Is the Wizard the most powerful class?

[Wormwood]

Clerics tend to rule over all.

Druids, with appropriate Wild feats and beefy animal companions can be *incredibly* effective (esp. if using the FRCS to relax equipment restrictions). Scent, blindsight, very good spells. Their strength is that a well-played Druid can handle everything you throw at them.

Monks are not even worth mentioning. Paper tigers.

Oddly, in my City of the Spider Queen module, an unexpected class is easily dominating: Psion.

The blame is partly mine. I've always looked at the base Psion as fairly weak, so I used Malhavoc's Mindscapes and WotC's Mind's Eye supplements. We also scrapped the Psi-Combat rules (which saves a bunch of Power Points).

Yikes. Improved spell points, power scaling, tons of new powers and items, and a fix for Multiple Attribute Dependency (Mindscapes alows you to pick two secondary disciplines which are based off your primary stat).

*most* powerful? Yes, compared to any Arcane spellcaster of his level (12). As levels increase, the arcane guys will surpass him (high levbel arcane spells trump all).

 

[Ave Rage]

I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean most powerful 'mechanically' but 'theoretically'. Stepping away from feats/skills and what not.

I know the cleric can wear heavy armor and the sorcerer gets tons of spells but I'm talking about basic limitations based on view points.

Like how the cleric has to ask and the druid more focused on nature. Those are limitations that the wizard doesn't have to deal with. He can look at the forest without being trapped in it.

thanks for all the replies (and in game terms, i'm gunna have to agree with cleric being best)

 

[Irda Ranger]

Who is Keyser Soze?

The Wizard is the most powerful.

He answers to no one.

His only limits are self-imposed.

He is capable of learning anything.
He is capable of casting anything.
He is capable of doing anything.

And that is a power the Cleric, the Druid and the Sorcerer can never match.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, if you talk about "non game mechanics" there can still be not said what exactly is more powerful.

A Wizard does understand magic and can thus better use it.
But on the other hand, he has to learn the ways of magic, while the Sorcerer has it inborn, Clerics get if from gods, and Druids gain it through the Nature, none of the three last has to really understand what it is doing to cause powerful effects.

Since Gods grants Clerics powers, they might be easily considered the most powerful, because everybody knows that the power of gods are unlimited (well, actually, in D&D they are not, but who cares?)

But the Nature is a strong force, and unlike Gods, it doesn`t have emotional imbalances, and maybe does not even know things like hate, it favors balance, so a Druid might be considered the most powerful.

And Socerers - hell, they have an inborn talent for it, they don`t need to understand anything, they just do it.

Psions base everything on their pure mind, and do not rely on outer sources like gods, magical formulas, or components.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Irda Ranger]

And Socerers - hell, they have an inborn talent for it, they don`t need to understand anything, they just do it.

Psions base everything on their pure mind, and do not rely on outer sources like gods, magical formulas, or components.

Hm, yes, but these two classes are still limited in the powers they can learn and use.

I guess I am just a strategic thinker, and from that point of view, the Wizard is non-pareil. With proper anticipation and planning, the Wizard can out maneuver either Psion or Sorcerer.

And Clerics and Druids still answer to a higher power. Their power is limited by their obedience.

 

[Pbartender]

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

Show me a Cleric whose DM actually makes him "ask" for spells, and I'll show you a Cleric that isn't the most powerful class.

Remember, a wizard can learn any spell, so long as he has the time and money for it. At least in my own experience, the Wizard spellbook scribing rules are followed much more strictly by your average DM, than the Cleric praying for spells rules.

 

[Ave Rage]

Re: Re: Is the Wizard the most powerful class?

Show me a Cleric whose DM actually makes him "ask" for spells, and I'll show you a Cleric that isn't the most powerful class.

Every time they pray they're 'asking' for spells. I don't mean they say "Hey God, I could use a searing light or maybe an improved Invis?" I mean they 'get' thier spells through thier diety.

Why can't a wizard turn undead anyways? Do you think lv10 spells would be needed to mimic that power of the gods?

 

[mystraschosen]

No no no the bard is obviously the most fearsome ,frightening ,and powerful class ever!


DISCLAIMER:If you believe the above statement you may be subject to being laughed off these boards.

 

[Pbartender]

Re: Re: Re: Is the Wizard the most powerful class?

Every time they pray they're 'asking' for spells. I don't mean they say "Hey God, I could use a searing light or maybe an improved Invis?" I mean they 'get' thier spells through thier diety.

That's my whole point... they should be praying, "Gimme a Hold Person, O Lord!" Except for alignment spells, there's absolutely no limitation on which spells a cleric can or cannot prepare from the cleric spell list... When a cleric gains a new level of spells, he can immediately prepare any spell of that level on his spell list. But when you think about it, is there really any good reason why a god with the domains of Luck, Travel and Protection should grant his priests the Flame Strike spell?

A wizard, on the other hand, can only prepare "known" spells that are in his spellbook. He only gets two new "free" spells per level. Any others, he has to find a scroll (either by fighting for it as treasure, or by purchasing it from the local Scrolls R Us store) and then pay again for writing into his spellbook.

 

[Cedric]

Just my thoughts here...in 3rd edition, the wizard is NOT the most powerful class.

The sorcerer can out "magic" him, the cleric can out "information" him ... and he's definitely not winning any awards for his melee skills (not that he should, heh)

In 1st edition, I would have said without hesitation, yes at higher levels the wizard is the most powerful class, in 3rd edition at higher levels or any level he takes a back seat in shear power levels to a number of classes.

Cedric