Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celtavian" data-source="post: 6429190" data-attributes="member: 5834">The 5E wizard is weaker than its past edition counterparts, especially the 3rd edition wizard. I believe that was the intent of the design team. They wanted to substantially reduce the power of magic in 5E. That was definitely accomplished. If the expectation is to be as strong as past edition wizards impressively trivializing encounters, then that is not going to happen near as often as prior editions. Anyone that says casters were in anyway equal to melees in past editions is either delusional or lying. We all know in past editions magic was king and started to become so relatively early, say around level 5 or so, though you still had some powerful spells like color spray at low level. If you don't like wizards being equal to other classes, then you won't like 5E. You should probably start playing a different edition or write extensive house rules for magic. It won't be changing.Now is the wizard ineffective? Nope, not at all. I'm enjoying playing my wizard. I like playing a wizard that doesn't need to be a cookie cutter build or robed figure standing in the back. I made a forest gnome wizard with the urchin background. He doesn't even know he's a wizard. He's an orphaned forest gnome who befriended rats. They found him a spell book in the sewers he retrieved and studied. That is how he learned magic. This littler urchin gnome has no knowledge-arcane or the like. I like playing this unique type of background. No longer do I need Spellcraft or the like.The spells I've found useful:1. Fire Bolt: I can use this to consistently do damage from range. I usually plant myself behind some cover and launch bolts of fire at enemies fighting the martials.2. Minor Illusion: I use this for scouting or hiding. He'll make himself look like a bush or a barrel. He'll blend a tunnel entrance into a stone wall if its small enough. He'll hide inside a rock. This is a versatile, fun cantrip.3. Sleep: I'll use it to drop a few weak combatants or a strong one that's been reduced. It can be highly useful for reducing the number of incoming attacks or shortening a combat.4. Flaming Sphere: This is one of the few useful battlefield control spells. You can use it do a little damage each round. Mostly it's a nice spell for forcing the opponent to move or take damage. If you work with your allies, it can be a highly effective battlefield control spell. 5. Shield: Excellent defensive spell for the few times you do get attacked. Glad you get to choose to use it after seeing the roll. Otherwise this spell would be much less useful. It can give you a nice AC boost to avoid a hit. 6. Tasha's Hideous Laughter: Nice for preventing damage for a round or two and giving your melees advantage on attacks. This spell can be used on big brute type creatures. You can often get a round in about 60 to 70% of the time. The rolling every round makes spells like this much less useful. But even a round or two of this spell can make a fight much, much easier. Martial PCs can be do a lot of damage with a round or two of advantage. It reduces incoming damage as well meaning you can save someone from a big hit or two. This can be a very nice spell when it lands. 7. Find Familiar: Great for scouting. Nice to be able to change your familiar's forms. You can give yourself or allies advantage on a single attack using the Help action with your familiar. You can also deliver a touch spell like Vampiric Touch or Shocking Grasp with your familiar while you do other things. Pretty potent familiar spell.That's what I've been using most up to level 4 as a wizard. I made level 5 last session. I picked up fireball and fly. They still seem solid since there are far fewer ways to fly in the game now. I want to make sure if we fight a flying creature with ranged attacks or reach, we were prepared to deal with them. I want to see how Fireball does for burst damage. All I know is that I'm still having fun with the wizard. He's weaker than past editions without access to disposable magic and the save every round paradigm. I'm finding the wizard is still effective and can do things few of the other party members can do. Martials do better damage, but they're about useless for combat utility, battlefield control, or group defense. This is the same as old editions. Whereas the wizard can still pull out an illusion, a fog cloud, web, or some other thing that no martial can do unless he also has casting ability and took the appropriate spell. Wizards definitely have the most spell versatility of any of the caster classes. My buddy is playing a bard. That's a quality class. He can't touch my spell versatility. His spell options are set once he chooses them. Mine can change every day. Arcane Recovery is a damn nice ability to recover slots during a short rest. Allows the wizard slightly more spell casting durability than other caster classes.I think the wizard is going to be quite potent at high level. Some of their high level abilities are amazing. A martial class can't touch shapechange or foresight.</blockquote>

Verification