like more wizards blow themselves up than any other class while researching spells to the point that extremely few of them ever reach anywhere near diety-level power (and when they do, the dieties take are of the problem). *shrugs*

 

[johnsemlak]

interesting take, but you're not considering the various game mechanics that attempt to balence teh classes.

If you want a more statistical class comparison, check out a recent article in "The Seeker", Troll Lord Game's Ezine. Their site seems to be down now (www.trolllord.com) but I think it was the issue 5.1. Bill Webb breaks down all 11 classes pretty well.

 

[Alzrius]

The Wizard not only can cast his own spells (not given to him by the forest spirits/diety) but he also understands how they work and thus can improve upon and eventually surpassing every other caster. Like how anyone can shoot a gun but it took a person who understood how the bullet traveled to put the grooves down the barrel for greater accuracy/distance.

Wizards are not the most powerful class simply because no game mechanic in the d20 system reflects your point of view here (which is itself debateable...maybe Sorcerer's are better because they're more in touch with the essence of magic, or maybe clerics are stronger because they channel the powers of a true god, etc).

Wizards may understand the formulaic principles to the magic they manipulate, but really...so what? They get some bonus feats, and some other spellcasting classes only get so many spell levels (such as paladins, rangers, and bards), but any spellcasting class can take metamagic feats, item creation feats, etc. There is no method for how Wizards can "surpass every other caster", just because they supposedly understand magic better. That may be true in some other RPG's magic system, but not here.

 

[Thresher]

I think you'd have to define 'powerful' really, lots of people have different ideas about what is powerful.

Then, we'll make that even more complicated by how you put your wizard together, feats, skills and appropriate spell loadout.

Just to thow in another variable, how good are you at playing a wizard.

Finally, we're playing a game of chance with dice which has belayed the best laid plans of munchkin and gimp alike...

Nothing is ever as simple as you'd like to be, just go to bed

 

[Gez]

The most powerful class is, hands down, the cleric.

I think what you really mean is what's the sexiest spellcaster. The path of magic with the most appeal. Wizards would win that, given that they understand how magic works and can use this knowledge.

 

[Alzrius]

The most powerful class is, hands down, the cleric.

What makes you say that Gez?

I think what you really mean is what's the sexiest spellcaster. The path of magic with the most appeal. Wizards would win that, given that they understand how magic works and can use this knowledge.

Well, Mongoose's Nymphology does seem to back you here.

 

[Gez]

What makes you say that Gez?

Let see... d8 HD, spellcasting in armor, correct BAB, two good saves, undead turning, two domain special powers, the biggest spell list of all classes (theoretically, wizards have a bigger spell list, but no wizard is going to have as much spells on his spellbook as a cleric has access to), and second only to sorcerer in spells per day -- but the sorcerer can't even dream of the versatility of the cleric's spell list. The cleric's area-of-effect damage-dealing spells are usually behind a wizard's one, but that's about all. Better, more affordable, buffing spells, whose potency increase with caster levels. Healing spells. Control over life and death. Protection spells. Spells for planar travel at lower level. And a miracle that's far more powerful than wish, and don't always require 5000 XP.

 

[Alzrius]

And that's nice, but I still think the Monk is more powerful. They get d8 hit dice, Wis bonus to AC, faster speeds, better unarmed BAB, all good saves, free Improved Unarmed Strike, Deflect Arrows, and Imrpoved Trip feats, increasing damage die, able to strike as a magic weapon, can speak any language, immune to poisons and diseases, have Spell Resistance, can heal themselves, stunning attacks, extra attacks via Flurry of Blows, Evasion, Improved Evasion, no height limit on jumping, no aging...

...and that's not even listing everything. Monks seem to gave it down pat as the "most powerful" class.

 

[warpmind]

IMO, any spellcasting class with access to 9th level spells before 20th level (mainly wizard and cleric) is far more powerful than any other. Careful preparation of spell list makes them no match for other characters of the same level.

 

[Sniktch]

The most powerful class is, hands down, the cleric.

I have to agree with Gez and most of his reasoning here. A cleric in the hands of the wrong person can be a terrifying thing.