Warmange from Complete Arcana ... um WOW.

[cignus_pfaccari]

As does the dread necromancer (Heroes of Horror). The warmage was the first, though.

I believe that *technically* the Healer was the first, on account of it appeared a few pages before Warmage in MiniHB.

But, yes, it's a quite nice class for a non-caster-player to play. Don't have to worry about spell selection, which always took me forever with a cleric, and with DM's permission to switch some spells out for others, it was quite fun. With appropriate prestige classing, the triple-wide Sudden Empowered Fire Brands were quite handy against masses of opponents. (Too bad we didn't have many of those)

Brad

 

[RigaMortus2]

I believe that *technically* the Healer was the first, on account of it appeared a few pages before Warmage in MiniHB.

Nope. The Healer still has to pick which spells he memorizes like a Cleric does. Whereas the Warmage can choose at the time of casting, all the spells are available to him and he doesn't have to prepare them ahead of time. The healer I beleive does.

Page 9 MiniHB

A healer must choose and prepare her spells in advance

 

[NilesB]

Have there been many changes from the MiniHB Warmage?

Minor tweaks to the spell list.

 

[Votan]

Part of the game with the Warmage is to try and get spells added to their spell list in large numbers.

There is a remarkable suggestion that Rainbow Servant should be both full progression (text over tables) and add all cleric spells to the Warmage list. Caution should be exercised in suggesting this to a DM with a history of hypertension.

Some prestige classes, Arcane Disciple and Electic learning are also choices. All of these options are a really boost for the class.

Heck -- a Beguiler with either an Undead Domain or the Fire Domain might be fun too!

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Nope. The Healer still has to pick which spells he memorizes like a Cleric does. Whereas the Warmage can choose at the time of casting, all the spells are available to him and he doesn't have to prepare them ahead of time. The healer I beleive does.

Page 9 MiniHB

A healer must choose and prepare her spells in advance

Bah! Quoting text to prove me wrong!

Shows I shoulda looked at that, huh?

Brad

 

[Bad Paper]

I play in a party with a warmage. GODS does he create some hurt! wow! I mean, his friggin magic missile does something like 20 points of damage. It's nuts. and he burns spells willy-nilly because he never. runs. out.

Our party is barbarian, cleric, warmage, and monk/rogue. The monk/rogue is quite good in combat, but he doesn't get to see a whole lot of it because he is always using his ramped-up Use Magic Device to dole out the levitate, invisibility, and whatever else we wish we had a wizard for. He loads up on scrolls of dimension door, and he gets us around with the wand of phantom steed. So huh. Artillery sure is nice, but it would be better if the artillery could do more standard-issue arcane things.

 

[szilard]

Playing a Warmage/Beguiler in a gestalt game would be something.

It's too bad that you can't go for Ultimate Magus with two spontaneous casting classes....

-Stuart

 

[Andras]

Part of the game with the Warmage is to try and get spells added to their spell list in large numbers.

There is a remarkable suggestion that Rainbow Servant should be both full progression (text over tables) and add all cleric spells to the Warmage list. Caution should be exercised in suggesting this to a DM with a history of hypertension.

Some prestige classes, Arcane Disciple and Electic learning are also choices. All of these options are a really boost for the class.

Heck -- a Beguiler with either an Undead Domain or the Fire Domain might be fun too!

Check out the Exalted Arcanist from BoED also for more spells.

 

[SteveC]

Yep, the Warmage is teh awesome when it comes to blasting. I played one is a long term campaign to reasonably high levels, and they do damage like nobody's business.

They also don't do almost anything else. That was a tough part of the game, but that's part of the limitation with the class. As I usually play complicated characters who can do too much, it was a welcome relief.

I recommend them as a change of pace, and also as the perfect foil for the power gaming caster. Most complicated spell combos will end up being less effective than old fashioned damage in the end, you just have to be prepared for things like spell resistance and elemental damage resistance.

So, yes, they're fun, and they're also pretty well balanced by what they can't do.

--Steve

 

[Nail]

After all, do you really need 20+ damaging spells at each level?

Actually, the Warmage (at least in Comp. Arc.) gets much less than "20+" per level on his class list:

1st: 13 spells
2nd: 11 spells
3rd: 10 spells
4th: 12 spells
5th: 7 spells
6th: 8 spells
7th: 8 spells
8th: 7 spells
9th: 6 spells

IMC, the Warmage player is keenly asking for some conjuration spells to be swapped in, like Mage Armor, Grease, and Glitterdust. I've told him "no", of course......