[net.games.frp] On Balancing Fighters and Mages

lipman@decwrl.UUCP (02/13/84)

From: bach::pierson  (Dan L Pierson)
A fairly experienced mage should certainly be able to take out one fighter -
a very experienced mage \with proper preparation/ should probably be able
to seriously annoy a small army.

But a beginning mage really should loose to a beginning fighter.  If the
curves don't have different shapes mages are just too powerful.

After a fairly long time in this hobby (started just before Greyhawk came
out), I've gotten tired of mages that act, smell, and feel like heavy
weapons platoons.  This is even worse in rules system where the mages can
do little but blow things up.  The type of fantasy I like to read takes
a different view of magic.  Magic is more complicated, ulitimately more
powerful, but it is riskier and \takes longer/.

I've decided to switch to a magic system that severly restricts the off the
cuff melee capability of the unprepared mage while it increases the ability
of a mage to do things like make magic items and cast powerful, long term
spells.  I almost used the new version of Chivalry and Sorcery instead
(it allows a mage to do both, but stesses the complex device making and
spell inventing even more) but chose LOA because the system is much more
playable in total - and the clerical stuff is *much* better.

						dan