D&D 5E Low Level Wizards Really Do Suck in 5E

[Zander]

Can you be more specific about why it would require this? Conjure minor elementals shouldn't require any extra work.... The biggest drawback is the 1 minute casting time, so you need to prepare for it.

Communication. Either your DM is incredibly generous and lets you learn exotic languages (mine doesn't as part of character creation) or you have to cast tongues for each elemental. Of course, if you just want the elementals to be friendly towards you and defend themselves when attacked, you don't have to worry about being able to talk to them.

 

[HarrisonF]

The wizard has the biggest selection of spells. Granted, but look at all the other class options and tell me, where the wizard shines with its class options compared to the sorcerer. What can he do better? Not even metamagic (he is a wizard, the magic science guy after all) and most subclass options sound like a sleep spell to the reader.

I am playing a wizard (Gnome Diviner) through HotDQ. My DM is pretty kind when it comes to getting new spells and copying them (I spend pretty much all of GP doing so), but from levels 1-4, I have used the following spells at different points to good effect:

Charm Person
Disguise Self
Feather Fall
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Shield
Silent Image
Sleep
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter

Detect Thoughts
Invisibility
Levitate
Phantasmal Force
Scorching Ray
Web

As rituals:

Alarm
Comprehend Languages
Detect Magic
Find Familiar
Identify
Unseen Servant


As a Sorcerer, you would have had 5 spells known. I used 21 different spells at various points in the game.

Sorcerers can definitely outshine the wizard in most combats. However, Wizards can be dominant in the other pillars of the game. If your game is primarily straight forward combat, then Sorcerer (or Warlock) would probably be the better choice.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Arcane recovery is no gain vs. sorcery points, I see them equal. Both offer many new choices. The longer spell list is like beating a dead horse. Well yes, but that can't be all and does not help you much in combats and especially during lower levels. Our groups never play beyond level 10, so we have to look at the classes from lvl 1-10 (which meets the name of the topic well) The sorcerer can well get all those rituals easily via feats, no big deal here to. Our sorcerer follows the fey path and gets his sprite familiar as a choice leaving out resistance, more damage and still chose it over the wizard.

What fey path? Is this a houserule or something Wizards posted on their web site? In the PHB there's only dragon sorcs and wild sorcs.

What about all his class features? Other than arcane recovery there is nothing worth mentioning and that is exactly the point.

That's not true. Arcane Ward/Projected Ward is a bonus +25 HP per combat to anyone in your party (rechargeable via Alarm). Sculpted Spell lets you fireball freely into melee, maximizing number of enemies affected without having to shape the area to avoid allies. Undead Thralls, as mentioned, doubles the efficiency of Animate Dead (+3/+4 damage and up to +10 HP), thus maximizing your concentration economy. Portent can make enemies auto-fail their saves, or allies auto-pass. All of those specialist abilities come online before level 10.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Communication. Either your DM is incredibly generous and lets you learn exotic languages (mine doesn't as part of character creation) or you have to cast tongues for each elemental. Of course, if you just want the elementals to be friendly towards you and defend themselves when attacked, you don't have to worry about being able to talk to them.

Wow, that's interesting but incredibly harsh. It sure would make it useful to learn Ignan and Auran at creation time, though, so it's kind of cool.

 

[Goemoe]

Yes. It is a house roule. I apologize, I shouldn't have it mentioned.

 

[HarrisonF]

Communication. Either your DM is incredibly generous and lets you learn exotic languages (mine doesn't as part of character creation) or you have to cast tongues for each elemental. Of course, if you just want the elementals to be friendly towards you and defend themselves when attacked, you don't have to worry about being able to talk to them.

That is a pretty strict and harsh ruling by your DM.

I can command my dog to attack or sit without having a language in common. He has around an Int 2-3. Mephits have Int 7 to 11. You should be able to give pretty simple commands such as Attack or Stay without having a language in common. Now if you wanted to get very specific and have them only Attack the third person to come through the door that is wearing armor that isn't red, then sure I can see communication being important.

 

[spinozajack]

One of the most serious RP problems in the 5th edition. At lvl x all and every class xyz will have a 20 in its vital ability score. There is absolutely nothing left of ability differences of the races. But at the creation and early levels, you get sometimes punished for taking this or that race, because it doesn't fit your class choice.

I agree with this so much. They should have made the ability scores cap at 20 + racial modifier. Then it's a real choice whether to play a demi-human or a variant human. (more power later vs more power now).

I'm going to use this as a houserule.

 

[Malovaan]

Communication. Either your DM is incredibly generous and lets you learn exotic languages (mine doesn't as part of character creation) or you have to cast tongues for each elemental. Of course, if you just want the elementals to be friendly towards you and defend themselves when attacked, you don't have to worry about being able to talk to them.

As written: "They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them". I hardly think it's incredibly generous to allow someone to command them, its pretty explicit.

 

[Coredump]

You can create the headband at 3rd, so you gain the benefit for at least a level. As you're not powerful at that level anyway, every little bonus helps. Also, if for flavour reasons you have chosen a race not normally associated with wizardry, i.e. one that doesn't confer an Int bonus, your Int won't be 18 at 4th level. My evoker is a dwarf.

If you are playing the game where its a trivial things for a 3rd level wizard to find the formula *and* create uncommon magic items.... then you are playing a very different version than the default, and different enough from what I am playing that my advice does not really apply.

Can you please point me to the 103 page thread on this board about how low-level sorcerers are underpowered? Can you also please point me to the 103 page thread on this board about how low-level warlocks are underpowered? For some reason, I'm having trouble finding them. Thanks.

Not going to waste my time. But even in this thread there are people saying how they think Wizards are more powerful than Warlocks. I have seen plenty of threads bemoaning how warlocks only get to cast 2 spells and the 'run out' until they can stand around for an hour.

Warlocks and sorcerers are very limited in the spells they can learn and the ones they do learn.

 

[Coredump]

The wizard has the biggest selection of spells. Granted, but....

You handwave that as if it is trivial. A 5th level sorcerer gets to know 6 spells total, spread over 3 levels.
A 5th level wizard will know *at least* 14 spells, and probably many many more if they can grab some scrolls or a spellbook.

Not only do they get to 'know' more spells, but they can choose them from a much larger variety. What sorcerer is going to 'waste' a known spell on Feather Fall or Jump. But they can be *very* useful to a wizard. And a Warlock doesn't even get the option.

Wizards automatically get Ritual spells, again very useful.

And if you can't see how the wizard subclasses can be very useful.... you don't have any imagination. Yes Elemental Affinity is great, and painfully straightforward; but abjuration lets a wizard tank (And recharge for free with alarm ritual) then you get improved counterspell, and spell resistance.
Conjuration lets you make stuff out of thin air, or swap places; Divination gives you portent.... the list goes on and on.

And that is *on top* of the huge spell selection you can tailor to the environment and likely encounters. How many sorcerers or warlocks are going to have water breathing, or spider climb, or Leomunds tiny hut, or......