School Specialization. For Story or Gameplay?

[Star_Rider]

So on the last sunday of January a representative from WotC is coming to the mall near where I live to do some DMing. I'm a trifle nervous as to making a good impression, 'cause this is actually going to be my first REAL game of D&D.

I'm a big fan of School Specialization (and Wizards in general), and I'm torn between two choices for this important game.

1. Abjuration for Story and Character Development. Story is very important to me, and I always enjoy being a heavily fleshed out character. I usually play a timid (typically undertall) character who favours defense over offense, and for that reason chooses Abjuration as his specialty.

OR

2. Evocation for Gameplay. I like to play defensive, but I also like spells that do damage. I like the idea of firing a bolt of flame out of my hand over a cliff at the Kobold Druid below, and going offensive seems the better way to help out my adventuring party.


Can I ask you people to help me make my descision?

[Necromas]

You can always specialize evocation and still roleplay as an Abjurer that happens to use evocation spells as well just like any wizard would that hasn't prohibited evocation. Just don't take abjuration as a prohibited school.

[AKA_Bait]

So on the last sunday of January a representative from WotC is coming to the mall near where I live to do some DMing. I'm a trifle nervous as to making a good impression, 'cause this is actually going to be my first REAL game of D&D.

I must admit, this confuses me. Is this going to be your first live game of D&D (rather than say PbP)? Otherwise, I'm lost. I've never played with a WotC rep. but I've played many a 'real' game of D&D.

1. Abjuration for Story and Character Development. Story is very important to me, and I always enjoy being a heavily fleshed out character. I usually play a timid (typically undertall) character who favours defense over offense, and for that reason chooses Abjuration as his specialty.

Go for the story. IMHO that's what D&D is about anyway. Besides, and Abjuer can be quite useful for the party without stealing the thunder of the 'smashy' classes.

[Gorbash]

But as we all know, Evocation sucks, so there is no reason to take it for the gameplay... Feel free to ban it, and you'll still be a Batman. So sayeth the wise Logic Ninja and so shall it be.

[Emperor Demonking]

Would you really have time for story development?

Yeah yoou should choose abjuration more incharacter and more powerful.

[brant167]

(This is all from my experience playing wizards many of times in heavy role play games.)

Abjuration is much more important then Evocation. Abjur. has a great deal of stuff that is useful for the entire party. Lets say your a level 1 wizard. The most damage you will be able to do with a spell would be shocking grasp which deals 1d6 damage with a touch attack. Which means with your 5ish hit points you need to avoid a attack of opportunity and most likely roll at least a 8 (assuming you have a 14 dex and the creature has a dex of 10) to hit and then deal 1d6 points of damage. When a fighter with 12 hit points can get up close and most likely roll a 9 and deal 1d8+2 damage. The fighter will be doing more damage then you with ease as well as able to survive an attack or two from the enemy.

OR you can cast an alarm spell to ward off an ambush that might happen when the party is sleeping. Or hold door to give the party a chance to prepare to fight or even escape.

A wizard waste his spells by casting damage spells. Let the fighter and rogue worry about doing the damage. They will be doing more damage at every level anyway. Stopping a enemy spell caster from casting his spells, insuring the party isn't ambushed, baring extra dimensional movement, making it hard for the bad guys to find a relic...etc. is better then doing xd6 in damage. The wizard is the brains of the operation and abjuration + illusion allows him to show that cranium off.

[Star_Rider]

I must admit, this confuses me. Is this going to be your first live game of D&D (rather than say PbP)? Otherwise, I'm lost. I've never played with a WotC rep. but I've played many a 'real' game of D&D.

The first few games I've played have all been just to get the feel of D&D. Which means that they wern't taken that seriously and all the campaigns only lasted around 4 hours each. The longest story I've had going (I'm usually the DM) was only around three days long. I geuss that makes me a bit of a newb.

(This is all from my experience playing wizards many of times in heavy role play games.)

Abjuration is much more important then Evocation. Abjur. has a great deal of stuff that is useful for the entire party. Lets say your a level 1 wizard. The most damage you will be able to do with a spell would be shocking grasp which deals 1d6 damage with a touch attack. Which means with your 5ish hit points you need to avoid a attack of opportunity and most likely roll at least a 8 (assuming you have a 14 dex and the creature has a dex of 10) to hit and then deal 1d6 points of damage. When a fighter with 12 hit points can get up close and most likely roll a 9 and deal 1d8+2 damage. The fighter will be doing more damage then you with ease as well as able to survive an attack or two from the enemy.

OR you can cast an alarm spell to ward off an ambush that might happen when the party is sleeping. Or hold door to give the party a chance to prepare to fight or even escape.

A wizard waste his spells by casting damage spells. Let the fighter and rogue worry about doing the damage. They will be doing more damage at every level anyway. Stopping a enemy spell caster from casting his spells, insuring the party isn't ambushed, baring extra dimensional movement, making it hard for the bad guys to find a relic...etc. is better then doing xd6 in damage. The wizard is the brains of the operation and abjuration + illusion allows him to show that cranium off.

Yeah that does make sense. Truth be told I'd rather be support rather than anything else.

[Rad]

Yeah that does make sense. Truth be told I'd rather be support rather than anything else.

Then go with Abjuration since it's also in your character concept. Transmutation is a valid alternative. Nice spells include Grease (people that make a balance check with less than 5 ranks in it are denied Dex to AC; your rogue will love it) and Glitterdust.

If the campaign is long and you get to high levels AND you really want to be powerful get Master Abjurer to qualify for Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil... oddly, one of the most overpowered wizard builds is an Abjurer.

[Brom]

I have an Abjurer in a campaign, lv 4. He's proved to be quite an asset to the group, but everyone whines when he uses evocations, and besides that, I run out too fast. Experiance has taught me that it's usually better to play a supporting role and work hard to either hamper enemies, defend your self/allies, or fufill some other role. Now, I save evocations for laying into the heaviest, most important targets on the battlefield, and use the rest of my magic for keeping my party alive.

Abjurers are nice. If you TRULY want a supporting role, though, go Transmuter.

If you want a role involving misdirection, go Enchantment or Illusionist.

If you want a role involving hampering the enemies in battles, go Conjuration.

If you want a role that allows you to cripple enemies, go Necromancy.

Besides, with Warmage out, there is basically no reason why anyone would ever play a Wizard spec'd for Evocation if what they really wanted was damage. The only reason to go Evoker is that the Evoker spec still allows you five other schools of magic, wherareas Warmage will only allow you minor buffs, evocations and conjuration spells. More utility in an evoker, but still a lot of damage. Which is sadly still 1/2 as much as what the Warmage tosses out.

[Voyager_I]

I believe my signature speaks for me, friend.

[Neftren]

(This is all from my experience playing wizards many of times in heavy role play games.)

Abjuration is much more important then Evocation. Abjur. has a great deal of stuff that is useful for the entire party. Lets say your a level 1 wizard. The most damage you will be able to do with a spell would be shocking grasp which deals 1d6 damage with a touch attack. Which means with your 5ish hit points you need to avoid a attack of opportunity and most likely roll at least a 8 (assuming you have a 14 dex and the creature has a dex of 10) to hit and then deal 1d6 points of damage. When a fighter with 12 hit points can get up close and most likely roll a 9 and deal 1d8+2 damage. The fighter will be doing more damage then you with ease as well as able to survive an attack or two from the enemy.

OR you can cast an alarm spell to ward off an ambush that might happen when the party is sleeping. Or hold door to give the party a chance to prepare to fight or even escape.

A wizard waste his spells by casting damage spells. Let the fighter and rogue worry about doing the damage. They will be doing more damage at every level anyway. Stopping a enemy spell caster from casting his spells, insuring the party isn't ambushed, baring extra dimensional movement, making it hard for the bad guys to find a relic...etc. is better then doing xd6 in damage. The wizard is the brains of the operation and abjuration + illusion allows him to show that cranium off.

I agree with everything up to your last statement. A wizard can deal a LOT of damage with the right build. Time Stop + Delayed Blast Fireball repeatedly... then detonate the fireballs as the Time Stop ends, or Meteor Storm on the Time Stopped area... tons of ways. A standard fireball goes 10d6 tops, which is a lot of damage at CL 10. Cast a quickened and a maximized and your opponent is toast.

[The_Snark]

Area damage spells can be useful, because that's something the fighters and rogues can't replicate very easily or effectively. However, those are only useful in situations that call for area spells. So while you don't need to shun them entirely, specializing in evocation spells probably isn't the best idea.

[Voyager_I]

It's an average of 35 damage on a failed save. Not an especially high bar for a 10th Level Fighter, and it doesn't cost him anything besides an action. It can hit more than one target, but by then, so can the Fighter. Of course, your Fighter might not appreciate you flinging too many of them around him, either.

I suppose you could do quite a lot at high levels, if you don't plan on doing anything else magic-related that day, but it doesn't change the fact that you could be doing something better. Evocation don't generally take things out of the fight with one spell. Many other schools do, and can also effect multiple targets (Sleep, Hold Person, the Dominate line, etc.).

[Nerd-o-rama]

Specialize in Abjuration, don't ban Evocation. Or do, as it's not vital, but if you have fun with it, you might as well keep it.

Problem solved!

[Star_Rider]

In that case I'll specialize Abjuration and ban, oh, let's say Necromancy and Enchantment.