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 Overpowered Wizard?

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fabulouswizard
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PostSubject: Overpowered Wizard?   Overpowered Wizard? Icon_minitimeFri Nov 18, 2016 12:56 am

I'm working on a human magic using character who has a huge range of magical skills and I'm wondering if I'm making this guy overpowered. My justification for the huge skill set is that he has innate magic, a photographic memory and spent decades at the Isolon University of Magic. He can also cast magic without the need of a wand or incantations.

Is this too much?
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Ilceren
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PostSubject: Re: Overpowered Wizard?   Overpowered Wizard? Icon_minitimeFri Nov 18, 2016 6:35 am

You don't really say enough for us to be able to tell. Knowing a wide range of spells is a given, though most mages tend to focus on a specific area of expertise where they really excel. That you are a hydromage doesn't mean you can't use fire spells (unless something behind the way you cast magic doesn't allow for it), it's just that you're far, far better at using water-based spells. Not needing incantations isn't really an issue either, there are many ways of casting magic that don't need the caster to speak aloud, for instance, magic circles, spiritual evocation, or using gestures instead of words is also a common practice for spellcasters.

In any case, keep in mind you can keep your characters balanced by giving them disadvantages as well as advantages. You don't need to, since they are your characters after all, but it's a good practice and helps keeping RPs fair and stories believable.
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Shady Knight
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Shady Knight


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PostSubject: Re: Overpowered Wizard?   Overpowered Wizard? Icon_minitimeFri Nov 18, 2016 6:54 am

Well, to begin, this should be taken to the Character Discussion forum.

Now that that formality is out of the way, let's analyze this short description for this character of yours.  First of all, not needing wands to cast magic is a moot point as it's never described anywhere that it's a necessary component for spellcasting.  Now, you say that this character has spent decades at the university.  The question you should ask yourself is "Why has he spent decades at the university?"  "Is it because he is a student or a professor?"  If he is a student, then it makes no sense, as even the longest advance course is recorded at lasting no longer than 15 years.  A decade and a half doesn't exactly qualify as decades, plural.  However, if he is a professor, then his, or her, long tenure makes some sense.

But then, you must ask yourself.  "Why did I make my character learn all these super amazing skills?"  "At the end of the day, what motivates him?"  If it's so he can be an uber badass that can kill all the predators in the jungle, then I'm afraid that character won't fly, as it's incredibly cliché and the anti-thesis to everything this setting stands for.  These creatures are widely feared for good reason.  And this is why you should ask yourself what the character's role in the story is.  An incredibly powerful character can be forgiven depending in what is it does during the plot.

Take me, for example.  I have my own amazing powerful wizard, an archmage to be exact.  She's a little scatter-brained, but otherwise, she's not someone you want to mess with.  However, she's not a main character, and as such, the story doesn't focus on her.  If, however, he's the main character and we're supposed to be wowed at every turn by his peerless magical prowess and boys and girls of all ages fawn over his incredible might, then yeah, you're gonna have a bad time with people who are savvy toward character clichés.

On the subject of his powers, mainly his innate magic, ask yourself, "What exactly is this innate power of his?"  "Is he naturally able to use fire magic?"  "Are his eyes hypnotic somehow and his tongue laced with beguiling power?"  I mean, there's nothing wrong with someone being able to use magic as naturally as breathing, but it's kind of boring, isn't it?  Furthermore, are there drawbacks to this power?  For instance, what happens if he overuses it?  It's not a necessary addition, but it can help make the power more nuanced.

While we're at it, let's talk personality.  The character is a prodigy.  With this wide a skill set, there's no way he couldn't be.  So what is his personality?  Does he or she have a vice that counterbalance his or her incredible aptitude?  Are they fully aware of their powers, which causes them to be arrogant and thus prone to making poor judgement?  Are they solely great at academics, but struggle to perform when put under pressure or when facing something unexpected?  Or despite all that amazing prowess, he or she remains humble and wise because dammit that character is just that awesome?  There's a lot to consider before a character be deemed "overpowered."

But if you ask me, yes; if you just take innate magic, photographic memory, has mastered all magic because he or she spent more years at school than he or she should, seems like you're tailoring the perfect character, and the usual reason when it comes to this setting is so they can beat up the big bad monsters to show that they're uber badass.  And that's terrible.
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Gamma
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PostSubject: Re: Overpowered Wizard?   Overpowered Wizard? Icon_minitimeSat Nov 19, 2016 9:52 am

Shady raises some very good points. I'd personally agree that you need to flesh this character out more before we can really say; it's often in that fleshing out that the weaknesses and limitations manifest. That said, I'd also suggest looking at the following resources:
The wiki's article on Felaryan magic. Specifically, I'm not sure exactly what magic you plan to have him use. Rule-magic is generally what's studied at the Isolon University. I'd say that being able to cast rule-magic without incantations or another ritual would definitely fall into overpowered territory unless he's using a specific workaround that comes with its own limitations (for example, I'd imagine you could cast rule-magic almost instantly if you prepared, say, a scroll ahead of time with the ritual needed, but then you're obviously limited by what scrolls you have). Innate magic isn't just a general thing; each innate magic is different. It generally can be manifest with just a thought or even passively, but tends to have very narrow bounds of what it can do. You could make him a wild or primordial caster, but those tend to rely more on chance (read: plot if you're in a story). Perhaps the best magic for the concept you're describing is thaumaturgy; it's studied, and instead of casting spells himself, he would be summoning and binding creatures to cast for him, perhaps at a mental prompt. This also includes some fun drawbacks and adds a team aspect, as each bound summon is a character unto themselves.

The Universal Mary Sue Test. Probably not quite applicable until you have a more complex character worked out, but always good to have access to.

Sanderson's Second Law. You notice how often I mentioned limitations above? This is an excellent explanation of why that's a good thing.

I'd recommend you to not get discouraged, and come back with a second iteration of the character for us to get a better look at.
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PostSubject: Re: Overpowered Wizard?   Overpowered Wizard? Icon_minitime

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