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Why Do You Think Wizards Are Boring?
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<blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 9105326" data-attributes="member: 50987"><p>I like wizards. I think they're fun and interesting and versatile and exciting. But there are parts of them that are truly boring, <em>just like every other character class in the game</em>. But relax, I'm not gonna be That Guy, who reads the thread title and still decides to chime in with "BUT THEY'RE NOT BORING." I can see both sides of the issue, and I can admit that the things I like can still have room for improvement.</p><p></p><p>The big one for me: Familiars. In the words of Don Corleone, "look at how they massacred my boy."</p><p></p><p><strong>Familiars</strong></p><p>Sorry, but they really botched this one in 5th Edition. They took an interesting premise and a minor chance for customization, and turned it into a disposable ambush-detection spell. Tsk, tsk. I had to stitch back in the static bonuses and flavor from 3E/3.5E that they dropped, and I've made several adjustments over the years for my players. Here's where I'm at so far.</p><p>[SPOILER=5E Familiar Fix]"Find Familiar" is no longer a spell, it is a class feature that Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards all get at 2nd level. Why druids? Because one of my players asked if their druid could have a familiar, and I couldn't think of a compelling reason why not.</p><p></p><p>The caster chooses the familiar they want, from a special list prepared by the DM. (Why are squirrels on the list? Because one of my players asked for one, and I couldn't think of a compelling reason to say no.) This choice is sorta-permanent; it can be changed later by completing a 24-hour ritual (that consumes 100gp worth of components). But the first one's free.</p><p></p><p><u>While their familiar occupies the same space as the caster</u>, they get a minor bonus. My list is below, cribbed from the 3.5E PHB:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Bat: </em>caster gains Blindsight to a range of 10'. If the caster already has Blindsight, the range increases by 10'.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Cat:</em> caster gains Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. (In the past, I've had a player ask if they could swap out "takes half damage from falling" instead of Stealth, "because cats always land on their feet." I thought that was a cool idea so I allowed it.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Hawk: </em>caster has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) rolls involving sight</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Lizard:</em> caster gains a Climb speed of 10'. If the caster already has a climb speed, that speed increases by 10'.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Owl: </em>caster gains Darkvision to a range of 60'. If the caster already has Darkvision, the range increases by 60'.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Rat:</em> caster has Advantage on Constitution saving throws.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Raven: </em>caster can speak and understand one additional language of their choice.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Snake: </em>caster gains Advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Squirrel: </em>caster gains Advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Toad: </em>caster gains a Swim speed of 10'. If the caster already has a swim speed, that speed increases by 10'.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Weasel:</em> caster gains Advantage on Dexterity save throws.</li> </ul><p>The familiar is an NPC with its own character sheet...it's basically the stats for the creature in the Monster Manual, but with the following changes. (These changes were also cribbed/adapted from the 3.5E PHB. The stats for squirrel are homebrew.) It uses the caster's initiative, and acts immediately after the caster in the turn order.</p><p><strong>Hit Dice:</strong> the HD of the creature is equal to the caster's level.</p><p><strong>Hit Points:</strong> always 1/2 the caster's total hit points.</p><p><strong>Attacks:</strong> the familiar's attack rolls use the caster's spell attack bonus</p><p><strong>Save throws: </strong>the familiar adds the caster's proficiency bonus to all save throws.</p><p><strong>Familiar Abilities: </strong>both the familiar and the caster gain the Alert feat whenever they occupy the same space. The caster can communicate telepathically with the familiar to a range of 100 feet, and can see what it sees and hear what it hears (but is blind/deaf during this time). The familiar can deliver touch spells to a range of 100 feet.[/SPOILER]</p><p>Is it perfect? Nah.</p><p>Is it boring? Also nah.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CleverNickName, post: 9105326, member: 50987"] I like wizards. I think they're fun and interesting and versatile and exciting. But there are parts of them that are truly boring, [I]just like every other character class in the game[/I]. But relax, I'm not gonna be That Guy, who reads the thread title and still decides to chime in with "BUT THEY'RE NOT BORING." I can see both sides of the issue, and I can admit that the things I like can still have room for improvement. The big one for me: Familiars. In the words of Don Corleone, "look at how they massacred my boy." [B]Familiars[/B] Sorry, but they really botched this one in 5th Edition. They took an interesting premise and a minor chance for customization, and turned it into a disposable ambush-detection spell. Tsk, tsk. I had to stitch back in the static bonuses and flavor from 3E/3.5E that they dropped, and I've made several adjustments over the years for my players. Here's where I'm at so far. [SPOILER=5E Familiar Fix]"Find Familiar" is no longer a spell, it is a class feature that Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards all get at 2nd level. Why druids? Because one of my players asked if their druid could have a familiar, and I couldn't think of a compelling reason why not. The caster chooses the familiar they want, from a special list prepared by the DM. (Why are squirrels on the list? Because one of my players asked for one, and I couldn't think of a compelling reason to say no.) This choice is sorta-permanent; it can be changed later by completing a 24-hour ritual (that consumes 100gp worth of components). But the first one's free. [U]While their familiar occupies the same space as the caster[/U], they get a minor bonus. My list is below, cribbed from the 3.5E PHB: [LIST] [*][I]Bat: [/I]caster gains Blindsight to a range of 10'. If the caster already has Blindsight, the range increases by 10'. [*][I]Cat:[/I] caster gains Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. (In the past, I've had a player ask if they could swap out "takes half damage from falling" instead of Stealth, "because cats always land on their feet." I thought that was a cool idea so I allowed it.) [*][I]Hawk: [/I]caster has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) rolls involving sight [*][I]Lizard:[/I] caster gains a Climb speed of 10'. If the caster already has a climb speed, that speed increases by 10'. [*][I]Owl: [/I]caster gains Darkvision to a range of 60'. If the caster already has Darkvision, the range increases by 60'. [*][I]Rat:[/I] caster has Advantage on Constitution saving throws. [*][I]Raven: [/I]caster can speak and understand one additional language of their choice. [*][I]Snake: [/I]caster gains Advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks. [*][I]Squirrel: [/I]caster gains Advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. [*][I]Toad: [/I]caster gains a Swim speed of 10'. If the caster already has a swim speed, that speed increases by 10'. [*][I]Weasel:[/I] caster gains Advantage on Dexterity save throws. [/LIST] The familiar is an NPC with its own character sheet...it's basically the stats for the creature in the Monster Manual, but with the following changes. (These changes were also cribbed/adapted from the 3.5E PHB. The stats for squirrel are homebrew.) It uses the caster's initiative, and acts immediately after the caster in the turn order. [B]Hit Dice:[/B] the HD of the creature is equal to the caster's level. [B]Hit Points:[/B] always 1/2 the caster's total hit points. [B]Attacks:[/B] the familiar's attack rolls use the caster's spell attack bonus [B]Save throws: [/B]the familiar adds the caster's proficiency bonus to all save throws. [B]Familiar Abilities: [/B]both the familiar and the caster gain the Alert feat whenever they occupy the same space. The caster can communicate telepathically with the familiar to a range of 100 feet, and can see what it sees and hear what it hears (but is blind/deaf during this time). The familiar can deliver touch spells to a range of 100 feet.[/SPOILER] Is it perfect? Nah. Is it boring? Also nah. [/QUOTE]
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