Why is having a huge column not a problem but swinging damage a problem?
This is the question constantly unanswered.
I don't believe I ever stated that a huge column *wasn't* a problem - but it's a problem of an entirely different sort. Please note my comment above that *any* character at ultra-high levels gets ridiculous. To be honest, my
personal opinion is such - the longer I play Alliance (and I've been playing for quite a while now) the more I think that an entirely uncapped leveling system is not good for the game. But that's a bit of a digression, and not something I'm in a position to change.
Back to the issue at hand.
Mike Strauss' response lined up reasonably well with my own thoughts on the issue. By 10th level or so, a scholar has a 9th level spell and a few points of High Magic. At that point, said scholar can throw every effect they will ever throw - and they can *never* make them any stronger. There's no way to make a Prison or Death "better", nor is there any way to make a Cure Wounds or Evocation Bolt do more than 45. Maybe you can change the delivery a little, or Meditate them if you miss, but you can't keep improving those the way that static damage keeps improving. Eventually you reach a point where the Fighter is throwing out huge damage each swing, the monsters have ridiculous amounts of body points, and the only thing that's worth taking is takeout effects (honestly, we're at that point today in high-level games). That contributes just as much to the 'take out' problem as anything else.
Here's my
personal ideal world. When you fight monsters in Alliance, each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some will have high body and be more susceptible to takeout spells. Some will have lower body but have more defenses against takeout spells. Some will be in between. Fighters have reasons to use their takeout effects because there's monsters they're better against (Stun Limb, Shatter, Eviscerate). Scholars have reasons to take damage spells, *not just* takeout spells, because they need those sometimes too. Etc. etc. etc. In 1.3, everything has to be high body *and* have tons of resistances to takeout spells. We can work on those issues with 2.0 (and are trying to), but players have to be willing to do so in constructive ways.
Graham Wolsey said:
If you are running out of spells as a 12 column caster then you are a really really bad scholar and your data isn't relevant.
I don't know that this is a very constructive comment, I have to say. As someone who plays a 13 column scholar, I
regularly run out of spells (well, useful ones anyways, there's always days that Banish or Dispel doesn't come in useful and the like). Perhaps that means I am a really really bad scholar and my data isn't relevant? I don't personally believe so, and I certainly hope the Owners don't think so. I'd like to believe that
everyone's experiences are relevant, even those I don't personally agree with.