New Design: Wizards...

[Stormtalon]

Experience tells me that I'm not going to be satisfied with the way the game designers justify which spells are linked to which implements. Zapping with a wand makes sense, but then where are they going to draw the line at how powerful you can zap with a staff?

The limitations don't, from what I can tell, apply to power levels of effects, but their implementations. Look specifically at the staff and wand descriptions: the staff refers to powers that come "from the wizard, like cones of flame or bolts of lightning," while the wand's offensive capabilities are described as being long-range effects. So, if you need to toast those guys that are about to get in your face, the staff is the tool to use, while dropping a little flaming surprise on that pack of goblins 100 yards away is the province of the wand.

 

[Wormwood]

That is one of the things I like 3.5e. You want a low magic setting, don't give out magic items, have the spell casters make the majority of the items used.

The first time a PC spell-caster crafts a wand, you are no longer in a low-magic setting by your own definition (50 charges being effectively 'cast spells at will')

 

[apoptosis]

I find it very gimmicky. I also kind of find it rather bland as well.

I dont mind casters having to use foci, but it would have been better just to let the players decide what are the appropriate foci for their casters.

It also removes the idea of the casters that throw lightning from their fingers etc.

I would say overall, I really dont like it.

 

[WayneLigon]

Did anyone else think the Arcane Strike, Power Words and Spells will be the Wizard's "at will" "per encounter" and "per day" powers respectively?

I'm thinking that's probably exactly what it is. I probably would prefer the utility spells be the At Will effects, though. We shall see.

 

[F4NBOY]

I shouldn't have to ban a class just to have the desirable effect. That is one of the things I like 3.5e. You want a low magic setting, don't give out magic items, have the spell casters make the majority of the items used. As for the forced to use a spell focus as with the OP states it seems that they are trying to make it overly complicated as well as over powered.

Taking away magic items doesn't make a setting to be "low magic" setting. It becomes a crappy "high magic" setting where characters have much trouble in fighting the monsters that were supposed to fight easily if they had magic items.
Wizards, clerics and druids are still there casting lots of world changing spells, so it's not a "low magic" D&D setting, it's just a Very Hard D&D setting, that IMO sucks a lot(because I had a "smart" DM that had the same "genious" idea).Of course, a real smart player made a Wizard with the craft items feats and opened up a Magic Shop

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

This is the one feature of 4E I don't understand honestly. How can one make it so that a character is less dependent on magic items and yet at the same time, have it so that actually getting a magic item is an actual REWARD?

Anyone want to help me out here?

"Nice, but not necessary."

 

[Sun Knight]

Restraint in this case being defined as ignoring the PC Wealth by Level guidelines?

They are only guidelines.

 

[Rechan]

I will say that this is refreshing. I don't see it as "Not D&D", I see it as "More D&D than it has been before".

 

[Mallus]

I guess the DMs I played under and my own games we showed a lot of restraint compared to your experiences.

Different play styles are all well and good, but what you're calling 'restraint' has the unintended effect of screwing up the balance between character classes. Balance in 3.5 assumes everyone has access to magical tools (largely because the magic item system is a point-buy super powers system in disguise). 'Restraint' w/magic items also makes the already unreliable CR system even more, well, useless.

edit: Prior editions of D&D (all of them, really) only supported low-magic play at lower levels. Past mid-level, magic items became common. Past upper mid-levels, items decorated PC's like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Kinda like the current edition, when you think about it.

And now, back on topic: I didn't see a change like this coming, but I like the sound of it. Looks like a neat way of marring game mechanics to a heretofore largely absent attempt at giving D&D a traditional wizardly flavor.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Hmm... Leaning negative on this one, although I am not exactly sure why, yet. It's a bit gimmicky, and has a whiff of overdesign-- much harder to remove the rules from the fluff.



(Regarding staves vs. wands, it's a range issue. Fans, cones, and lines begin at the wizard and project from there. That's a staff effect; it means the wizard has to be "stuck in." Other area effects with an epicenter created at range seem to require the wand.)