jgsugden
Legend
To me, it comes down to one spell. There are a lot of spells that are iconic to the arcane spellcaster, but they straddle the sorcerer over the last several editions as well most of the time. However, there is one spell in the spell list that strikes me (despite being on other spell lists) as being the pinnacle of wizardly achievement - and something almost all wizards aspire to cast. Because it is such a long term goal, it is iconic to the wizard experience. WISH.
I prefer to play wizards in campaigns with the goal of reaching at least 17th level because most, if not all, of my intellectual wizards desire to reach the place where their knowledge can literally reshape the world. It is almost always a goal of my wizard PCs - whether it is to pull a Caleb and fix something, to improve their lot in life, or to just achieve the ultimate mastery of magic.
Yes, it is on the Sorcerer list - but a sorcerer has things fall in their lap. While you may be looking foarward to it as a player, the sorcerer doesn't have that feel of building upon their achievements so much as they have a feel of being granted greater gifts. It hits different. What makes WISH the uniquely wizard spell is that it is what they work towards their entire career. It is the 9th level iconic spell they seek to master. It is the journey to Wish as the target that gives it that special role.
I prefer to play wizards in campaigns with the goal of reaching at least 17th level because most, if not all, of my intellectual wizards desire to reach the place where their knowledge can literally reshape the world. It is almost always a goal of my wizard PCs - whether it is to pull a Caleb and fix something, to improve their lot in life, or to just achieve the ultimate mastery of magic.
Yes, it is on the Sorcerer list - but a sorcerer has things fall in their lap. While you may be looking foarward to it as a player, the sorcerer doesn't have that feel of building upon their achievements so much as they have a feel of being granted greater gifts. It hits different. What makes WISH the uniquely wizard spell is that it is what they work towards their entire career. It is the 9th level iconic spell they seek to master. It is the journey to Wish as the target that gives it that special role.