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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aenghus" data-source="post: 6077586" data-attributes="member: 2656">I have the feeling that in mythology, wizard archetypes tend to be NPC plot devices, while the protagonists tend to be the fighter archetype. Mythological wizards tend to be capricious, elusive, frustrating and unreliable - the archetype includes supernatural creatures, the feebler wisdom deities, and some of the trickster entities. Of course mythology consists of stories which don't prioritise consistency or logic.When D&D translates the wizard archetype from a NPC plot device to a PC class, there are multiple hurdles. A weak and feeble PC whose only strengths are magical power and knowledge needs to have significant magical power to be viable. If they are going to lose any physical confrontation in any case, trading even more physical potential for extra magical power may be a no-brainer choice. Powers which are fine in the hands of a NPC as a plot device, may be disastrous or useless in the hands of a PC. PC magic needs to be systematic and predictable in a way that it often isn't in mythology.My idea of the wizard archetype is informed by the various D&D classes and the mythological examples. I think the archetype is just too big to allow a single member of the class to be allowed to call on the whole archetype. For PC wizards, I prefer the idea of specialisation, as allowing wizards to do literally anything better than anyone else marginalises every other class concept. Illusionists, Enchanters, Necromancers, Shapechangers, Invokers etc can be valid concepts with some work. I think generalist wizards need to pay a price for their versatility in raw power compared to specialists. One benefit of this approach IMO is that it's easier to include a physical wizard concept with less flashy magical power and more magical enhancement. Another is that a less vulnerable wizard archetype doesn't need automatic win buttons for spells.I realise I've mixed archetype ideas and mechanics here, but couldn't figure out a way not to.</blockquote>

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