Would anyone prefer spellcasting to stay as it is?

[howandwhy99]

I'd like primary spellcasting to remain Vancian, but it needs a big change. For one, get it out of the PHB so the players no longer know what spells do. Then get rid of all those arbitrary systems for range and duration that have nothing to do with spells other than to complicate them.

Of course, I'd like to get rid of the PHB's entirely, so...

 

[Merkuri]

I wouldn't mind seeing a change. From what I've heard they will be keeping the Vancian system, but that won't be the only way wizards can cast spells. Along with having x spells per level like 3e wizards, they will also have some at-will but less powerful spells, perhaps like magic missile.

So the wizard has to manage his powerful spells, deciding whether he wants to save them for later encounters or use them now, but if he does use up all of those spells he can still participate in combat in a meaningful manner (unlike the 3e wizard with a crossbow).

 

[KingCrab]

I like the vancian system for many of the same reasons that you do. I think it could be improved without too much work. Suppose you keep things as in 3.5 but allow unlimited 0th level spells per day. Some of the spells (like daze) might stay useful as you advance. The low damage spells would need to scale a little as you increased in level, perhaps to the point where an attack with ray of frost was slightly better than two crossbow hits. The system does not need a huge overhaul like the one coming in 4ed.

 

[jdrakeh]

I prefer changes because, as it stands, D&D's magic system is really only a good fit for D&D. If you wanted to emulate any actual non-D&D genre fiction or run a historical fantasy campaign, the magic system requires a massive amount of re-tooling (if you actually want to play true to the source material). So much so that, IME, I've been better off using other systems for historical fantasy or non-D&D fantasy roleplay.

 

[Nifft]

No. I like high level. I hate the complexity of spellcasters.

-- N

 

[Keldryn]

No. I don't enjoy playing a wizard under the current (and previous) spellcasting rules. The last game I played in, I had a 6th-level Wizard, and I ended up getting extremely bored after I'd used a few of my better spells. I still had a few spells left, but I wanted to conserve those in case we really needed it, so it became a tedious game of taking 5' steps away from monsters that closed in and shooting things with my crossbow. I don't care if Wizards are the most powerful at higher levels, I'd rather play a character that can do something meaningful every "round" of the game.

 

[jasin]

Out of pure curiosity, since it has already been confirmed that spellcasting will undergo serious changes, is there anyone who is less enthusiastic about it?

I'm cautious.

I'm one of the (apparently few?) people who don't feel "Vancian" is a dirty word. OTOH, wizards could use a boost at lower levels, a nerf at higher ones, and although I haven't seen them in play (partly because they seem to provide a boost, without the nerf) I think the concept behind reserve feats is excellent.

So although I'm happy with spellcasting as it is, there are directions they could take that would make me even happier.

There are probably more directions they could take that would make me less happy.

From what we've seen, I can't quite tell which is it.

As I've said, cautious.

 

[WhatGravitas]

@OP: Since 4E is going to be OGL, I think you don't have to wait very long, until you get a (probably free) Vancian spellcasting product, that gives you back Vancian spellcasting.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Mallus]

No. You should completely overhaul it as far as I'm concerned.

 

[drothgery]

No.

Traditional prepared/memorized spell D&D casters are fine at 5th level (where wizards get to not suck anymore), but the paperwork starts creeping up on you and it's getting awfully complicated by 10th, and by 15th you've got well over 40 spell slots to manage. And if you're on the other side of the DM screen -- well, there's a good reason why Evil Sorcerers have beat up Evil Wizards and taken their stuff.

Slot-based casting isn't a huge problem. It's memorization and spell selection that are the big problems. That's the main reason why even though they sacrifice tons of flexibility, the warmage-style classes get lots of play (and why I'm playing a warmage now).