D&D 5E Why do wizards STILL have to use daggers, etc.?

[Henry]

We have a wizard In our 5e game, who owns a quarterstaff (it's his Focus) but he hasn't used a physical weapon in the campaign, ever. Wizards can truly be the "live by the spell, die by the spell" types folks have always wanted them to be, now.

 

[iserith]

Can you provide an example of where you feel you need to pull out a dagger as a wizard?

To cut the ribeye steak the wizard overcooked with a firebolt cantrip.

 

[Uchawi]

You will poke your eye out kid.

 

[Staffan]

However, even with cantrips (new to me) we still have a few spells and then pull out the ole dagger!

It does sound like the OP misunderstood the wizard class table and thought the number of cantrips was the number per day rather than the number you know and can cast at will.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

one thing you may not forget: dual daggers may end up being more damaging than a can't rip at low levels, but only if you have higher dexterity than int.
An abjurer and a transmute may get away with it

 

[Kobold Stew]

one thing you may not forget: dual daggers may end up being more damaging than a can't rip at low levels, but only if you have higher dexterity than int.

No one is forgetting this: of course one can imagine a situation where this is the case. The OP believes that daggers (or whatever) are for some reason always necessary, that they are inevitable. And that's not the case.

 

[Redthistle]

Would it be possible to use the mending spell to slice a steak, or would it only be able to join the slices back together?

 

[Coredump]

Looking at my Wizard character sheet, in the Weapons section, nothing is listed and it just says "Weapons are for the weak and unworthy"

I was even a tiny bit bummed when I found a magic staff... since now I had a weapon....

 

[Lidgar]

Gradually, the wizard drifted off to sleep, flinging daggers at orcs and getting off spectacular hip shots.

 

[Nebulous]

Why can't WotC/D&D create a spellcaster, specifically a wizard, who never needs to resort to weapons like swords and bows? I played the basic rules boxed set in the 1980s when the Magic-User got one magic missile and then had to use a dagger for the rest of the adventure. I was recently excited to start playing again with my kids and 5e, which I like in general. However, even with cantrips (new to me) we still have a few spells and then pull out the ole dagger! Same is true for warlocks, sorcerers, etc. It is easy to play a Barbarian or Fighter with no spells and many types of creative combat maneuvers, why not all spells for the wizards?

I don't think these assumptions are true in 5e, and they even addressed this in 4e.