Let's Hear it for Wizard in Armor!

[Smerg]

I think this is a sad way to go.

Why?

Ok, a mage or cleric has the ability to warp reality or request miracles and they 'need' to strap on some hunk of metal?? Please, they should be able to protect themselves with their magic or faith.

To say that they must strap on a hunk of metal to be safe is to say they have magical talent of a rock or the faith of a worm.

These classes should be able to automatically summon/create/transform in someway their surroundings to give them protection without resorting to some blacksmith's efforts.

It is real meta-gaming complaint that makes people clamour for armour for their mages or clerics. It is the claim that without metal bolted to their buttocks that they are going to get hit and eliminated.

Yet, instead of thinking creatively and saying that they need to inheritantly summon a magical shield to protect them every day (something that is used in dozens of other RPGs) you are orgasmically happy to put on a hunk of rotting hide mixed with rusting metal and go dancing in circles.

Ugh! The imagery for me is terrible!

This is not a source of joy but of shame that slapping a pot helmet over your head is a good idea instead of having the natural magical resources built into your character to generate a suitable defense.

It may be me but I see mages and clerics have more talent then needing such a thing and am saddened that the developers would instead not just say that mages and clerics create a form of magical shield to naturally protect themselves.

 

[Aldarc]

I think this is a sad way to go.

Why?

Ok, a mage or cleric has the ability to warp reality or request miracles and they 'need' to strap on some hunk of metal?? Please, they should be able to protect themselves with their magic or faith.

To say that they must strap on a hunk of metal to be safe is to say they have magical talent of a rock or the faith of a worm.

These classes should be able to automatically summon/create/transform in someway their surroundings to give them protection without resorting to some blacksmith's efforts.

It is real meta-gaming complaint that makes people clamour for armour for their mages or clerics. It is the claim that without metal bolted to their buttocks that they are going to get hit and eliminated.

Yet, instead of thinking creatively and saying that they need to inheritantly summon a magical shield to protect them every day (something that is used in dozens of other RPGs) you are orgasmically happy to put on a hunk of rotting hide mixed with rusting metal and go dancing in circles.

Ugh! The imagery for me is terrible!

This is not a source of joy but of shame that slapping a pot helmet over your head is a good idea instead of having the natural magical resources built into your character to generate a suitable defense.

It may be me but I see mages and clerics have more talent then needing such a thing and am saddened that the developers would instead not just say that mages and clerics create a form of magical shield to naturally protect themselves.

I agree! Wizards and clerics should be so formidable that they have an automatic I Win button as well.

 

[Merlin the Tuna]

But since I liked the Diablo and Diablo II sorceror and sorceress casting in armor (limited only by their strength), I'll adapt quickly.

So long as we don't have the Diablo 2-style (and by the same token, 3.x-style) "I have 4 strength, but with all my extras that's 214 strength" issue, I'll be in the same camp. I am a bit surprised that everyone's leaping to full plate though; a decent bit of leather is enough for my full-casters, though I'll certainly appreciate something bigger for a gish.

And frankly, if I can protect myself as well by putting on a heavy shirt as by summoning the forces of the multiverse, I'd much rather put on the clothes than waste the strength I actually rely on to put my enemies down.

 

[kinem]

This change I actually like. Finally, instead of just adding stuff that doesn't make sense, they're getting rid of something that doesn't make sense!

It also suggests to me that there may be class-dependent bonuses to AC. That way the wizard can still have a worse AC than the fighter even if they're equipped the same.

 

[Xethreau]

How do 'wizards in armor' blur the role lines? Their abilities/spells won't be any different

I agree. Just because something wears armor doesn't make it a tank.


In other news, I always found the fact that Clerics and Druids could use armor to be absolutely appalling. Where is my hide-clad nature spirit and robe-clad preacher of the faith that is so iconic? I have NEVER met a 3.x cleric or druid who fit this description, as iconic as it is.

And yet, the wizards and sorcerers, other magic channeling classes, were punished for wearing armor. Period. I see an incongruency here.

If clerics or druids are allowed to wear armor, so should wizards and sorcerers, and even warlocks! If any of the classes are ineligible to armor, then they all should be. However, my personal preference is that the default of all of these do not wear armor, but can take a feat to become able to not be hindered in spell casting with armor they are proficient with. Whether they gain this proficency through feats or multiclassing, that is left to the player.


Like two-weapon fighting, casting with armor should be an option, but not a default setting, for any and all classes who wishes to use the option.

 

[amethal]

Gandalf took Weapon Proficiency: Longsword.

He's an outsider.

They get proficiency with martial weapons as a racial feature (at least until June ) .

 

[dougmander]

Armor for wizards is a really puzzling development. It really muddies the iconic nature of the wizard class as a non-martial hero who uses arcane rather than physical means of defense.

Why can't 4e just use class-based AC bonuses that increase with level? Now that saving throws are going to be replaced by Reflex, Will, and Fortitude defense #s that increase with level, wouldn't it be easier to just do the same for AC? In game terms, you can justify it any way you like. For wizards, it could be explained as a magical deflection field that strengthens as they wield ever mightier magics, or maybe extreme intuition honed by intellectual activity.

 

[Smerg]

I agree! Wizards and clerics should be so formidable that they have an automatic I Win button as well.

Spells like Shield, Mage Armour, Divine Favour, Entropic Shield, and Shield of Faith are all great examples of 1st level spells that exist.

The problem in Vancian style of magic was that they took spots in your repetoir to use these spells.

These spells should have been made automatic/at will and have a period that lasts for hours at at time.

This is a far cry from a I-Win-Button. This is the sense that you can find in games like Mage, Ars Magica, Wow, Everquest, and Dark Age of Camelot to name a few.

The above mentioned spells with a slight change to have a scaling feature would do much to alleviate this idea that walking around as a tin man was somehow related to legend of great mages.

 

[Aldarc]

Guess what? Mage Armor will probably be a feat or an ability, so you should be good. And who is to say that there are not other shielding spells that they will have available (most likely as per encounter)?

 

[Klaus]

Spells like Shield, Mage Armour, Divine Favour, Entropic Shield, and Shield of Faith are all great examples of 1st level spells that exist.

The problem in Vancian style of magic was that they took spots in your repetoir to use these spells.

These spells should have been made automatic/at will and have a period that lasts for hours at at time.

This is a far cry from a I-Win-Button. This is the sense that you can find in games like Mage, Ars Magica, Wow, Everquest, and Dark Age of Camelot to name a few.

The above mentioned spells with a slight change to have a scaling feature would do much to alleviate this idea that walking around as a tin man was somehow related to legend of great mages.

Please re-read the relevant passage. Wizards will be able to wear armor if they invest the necessary feats. Most wizards will agree with you and not invest those feats, saving them for mastering their phenomenal cosmic power. But others, with a more martial disposition, will invest some resources to have armor.

I'm not at all bothered by a wizard who dons padded or leather armor underneath his flowing robes.