A wizard has the character role of Controller; here’s what the PHB has to say about Controllers.

“Controllers deal with large numbers of enemies at the same time. They favor offense over defense, using powers that deal damage to multiple foes at once, as well as subtler powers that weaken, confuse, or delay their foes.” – PHB, p16.

In a nutshell, a wizard can handily deal with minions (“using powers that deal damage to multiple foes at once” ) and apply conditions to the monsters the party is fighting. Wizards exert a higher level of control over the situation, allowing the rest of the party to combine and focus their attacks without worrying about every monster in the encounter. To be effective in the role, wizards need to be able to do this at all levels of play.

Although the wizard has many of these abilities, the class falls short of the expected role of controller, especially at low levels. The previews of the druid and invoker shows the designers are moving in the right direction, but that leaves the wizard a bit behind in their ability to act in their assigned role.

At 1st-level, a wizard must have four basic ways to control the battlefield:

1. Kill Minions: A ranged, at-will attack power that does moderate damage over a small area. The wizard’s scorching burst and cloud of daggers fits this category very nicely.
2. Hamper Foes: A ranged, at-will attack power that does a small amount of damage and applies a weak condition to a single target for a brief duration (e.g., ray of frost) OR a ranged, at-will attack power that does a miniscule amount of damage and applies a brief, weak condition over over a small area (e.g., the druid’s call of the beast and the invoker’s grasping shards).
3. Hobble the Boss: A ranged, encounter attack power that does a moderate amount of damage and applies a brief, moderate condition to a single target. Chill strike and the invoker’s spear of the inquisitor fit this category.
4. Serious Style Cramp: A ranged daily attack power that does a moderate amount of damage and applies a strong condition to a single target (e.g., sleep and the druid’s faerie fire). The duration of this condition should be longer (i.e., save ends or encounter).

A 2nd-level wizard should have access to one of the the following types of powers.

1. Zone of Annoyance: A zone utility power that creates a lingering effect over a area. The druid’s obscuring mist power is a decent example of a 2nd-level utility power.
2. Wall of Anything: A wall utility power that applies a condition to enemies that cross the barrier. The invoker has a wall of light power is an example of a 2nd-level utility power, but a wizard’s wall should apply a penalty or condition to his enemies.

Our solution to the problem is to re-work the wizard class to have more options for powers. I’ll list some of those new powers (our houserules) in the next article. I’ll also be adding some changes to the basic class that creates a more versatile (and more “wizard-y”) class!

Thanks for reading and comments are always welcome!