Hypothesis: Anyone complaining that magic-users are too powerful in comparison to other classes-- especially fighters-- has never played an old school magic-user.
Why do I say that? I find it hard, hard, hard to believe anyone would complain if they had actually experienced how hard an old school MU has it. Hell, one of my players has a MU with 1 freaking hit point! He's already died twice and only lives because the party encountered a time travel tower. And, because it takes so many more XP for him to level, the fighters are all 2-3 levels higher than him.
He has to hang in the back of the party (but not the rear!) because one hit will kill him. He has to bide his time because he has only one spell to cast. The time he does cast it will be terrifying because it means there is something the party's multiple fighters couldn't take out.
Will he be more powerful than the fighters come 8th level? I damn well hope so.
An 8th level B/X MU is going to have 3-1st level spells, 3-2nd level spells, 2-3rd level spells and 2-4th level spells. Pretty impressive, at the start of the adventuring day. Without a wand and a number of scrolls the 8th level Mu is done with significant spell casting in 3 or 4 encounters. The fighter can keep on fighting.
ReplyDeleteI think the MU overpowering the fighter cliche is becasue so many players lean on MU's as they increase in power and exhibit little if any forethought and tactics. The MU player is most certainly going to be the guy in the party that plans ahead or they aren't ever going to reach high level
I've discovered anyone playing any pre 3.0 version of the game that finds wizards overpowered is ignoring several rules.
ReplyDeleteAfter the MU has run out of spells, the smart fighter only keeps fighting to get everyone out of the dungeon. I'd rather the MU blaze for 4 encounters than have my blood spilled in the sand.
ReplyDelete@Marcus, that's the fighter submitting themselves to the limitations of the Magic-user, not the superiority of the Magic-user.
ReplyDeleteI've ran an AD&D campaign that went into very high levels. An 18th level MU is freakin' powerful. As for the fighters in the campaign, one fighter was riding a dragon into battle, leading an army of thousands and wielding a kick-ass magic sword. The other was riding a magical war-boar into battle, leading an army of thousands and wielding the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. I somehow failed to feel sorry for them. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never seen an MU make it to 9th level (bx/1e). And the way I've often seen the game played, the MU's player has to be patient - as in "not playing during combats" - for several levels at the start.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I really saw the attraction of playing an MU was Ars Magica.
Thanks, everyone for the comments.
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