Useful Wizards
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Plus dont forget that most times, when a party has a few fighters that are well equipped and appropriately built for slaughtering, then the poor wizard has no time to implement all the fun unusual spells (other than buffs) cause most have an area of effect and you allies will probably be caught by it. I have rarely been in a party with much consideration for spells other than buffs. Maybe bad luck while I was playing a wizard, maybe most parties are indeed like that.
Chances are though that if there are a few good tanks, they ll just go ahead and kill everything and leave you feel useless. Worst thing is even suggesting another approach IG usually is ignored for the safe approach, buff and slash.
Now on the side note, there are spells I ve rarely seen used, namely disablers like the cloud spell series, invisibility sphere and others that with some coordination might be really useful. I urge people playing wizards to use those, especially since invis sphere in CoA is finally fixed (some months ago) and follows you around the correct way. Every spell was designed with a situation in mind, and most of those situations exist in certain quests in the server. Some might say there s the metagaming spells before actually seeing what the quest is about thing, but still, having a few original disablers in your arsenal and a few wands never goes to waste.
Well, most times :)
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Plus dont forget that most times, when a party has a few fighters that are well equipped and appropriately built for slaughtering, then the poor wizard has no time to implement all the fun unusual spells (other than buffs) cause most have an area of effect and you allies will probably be caught by it. I have rarely been in a party with much consideration for spells other than buffs. Maybe bad luck while I was playing a wizard, maybe most parties are indeed like that.
Chances are though that if there are a few good tanks, they ll just go ahead and kill everything and leave you feel useless. Worst thing is even suggesting another approach IG usually is ignored for the safe approach, buff and slash.
Now on the side note, there are spells I ve rarely seen used, namely disablers like the cloud spell series, invisibility sphere and others that with some coordination might be really useful. I urge people playing wizards to use those, especially since invis sphere in CoA is finally fixed (some months ago) and follows you around the correct way. Every spell was designed with a situation in mind, and most of those situations exist in certain quests in the server. Some might say there s the metagaming spells before actually seeing what the quest is about thing, but still, having a few original disablers in your arsenal and a few wands never goes to waste.
Well, most times :)
Cast burning hands through the front line if they don't get the hint :twisted:
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I've been on parties where the wizard didn't ask questions or discuss casting and simply buffed the fighters. I've seen this done well in situations where the part was a well-oiled machine who adventured together often and I've seen it very boring where the wizard just "knows his role" and stays away from combat, popping out just to buff and rebuff.
I've seen wizards fire one or two flashy spells very poorly at the beginning of a quest, then spend the rest of the quest running away from enemies screaming for help. I've also seen them conserve spells, using their crossbow, wands, and healing kits until just the right moment, when they cast a really flashy spell and make a huge difference.
I was recently on a quest as a player with two guys I'd never quested with before (I suppose that's untrue- I've quested with one of them before, but it's been a few years…). I played a wizard at second level with a fairly nontraditional spell selection. By talking IC we were able to make use of those spells. It was a lot of fun- probably the most fun I've had in some time on a low-level quest. The RP was kind of superficial because the characters had just met each other, but the interactions were fun and the way we were able to approach the quest as characters learning each others' strengths and weaknesses was fun.
Players of wizards need to learn what works best for them and what's fun. Hamstringing everyone into one or two "spellcasting types" is silly.
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This wasn't meant to be wizard H8. Wizards can play however they want, whenever they want, whatever whatever…
I just propose that any and all wizard players consider carrying wands, scrolls and other items of use to a party. This should be common sense no matter what kind of wizard you play.
If you run out of spells, please don't hang back with little to no contribution. Crossbows and slings are fine! It's just 90% of wizards seem to run out of spells suddenly declare themselves useless in the middle of a quest.
I have never played a druid before and I am learning as I go. Every player should feel like they are contributing to a party whether it be a frontliner, healer, scout, loremaster, entertainer etc. I have high heal skills and always memorize remove disease/poison/barkskin. Every class finds these spells useful, so I feel good when I can use them.
No matter what class you play, you have alot of useful skills and spells that need to be used efficiently. You don't have to know the manuals or be a stat whore (I am certainly not!) Play as you want whether you are a lvl 1 or lvl ten - just consider how you can be more productive is all.
I rest my case. 8)
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I've felt fairly useless as a wizard on several occasions on some quest. (mostly high level ones, because I don't have too much experience on those :) )
No need to flame them, it feels bad enough, I can assure you. :D
Other times I've felt real useful, I remember once saving two or three other chars on the crystal cavern quest when three others of the part of 7 was dead.
However, I've often found myself many spells left by the end of a quest when my party members "worked well". At a point I decided to try always use all my spells on every quest I take, and to use them the most productively, saving some for the bossfight.
It has sometimes worked… sometimes not... but with some planing you can do wonders as a wizard, sometimes earning a good word or two from your party members. (IC of course)On the other hand, sometimes people don't let me use my spells well. When I suggest them to avoid any 'suddenly appearing fog' at the start of the goblin quest in the sewers, but they still run ahead on the bridge, I can't help but remain useless. Or destructive.
Once I have a party of three on Home alone wonderfully cooperating. With two lvl 6 and one lvl 5 we have spawned surprising amount of HHs, but we've managed to best them with perfect teamwork. (I remember damaging three more HHs with my fireball then I originally saw. When I saw "damages someone" written three times in the log I got a bit frightened.;) ) I still remember it after a year. Point is to cooperate with your support characters not just go in and cut everything down, so you all have much more fun in a quest. -
As an adventurer when going out on quests whether scripted or non scripted, My char has learnt to be self reliant that means getting your own supplies and dispite being a fighter even investing on wands both arcane and divine.
So you really dont even have to bother on what your wizard is doing, if he buffs you well and good and if he is going to showcase his awesome ability to manipulate weave..give him an appreciation.
Alteast this way it stops from player thinking that my way of playing is the only way of playing
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I remember questing with a wizard that would buff herself to the max and then would polymorph into Troll Form so that she could hang in the back and leech experience more safely. :P
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@Khamal:
This wasn't meant to be wizard H8. Wizards can play however they want, whenever they want, whatever whatever…
I rest my case. 8)I would usually go on about how stupid this whole discussion is and all, but I think I'll save it.
However; Wizard is the class with the least number of spellslots/day, almost as bad as the bard (and they get song, armor proficiency and an awesome skillset). Its only natural that they can't spam spells all day long, do heavy melee fighting or heal. They are not unarmored clerics (I've done those too, and it isnt that cool).
What it takes to be a successful wizard is finding a concept of spells you want to use and get used to it. For instance, if you like nuking, then prepare nuking spells and spells that help you with that.
If you like to be a buffbot whore (and I share Olouths view on them, much as with buffbot clerics) then prepare the spells that benefits the party best.
If you think disabling is fun, prepare disabling spells and DC boosts. If you like spamming spells, play a sorcerer.Saying that all wizards should give away potions or make wands to sell/be useful is dumb. Proper spell management is most vital. Few seem to understand that and how to best conserve their spells. If people don't appreciate your wizardly efforts IC- or OOCly then that is their problem. Everyone can't be great or have the best spells for any given moment prepared. Sorcerers are more versatile that way, despite their limited selection.
What wizards can do to be most useful:
- Meta-prepare good spells for a quest.
- Know the duration of your spells (all of them, read up on modified spells)
- Time the casting of buffs to last long enough for you to finish the boss (if they last 10 minutes on a 30 minute quest, don't fire them at once).
- Measure your party and prepare the spells that benefits in the most important way. (Protection for disabling for instance)
- You have the widest array of spells of any class, use it to your advantage. Improve your spell-selection as much as possible.
- Get a decent side-arm. (a bow/sling/sword/whatever that actually does something other than 1d6 on rolls of 20)
Notes:
Magic weapon is a safe +1 AB and damage, while Bulls strength is 1-3, depending on numbers. MW does however penetrate most DR. Funnily, offensive buffs are not always the most useful, defensice can be much more important.I know meta-preparations is considered "dirty" to you elitist roleplayers, but it saves both you and your party a ton of grief and pain and doesn't break the immersion much. I bet you that 90% would rather survive than having their immersion kept flawless.
Sadly, as buffing goes, clerics have the upper hand in almost all aspects. Arcane magic does however hold all the sexy boom spells.
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Most useful thing a wizard can do, in my book, has nothing to do with making an already strong character more powerful - it's stopping powerful enemy characters dead in their tracks. Wands are handy for this, yes, but while the warriors etc. go head to head with the grunts, an arcanist can be disabling the Half Orc Bandit with a hold person, making the Mountain Bear a sitting duck by giving it a Persistant Blade to play with, or going on haste with see invisibility on to unload masses of damage spells on the Elite Goblin Shaman who's running rings around the rest of the party. They may well be the only character in the party capable of damaging the next creature on the menu reliably.
Meta-questing is pretty horrible. Using what knowledge you know about the scenario described to you by the quest-giver is fine though.
Useful arcanists come in all shapes and sizes, though i'm decidedly more a fan of boss-killer type mages just because they give people a reason to fear the power of magery.
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I don't see where all the hate is directed at. From my expierence wizards have always been benificial no matter which way they use their spells. If you think a wizard didn't contribute any towards the group then reject paying him on the quest.
Keep one or two slots for an offenisve spell on the boss and three slots (or less depending on your party size) for bull streangh/ magic weapon and the rest can be used for your flavor. boom fixed!
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@O'louth:
I hate the so called Buff Bot. I hate them so much, that I will most often rather let them stay the f… away from my quests, than to bring them along, even if they are useful.
Sure, it might be cheaper than buying wands and potions myself... But honestly, if he or she ruins my immersion into the setting, and reminds me of World of Warcraft, then you will find that the guy will not find a way into any quest i am leading.
Lamancha learned this the hard when, when I most often didnt join her questing groups, because of game immersion breakers in the party. In all honesty, I will rather be without exp and gold, than to feel like a WoW player.
That said! I want my wizards to be better knowing arcanist experts. The old Warwizard players, and in the last few years, the well played Warwizard apprentice of the Pilgrims were wickedly awesomely played wizards.
People who perfect the "I have spells, and I kill people for a living" approach. Nothing makes me more happy, than to see a wizard who is about to run out of spells, to suddenly draw a greatsword, cast bulls strength and shield on himself, and see him run into the fray with his 30 something hit points.
I dont care how you play your spellcaster. Just play one, and not a buff bot.
lol…i love the contradiction in this post
Wizards are situational, and you must have some intelligence to play one especially if you wish to be useful. Also, I think it was pretty much summed up in the first two replies, deal IC things IC.
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Not a fan of the damage dealing wizard types my personal pref is disablers they are awesome Buff the front line with protection from good/evil(don't do this if your neutral)and then spam colour spray spells and wand charges it's cheap and very effective,also at low levels using sleep is also fantastic your wizard will be praised to the heavens by your party when all they have to do is slit throats of sleeping monsters.
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@Hint:
Or buy unlimited firepower from COG. No magic skill required!
There is no such thing as useless. The endure elements do not protect you from them, they protect you from me. So sayeth the wise and humorous.
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I hope there's some kind of irony in your post that I'm not reading very well.
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The thing that makes wizards so great is that they can fill pretty much any niche, but only for a limited time. That is, of course, depending upon what kind of spells you have available to you because of your specialization or lack thereof.
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Wizard = Versatility Class.
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My point being, there's stuff in the server to make any character useful no matter what class or stats they have.
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I read this thread and Im glad I don't quest anymore and rather just focus on my plots and interesting people who have interesting plots (Cause then you know theres definatly going to be interesting stories!)
Not all wizards can afford wands and such either, but as long as a wizard is fun RP wise to be around I wouldn't much care what spells or things they have since I play for the stories. Sure, gonna be pissed if they play badly and such (But who knows, maybe mechanically or gold wise they just don't have it in them), but Im all for the stories and roleplay wizards can bring.
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I try to set Slavarian on fire all the time, but he is strangely immune. I need to revise my tactics.