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One thing I hate about the Sorcerer
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<blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9303174" data-attributes="member: 6790260"><p>I mean, they weren't actually copy-paste in the latter case. Each one works differently. They have a common form. This would be like saying that every damage cantrip that does d8 damage (meaning, nearly all of them) is simply copy-pasted; in that sense that they're the same overall structure, sure, but that's intentionally ignoring the very relevant differences. Bards move allies around, for example. Warlords and Clerics could grow in different ways from basic powers. Shaman <em>split</em> healing between the main target and another near the Shaman's spirit--better "AoE" healers, you might say, but inferior single-target healers. Etc.</p><p></p><p></p><p>It seems, to me, that the Wizard niche is (a) control spells and (b) "quirky" spells--whether they're "utility" or "useless" depends on perspective and, in no small part, creativity. Basically, a whole spell list made up of the things that every Wizard guide refers to as either DM-dependent or player-creativity-dependent. Not just obvious ones like <em>sending</em> or <em>floating disk</em>, but also other niche/weird/overly-complex things like <em>rune of warding</em> and <em>leomund's secret chest</em>.</p><p></p><p>There is no sorcerer niche--only sorcerer <em>niches</em>. That is, the niche should be defined by each subclass. Shadow sorcerers would have spells of illusion, of mimicry (e.g. the 3e line of "shadow conjuration"-style spells, where shadow-stuff turns illusions into partially-real effects), of manipulating sense and light and perhaps even death. Draconic sorcerers would have elemental spells, but also defensive and buffing spells--speed, strength, stamina, <em>power</em>--and spells of presence and awe, those that <em>cow</em> the minds of others, whether in awe or fear. Chaos sorcerers should emphasize variability (whether that be randomness, alteration of probability, or transformation), teleportation, and the dissolution of things.</p><p></p><p>Warlocks, meanwhile, should have a core of spells related to the transfer or mimicry of powers obtained from other sources, alongside patron-specific spells. In a sense, we already have some of this; spells like <em>hellish rebuke</em> are pretty clearly Warlock-focused. Really, what I'd want to see here is that the common Warlock spell list would look a little bit like it's stealing from the other spellcasters (not just arcane ones either)--like it's a quixotic assemblage of a few truly unique abilities and the rest being otherwise "signature" spells from other traditions. That gives mechanical weight to the idea that it's a magical get-rich-quick scheme.</p><p></p><p>All of these, and likewise other lists, should still have a few basic, low- to no-frills spells for dealing damage, because combat is one of the particularly emphasized parts of D&D mechanics. Sorcerers (and to a lesser extent Warlocks) should be the kings of damage-dealing; others (like Evoker Wizards) should be merely edging into that territory. Meanwhile, Wizard traditions that are all about those weird and quirky spells, like Divination, Illusion, and Abjuration, should generally be where Wizards are doubling down on their inherent strengths.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EzekielRaiden, post: 9303174, member: 6790260"] I mean, they weren't actually copy-paste in the latter case. Each one works differently. They have a common form. This would be like saying that every damage cantrip that does d8 damage (meaning, nearly all of them) is simply copy-pasted; in that sense that they're the same overall structure, sure, but that's intentionally ignoring the very relevant differences. Bards move allies around, for example. Warlords and Clerics could grow in different ways from basic powers. Shaman [I]split[/I] healing between the main target and another near the Shaman's spirit--better "AoE" healers, you might say, but inferior single-target healers. Etc. It seems, to me, that the Wizard niche is (a) control spells and (b) "quirky" spells--whether they're "utility" or "useless" depends on perspective and, in no small part, creativity. Basically, a whole spell list made up of the things that every Wizard guide refers to as either DM-dependent or player-creativity-dependent. Not just obvious ones like [I]sending[/I] or [I]floating disk[/I], but also other niche/weird/overly-complex things like [I]rune of warding[/I] and [I]leomund's secret chest[/I]. There is no sorcerer niche--only sorcerer [I]niches[/I]. That is, the niche should be defined by each subclass. Shadow sorcerers would have spells of illusion, of mimicry (e.g. the 3e line of "shadow conjuration"-style spells, where shadow-stuff turns illusions into partially-real effects), of manipulating sense and light and perhaps even death. Draconic sorcerers would have elemental spells, but also defensive and buffing spells--speed, strength, stamina, [I]power[/I]--and spells of presence and awe, those that [I]cow[/I] the minds of others, whether in awe or fear. Chaos sorcerers should emphasize variability (whether that be randomness, alteration of probability, or transformation), teleportation, and the dissolution of things. Warlocks, meanwhile, should have a core of spells related to the transfer or mimicry of powers obtained from other sources, alongside patron-specific spells. In a sense, we already have some of this; spells like [I]hellish rebuke[/I] are pretty clearly Warlock-focused. Really, what I'd want to see here is that the common Warlock spell list would look a little bit like it's stealing from the other spellcasters (not just arcane ones either)--like it's a quixotic assemblage of a few truly unique abilities and the rest being otherwise "signature" spells from other traditions. That gives mechanical weight to the idea that it's a magical get-rich-quick scheme. All of these, and likewise other lists, should still have a few basic, low- to no-frills spells for dealing damage, because combat is one of the particularly emphasized parts of D&D mechanics. Sorcerers (and to a lesser extent Warlocks) should be the kings of damage-dealing; others (like Evoker Wizards) should be merely edging into that territory. Meanwhile, Wizard traditions that are all about those weird and quirky spells, like Divination, Illusion, and Abjuration, should generally be where Wizards are doubling down on their inherent strengths. [/QUOTE]
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