Spell Budgeting

[Hatchling Dragon]

Ok, I'm going to just give up and ask for help, since the members here seem so willing to lend thier assistance whenever they're asked.

I've been an admirer of the various caster-types in the more popular Story Hour threads (ie: Wulf's, P-kitties, ect). The trouble I'm having is that I keep reading about how thier Wizards (or Clerics too ) seem to somehow have enough buffs and/or Utility spells to go around while still retaining impressive levels of raw firepower.

My question then is: "How do they do it?" I used to be able to manage this juggling act back in 1e days with thier 9 spells per level cap (not counting INT bonuses), though not as well as I might have liked to, but can't seem to even come close with a cap of 6 of each level before stat bonus spells.

What am I doing wrong? Other than playing a caster type when I'm more suited to swinging a Sword

Hatchling Dragon

 

[Balgus]

there's only a couple things I can think of:

scrolls, wands and more magic items.

There are magic items that let you cast a couple more spells for each of the lower spell levels. Scrolls are cheap- and utility ones are easy tocome by.

Other than that, I can only imagine that their casters are "special"

 

[Gargoyle]

This is a very campaign/DM specific question. Some DM's and some campaigns feature lots of combats per day, and those battles last 10 or more rounds. Others are more roleplaying-centric and have maybe one combat encounter per day that lasts less than 6 or 7 rounds.

For me, it creates problems for designing prestige classes, feats, etc that operate on a x/day mechanic. For instance, if you create a feat that allows a pretty powerful effect and limit it to once per day, some players will find it useless. Once per day isn't nearly enough for them. Others find it too powerful, since they usually will only have the opportunity to use it once per day.

To get back to your problem, I think we need to know how many combats per day you face, and how long they last (averages).

Offhand though, I'd say try to use wands and scrolls more for things you cast repeatedly, especially since you're a wizard.

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

Well c'mon, we're talking about casters in some pretty special campains, of course they're special, if just by association

I know about items like a Ring of Wizardry or Pearl of Power, but I don't think 'they' have used artificial means to 'stretch' thier spell allotments.

And yes, my character is planning on getting Craft Wand and Magical Artificer for both Scroll and Wands, assuming my DM allows those feats.

Hatchling Dragon

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

To get back to your problem, I think we need to know how many combats per day you face, and how long they last (averages).

I realised this sorta thing would be asked about the same time I hit Submit

I'm a bit iffy on those details, they're usualy not important enogh to remember, especialy when I'm having a hard enough time just trying to remember what I was doing at the last session, 4 weeks ago

I think we average 5-6 hours a session, one combat per session, and I think a 10-round combat would be a bit on the long side for us. I do know our fights are fairly consistant in length on average though.

Hatchling Dragon

 

[Gargoyle]

I realised this sorta thing would be asked about the same time I hit Submit

I'm a bit iffy on those details, they're usualy not important enogh to remember, especialy when I'm having a hard enough time just trying to remember what I was doing at the last session, 4 weeks ago

I think we average 5-6 hours a session, one combat per session, and I think a 10-round combat would be a bit on the long side for us. I do know our fights are fairly consistant in length on average though.

Hatchling Dragon

How many combats per game day though? If it's one per game day on average, I find it hard to believe you're running out of spells to cast, unless you're just preparing stuff that isn't as useful as you thought it would be, or if you're low level (4th or less)

If you're low level, then you can expect to have to fire a crossbow or something now and then as a wizard, and won't be flinging spells all the time. Hey it's better than 1E when a 1st level wizard was a walking sleep spell.

One thing: story hours are written to entertain. Perhaps your perception of how many spells per day they are flinging is not really how it is. I know most of those story hour DM's tend to forget the rounds when the wizard is just scrambling to get out of the way (or desperately delaying to try to figure out what spell to cast where...).

Sounds like when you're able to craft a wand of magic missles you'll have something to do every round though.

Edit: Ack, I didn't look after I posted, and left half a comment and some formatting errors in. Fixed 'em.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I have to say that in many of the campaigns I've played there is typically one or two encounters per game day. In that case my budgeting philosophy is "Don't die with spells prepared!" In other words, cast whatever is advantageous towards winning the combat and don't worry too much about holding back--unless the combat doesn't look too difficult.

Sometimes, though there are lots of combats per day. That's when I break out the wands and scrolls. Usually I don't have to use them but when I'm out of spells and there's a difficult combat that's when they come out.

In the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil campaign I was playing in, I was playing a cleric archer. My typical routine was this:

Long duration buffs whenever I expected trouble (when we were picking a fight or entering an area where we expected one).

A few min/level duration buffs (like bless, Divine Favor) when starting an easy fight and then hurry on to the next few before they run out.

When the fight looks intense (for instance, we open the door and find 30 gnolls and their wizard and lieutenants behind it) I pulled out all the stops, summoned the celestial bison and did whatever it took.

When the rest of the temples' forces ambushed us while we were resting to regain spells after that I used whatever I had left (IIRC, an Invisibility Purge, a bead of Force, and a True Strike).