A more permanent attack for arcane spellcasters

[Drakill Tannan]

I don't think an explanation is needed, i like offensive casting mages, but the rest restrictions have left mages as prebuffers alone. I think they should have a way of dealing damage (effectively) without having to turn into melee mages.

Figured it couldn't hurt to throw an idea. Although i really don't expect much reactions in favour.

Suggestion: Add a special ability to wizards/sorcerers throuhg player tools. Unlimited times/day allow them to cast a fire bolt dealing 1d6+1 damage +1 per 2 caster levels after level 1. This in hopes to have a wizard damaging the enemy from behind the fighter, effectively supporting him actively in battle.

[lovethesuit]

There is a similar class to this called the Warlock, that I think first pops up in AD&D 3.5. They are even more specific than a sorcerer, in that they really only get their blast power, no actual spellcasting. It would be a little unbalanced to let wizards/sorcerers get this ability and still keep all their regular spells.

[Luke Danger]

Agreed. If they get such, they have to sacrifice something important, like spell slots.

[Talir]

Wizards and sorcerers alike can choose the craft wand feat at level 5/6. For the paltry sum of less than a hundred gold coins, you can get a cantrip wand which fires 25 charges of for example frost bolt. This should be a feasible contribution to any offensive spellcaster. You can go as high as creating a fireball wand, which would be pretty deadly in any encounter with masses of enemies. Else, use crossbows or bows.

[Listen in Silence]

TalirIsWise

[Egon the Monkey]

There are a few wands that are handy though. Colour Spray. Holding. Cantrips yeah, for swarms. Missiles though and Negative rays are just not cost effective really.

However, what I would like to see is a way to create "mini wands", 5 charge wands at a fraction of the cost of full 25 charge wands. Fireball wands are very expensive. 3k. Even Acid Arrow or Combust wands aren't cheap. But, if you could have a 600 gold 5 use wand as a reserve, that would be quite handy and not a huge investment! Something that fills the gap between scrolls and full, expensive 25 charge wands.

[Dr Dragon]

Wizards are super effective in combat yes in a large scale war/battle Wizards are good as buffers but are super effective in PVP. Especially 1 on 1 in a ambush. I recall a lvl 10 wizards destroying my entire party of warriors and a priest. Wizards can be super in combat depending on the situation but id say in scripted quests/Some DM events their effective as buffers.

[Egon the Monkey]

I think you mean "only" in an ambush, unless you've got to a point where you walk around with a "kill the shit out of someone" load-out all the time. You've rather missed the point though, DrD. It is nice to feel like you're doing something offensively useful in a fight, not just buffing and invis healing (if you have a smart regular quest tem that lets you take ontarget heals), shooting rather rubbishly or scratching your wizardly balls.

There is a bit of a consumables gap here IMO, with potions being easy to find or buy and deploy throughout fights, but their caster equivalents (scrolls and wands) much less so. Especially as the DC on consumables is quite low. Stuff like Caster Level 5 Missile/Ray devices, scrolls and cantrip gear in more places than just 2 quests really would be good.

[Cruzel]

I think GSF:Evocation mages should be able to craft some sort of arcane focus attack device thing Similar to  a spell sequencer. (It stores and is able to recast any spell you cast on it at a later time, for a set amount of times)  The gizmo would maybe give 2-3 charges of the attack spell of their choosing, and the charges would fade after maybe an hour of realtime.  There could be multiple strengths of these items available with some being more rare than others, each allowing a variety of charges and spell levels they accept.  So a mage could make a weaker one that only lets you make cantrips but gives you 5 shots or so; Or a stronger one that only lets you make level 3 and gives you 2 shots. Etc.

This way a GSF:Evocation and primarily offensive mage can get 'more spellslots' for their offensive magic.

While -most- quests are short and sweet- allowing the mage to conserve his spells enough to keep the quest balanced, making this unneccessary, some quests can be rather long and harrowing, and after the mage has exhausted his spells he either becomes an observer or a healer.  This could add some sweet variety to how quests play out, since atm most mages you see are either buffers or summon spammers, or melee.  Not to mention it would not be hard at all to script/implement, since it would literally be a few minor tweaks to bioware's already implemented sequencer system.

[Sandstorm]

I think we should listen to Talir.

[BrittanyPanthas]

.....Craft Wand is just about the most useful feat a wizard can take, if only for wands of invisibility.

Cantrip wands are just a huge bonus.

[Cruzel]

The only problem with wands (especially evocation) is that they cost ridiculous amounts of money, and (apparently) money is hard to get for some people, making playing a wizard who has a nice stockpile of wands sort of nonviable for them, considering how fast they would use them compared to how long it takes for them to get them.

I don't really think that saying "Just use wands" is helpful advice to most players, as they really can't afford them.


I personally would prefer any viable alternative to seeing every mage go invisible an entire quest healing/summoning or just standing there firing a crossbow that will never hit.

Even a unlimited use/day ranged touch attack with like a +4 AB bonus that does  like 1d6+2 elemental damage or something would be nice. (And easy to script). Even then they would do less damage than a fighter, have less AB, but they would have a solid method of damaging that isn't hindered by the aurora engine of doomy hardcodedness.

[Nihm]

Mages can use crossbows, which have about the same damage.  There are various types of ammunition too.  Mages can boost their own crossbow AB with cat's grace, and should get about four ab pretty easily.

[Behemoth]

Use a crossbow, craft a wand (why else would we want the feat so much other than making a lot of cha-ching?), Boost the economy for wands (has there been an EFU:A bale out?) or cast a spell?

[ScottyB]

I know I don't do anything around here any more, but for the sake of considering game design...

I don't like the "use a crossbow" 'suggestion' as it doesn't seem... mage-y... and other reasons I touch on in my rambling. But the idea of making lesser-charged wands, cheaper, seems like a step in the right direction that might actually not-break things here. Although this doesn't help the non-crafter. :???: Perhaps open up cantrip crafting to people even without the feat, but only usable by the exact class of the crafter, non-UMDable?

[hide="Rambling"]4th Edition realized that having everyone contributing to an encounter at the same time, everyone having something meaningful to do every turn, keeps players engaged, which keeps them happy. Keep everyone playing together on the same thing. A wizard hanging in the back with a crossbow is no longer participating in a meaningful way - their show ended when they finished buffing, or will start when they nova.

But 4E is a whole different edition of D&D, designed with a different philosophy. It may be one that I think is more appropriate for gaming, and probably one a lot of people recognized - as indicated by this thread, and by 4E - but that doesn't mean it can just be plugged in anywhere.

But what am I rambling for? I don't do anything any more.[/hide]