Desdan_Mervolam at [unixtime wrote:1152851557[/unixtime]]
I think that just means that casters are overpowered and overgeneralized.
Yeah, the overgeneralized part really makes it tough to place any kind of real counter system. Casters should really be subdivided into smaller specializations, like summoner, blaster, and so on. We already have the beguiler, perhaps we should follow that pattern and create some other casting specialties.
First off, Save-Or-Die spells should not exist. Noone who is supposed to be on an equal power level should go down like a punk in the first round to the wizard just because the wizard has a spell called "You go down like a punk". All those places in stories where wizards killed someone with a glance? That's supposed to mean that the wizard was so much more hardcore than them. Let's make direct damage respectable and then quit pretending the "I shot you, you're dead! Nyah Nyah" paradigm is any fun.
Well, we need some save-or-die mechanics or at the very least save-or-be-screwed-over. We can set hit dice caps and such, much like sleep or color spray. We can turn instant death spells like baleful poly and flesh to stone into something similar to power word kill.
I'm not sure if it would make the game that much better though, since as written, combat tends to be fast and deadly. A fighter can kill a wizard in pretty much 1-2 rounds, so the wizard really needs something he can do back to compete.
Secondly, spells should not be allowed to step on toes without serious restriction. I'm looking at you, Divine Power. Let's get rid of spells that let you fill someone else's niche for the sole reason that you slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and make the spells that step on toes that we simply can't do without have reasons why we might actually not want to use them.
Yeah, stealing someone else's schtick is a dangerous game mechanic. The main key to balancing combat buff spells is simple:
-All of them are 1 minute fixed duration. They can't be extended, made persistent or whatever. 1 minute, period.
-When you cast a buff you're surrounded by some white halo of light and produce some sound, instantly alerting everyone that you're there, even if you're invisible.
-Buffs automatically go away if you teleport or change planes with them active.
Balancing noncombat character replacement spells, like knock, detect traps, spider climb, fly, etc. are a bit more difficult. Doing so would likely force us to move to a mechanic that is better than D&Ds slot mechanics. Ideally your number of slots should remain fixed and shouldn't go up as you gain levels. Merely what spells you put in those slots should increase, and you should have abilities you can use "at will" like a warlock's incantations. And a lot of abilities should eventually become free like that.
Certain other effects, like rogue replacing knock spells and such, should probably never become free. Divinations and similarly general useful spells should remain in this category as well.
