D&D 5E Why does Wizards of the Coast hate Wizards?

[tetrasodium]

Especially when there are complaints that there's nothing to spend accumalated gp on.

there are 11 classes (now/soon twelve with artificer).. only one really manages a spellbook , the tomelock barely manages it & only really even scribes to it if they take a particular ritual invocation. It's not surprising that when only 1 of 11-12 classes has a gold sink like the spellbook that people would complain there is nothing to spend gold on . Your post highlights the absurdity of the "but fighters buy armor" argument too

 

[Azzy]

there are 11 classes (now/soon twelve with artificer).. only one really manages a spellbook , the tomelock barely manages it & only really even scribes to it if they take a particular ritual invocation. It's not surprising that when only 1 of 11-12 classes has a gold sink like the spellbook that people would complain there is nothing to spend gold on . Your post highlights the absurdity of the "but fighters buy armor" argument too

Your "gold sink" is a pittance.

 

[tetrasodium]

Your "gold sink" is a pittance.

Call it what you will, but it is. If you think it's a pittance... perhaps you or your gm do not give out enough scrolls & spellbooks to make the wizard class ability to scribe spells a meaningful feature. Try including some more ritual spells or declare that various nonritual spells are listed in a ritual form in this spellbook instead of another magic missile scorching ray fireball etc book & see how fast the wizard turns into a gp black hole

 

[Ashrym]

Call it what you will, but it is. If you think it's a pittance... perhaps you or your gm do not give out enough scrolls & spellbooks to make the wizard class ability to scribe spells a meaningful feature. Try including some more ritual spells or declare that various nonritual spells are listed in a ritual form in this spellbook instead of another magic missile scorching ray fireball etc book & see how fast the wizard turns into a gp black hole

That's arguing a disadvantage because your DM is giving you too much stuff that you can spend your gold on. I could only wish for such a disadvantage on some of my characters or from some of my DM's.

EDIT: perhaps you should give fighters a mini-magic mart so they can share such a disadvantage as gold for stuff.

 

[tetrasodium]

That's arguing a disadvantage because your DM is giving you too much stuff that you can spend your gold on. I could only wish for such a disadvantage on some of my characters or from some of my DM's.

EDIT: perhaps you should give fighters a mini-magic mart so they can share such a disadvantage as gold for stuff.

I'm not the one saying that a spellbook is a trivial expense. It's pretty rare IME as both a player &GM to see magic armor & weapons getting sold to PCs for gold.

 

[Mistwell]

The former is relevant to discussions of how to fix problems at the table in question, the latter to discussions of problems with the design.




Edit: And a theoretical analysis of the wizard reveals it's still a solidly Tier 1 class that could do with a nuclear nerf or few.

If nobody has a problem at their table, there is no problem in design. We can speculate about a problem with white room thought experiments, but unless it ever actually comes up, it's not really a problem it's just a fun thought experiment.

 

[Hussar]

I'm not the one saying that a spellbook is a trivial expense. It's pretty rare IME as both a player &GM to see magic armor & weapons getting sold to PCs for gold.

Rare? Really?

Dragon Heist/Dungeon of the Mad Mage both have magic shops (it IS set in Waterdeep).

Ghosts of Saltmarsh has a shop for ordering magic items.

As I recall, Tomb of Annihilation has places for buying magic items as well.

So, I'm not sure that it's "pretty rare". It's, rather, pretty much dependent on what you're playing.

 

[Ashrym]

I'm not the one saying that a spellbook is a trivial expense. It's pretty rare IME as both a player &GM to see magic armor & weapons getting sold to PCs for gold.

So add magic armor and weapons for gold. Instant disadvantage to fighters by spending their gold to make better use of their class abilities.

Wizards don't need to scribe spells. Scribing spells for gold is a benefit, not a drawback, because it's spending gold for additional potential on top of what the class already has. The actual cost isn't that great in grand scheme of things.

That's what is being said.

 

[Tony Vargas]

If nobody has a problem at their table, there is no problem in design.

Wildly improbable as that may be (somebody always complains), it still wouldn't follow.
Many factors could mask a design issue, or disencentivize the reporting thereof.

 

[Mistwell]

Wildly improbable as that may be (somebody always complains), it still wouldn't follow.
Many factors could mask a design issue, or disencentivize the reporting thereof.

Are those issues present with this issue?

No, they are not.

We remain with an issue which I've never seen anyone complain about in 5 years of the edition being out, and where the guy complaining now is doing it in theory only, and everyone else is shrugging and saying this has never been an issue that they are aware of for anyone playing the game. I think it's fair to say experience is meaningful for this issue.