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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 8854668" data-attributes="member: 6877472">So, as it happens, the demon was a Nalfeshnee, who, while having magic resistance, has a +0 Dex save.  Just figured I'd clarify this point.And again, it wasn't that there was anything wrong with the spell in of itself, other than, as I pointed out, the decision that this is something magic should be allowed to do.  It's just one of the better examples of "orthogonal play" that I can present.  While they don't always do this, on occasion, a spellcaster can make it seem like they're playing 4D chess compared to non-magical characters.And when you have as large a spell list as the Wizard, these moments have a fairly high chance of occurring.  But YMMV; when I played in AL, the spellcasters all seemed to be super impressed by damage spells and barely touched things that didn't cause direct or indirect (like haste) hit point damage.  And this is probably the best kind of spellcaster for a balanced game- their spells do damage.  Your non-magic characters do damage.  They're playing on the same plane.Sure, the Wizard can fry a bunch of enemies at once in a limited fashion, but the Fighter can do better single-target damage, and he's not limited by spell slots, just hit points.As an aside, I always shake my head when people gripe about Wizards doing "too much damage" or want to nerf spells like fireball, when the reality is, trust me, you want your Wizards using damage spells!  This was the lesson that should have been learned after 3e, where damage spells were terrible- fireball was doing the same damage it had since the 70's, and monsters suddenly had way more hit points than they did back in AD&D.  So canny players started looking at their spell list, and realizing that defanging monsters into uselessness was the way to go!And it's this moment, when spellcasters realize that they can get way more done by turning a hard encounter into a cakewalk, that really highlights the differences between classes.  That spells offer more narrative power over time is just the icing on the cake, but depending on your campaign, that can be some thick frosting.I mean, think about how many challenges exist that would be nigh-insurmountable for a high level Fighter to tackle, but can be solved with the casting of a single spell.  Let's say you need to warn the King that his army is marching into a trap.Well, you can try to run real fast.  Or find a fast horse.The Wizard?  Well he might have a spell like phantom steed.  Or teleport. Or shadow walk.  Or sending.</blockquote>

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