Ranger Wickett, I totally messed up your Casting in Armor Thread!

[el-remmen]

I'm so sorry.

I was trying to merge your original version and its response with your poll and now they are both gone and I cannot undo it!

I can view the thread - but I cannot make it viewable or edit it in anyway - and the poll is gone.

Again, I'm sorry. . . I can grab the text from the original thread if you like - or else perhaps an admin can do something? :\

 

[el-remmen]

Ok, let's see if we can re-construct in the meantime:

It's unusual to me that the ability to cast spells in armor is so difficult to get if you're a wizard or sorcerer, but ridiculously easy if you're a cleric or druid (or any of the various psionic classes). I know that wizards who don't wear armor is a sacred cow (except that in 2e elf fighter/mages could wear elven chain), and I know that wizard spells are more offensively powerful than cleric spells (though about on par with psionics), but really, would it be unbalancing if wizards and sorcerers could cast in armor?

They would still have to dip into another class, or waste multiple feats. Also, there is the oddity of the rules that a wizard carrying a heavy load and has on a pair of gauntlets has no spell failure chance, but if that heavy load suddenly turns into armor, it becomes difficult for him to move properly.

What do you think? Is it unbalancing to let mages cast in armor? If it were allowed (in, say, 4th edition), how would you want the rules to work so that we could keep the classic concept of wizards in robes instead of full plate?

My suggestion? No class should get more than light armor proficiency at 1st level. Fighters should get light and shields at 1st, medium at 2nd, and heavy at 3rd. A 3-level dip is a hell of a lot harsher on mages than a 1-level one.

I can re-add the poll if you like - but an admin might be able to save the original thread. . . if you want to wait and see.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

You killed my witty, insightful response that cut to the core of D&D and would have been seen as divine wisdom by all who read it.

Deleted threads make baby Olgar cry.

TANSTAAFL

Your armor feat progression suggestion is a pretty good one.

Frankly, while I think casting without armor is a balancing factor, which has been upset with the expansion of the cleric spell list to include a much broader range of spells, I think it is more important to keep the flavor of wizards and class archetypes separate. Wizards have an awesome offense already, and pretty good defenses, so I don't think they need armor, too. Their niche is all about the magic -- cast mage armor and shield if you want armor.

That said, if you want casting in armor, why not have a progression of feats that offset arcane spell failure (say, 10% per feat) ... and I'd have divine spell failure for heavy armor.

In BD&D, elves could cast spells in armor ... which is why they were the twinkiest class. Castign fireballs while wearing magic plate & shield just isn't fair to the other classes.

 

[RangerWickett]

Making a new one.

 

[el-remmen]

And then. . .

Your armor feat progression suggestion is a pretty good one.

Frankly, while I think casting without armor is a balancing factor, which has been upset with the expansion of the cleric spell list to include a much broader range of spells, I think it is more important to keep the flavor of wizards and class archetypes separate. Wizards have an awesome offense already, and pretty good defenses, so I don't think they need armor, too. Their niche is all about the magic -- cast mage armor and shield if you want armor.

That said, if you want casting in armor, why not have a progression of feats that offset arcane spell failure (say, 10% per feat) ... and I'd have divine spell failure for heavy armor.

In BD&D, elves could cast spells in armor ... which is why they were the twinkiest class.

 

[el-remmen]

Making a new one.

Okay.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, though at this point I am sure my "help" is no longer appreciated. . .

 

[RangerWickett]

lol, it's cool. Firefox saved the content of the post.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

So are we going to merge this one, or should I post my response in the poll thread?

 

[el-remmen]

So are we going to merge this one, or should I post my response in the poll thread?

I am done playing with merge again. . .(plus it appears that merging kills a poll).

I will just close this one.