Keldryn
Adventurer
I've said it in another thread, but I'll say it again here:
If a typical combat encounter can be resolved in 10 to 15 minutes (as with AD&D or B/X and BECMI D&D), then the low-level wizard doesn't need to have at-will magicky things to do each round to prevent the player from getting bored. It's when combats start to average 45 minutes to an hour that it really sucks to be the wizard with only one spell to cast, or to be the 3.x rogue fighting against undead.
I'd like to see low-level wizards start off with more spell slots and acquire new ones more slowly. 3.x gives 1st-level wizards three cantrips and one 1st-level spell, although it only takes a 12 Int to get a bonus 1st-level spell. Bump up the cantrips to 4 or 5 and add another 1st-level slot and your typical 1st-level wizard can perform a fair bit of magic in a day.
One of the major problems with 3e spells that I don't see brought up that often is that in pre-3e D&D, the very high level spells were essentially part of "epic level" advancement. The base OD&D books and B/X D&D didn't go beyond 6th level spells. 7th to 9th level spells were added in the Greyhawk supplement and carried over to AD&D, and from my understanding were primarily intended for use by high-level villains.
AD&D assumed that PCs settled down and retired from active adventuring around name level (9th to 11th), usually after many years of play. The entire structure of the game reinforces this (PCs gain +1 to +3 hp per level instead of hit die plus con bonus, XP to advance becomes linear, demi-human level limits generally cluster around name level or a bit lower, PCs acquire strongholds and followers, name-level characters can defeat arch-devils, demon lords, huge ancient dragons, and demigods). In re-structuring the game so that players can experience the whole breadth of levels from 1 to 20 in a couple of years of regular play, the designers of 3e failed to account for the fact that those "epic" spells were never designed for regular use, least of all by players.
To put it another way, by the time the AD&D magic-user is able to memorize a single 6th-level spell such as disintegrate, control weather, legend lore, or anti-magic shell, the party has faced beholders, pit fiends, type VI demons (balor), and huge, ancient red dragons and lived to tell about it. With a bit of luck, they've also defeated Orcus. The fighter has likely built a castle and is protecting the land with his loyal men-at-arms, the thief has established a hideout and has has own gang of thieves, and the magic-user is finally able to begin crafting magic items at great expense. The party still bands together when there is a crisis that needs their attention, but they've otherwise settled down.
In 3rd Edition, when the wizard is able to cast these spells, the party will have a tough fight with an adult (middle-aged) red dragon and will get soundly TPKed by a balor, pit fiend, or ancient red dragon. The party is only a little over halfway through their adventuring careers.
In 4e terms, 3rd Edition had casters entering the Epic Tier at about 13th level, while the other classes stayed in the early Paragon Tier through level 20 (not even going to get into the Epic Level stuff beyond 9th level spells). I'm not a big fan of 4e, but this is something that it got right.
If a typical combat encounter can be resolved in 10 to 15 minutes (as with AD&D or B/X and BECMI D&D), then the low-level wizard doesn't need to have at-will magicky things to do each round to prevent the player from getting bored. It's when combats start to average 45 minutes to an hour that it really sucks to be the wizard with only one spell to cast, or to be the 3.x rogue fighting against undead.
I'd like to see low-level wizards start off with more spell slots and acquire new ones more slowly. 3.x gives 1st-level wizards three cantrips and one 1st-level spell, although it only takes a 12 Int to get a bonus 1st-level spell. Bump up the cantrips to 4 or 5 and add another 1st-level slot and your typical 1st-level wizard can perform a fair bit of magic in a day.
One of the major problems with 3e spells that I don't see brought up that often is that in pre-3e D&D, the very high level spells were essentially part of "epic level" advancement. The base OD&D books and B/X D&D didn't go beyond 6th level spells. 7th to 9th level spells were added in the Greyhawk supplement and carried over to AD&D, and from my understanding were primarily intended for use by high-level villains.
AD&D assumed that PCs settled down and retired from active adventuring around name level (9th to 11th), usually after many years of play. The entire structure of the game reinforces this (PCs gain +1 to +3 hp per level instead of hit die plus con bonus, XP to advance becomes linear, demi-human level limits generally cluster around name level or a bit lower, PCs acquire strongholds and followers, name-level characters can defeat arch-devils, demon lords, huge ancient dragons, and demigods). In re-structuring the game so that players can experience the whole breadth of levels from 1 to 20 in a couple of years of regular play, the designers of 3e failed to account for the fact that those "epic" spells were never designed for regular use, least of all by players.
To put it another way, by the time the AD&D magic-user is able to memorize a single 6th-level spell such as disintegrate, control weather, legend lore, or anti-magic shell, the party has faced beholders, pit fiends, type VI demons (balor), and huge, ancient red dragons and lived to tell about it. With a bit of luck, they've also defeated Orcus. The fighter has likely built a castle and is protecting the land with his loyal men-at-arms, the thief has established a hideout and has has own gang of thieves, and the magic-user is finally able to begin crafting magic items at great expense. The party still bands together when there is a crisis that needs their attention, but they've otherwise settled down.
In 3rd Edition, when the wizard is able to cast these spells, the party will have a tough fight with an adult (middle-aged) red dragon and will get soundly TPKed by a balor, pit fiend, or ancient red dragon. The party is only a little over halfway through their adventuring careers.
In 4e terms, 3rd Edition had casters entering the Epic Tier at about 13th level, while the other classes stayed in the early Paragon Tier through level 20 (not even going to get into the Epic Level stuff beyond 9th level spells). I'm not a big fan of 4e, but this is something that it got right.
hehe
