Caster challenged [Archive] - Wizards Community

Caster challenged [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
solipsist00
07-31-03, 07:09 PM hey guys,
i'm just about to start a new campaign with some first time gamers. all my players have selected their classes and i don't want to influence their decisions too much. (tweeking a build is ok, but i don't want to change a class.) the only problem i forsee is that the group has no outright arcane spell caster.

here's a break down of the group, please tell me if i'm worrying for no reason: we have a lvl 1 barb, a lvl 1 cleric, a lvl 1 ranger, a lvl 1 bard and a lvl 1 rogue.

i know that the bard, cleric and ranger all have spellcasting potential, but nothing to the effect of a wizard or a sorcerer. any suggestions? i have thought of making a npc guide/lowlvl wiz, but that may be too many characters in the party.

thanks,
solipsist00
Lord_Soto
07-31-03, 07:19 PM You've got 5 characters. Two of them being fighter types. At first level, with a cleric in the party, they should be as effective as 3 fighters instead of 2. I doubt that they'll need any wizard/sorc type spellcasting for a while. The Cleric's powers should be sufficient, with him doubling as a second file fighter, and the rogue and bard ought to round out their ranged combat. I say let them be.
Sid_Patterson
07-31-03, 07:25 PM Depends on what sort of game you'll be running. If you're planning on running the sort of game where there are arcane casters, magical puzzles, and artifacts around every corner than maybe you should worry.

Just think about what sort of world you'll be running and answer your own question.

Much luck. New players can be a headache but their energy level is also like none other. Have fun.
Dash Branaghan
07-31-03, 07:54 PM I wouldn't sweat the lack of sorc or wiz in this.

First off, both the Bard and the Cleric are capable of casting the Wiz killer Dispel Magic. On top of it, both Bard and Cleric can cast heal spells to restore the party when they are beat up. Your barbarian is a great meat shield, the cleric can step up and bash undead heads, and the ranger can either be a ranged warrior or a melee cuisinart. The rogue is great for the distracting sneak attack that nails the wizard in mid casting, especially if they have a crossbow, point blank, and ranged sneak attack.
unclejoey
07-31-03, 07:55 PM Yeah, what Sid said. There should be no problem if you write your own adventures--you know what the characters can handle and what they can't. You might have a problem if you want to run published adventures, though. I think that published adventures assume a balanced party (at least one each of fighter, cleric, rogue, wizard/sorcerer). If you run published adventures, you'll have to tweak accordingly.

I agree that you shouldn't force a player to play a class he doesn't want to. I personally don't like "DMPCs", but there a lot of DMs that use them. You'll have to decide for yourself. ;)
Yankee
07-31-03, 07:58 PM I agree about not sweating it. Your party should be fine for the reasons mentioned above, plus theres the added bonus that NPC arcane spellcasters get to seem more mysterious and powerful without any alteration.
solipsist00
07-31-03, 08:16 PM well ya see there in lies the problem. i'm planning on running the shackled city adventure path from dungeon magazine. as i had an adventure in mind, but was perplexed at how to start it. after reading life's bazaar in dungeon 97 i fell in love. and if the rest is as good as the first i hope to continue with it. has anyone else ran this campaign? is there anything that the above mentioned party should have to worry about?
thanks,
solipsist00
Nick Soapdish
07-31-03, 09:05 PM I also think that you should be fine. Like the others said, you'll have to pay careful attention to encounters in published adventures. Sometimes they assume that the party has somebody that will be able to take down a large number of foes quickly. But usually you can do OK without an arcane caster. Plus, it'll give the party a bit more time to get used to the rules. Spellcasters can slow things down, especially if they're just getting the hang of things.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
solipsist00 07-31-03, 07:09 PM	hey guys, i'm just about to start a new campaign with some first time gamers. all my players have selected their classes and i don't want to influence their decisions too much. (tweeking a build is ok, but i don't want to change a class.) the only problem i forsee is that the group has no outright arcane spell caster. here's a break down of the group, please tell me if i'm worrying for no reason: we have a lvl 1 barb, a lvl 1 cleric, a lvl 1 ranger, a lvl 1 bard and a lvl 1 rogue. i know that the bard, cleric and ranger all have spellcasting potential, but nothing to the effect of a wizard or a sorcerer. any suggestions? i have thought of making a npc guide/lowlvl wiz, but that may be too many characters in the party. thanks, solipsist00
Lord_Soto 07-31-03, 07:19 PM	You've got 5 characters. Two of them being fighter types. At first level, with a cleric in the party, they should be as effective as 3 fighters instead of 2. I doubt that they'll need any wizard/sorc type spellcasting for a while. The Cleric's powers should be sufficient, with him doubling as a second file fighter, and the rogue and bard ought to round out their ranged combat. I say let them be.
Sid_Patterson 07-31-03, 07:25 PM	Depends on what sort of game you'll be running. If you're planning on running the sort of game where there are arcane casters, magical puzzles, and artifacts around every corner than maybe you should worry. Just think about what sort of world you'll be running and answer your own question. Much luck. New players can be a headache but their energy level is also like none other. Have fun.
Dash Branaghan 07-31-03, 07:54 PM	I wouldn't sweat the lack of sorc or wiz in this. First off, both the Bard and the Cleric are capable of casting the Wiz killer Dispel Magic. On top of it, both Bard and Cleric can cast heal spells to restore the party when they are beat up. Your barbarian is a great meat shield, the cleric can step up and bash undead heads, and the ranger can either be a ranged warrior or a melee cuisinart. The rogue is great for the distracting sneak attack that nails the wizard in mid casting, especially if they have a crossbow, point blank, and ranged sneak attack.
unclejoey 07-31-03, 07:55 PM	Yeah, what Sid said. There should be no problem if you write your own adventures--you know what the characters can handle and what they can't. You might have a problem if you want to run published adventures, though. I think that published adventures assume a balanced party (at least one each of fighter, cleric, rogue, wizard/sorcerer). If you run published adventures, you'll have to tweak accordingly. I agree that you shouldn't force a player to play a class he doesn't want to. I personally don't like "DMPCs", but there a lot of DMs that use them. You'll have to decide for yourself. ;)
Yankee 07-31-03, 07:58 PM	I agree about not sweating it. Your party should be fine for the reasons mentioned above, plus theres the added bonus that NPC arcane spellcasters get to seem more mysterious and powerful without any alteration.
solipsist00 07-31-03, 08:16 PM	well ya see there in lies the problem. i'm planning on running the shackled city adventure path from dungeon magazine. as i had an adventure in mind, but was perplexed at how to start it. after reading life's bazaar in dungeon 97 i fell in love. and if the rest is as good as the first i hope to continue with it. has anyone else ran this campaign? is there anything that the above mentioned party should have to worry about? thanks, solipsist00
Nick Soapdish 07-31-03, 09:05 PM	I also think that you should be fine. Like the others said, you'll have to pay careful attention to encounters in published adventures. Sometimes they assume that the party has somebody that will be able to take down a large number of foes quickly. But usually you can do OK without an arcane caster. Plus, it'll give the party a bit more time to get used to the rules. Spellcasters can slow things down, especially if they're just getting the hang of things.