Wizards as a viable class?

Xanadu · Post by **Xanadu** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:05 pm

Hi all,

I've played a wizard pretty much exclusively in NS3 and have been disappointed at the small number of really useful/effective spells available. This makes me think of specializing in sorcery the next time around. Has anything changed in NS4 to improve general spell utility and give me a reason to play a wiz?

Thanks,

Xan

Knightwing4 · Post by **Knightwing4** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:10 pm

there's so many possible things that could make wiz better than sorc if the devs decided to implement, we'll see though

Uber_Hoser · Post by **Uber_Hoser** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:12 pm

'The wonderful thing about Wizards
Is Wizards are wonderful things
Their hats are made out of velvet
Their wands are made out of springs
They're magey, pagey, hazy, crazy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun
But the most wonderful thing about Wizards
Is I'm the only one

The wonderful thing about Wizards
Is Wizards are wonderful chaps
They're loaded with vim and with vigor
They love to cast their attacks
They're magey, pagey, hazy, crazy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun
But the most wonderful thing about Wizards
Is I'm the only one

Wizards are wonderful fellahs
Wizards are awfully sweet
Everyone elses is jealous
And thats why I repeat
The wonderful thing about Wizards
Is Wizards are wonderful things
Their hats are made out of velvet
Their wands are made out of springs
They're magey, pagey, hazy, crazy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun
But the most wonderful thing about Wizards
Is I'm the only one
Yes, I'm the only one
(Abracadabra !!)'

'Wayyyy too much coffee today'

Mokihana · Post by **Mokihana** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:12 pm

well since no one knows how what spells will be effective or not in the begining a wiz has an advantage over a sorc as they can learn them all and experiment. plus as skills will come more into play in 4 haveing the high int and mad skill points is also a big bonus.

Xanadu · Post by **Xanadu** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:18 pm

Mokihana wrote:well since no one knows how what spells will be effective or not in the begining a wiz has an advantage over a sorc as they can learn them all and experiment. plus as skills will come more into play in 4 haveing the high int and mad skill points is also a big bonus.

Well, I hope you're right. There's been tons of chatter on many aspects of the game, but I just haven't seen much discussion on any radical spell revamps.

-Xan

Xanadu · Post by **Xanadu** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:19 pm

Uber_Hoser wrote:'The wonderful thing about Wizards
...
'Wayyyy too much coffee today'

LOL. Great job, Uber. Was that purely from memory or did you copy/paste/edit the Tigger Song?

-Xan

D00D · Post by **D00D** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:29 pm

Thing is wizards can take advantage of the PM unique abilities for spells while sorcs get nothing from the PM class cept for crit immune. That's my 2 cents.

Xanadu · Post by **Xanadu** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:43 pm

D00D wrote:Thing is wizards can take advantage of the PM unique abilities for spells while sorcs get nothing from the PM class cept for crit immune. That's my 2 cents.

Unfortunately, I tend towards the "good" side of the alignment spectrum.

Why the lack of prestige class options for wizards/sorcs, btw? Does this scarcity come from AD&D 3.0 rules or from Bioware?

-Xan

lord_modred · Post by **lord_modred** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:58 pm

I've played a wizard pretty much exclusively in NS3 and have been disappointed at the small number of really useful/effective spells available.

you do realize that Wizards have all the same spells that sorcerers have... and that they can have MORE spells in their spell books... right?

Has anything changed in NS4 to improve general spell utility and give me a reason to play a wiz?

the simple answer to this is that all the spells are going to reclaim their usefullness seeing as there are no longer immunities on items... i love energy drain...

Post by **DeputyDog** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 5:15 pm

Well the other thing is that you cannot buy spells from npcs.

Only players can make them and sell them to each other.

That and npc arcane/divine types will drop random ones.

--

Wizards will get alot of special things down the road and the lore ability is huge as the cost to id an item increases with the items power.

Billiard · Post by **Billiard** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 6:22 pm

with so many unknowns I would expect that wizards would be more useful than sorcs just because they are able to learn so many more, different spells. Until all the spell capabilites are fully determined in NS4 I would be afraid to settle for the limited selection that sorcs get.

Post by **Lokey** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 6:46 pm

Xanadu wrote:
D00D wrote:Thing is wizards can take advantage of the PM unique abilities for spells while sorcs get nothing from the PM class cept for crit immune. That's my 2 cents.
Unfortunately, I tend towards the "good" side of the alignment spectrum.

Why the lack of prestige class options for wizards/sorcs, btw? Does this scarcity come from AD&D 3.0 rules or from Bioware?

-Xan

Bio, the spell system wasn't designed with room to grow (GUI and the way spell lists are handled). Throwing in another melee class is pretty straightforward, but the Pale Master spell progression is about as far as it can go engine wise. The important caster epic feats are mostly MIA as well as caster prestige classes (there are tons).

There are plenty of things we have templated out for the magic system though, but the design/balance issues for the normal spells comes first. I'd estimate that there's a major problem in about a fifth of the spells, and minor problems with probably another fifth--that took some time to clean up (there are 300 odd spells and probably as many spell-like or innate abilities to get working together in some kind of harmony).

qintahr · Post by **qintahr** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 7:12 pm

DeputyDog wrote:...as the cost to id an item increases with the items power.

Oho! Never saw that one coming! Bards just got more valuable!

LethalRoseDose · Post by **LethalRoseDose** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 10:13 pm

DeputyDog wrote:Well the other thing is that you cannot buy spells from npcs.

Only players can make them and sell them to each other.

Does this Include the ability to produce wands? or just scrolls.

Terminal Insanity · Post by **Terminal Insanity** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 10:55 pm

I'd think Wizard will be EXTREMLY usefull in ns4 due to the massive Int they use for spells
the only downside would be the wizard has to buy the spells from other sorcs, but that wont be a problem with all the guilds and factions that help eachother out, it would just mean waiting till a scroll writing sorc gets online