Well that didn't take long, wizard has been shelved.

[Goumindong]

I am playing a fairly unoptimized dwarf wizard(14 dex, 13 con, 16 wis, 12 cha, 16 int) at level 2 and am kicking ass and loving it. Orb specialization that i probably wont get to use for a long long time(character was created before i fully understood how this stuff all works together, and was changed to accommodate our parties lack of controller).

Ive got Flaming Sphere, Icy Terrain, Thunderwave, and Magic Missile(getting changed out unless i find bracers of perfect shot, we have no warlord). I get hit more than i want to, miss more than I want to, but still kick ass.

Its all about how you use your powers. Icy terrain and thunderwave prevent attacks, MM adds to damage and FS corrals.

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

I've been playing a Wizard in a seven member party - every class except Rogue is present - through Kobold Hall in the DMG and the first parts of KotS. In some fights I haven't been a major contributor, but even then I've had something to do. In other fights such as the second last one in KH and one with a gentleman called "Irontooth" in KotS I'd rank the wizard as the MVP of the battle. In any fight with bunches of enemies Scorching Burst seems to do more overall damage than the strikers in the party.


I don't feel the character is weak at all. When it comes to killing minions I'm starting to think the wizard is too good. They die so quickly the DM might not feel they're worth the trouble of setting up.

 

[Anthony Jackson]

I don't feel the character is weak at all. When it comes to killing minions I'm starting to think the wizard is too good. They die so quickly the DM might not feel they're worth the trouble of setting up.

That may mean the DM was unnecessarily bunching them up -- until they're surrounding a party member, monsters should maintain some space between them. 20 kobold minions can be a TPK.

 

[MortalPlague]

I've been itching to play a wizard for a while, but the game I'm in right now already has two. My battle-cleric of Kord will have to suffice.

I did, however, get the opportunity to run an absent player's wizard last session, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. They're just as frail as the ones I'd played in previous editions, and I never got a chance to use burning hands (try lining up blast 5 without catching another character...), but I did use flaming sphere. That thing is potent! I danced it around a battle with some spiders, hitting at least two every round, and I had more fun with that than I did running my cleric!

 

[DracoSuave]

My psychic powers intuit that the OP didn't suckle at the delicious teat that is Thunderwave.

 

[WhatGravitas]

My psychic powers intuit that the OP didn't suckle at the delicious teat that is Thunderwave.

This. In cramped rooms (like dungeons), Thunderwave can throw an entire encounter in front of the defender, putting them in a world of pain, if they try to do something sensible.

And if you're in open terrain, wizards are fast and nasty with slowing people down with ray of frost - this can lock down a single opponent with ease.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Goumindong]

Shame they are both vs fort.

 

[DracoSuave]

Shame they are both vs fort.

Shame that your early level sentients, kobolds, and goblins, have a tendancy to have Fort as their worst defense.

Shame that you have -two- at-wills just so you don't have all your eggs in one defense basket.

Shame that you have a power that let's you put the enemies -exactly- where you want them to be, while dealing some damage on the side.

Shame that attacks vs. Fort aren't always a bug, but often times, they are a feature.

 

[Ander00]

While I would agree that a controller is not essential, after playing my 18th level wizard/divine oracle, I'd say that he does have his uses. Sleep pretty much won us a fight before it got started, stoneskin enabled the paladin to stand toe to toe against a dragon while he himself was effectively invisible thanks to blur. Thanks to lots of psychic attacks and psychic lock enemies rarely do not have a penalty to attack. That is, when they aren't immobilized out of harm's way.

He may be frail, but he is not defenseless. Over the course of two adventuring days he only had to spend three healing surges (only one of them to full effect).

He doesn't deal a lot of damage, but he's the most reliable damage dealer in the party. Of course, he also dazes himself *a lot* because even with two attack rolls against will, I still manage to miss quite often. On a more positive note, he also crits a lot, so he gets some good use out of his staff of power.

And then of course he has lots and lots of rituals to make the party's lives easier.


cheers

 

[Zinovia]

by Ioun's grace I want a Will attack).

Class Acts article June 2008 Dragon. Plenty of will targeting stuff in there.