[4e] My new favorite powers: Wizard

[The New Bruceski]

I had a couple of great moments in my campaign last night where one of my spells really shone through. I figured I'd share.

Thunderwave -- Great in general, we were fighting two gelatinous cubes and a carrion crawler (so ongoing damage got harsh). Cubes' engulf is treated as a grab, and at one point everyone was playing the role of a tasty dessert -- tank in one, 3 party members in the other -- except for me. Run out of the hallway I was hiding in, dimension door into a good position, and Thunderwave the greedy Cube. Forced movement breaks grabs, and so everyone else was then free to take actions as needed. I spend the rest of the encounter keeping the Cubes from getting an extended chow time.

Bigby's Icy Grasp -- I wasn't sure between using this or Stinking Cloud, but the choice paid off. Fighting an Orc Bloodreaver (dangerous, heals attacking bloodied guys) among others, I managed to summon the hand and get a grab on him. Unable to attack (the Fighter moved away) he'd break the grab, but no longer have a standard action to use. Next round I move the hand back to him and grab him again. It completely locked the guy down.

[huttj509]

Locked the guy down at the cost of locking you down in a similar manner, right?

[The New Bruceski]

Locked the guy down at the cost of locking you down in a similar manner, right?

Icy Grasp does damage when it grabs, so while it kept me from attacking anyone else, they were under control by the rest of the party. If I needed to use my actions elsewhere it would be a balancing act of decisions. That seems to be the role conjurations are taking in 4e; conservation of actions.

[Helgraf]

Locked the guy down at the cost of locking you down in a similar manner, right?

As it should be.

[Jothki]

As it should be.

Bah, a Wizard isn't a real Wizard unless it can completely eliminate part of an encounter and still be completely free for the rest of the battle.

[SadisticFishing]

Why couldn't he attacking? Breaking a grab is a move action, no?

[Dhavaer]

Why couldn't he attacking? Breaking a grab is a move action, no?

The Bloodrager apparently wasn't adjacent to anyone, and so would have to use its standard action to engage instead of attack.

[mrmaxmrmax]

The Orc Bloodreaver should engage and attack: Charge!

It takes one standard action and he gets to move his speed before a basic attack. He also gets a bonus to his attack roll. As long as he is moving more than two squares, he can do it. PHB287

Let your DM know that he doesn't have to suffer under Bigby's Icy Grasp forever!

Maxwell.

[The New Bruceski]

Why couldn't he attacking? Breaking a grab is a move action, no?

Well I'll be ****ed, we were playing it as a standard action to escape. Why can't escaping a grab be under the Grab heading?

It balances out anyway, because we needed standard actions to escape when getting eaten by Gelatinous Cubes.

[Shadow_Elf]

Another great feature of Thunderwave is knocking things off of cliffs and staircases. And into pits of acid or other similarly excruciating circumstances. Really magnifies the damage factor when they're taking xd10 falling damage and landing on something sharp =)

If you bust up their saving throws enough, it makes it harder for them to avoid being knocked off of the precipices.

[Arbitrarity]

Thunderwave is win. Enemy closing in on you, party a few squares away in a big group? Move, and Thunderwave. Party gangbeats really hard. Next target.

[Burley]

Actually, wizard powers are just awesome all over. During my last session, my wizard (Banyan) used Ray of Frost on some heavy Brutes, keeping them away for a round or two. That was helpful.
Also, Thunderwave is a great way to escape a grab. It doesn't provoke because it's Close range and if you push something that is grabbing, it ends the grab. (Which doesn't count as an escape, because escape rolls are not made. Don't let your DM make reaction attacks because he scorpions can't hold onto things.)

Oh! And, flippin' Acid Arrow? Bloody Life-Saver that thing is.