Post/Author/DateTime	Post
choward 08-08-04, 11:39 AM	Our group is contemplating switching to 3.5 from 3.0. I have a long standing wizrd character and, from my cursory reading of 3.5, it does seem that wizards are greatly depowered. Personally, I wouldn't have too much of some power reduction as I can see the argument that wizards and other spell casters are too powerful in 3.0, but 3.5 seems to go too far in the other direction. For example, most spell durations are cut by several orders of magnitude (spells that were originally counted in hours are now counted in rounds, etc.). Many other classes have obviously gained considerably in power in 3.5 (again, understandably, since some were underpowered), but it seems to me that transitioning the group to 3.5 will be a one-way street for my character. (My DM is unlikely to consider 3.25 house rules, so it will be all or nothing.) Now, question is... Are there any ways in which spellcasters gain power, flexibility in 3.5, or do I simply have to resign myself to having a character who is weaker on every level? Any help would be appreciated.
q'afuu 08-08-04, 11:53 AM	Originally posted by choward Are there any ways in which spellcasters gain power, flexibility in 3.5, or do I simply have to resign myself to having a character who is weaker on every level? Metamagic rods. Which I houseruled to nerf them somewhat, but that's my decision. All in all, casters are still far more powerful than non-casters at mid to high levels anyway.
Plunderer_of_the_planes 08-08-04, 12:11 PM	I don't know what kind of wizard you have so I'll just give you mt general changes I made to bring wizards back to where they belong.... 1. Ignore the multiple school restrictions for specialists...Use either the 3e banned classes ot if you have the 2e PH use that one (surprisingly the 2e list works better) 2. You'll have to decided how you are going to approach spell nerfs such as the buff spells. So far I have two solutions to this but haven't used either yet. Solution1: Use the 3e descritions for nerfed spells until abuse or problems arise then use the 3.5 ones. (some DM's such as myself have not had the problems others claim) Solution2: Keep all 3.5 descriptions but use the spell point system in unearthed arcana. The spell nerf remains but wizards can still cast them without 'wasteing' slots or feeling cheated by the change in description. ( this is what I am leaning towards using in my game) 3. Remember to play it all by ear. 3.5 is not free of it's own problems or abuses. If something is not working bring it up and see if you can change to the old way of doing things or come up with a new one. ....here is where players and DM's can clash. As long as you can present a good case most DM's will listen to you. That's all I have and I hope it helps.
Mister Mayhem 08-08-04, 01:02 PM	I suspect that, with a few levels behind him, the average wizard is still a lot more dangerous than the average fighter. As for the reduction in certain spell durations, I wouldn't sweat it. Now you can buy combat spells instead of being the parties equivalent of a walking bag of potions.
Seeker95 08-08-04, 02:10 PM	Originally posted by Plunderer_of_the_planes general changes I made to bring wizards back to where they belong....demi-god status back up to full-fledged deity-hood? :D In general, 3.5 is every bit as fun as 3.0 with the changes affecting the edition as a whole. It is different enough to require thought and care in mixing things up. Whatever you end up doing, keep *fun* as your objective, and *balance* as your guide.
Plunderer_of_the_planes 08-08-04, 05:06 PM	Now Seeker don't confuse the poor chap....;) i was simply going by the Conan rule of magic....to paraphrase Conan the Destroyer "what good is steel against magic?" Anyway Seeker is close on what you should do Just look in my sig for how to have the most fun in the game.....
a_psh 08-09-04, 12:10 AM	The big wizard nerf is Haste. That's because, as written, Haste was prodigiously broken, essentially a free Quicken on 1 spell per round for the rest of the encounter, plus some mobility and defensive bonuses, all for the cost of a third-level slot. 3.5e Haste is actually sensible. I like the changes to the stat-boosting spells. A 3.0e mage could enchant all his ability scores for a whole day by the time he hit the middle levels. This also made the 3.0e cleric capable of awesome buffing thanks to Bull's Strength. A 2nd-level spell essentially did the work of all the stat-boosting gear in the DMG for an entire day. In their current incarnation, these spells last for a combat or two, but they give far more even bonuses (always +4) and there are Mass versions at higher levels. Various holes related to overpowered short-term effects or long-term effects that lasted too long have since been fixed. It wasn't just arcane magic that got some careful scrutiny: you'll also notice that Heal/Harm now have an hp cap. The main issue I see with 3.5e spellcasting is Holy Word/Dictum/Word of Chaos/Blasphemy, which I think can be fixed reasonably well by allowing a save vs. death. The 3.5e wizard is still very strong, especially given the access to metamagic rods. You'll also note that Archamge (without the Spell Power tweakery) is a core PrC now. Summoner-type mages, meanwhile, get the very useful Augment Summoning feat and a PrC that also strenghtens their calling spells. Specialization rules do seem somewhat more restrictive now, but it should be noted that the schools have been somewhat rebalanced, with a few spells shifted around to even out the power levels between them without hurting the overall thematic integrity of the schools. I don't see the 3.5e wizard as nerfed, just balanced. Frankly, getting rid of the Haste double-cast was the best thing that could have happened to an arcanist, since there now isn't one strategy that every sorceror or wizard just has to follow to be good.