Just Quit Fiddling With It Already, OK?

There's a new Legends & Lore article up at Wizards of the Coast discussing the design and creation of the 5e magic-user.  I've playtested 5e and I have to say that I find the low-level magic-user overpowered, due to constant use of the "Javelin of Fire" spell (which should probably be as specific as I get about that), but suffice to say from where I'm sitting it falls firmly into the "why would I play anything else/cast anything else" category.

It may come as a huge surprise to anyone still clinging to the past (by which I mean 4e players), but it is increasingly obvious that magic-users were never "broken" nor did they need "fixing".  This past weekend we played a session of AD&D and the module in question was White Plume Mountain.  Even prior to the party's magic-user being level drained by the vampire guarding Whelm, when looking at the magic-user's spells chosen I knew getting out of the dungeon in good order would be a dicey prospect at best.  A magic-user has a limited number of spells.  A high-level magic user (as this one was) has a limited number of high-level spells.  Once they're gone, they're gone.  Meanwhile, the fighter and subclasses can keep fighting, the thief can keep thieving (and backstabbing) - that stuff never ever runs out.  They don't do as much damage?  Well...too bad.  They're also tougher, harder to hit, and can use about a third of the magic gear that the magic-user can in the first place (some scrolls, all potions, etc.)

Magic users were never unbalanced.  They were delicately balanced.  Some nitwit in late 2e began to poke at them because he or she didn't like stepping back while ice storm or fireball was going off, so the tinkering began.  Thus the magic-user began the slow tumble. Without understanding how it all fit together in the first place, 3rd edition, 3.5, and 4e all tried to "fix" the magic-user.  Most of those "fixes" seemed to be on inventing new, stupid terminology for things and screwing with cantrips of all things.  Just...just stop.  Just put it back together like it was, and you won't have this bloody fucking problem.

I'll explain it simply: magic-user heap powerful, cast big boom spells.  Magic-user run out of spells, use scrolls, wands, rings.  Magic-user balanced by being really squishy, not do everything all time.

Got it?  (No, they probably don't.)