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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ECMO3" data-source="post: 9172250" data-attributes="member: 7030563">Generally Wizards (Magic-Users) were not the most powerful characters in AD&D 1E, even at high level.High level martials could could do a ton of damage in one round regularly once weapon specialization and high level magic items became available and their THAC0 was so low this was nearly automatic.  It was rare that PC Magic-Users could cast the high level spells to match this.Magic-Users were weakened in 1E by magic resistance and the fact saving throws were easy to make at high level.  Something like Feeblemind for example is very powerful, but a high level fighter only needs a 7 to save.  Less if he had a 15 or better Wisdom or any kind of magic items that boost saves and a Wizard casting such a spell in combat is very vulnerable to being attacked.There were high level spells like Wish and Power Word Kill that did not give saves and those are as powerful as 5E contemporaries, however few PC Magic-Users could cast these spells because they lacked the required intelligence score.  In 1E you rolled abilities and they never increased.  So you had to roll an 18 intelligence at 1st level and even if you got extremely lucky and rolled an 18 you still had a 15% chance of not being able to learn a particular spell.</blockquote>