Some Advice on being a Game Master

[Spence]

That's a cool idea...

I'm also all for making sure PC's can use their skills to the best of their abilities as well.  That's why i included a possible knowledge check.  If you think about it, what is it Druids do during down time?  They study Nature in all of it's glory, learn from elders and whatnot.  I'd be more leniant on Druids than on Sorc/Wizards and this is only because of the progression for their shapeshifting ability.

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/druid.html

At 5th level they can wild shape once a day into a small or medium sized animal with a maximum of 5 Hitdice.  At 6th they can do this twice per day, at 7th three times per day.  At 8th level they gain the power to add Large animals into their repitoire.  Eventually they get to wild shape into tiny animals and huge animals a maximum of 6 times per day (though the duration is 1 hour per druid level), and at the pinnacle of their power they can Wild Shape into Plants and Huge Elementals three times per day.

Across all the books, there are more aberrations, dragons, fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, oozes, or vermins than there are Animals, Plants, and Elementals to pick from.

Sorcs/Wizards have a MUCH larger range of creatures avialable to them than Druids do.  Not to mention...Wizards can scribe scrolls...they can scribe summon spells so they can spend days studying animals just to figure out what's what to turn into.  Druids have to expend a feat to get that option.

But yeah...these are all options to simplify a game so a players 7th level Wizard, who's never seen one, doesnt suddenly burst into a 7 headed hydra and kick more ass in melee than your party fighter...

[tanis]

     Yeah, I've always seen most dnd type wizards as more of artillery so to speak. Not on the front of the formation for sure.

[Spence]

Wizards arent always artillery types..that's honestly best left to Sorcerors.  Wizards are a more versatile spellcaster with alot more options open to them.

That being said, there are a few Wizard spells that make them just as if not more powerful than a standard fighter in melee.  Transformation being one of them.  Transformation gives a Wizard a large bonus to strength, dexterity and constitution, they gain the base attack bonus of a fighter and gain proficiency with all simple and martial weapons for a short time.

That being said, if a Wizard takes Polymorph at 7th level, and fights/studies a Hydra.  They become more badass sooner.  Hydra's are nasty monsters

[tanis]

     Sorry, I just tend to think of Raistlin Majere from Dragonlance as the epitome of a wizard, but he was self-serving, and as for artillery, I've simply never gotten far enough to see a spellcaster of high frontline prowess and constitution, although I know that "wizards are better than fighters", and "bards are the best", pfft.

[Spence]

Dont underestimate the bard man   They are the unsung heroes of DnD.  So to speak that is.  Since, well their best abilities are performing to inspire the party to heights that give them a very definitive edge over the competition. 

If you take two equal parties, but one has a Bard and the other doesnt, generally the party with the bard will win.   Especially if the player of the bard is smart enough to use all of his/her abilities to their fullest potential.

[tanis]

     Yeah, one of my friends plays as Stubb the Bard, and he is like level 14, the highest of their group, has much better stats than anybody else in every category, and he's an elf, so he has -2 on one ability and it's still higher than anyone else's. He's also died A LOT.