What’s this thing?

So what will be covered in this newsletter? I’ll make sure that all local events to Nashville will be covered with appropriate links along with our online exclusive events. If we have a group pop up more prominently in another area, we’ll add a section there.

I also wanted to highlight some systems that don’t get much love or maybe some of us have been curious about. Explain mechanics that get overlooked or commonly misused (looking at you, Darkvision). How can you min-max without breaking the story or maybe making the game not fun for other players? A how-to-DM section and maybe some articles written by our members. Got something you want to say or tips for the community? Let me know!

We’ll also cover non-RPG related things like movies, books, board games, and video games. I know a lot of us use each other as a way to get reviews on different things before we buy or go see. The DnD movie being the most recent I can think of.

So you want to play a wizard?

This is a question many of us face when we start playing 5e, and it can definitely be intimidating. Spell slots are hard to explain to new players, and the spells themselves can be confusing. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, and learning how to be a wizard isn’t as tough as it seems.

The main attributes of a wizard should be Intelligence and Constitution. Some may argue for Dexterity or Wisdom instead of Constitution, but the reason I suggest it is because wizards are the weakest of all the classes. With a d6 hit die and typically a low Constitution score to begin with, some players shoot themselves in the foot when a goblin does 8 piercing damage to their level 1 wizard and the DM has to find an excuse to resurrect them. Having a high Constitution modifier can help make sure you don’t get one hit killed too early.

That being said, wizards are glass cannons. You are the most terrifying thing on the battlefield at higher levels. Your high Intelligence modifier can make your spells deadly, but the only thing deadlier is your indecision. A lot of new and old players suffer from the paradox of choice. As a wizard, you’ll have access to a lot of spells, and a majority of those will be combat spells. From trusty Fireball to Power Word Kill, sometimes making a choice for your spell slot can be daunting. How can we alleviate this? I recommend for wizard players to have a reference for their spells, either a piece of paper or a text file, that tells them how does it hit (spell save or attack roll), what damage does it do on a hit, and secondary effects (poison enemies, difficult terrain, etc.) Having the finer details can be saved for later down the road when the player is more comfortable with the spells or for when they’re in a role play heavy game.

Speaking of role play, how do you role play a wizard? There’s the standard absolute nerd who studied their way to magical prowess, but there are other ideas that may interest you more. An old man who’s body is covered in tattoos, his skin his own spell book. A kenku in service to a master wizard who learned spells by hearing them done multiple times. An elf makes a deal with a fey for lost knowledge. Now wait a minute, I hear you say. That last one is a warlock! Not entirely. It’s a great setup for a warlock, but you could easily make it a wizard. Have fun with the tropes of the wizard. It can be fun to lean into the original idea, but don’t be afraid to branch out story-wise. Always ask your DM what would fit the campaign setting and for help if you need it!

This is by no means an in depth look at wizards as a whole, and I know a few might disagree with me on a couple points. I hope this opens the door for wizards and lets you think of our utility casters in a more favorable light. There, of course, are homebrew ways of making wizards more viable. I allow Intelligence modifiers to act as extra skills for weapons, armor, languages, etc, but that’s me. Another DM may say that’s not ok. Some may make them more powerful, others may make them weaker. I still think wizards are fun to play. Maybe not the best first class, but who am I to judge? You may be a natural at it.

Upcoming Events

• Adventures in Fantasy Book Club, April 30th 3:30pm to 4:30pm (Date and time subject to change) | Shadow of the Conqueror by Shad Brooks, discussion on Discord.

• TN Renaissance Fair | a group is getting together to go on May 14. You can pre-order your tickets online!

• Nashville Comicon | Join your fellow nerds for the Nashville Comicon on Jun 3-4! Comics, games, and pop culture!