poor casters

[raichi]

hey i dont know if it's just me but theres threads on every way to nerf a full caster,late game, but that hurts there feelings because theres not a single thread on how to make them better early game because quite frankly i think they really kind of suck early game so come on guys lets show them that there not hated doesn anyone have some fixes that solve the early game isseu? Because if you dont... IT'LL MAKE THEM SAD !!!

[Morty]

Cast Sleep, Color Spray, Ray of Enfeeblement and Grease and wait for level 3 or maybe 5. Simple.

[Green Bean]

Wizards aren't that bad early-game. Grease, Glitterdust, Sleep, Colour Spray all mean that even from early on, a wizard will be contributing.

[Dausuul]

Agree with the preceding posters. Casters start out good and just get better.

Of course, you do have to know how to pick your spells, and you also have to be good at conserving your resources. Remember that at low levels, you can contribute substantially just by shooting people with your crossbow; don't think you have to cast a spell every round. Use your spells wisely and with restraint, keep that light crossbow handy, and you'll be plenty effective.

And I'm playing a second-level bard right now, so I know whereof I speak.

[Kaelik]

Wizards are already SAD. That's the problem. I mean what? Oh crying? Can't too busy coup de graceing all the people I knocked out.

[Indon]

I thought this thread was talking about Vow of Poverty.

<.<

>.>

[SoD]

How did you get 'vow of poverty' from 'poor casters'?

[Dausuul]

How did you get 'vow of poverty' from 'poor casters'?

Poverty... poor... um...

...never mind.

[Chronos]

Really, it depends on how many encounters per day you're seeing. Even at low levels, a single spell can more or less decide an encounter. 4-6 goblins would be a bit taxing without a wizard, but a single Sleep spell probably cuts that down to 1 or 2 goblins, which the party can easily mop up nonmagically before dealing with the sleepers. So effectively, one spell won the encounter. The limiting factor on this is just that at low levels, you can't do this very many times per day. If your DM throws 20 goblins at you, one at a time, the 1st-level warriors are going to outshine the 1st-level wizard, but if those same goblins come at you in four groups of five each, the wizard outshines the warriors.

[OX166]

Of all my players, its one guy in particular who manages to stay alive at low lvls despite all odds. And he always plays a wizard...though he is considering trying other classes now. Now my players know I am a no mercy DM who delights in their destruction..not really but don't tell them otherwise, but he manages to survive if not win almost any encounter. He accomplishes this not only by carefull spell selection and planning, not only through conservation, but by ensuring he stays well within the limit of his predefined role via that spell selection. He is notorious for casting some spell that grants proficincy with a weapon wading into melee, then using a spell to switch himself with a tank character who is finishing off someone far off to the left, then using some evocation to kill a third off to the right. HE also employs the empty spell slot for that you never know if you'll need a knock or some other utilitarian spell.

[Lord Tataraus]

Really, it depends on how many encounters per day you're seeing. Even at low levels, a single spell can more or less decide an encounter. 4-6 goblins would be a bit taxing without a wizard, but a single Sleep spell probably cuts that down to 1 or 2 goblins, which the party can easily mop up nonmagically before dealing with the sleepers. So effectively, one spell won the encounter. The limiting factor on this is just that at low levels, you can't do this very many times per day. If your DM throws 20 goblins at you, one at a time, the 1st-level warriors are going to outshine the 1st-level wizard, but if those same goblins come at you in four groups of five each, the wizard outshines the warriors.

racist, why didn't you use koblods or something? Why goblins? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I basically agree with everyone else here. Wizards are fine at low levels, though I advocate boosting melee types rather than nerfing casters (and by boosting I mean use ToB).

[raichi]

well way i see it thats some of the first non-hating on full casters i've heard and to be honest i thought color spray was useless thanks for opening my eyes to ideas !

[raygungothic]

It seems to me that a caster can be a pretty effective character and make a major contribution even at first level, in many styles of campaign. (We're a long way from second edition!) They just need to avoid direct damage spells, which are a really poor use of their spell slots at that stage.

[leperkhaun]

for more intense campaigns a wand of sleep/color spray/grease/or ray of enfeblement are cheap and can keep that wizard going.

[Starbuck_II]

well way i see it thats some of the first non-hating on full casters i've heard and to be honest i thought color spray was useless thanks for opening my eyes to ideas !

Colorspray, unlike Sleep, can actually be useful any level. The drawback is 15 range burst or so instead of anywhere in a area like sleep.