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Martial, Magic or Mundane? What can X do in 5e
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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 5785626" data-attributes="member: 82106"><p>The only really viable way to do this that I've come across is niche specialization. There simply are NO such thing as general casters, you have a niche and you can only perform magic within that niche. There can be a small general core of utility functions that all casters can perform like detecting magic, dispelling magic, identifying magical effects, and such. However if you say decide to be an enchanter you get mind control type magic. It can be STRONG, but it is all you get. Want to toss around some direct damage? Tough, it isn't your shtick and you simply can't do it (beyond possibly Magic Missile as an at-will fallback core function of all wizards). Likewise an evoker can be out there blazing away with fireballs, but he can't charm the lowliest goblin, teleport, or really anything else. He can have an amazing variety of ways to blast stuff to bits but that's the only shtick he gets.</p><p></p><p>The result of that is your wizard can be as potent as any other character within his sphere of operation. The evoker is every bit as capable a damage dealer as the fighter, but when they are not fighting they're both at the same level, using their skills and RP etc to make their way through the world. Likewise the enchanter can be an amazing resource, charming the pants off anyone as well as the greatest bard ever could, but when you need to get across the 80' wide chasm he's also no more useful than said bard.</p><p></p><p>Failing that all you can do is just really really nerf casting all to heck. 4e proved you can tweak things to the point where casters still do a lot but don't dominate or break combat, but it hasn't really proven you can do it in a way that doesn't either give them incredible agency or else make them seem rather less than magical outside of a fight.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 5785626, member: 82106"] The only really viable way to do this that I've come across is niche specialization. There simply are NO such thing as general casters, you have a niche and you can only perform magic within that niche. There can be a small general core of utility functions that all casters can perform like detecting magic, dispelling magic, identifying magical effects, and such. However if you say decide to be an enchanter you get mind control type magic. It can be STRONG, but it is all you get. Want to toss around some direct damage? Tough, it isn't your shtick and you simply can't do it (beyond possibly Magic Missile as an at-will fallback core function of all wizards). Likewise an evoker can be out there blazing away with fireballs, but he can't charm the lowliest goblin, teleport, or really anything else. He can have an amazing variety of ways to blast stuff to bits but that's the only shtick he gets. The result of that is your wizard can be as potent as any other character within his sphere of operation. The evoker is every bit as capable a damage dealer as the fighter, but when they are not fighting they're both at the same level, using their skills and RP etc to make their way through the world. Likewise the enchanter can be an amazing resource, charming the pants off anyone as well as the greatest bard ever could, but when you need to get across the 80' wide chasm he's also no more useful than said bard. Failing that all you can do is just really really nerf casting all to heck. 4e proved you can tweak things to the point where casters still do a lot but don't dominate or break combat, but it hasn't really proven you can do it in a way that doesn't either give them incredible agency or else make them seem rather less than magical outside of a fight. [/QUOTE]
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