wizards vs. sorcerers

[Buttercup]

I agree with those of you who say that sorcerers have more of a fantasy feel. I have been thinking for a while that I'd like to do away w/ wizards, since the cast & forget convention seems clunky to me.

I really like Bonedagger's Mana point system, and I'll probably use it the next time I start a campaign. I've also thought about making sorcerers chose a theme for their spells, but then letting them pick any spell they can find that fits that theme.

 

[astralpwka]

Wizards all the way. I like being able to have access to a boat-load of spells, for any and every occasion.

I'm working on a bunch of house rules that gets rid of the spells per day limit and draws the magic from elsewhere.

[plug] In our book (Tremon) we've got a spellcaster class and prestige classes that burns hit points to cast spells and casts like a sorcerer (spells known follows the sorcerer too). And we are working on more variations.

 

[Storminator]

Just the other night our group was chased by a sorcerer. Our wizard teleported us out of trouble... until the sorcerer scried us and teleported in. So we teleported out again...until the sorcerer scried us and teleported in again...

It doesn't take a lot of insight to see who can keep this game up longer.

I don't know how the other players in our group feel, but we've butchered enough foes with Buff/Scry/Teleport that I'm pretty freaked about it coming back on us. I foresee a dangerous future...

PS

 

[Orias]

I prefer wizards. The versatile amount of spells they know coupled with metamagic feats along with the ability to specialize in schools, & the additional feats really pass over sorcerrers, in my opinion.

I do like Sorcs for multiclassing, though.

 

[Seule]

I play a 20th level wizard. I've been playing 2-3 weekly games since 3rd edition came out. I've never seen anyone with more that 6 levels of sorcerer, and only one character with more than 2. Wizards just have more flexibility. The ability to potentially cast any spell in the book (less barred schools) on any given day, plus the ability to use metamagic without extra penalties, plus getting all your spells one level sooner seems to make everyone I know pick Sorcerer if they are multiclassing for 1 level, and Wizard if they want a hardcore spellcaster.
I actually would like to see a sorcerer taken to high levels, I think that we would get to see how useful and flexible a high level sorcerer can be, but I'm not holding my breath. Everyone looks at sorcerers and sees the disadvantages, and takes a wizard every time.
Sorcerers do, however, make great NPCs. Not having to memorize spells makes the bookkeeping far less difficult.
In the game I run I've done away with Arcane magic entirely, and replaced it with psionics, so the point is moot.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

i like the bonus feat of the wizard and the spellcasting syle of the sorcerer so I'm somewhere in the middle and like them both to a degree.

 

[Bonedagger]

i like the bonus feat of the wizard and the spellcasting syle of the sorcerer so I'm somewhere in the middle and like them both to a degree.

[Embarrassing selfpromotion]Me to! That's why I made these houserules I mentioned above.. They are... Oh right. Not here. [/Embarrassing selfpromotion]

 

[mkarol]

What about Skill points?

I have found that people in my groups prefer Wiz in part, because the high Int for casting spells translates into more skill points (and with Know (any) in class...) than the Sor with high Cha is going to have. And the Sor doesnt have any in class skills that take advantage of the high Cha.

If the magic systems are 'balanced' then the skills push you towards the Wiz (imho).

 

[Fenes 2]

With us it is the opposite. Everyone looks at the wizard, sees how he has to prepare spells per day, then looks at the sorcerer, who can choose any spell he knows to cast, and never looks back at the wizard again.

And wizards pay a price for metamagic - they sacrifice spell slots when preparing them they may not need, foregoing a higher level spell they may need that day.

 

[Gez]

Sorcerers have a cooler flavor. All other is in favor of the wizard.

Sure, a sorcerer can cast more spell, and in a dungeoncrawling campaign, where all you do is walking around hurling fireballs and magic missiles over and over and over and over again, the sorcerer is the equal of the wizard.

But, otherwise, a sorcerer can never know more spell of a level than a wizard can prepare at the same level. And the wizard is ahead the sorcerer. And he is allowed to correct his mistake when he makes one in his spell list. And he has bonus feats.

Etc. I personally think sorcerers could get 1 or 2 more spell known at each spell level than they actually have, and still be balanced, provided the players, rather than putting hours of work selecting the most efficient and versatile spells from every d20 resource out there, take spells according to the flavor of their magical gift. (Personally, I play a sorcerer, and there are several spells I *want* to take for flavor, because they would totally suit the character, but discard because they, quite simply, suck in combat, so I am made, if I don't want to drop more often than I already do, to emphasize min-maxing over roleplay).


If that's not clear enough, sorcerers are balanced for fanatical powergamers; whereas wizards can still have fun and be efficient.