tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post6724781165231289662..comments2024-02-27T01:17:39.925-08:00Comments on The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms: The Power of a WizardTalysmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-16393628917804365542013-07-18T05:31:31.952-07:002013-07-18T05:31:31.952-07:00A lot of that definitely developed from 3E. Or ma...A lot of that definitely developed from 3E. Or maybe it was headed that way in AD&D and continued with 3E.<br /><br />But a lot of Cleric spells, for example, were good for the whole party and lasted a fair while in Classic D&D (Bless, Protection from Cold, Haste).<br /><br />By 3E, they were usually limited both to one or a small number of targets, and lasted maybe for an entire combat. Clerics became a lot more "selfish" in that edition due to the rules changes.Dennis Laffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03053699552003336733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-66835647127470745772013-07-16T08:55:21.259-07:002013-07-16T08:55:21.259-07:00Definitely, that expression, and probably many of ...Definitely, that expression, and probably many of the others, like "linear fighter, quadratic wizard" and the complaints about clerical buffing, started with 3e. However, I routinely see the issues raised in discussions that are clearly about OD&D or AD&D. For example, there were several vociferous threads on The RPGSite sparked by an influx of "4vengers" who tried to "prove" that the OSR shouldn't be trying to revive old school play, because it would bring back "scry and fry", "linear fighter/quadratic wizard", and other bugaboos.Talysmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-4505647958283904382013-07-16T07:21:32.934-07:002013-07-16T07:21:32.934-07:00As I understand it, "scry and fry" becam...As I understand it, "scry and fry" became a standard tactic in 3rd edition, where Teleport is far more reliable and the making or purchase of magical items (especially scrolls and some wands) is easier. It's often pointed out that, in removing some of the limitations on the low-level magic-user, 3e pumped up the high-level MU enormously. So, in a way, you're addressing a problem from one edition with solutions that don't apply to that edition, but you are also usefully reinforcing why the earlier editions did not have as huge a disparity between fighters and spellcasters as 3e developed.Deadstophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07844595286531971355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-1706446298955236232013-07-15T10:21:58.873-07:002013-07-15T10:21:58.873-07:00Eh. Only hard if you inflate the importance of Int...Eh. Only hard if you inflate the importance of Int, for example by think that a character's IQ = 10 x Int. I, for one, think a character's IQ = 90 + Int. Or maybe 80 + Int x 2. Not that hard to roleplay a wizard with IQ 106 to 116.Talysmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-3815914622241385992013-07-15T10:19:19.051-07:002013-07-15T10:19:19.051-07:00Yeah, it's exactly that sort of nonsense I was...Yeah, it's exactly that sort of nonsense I was thinking of. If you stack the deck in a character's favor, then of course that character is going to win.<br /><br />A more convincing argument would be if there was a class that could never win, no matter how much you try to stack the deck in that character's favor. Or a class that always wins, without special treatment, against any other class, even when you stack the deck in the other class's favor.Talysmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-88530135264069632013-07-14T16:17:29.870-07:002013-07-14T16:17:29.870-07:00The hardest part about being a Magic-user is role-...The hardest part about being a Magic-user is role-playing that 13+ intelligence score.By The Swordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16799389743529116360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-82624388344687363552013-07-14T14:52:43.378-07:002013-07-14T14:52:43.378-07:00Meanwhile, the Fighter is pretty much always ready...Meanwhile, the Fighter is pretty much always ready to fight. Good point.<br /><br />For some reason, reading this reminded me of the old 3E era CODzilla arguments. People would basically imagine an arena combat between a Cleric and a Fighter, and say that since the Cleric could cast spells V, W, X, Y and Z, they would outperform the Fighter in single combat. To which I countered, well, what's the Fighter doing during the 5 rounds the Cleric is getting all buffed up? Attacking? Using buffing potions or items? If the Fighter's standing around like an idiot letting the Cleric cast all that, he's a moron and deserves to be beaten. :) And in a dungeon situation, once the Cleric has outperformed the Fighter by casting all of those buffs for one combat, are they going to have the spells prepared to do it all again? <br /><br />Any spellcaster looks overpowered if you imagine them ideally prepared for the challenges they are about to face. That's the trick of playing spellcasters - being able to anticipate the challenges so you can blow past them with spells. Dennis Laffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03053699552003336733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-49834428485014672452013-07-14T14:46:28.343-07:002013-07-14T14:46:28.343-07:00The average wizard can't survive a fight with ...The average wizard can't survive a fight with the average wizard. Need more spells, another wizard has them...JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-85059608058254777192013-07-14T14:13:06.499-07:002013-07-14T14:13:06.499-07:00I'm of the opinion that a wizard that gets in ...I'm of the opinion that a wizard that gets in a spot he hadn't prepared for isn't very good at his job.Rachel Ghoulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765944479141792643noreply@blogger.com