[L&L] Balancing the Wizards in D&D

As a longtime arcane caster player, I love everything in this article*, especially the last point. It really sounds like they're trying to bring back the Old School Wizard. If they also offer a sorceror-style spontaneous casting variant, I will be an incredibly happy camper.

[size=-2]*Except the bit about scrolls.[/size]
 

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Completely at-will magic without limitation cheapens magic and leads to silly situations.

PEW PEW PEW

Hey Presto why are you shooting everything we see?

Because I can!!

The idea that a wizard must always have a ZAP button for infinite damage is very videogamey. Magic must have a cost or it will soon become very mundane.
 

This is already considerably more generous than the AD&D/BD&D method, where there's no "may" about it.

We've tried making it mandatory, however, that lead to a lot of fizzled spells to a point where the players got grumpy. So we now made it that a simple hit with a sling stone or being scraped by an arrow does not necessarily make you lose your spell. Works well enough.
 

It really sounds like they're trying to bring back the Old School Wizard. [SIZE=-2][/SIZE]

The old school wizard was the first thing we house ruled a lot of changes in. I certainly do not want it back. It would be cool enough as an option but as a base for the whole game? No, thanks, if I wanna play old school I can do so without having to buy 5e ;)
 

Damage allows you to not successfully cast. That is a known concept from old school ADnD.
This is actually quite a good balance mechanic. A fighter wizard also can´t do everything on its own. He needs someone to take some damage while he "rebuffs".

I like the idea, that the wizard also has cantrips, that he can at least use even under preasure, but for the most powerful spells, he needs not to be hurt.
 

I think they are on the right path here, but I also think they could worry a lot less about some of these points if they use "dangerous spells" and casting times wisely. Those go a long way toward balancing the wizard out while allowing them to do impressive things that make magic special.
 

The more I think of it, the more I think they got scrolls and wands backward.

Now I just hope someone sees this buired on page 5 or 6.


I would put Scrolls, Potions and Oils all togather as 1 item set. spells that effect yourself (healing, hasting, heroism) are potions you drink. Spells that effect objects (magic weapon, mending, holy weapon) are oils you apply, attack spells (fireball, dispel magic, evards spikey tenicals of forced intrustion) are scrolls you read. Each one holds a spell and casts it once when used. Only some spells can be made this way...like they said about wands

Wands and Staff have spells in them permently. Wands allow swaping only, so a wand of cure light means you can swap any 1st level spell for a cure light. a wand of dispel magic means you can swap any 3rd level spell for dispel. each wand holds 1 spell, and 1 spell only.
A staff on the other hand is way more powerful, it holds a handful of simalar themed spells, and functions as a wand holding all of them, BUT it also allows 1/per day a free casting of 1 of those spells and holds a prorperty to boot.

Ex:
Your fighter can have a potion of cure light, an oil of flaming weapon, and a scroll of dispel magic to go with his magic sword and armor.
Your cleric can have a wand of Cure light so he never has to prep it again
Your wizard can have a Staff of fire that holds Burning hands, scorching ray, and fireball so he never has to prepthem, and can once per day use one, and as a special property well he holds it he has fire restance equal to his Int modifier.
 

Completely at-will magic without limitation cheapens magic and leads to silly situations.

PEW PEW PEW

Hey Presto why are you shooting everything we see?

Because I can!!

The idea that a wizard must always have a ZAP button for infinite damage is very videogamey. Magic must have a cost or it will soon become very mundane.

I do agree with this and don't really care much for the idea of at will cantrips, but I think the bulk of the player base wont be bothered by them. I do wonder how much flak these things get in playtests.
 

The idea that a wizard must always have a ZAP button for infinite damage is very videogamey. Magic must have a cost or it will soon become very mundane.

Better to play a videogame than get turned into a Sage NPC at dawn because you used your two spells for the day on the wandering monster that came upon your camp. After that, you get the joy of being nothing more than a walking encyclopedia for the rest of the day because you don't actually have any more magic.

Magic must actually be used if you want to be considered a magic-user.
 

Better to play a videogame than get turned into a Sage NPC at dawn because you used your two spells for the day on the wandering monster that came upon your camp. After that, you get the joy of being nothing more than a walking encyclopedia for the rest of the day because you don't actually have any more magic.

Magic must actually be used if you want to be considered a magic-user.

Have to strongly oppose making D&D more like a video game in the name of giving people stuff to do at all times. The article was fine but this is an innovation I strongly dislike.

Since the problem they are addressing is wizards have traditionally been too powerful I dont really see the use of giving them at will functions. Part of the balancing of wizards is they run out of resources eventually.
 

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