Question regarding the tier list.

[tadkins]

Just looking for a little clarification. A higher tier simply means more options, but not necessarily more power, right?

An example, two wizards go head to head in a duel. One is a level 20 generalist wizard, the other is a level 20 wizard specializing in Necromancy. For the sake of completeness, let's say the specialist banned Illusion and Enchantment. From what I've heard, a specialist wizard tends to fall into T2, while the generalist is a T1. While the specialist has fewer options and may be a tad more predictable, the necromancy spells would in fact be more powerful, and they would have more of them, correct? If both wizards shot colliding Rays of Enervation toward each other like an epic anime scene, the necromancer's ray would push the generalist wizard's back. Would having that slight edge make the specialist a competitive threat to the generalist, assuming both wizards are building equally optimally for their choices?

[TuggyNE]

There isn't any specific reason to assume that the Necromancy specialist has more powerful Necromancy spells, merely more of them, so any theatrics with rays would depend solely on personal choice or perhaps counterspelling rolls.

Even Spell Focus: Necromancy wouldn't really make a difference to that sort of thing.

[tadkins]

There isn't any specific reason to assume that the Necromancy specialist has more powerful Necromancy spells, merely more of them, so any theatrics with rays would depend solely on personal choice or perhaps counterspelling rolls.

Even Spell Focus: Necromancy wouldn't really make a difference to that sort of thing.

You're right, scratch that. For some reason I thought specialists got an extra DC to the spells of their chosen school.

[Amphetryon]

Just looking for a little clarification. A higher tier simply means more options, but not necessarily more power, right?

An example, two wizards go head to head in a duel. One is a level 20 generalist wizard, the other is a level 20 wizard specializing in Necromancy. For the sake of completeness, let's say the specialist banned Illusion and Enchantment. From what I've heard, a specialist wizard tends to fall into T2, while the generalist is a T1. While the specialist has fewer options and may be a tad more predictable, the necromancy spells would in fact be more powerful, and they would have more of them, correct? If both wizards shot colliding Rays of Enervation toward each other like an epic anime scene, the necromancer's ray would push the generalist wizard's back. Would having that slight edge make the specialist a competitive threat to the generalist, assuming both wizards are building equally optimally for their choices?Emphasis mine. What's the origin of the portion I bolded? It doesn't appear on JaronK's original categorization, to my recollection. As far as I can recall, a specialist Wizard is still T1, because she can still change out the entirety of her spell-list given notice; she's just got a slightly narrower set of parameters from which she chooses to fill her spellbook. It's the ability to swap out those spells as needed for any situation, coupled with the sheer power and versatility of the spell list, that puts her in T1.

[Deathcharge01]

This is a debate that has been raging on forever. One side argues that the generalist is superior because she has 8 schools of magic available, more options available and thus more powerful. The other side contends that there are weaker schools of magic(two or three) that can be culled from the ranks without any real "loss of power" all in exchange to have more spells per day and a sometimes useful Supernatural ability.

FS Wizards are going to tell you that Evo/Enchantment are weak and or obsolete after certain points, whereas Generalists are going to tell you that it takes true skill to use all schools of magic to their full potential. At the end of it all however, finding specific situations where one totally outshines the other probably don't exist. It pretty much comes down to what the world/campaign is based on, the pace of the daily sessions, the mentality of the player, and their knowledge of spells. I'm currently playing both options, and from my experience, they both always have a solution to any problem presented.

However you mentioned:
Would having that slight edge make the specialist a competitive threat to the generalist, assuming both wizards are building equally optimally for their choices?

At this point lets enter the Elf Generalist Domain Wizard with Uncanny Forethought at level 20. You don't give a *bleep* about who your enemy is, what they're doing etc, you have "THE" answer for them anytime they want it. This is where I think the generalist starts to pull ahead.

[Bakkan]

To answer the OP, the Tier list measures both power and versatility, because both are components to the primary thing it measures: problem-solving ability.

Broadly speaking, the tiers can be grouped into three bands based on their power:

Tiers 1 and 2 are capable of just about anything, given the correct build.

Tiers 3 and 4 are capable of holding their own and solving (or defeating) many types of level-appropriate encounters

Tiers 5 and 6 have a hard time contributing to any level-appropriate encounter because they are so weak.

Within each band, versatility tends to determine whether a class is on the top of the band or the bottom.

In the top band, Clerics are Tier 1 while Sorcerers are Tier 2, because Clerics can change the tools in their toolbox with at most a 24 hour delay, while Sorcerers only get to change ot one spell every 4 levels. Generally a single sorcerer will not be able to uickly handle any conceivable situation, but for every situation, there's a Sorcerer that can handle it. A single well-built Cleric can handle almost anything any of those Sorcerers can.

In the middle band, Beguilers are tier 3 while Rogues are Tier 4. Both are capable of dishing out decent damage (the Rogue is actually better at this than the Beguiler). However, the Beguiler also has many illusions and enchantments to handle a wide variety of situations. It's tough to make a Rogue who can contribute significantly in every social, trap-based, and combat encounter, but you can make such a Beguiler.

In the bottom band, Fighters are Tier 5 and Samurai are Tier 6. Fighters have enough feats to be able to Trip and Bull Rush and Grapple somewhat effectively while dealing acceptable damage with a greatsword, while the Samurai has some Fear abilities and class features pushing him towards a weak combat style.

EDIT: I am ignoring many subtleties and exaggerting some aspects slightly for the purposes of illustration.