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What is your favorite school of magic?
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RPGDot Forums > Dungeons and Dragons General

What is your favorite school of magic in D&D?
Abjuration
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Alteration (Transmutation)
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Conjuration (Summoning)
10%
 10%  [ 1 ]
Divination
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Enchantment (Charm)
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Illusion
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Invokation (Get this fireball!)
30%
 30%  [ 3 ]
Necromancer (I'm as bad as it gets)
20%
 20%  [ 2 ]
I think that specialization sucks
40%
 40%  [ 4 ]
Total Votes : 10

Author Thread
stanthony
One Smart Dog
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Joined: 28 Oct 2002
Posts: 556
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
What is your favorite school of magic?
   

Usually if in D&D people chose to play a specialist mage, they play with either Invoker or Conjurer (Summoner). Evil guys play with Necromancer. This is almost always so for pen-and-paper RPGs I've played and is seems to be so for CRPGs also.

What do you think? What is your favorite school of magic?


Last edited by stanthony on Tue Nov 26, 2002 5:15 pm; edited 1 time in total
Post Tue Nov 26, 2002 1:46 pm
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Kendrik
Thin Blue Line
Thin Blue Line




Joined: 13 Jun 2002
Posts: 550
Location: England
   

The main reason people play as a conjourer is that in 2nd Edition AD&D the most powerful spell (Wish) was part of that school.

Personally I hate specialising - if I want to limit my available spells I play a sorcerer. If I'm gonna play a mage (which, to be fair, I almost never do) I want the unlimited potential of a normal mage - the aim, of course, being to fill your spell books with every spell available.

If I HAD to specialise I would either go Invoker (for mass damage) or Conjourer (as this spell line does offer the most variety and allows you to summon creature so that you can run away ).

Of course if I was evil not only would I specialise in necromancy, I would also multi class to a Cleric of Shar AND use the shadoweave instead (just for that extra touch of nastyness). Of course I would need a good Dex (for AC), good Int for spells and a good Charisma for Rebuking - hmmm what race would give me that .... let me think ... +2 Dex, +2 Int and +2 Char ..... so there we go the best evil spell caster:

DROW Necromancer/Cleric of Shar with the Shadow Weave meta magic feats
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Post Tue Nov 26, 2002 2:48 pm
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Val
Risen From Ashes
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Joined: 18 Feb 2002
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Location: Utah, USA
   

I'm like Kendrik. I don't like specialization.
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Post Tue Nov 26, 2002 7:24 pm
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stanthony
One Smart Dog
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Joined: 28 Oct 2002
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Location: Tallinn, Estonia
   

quote:
Originally posted by Kendrik
Personally I hate specialising - if I want to limit my available spells I play a sorcerer. If I'm gonna play a mage (which, to be fair, I almost never do) I want the unlimited potential of a normal mage - the aim, of course, being to fill your spell books with every spell available.


I only played specialized mage three times, two times in pen-and-paper games and one time in BG1 (invoker), which I enjoyed very much. I had a feeling that specialized mage sure has his bonuses. First - and maybe it works only in pen-and-paper - the lower the Intelligence of a wizard, the more specialization helps to increase his chance of learning spells. Second, in long campaigns - and all BGs ARE long , specialized mage in my mind is often more helpful and more interesting to deal with in terms of role play. You see, it's still an RPG - you play this bloody little mage as if he were you. It's a question of personal choice and personal alignment if you please

quote:
Originally posted by Kendrik
DROW Necromancer/Cleric of Shar with the Shadow Weave meta magic feats


Now, that's a lovely character! I really want to play it. Seriously! I've planned to play a drow for a long time, but... for some reason... never did it
Post Tue Nov 26, 2002 11:18 pm
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Kendrik
Thin Blue Line
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Joined: 13 Jun 2002
Posts: 550
Location: England
   

quote:
Originally posted by stanthony
quote:
Originally posted by Kendrik
DROW Necromancer/Cleric of Shar with the Shadow Weave meta magic feats


Now, that's a lovely character! I really want to play it. Seriously! I've planned to play a drow for a long time, but... for some reason... never did it


In the PnP campaign we are currently playing I'm attempting to get my DM to let me play a Half-Celestial/Half-Human Paladin - very nice stat boosts but with the extra feats/skill points of a human (His ECL will only be +3). I already have a background written for him and I think from a roleplay point of view this is the ultimate paladin (unfortunately I can see him dying quite quickly as he will try to save everyone and will never run from an evil foe).

So if you had a really nice DM try to get him let you play a Half-fiend/Half- Drow Necromancer/Cleric of Shar with the Shadow Weave meta magic feats.

You would get +4 Str, +6 Dex, +6 Int and + 4 Char (and some nice evil innate spells) (Look on Page 216 of the Monster Manual ).

The only problem is that your ECL is +6 but I think it would be worth it to play the ultimate evil magic user. (My only current evil char is an Air Genasi Ranger/Fighter who is a "bounty hunter" (of sorts )
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Post Wed Nov 27, 2002 2:31 am
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Kayla
High Emperor
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Joined: 26 Nov 2002
Posts: 2114
Location: Australia
   

quote:
Originally posted by Kendrik

Personally I hate specialising - if I want to limit my available spells I play a sorcerer. If I'm gonna play a mage (which, to be fair, I almost never do) I want the unlimited potential of a normal mage - the aim, of course, being to fill your spell books with every spell available.




I'm a hoarder, I carry all the little bits and pieces collected along the way for the entirety of the game, so I agree. I don't like specialisation, I want a full spell book.. but fireballs are cool!

I want it all!
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Post Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:10 am
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
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Joined: 03 Jul 2002
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I don't like specializing in any schools either. It is fun to play with all kind of spells...
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Post Wed Nov 27, 2002 11:35 am
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EverythingXen
Arch-villain
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Joined: 01 Feb 2002
Posts: 4342
   

In 3E, the school to take for specialization is Abjuration. You'll never say 'gee, I wish I didn't have to have a protection spell memorized' and it's got some nice "Get out of my Face!" spells to use (Dispel Magic, Dismissal, Banishment). Plus you can drop something like enchantment (which is a good school, but not GREAT).

In the D&D pen and paper game I run many a mid level battle is one due not to the boomy-boomy spells (which can be resisted) but to the 'Denial' spells of Abjuration. Dismiss the elemental the evil wizard summoned to keep the fighters busy, dispel his magical protections and support spells, and cast dimensional anchor (abjuration or transmutation... can't recall) to prevent him from going 'curses... foiled again!' and teleporting away. The evil wizard gets to whimper once before the party fighters hack him to ribbons.

Necromancy is another, as you can drop any other single school to meet the requirement. See you later, Illusion (again, a good school... but not great). This is still in 3E, of course. In second you lost more than one and didn't get to choose.

And the half-celestial paladin and half-fiend drow are psychoticaly powerful characters, even if they are costly on ECL. I wouldn't use the paladin unless I was allowed to make a level 6 character (level 3 paladin half-celestial... much better chance of surviving a level 6 encounter than a level 1 paladin half-celestial vs a level 4 encounter). I wouldn't use the drow thing period (maybe if I didn't want to be a spell caster) unless the DM was allowing people to make level 10 characters (level 5 half-fiend drow has a MUCH better chance of suriviving a level 10 fight than a level 1 half fiend drow has of surviving a level 6 fight).
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Post Thu Nov 28, 2002 5:23 pm
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Maylander
High Emperor
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Joined: 22 Mar 2002
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Location: Norway
   

There is no doubt in my mind.. Summon Avatar is so much more powerful than any other spell, I choose Conjuration.
Post Wed Jan 08, 2003 7:52 pm
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Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Warrior for Heaven




Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States
   

I dont specialize because it cuts off an entire school.
Post Wed Jan 08, 2003 7:59 pm
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