Wizard Updates

Like the rogue, the wizard got taken down a peg. Let's assess the damage...

• All that cool necromancy stuff from the previous version is gone. Remember the Necromancer specialty and his undead minion? They've completely vanished.
• Wizards now select a tradition that determines some aspects of their spellcasting. Three traditions (Academic, Battle Magic, and Illusion) are included in this packet. Hopefully our dear departed Necromancer will get his own tradition soon.
• They've reduced the number of spell slots (this goes for clerics too). What we get instead are "signature" spells (see below).
• Signature spells are akin to Encounter powers from 4e. If a wizard prepares his or her signature spell, the wizard can cast it every ten minutes throughout the day. The first-level wizard now has only one Level 1 spell slot, so the player is therefore incentivized to memorize the signature spell (determined by the wizard's tradition) over any other Level 1 spell. Why waste your one precious spell slot on one use of Sleep or Magic Missile (that's right, Magic Missile is no longer an At Will spell!) when your Battle Magic wizard could memorize the signature spell Thunderwave and cast it every ten minutes? I foresee a lot of thunderwaving going on in 5e.
• Level 0 spells are no longer At Will by default. Now specific Level 0 spells are At Will for specific wizard traditions. Lame and confusing? Check, and check.
• Speaking of Level 0 spells, Burning Hands has been nerfed down to Level 0, and could be At Will depending on the wizard's tradition. Two of the three Level 0 offensive spells (Burning Hands and Shocking Grasp) require the wizard to be up close and personal with foes. In the unlikely event that I ever played a wizard, I wouldn't be keen on having my basic attacks conducted from such close range. I'd much rather have my spam attacks be ranged. In the current rules, Ray of Frost is the only Level 0 ranged attack spell. I'd really prefer that Magic Missile returned to Level 0 status.
• One tradition, the Academic, has no signature spells but instead can cast any memorized Level 0 spell as an At Will and receives one additional spell slot of his or her highest level. This tradition is more similar to earlier D&D Next wizards, but in return for more flexibility, this wizard gives up the ability to cast the signature spell every 10 minutes.

What next? There are some other changes that didn't feat neatly into any of the preceding categories, so I'll cover these miscellaneous changes in another post.