Will all spells be attacks?

[Cadfan]

If there is one edition of D&D where the Fighters are definitively not rubbish once the spell casters get 3rd level spells it is 3.X. 2 handed Power Attack never losses it effectiveness, we all know that attack bonuses outstrip AC, and at high level those 4 attacks never have to suffer a saving throw.

True, but the Fighter does have to suffer saving throws.

 

[Blackbrrd]

Personally I am in the middle of a 3 year campaign that started at level 1, and we are at level 14 now.

In the same campaign we have a fighter that has a ~30% of critting for 40-70* damage three times a round. Four if hasted. His single target damage is quite high Two handed power attack for the win.

*70 on the first attack, 40 on the last attack.

 

[Xethreau]

These aren't supposed to be non-combat magic, they're combat magic which isn't an attack. non-combat magic is rituals.

Quoted for Accuracy

 

[hong]

Personally I am in the middle of a 3 year campaign that started at level 1, and we are at level 14 now.

In the same campaign we have a fighter that has a ~30% of critting for 40-70* damage three times a round. Four if hasted. His single target damage is quite high Two handed power attack for the win.

*70 on the first attack, 40 on the last attack.

You have a rather strange build, if it can systematically do more damage on the first iterative attack than on subsequent ones....

 

[Andur]

Show me one 5th level Fighter of any edition that can deal out 88 points of damage as a MINIMUM like a 5th level Wizard/Sorcerer can with a Fireball into a "room" full of creatures.

Show me one Fighter who can create "Save or Die" situations come 9th level or above, especially effecting more than one critter in a round...

In 3.x, after 12th level all you really need in a party is a Cleric and a Wizard, the rest of the classes are just eye candy in which the Cleric or the Wizard can do a better job of any task whether in combat or out of combat.

 

[Lacyon]

Show me one Fighter who can create "Save or Die" situations come 9th level or above, especially effecting more than one critter in a round...

Anyone who can deal about 50 damage in a hit can keep doing this all day.

In 3.x, after 12th level all you really need in a party is a Cleric and a Wizard, the rest of the classes are just eye candy in which the Cleric or the Wizard can do a better job of any task whether in combat or out of combat.

No disagreements here.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

In 3.x, after 12th level all you really need in a party is a Cleric and a Wizard, the rest of the classes are just damage shields in which the Cleric or the Wizard can do a better job of any task whether in combat or out of combat.

Fixed it for you.

 

[AuraSeer]

But looking at those spells, it makes me wonder: What is the purpose of a Wizard, if you're not going to be getting into combat? Aren't wizards supposed to be about all kinds of things in a campaign world, not just blowing crap up?

Not in 4E. It looks like PC classes are now all about combat. However, they don't have to be the only casters in the gameworld.

As other people point out, noncombat magic is done via rituals. And we now know that ritual magic is just a feat. Clerics and wizards get the feat for free, but it seems it can be taken by other classes or even NPCs (probably with prereqs). So if you want an NPC hedge witch or magewright, I'm betting he will not have his own distinct class; he'll be a regular peasant or artisan who knows a few rituals.

 

[Rechan]

Nope wizards are not (any more, I am going to miss the Raistlin archetype) the be all and end all able to do every type of magical effect.

That's not what I was implying. I wasn't suggestiong Wizards should Do Everything, but they are more than "Click boom".

Simply put: why would someone want to be a wizard if they don't want to get into combat?

For instance using telekinesis/Bigby's hands to build things.

 

[AuraSeer]

Simply put: why would someone want to be a wizard if they don't want to get into combat?

For instance using telekinesis/Bigby's hands to build things.

In the new edition, using wizardly combat spells to construct a house would be like using a machine gun to cut down trees. That's possible, but awkward and expensive, because the tool is really specialized for a completely different job.

If you want to chop down trees quickly and efficiently, you use a chainsaw. If you want to build things, you learn and use a ritual for that purpose-- whether you're a wizard or just an overeducated NPC with some magical textbooks.