Should Wizardry Require Player Intelligence?

[Oryzarius]

Resource-management-heavy and variably-configurable classes like wizards are already harder to play. Adding some kind of meta-game mental-overhead tax to that is both unfair and unfun.

 

[Wolfpack48]

It may just be “are you really sure you want to play that mage?

 

[GMMichael]

First of all, this is one reason why there are different types of spellcasters. Magic should feel a bit different for wizards vs. sorcerers vs. warlocks, maybe even a bit more different than it already does.

I thought of that, which is why the subject says, "wizardry." But it makes me wonder: should other caster players have other requirements?

I was thinking more in terms of "Oh, to cast a spell you have to solve this puzzle otherwise you can't cast it, or it takes longer based on how long it takes to solve the puzzle." That's a crappy thing to do at the game table.

Is it, though? Alien: Isolation makes the video game player solve a shape-matching puzzle to unlock doors. It tells the player, "you can't just press a key to solve this." There's a (small) feeling of earning it. Can you see that working in a Discursive RPG?

Plus the "don't shoot the troll Bob is fighting with a fireball as you will hit Bob too".

Plus the bigger picture of don't waste all your expendable magic on the first encounter, type things.

So maybe wizard players aren't required to be intelligent, but they might not last long otherwise.

 

[Committed Hero]

Do you require knowing how to practice a martial art to be a monk?

Ars Magica's rules are complex to allow you to propose any magical effect. A lot of that heavy lifting is done for you in games with spell lists (which AM also has).

 

[aco175]

Hear player, solve this Rubik's Cube before your PC can cast fireball. No, no, we will just skip your turns as you solve it and allow the fighters and rogues to keep making attacks.

Sounds just as wrong as making the rogue player pick a padlock before his PC can do it.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Of course not, no more than fighting should require player brawn, nor thieving should require players to steal, nor clerical magic should require player faith.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Why is Wizardly necessarily based on intelligence?

 

[Joshua Randall]

The Sorcery game books by (UKs) Steve Jackson required players to memorize the three letter names of the spells.

Pfft, I just used HOT for everything.

If fire didn’t solve your problem, use more fire.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Why is Wizardly necessarily based on intelligence?

You need at least a 1350 SAT score to get into wizard school.

 

[GMMichael]

Do you require knowing how to practice a martial art to be a monk?

No, and I'm not asking wizard players to cast spells.

Hear player, solve this Rubik's Cube before your PC can cast fireball. No, no, we will just skip your turns as you solve it and allow the fighters and rogues to keep making attacks.

Rubik's cube? I guess the fighter can do some push-ups for his attack, then.

Of course not, no more than fighting should require player brawn, nor thieving should require players to steal, nor clerical magic should require player faith.

Ah, faith. It's for a different thread, but I've always thought that cleric PCs should have faith in the GM and their own actions when trusting that their deity of choice will deem them worthy of magical effects.