Unless I'm misreading things, this Universal school power seems pretty potent at low levels. My elven wizard has a 13 Strength and an 18 Intelligence. At 1st level, he can either attack someone in melee with a +1 to hit and damage, or he can back off and concentrate to have a spectral hand wield said weapon, fighting with a +4 to hit and damage to anyone within 30 feet. Essentially, I can have fighting skill about equal with the group's warrior at 1st level. At higher levels, it's more beneficial to me to fight with the Hand of the Apprentice than it is to draw a dagger and throw it myself. While wizards are supposed to be better with magical than blades, it still strikes me as odd.
I want to know if I can still use it like I use Mage Hand, i.e. pick stuff up and bring it to me. And I'd like to know about how much weight it can hold/carry, like, is it still stuck at the 5lb telekinesis stage? and can i send it to pick up a dagger 20ft away and start attacking with it the next round, 'cause that would be kinda awsome.
Unless I'm misreading things, this Universal school power seems pretty potent at low levels. My elven wizard has a 13 Strength and an 18 Intelligence. At 1st level, he can either attack someone in melee with a +1 to hit and damage, or he can back off and concentrate to have a spectral hand wield said weapon, fighting with a +4 to hit and damage to anyone within 30 feet. Essentially, I can have fighting skill about equal with the group's warrior at 1st level. At higher levels, it's more beneficial to me to fight with the Hand of the Apprentice than it is to draw a dagger and throw it myself. While wizards are supposed to be better with magical than blades, it still strikes me as odd.
Concentrating is a standard action, right? So what makes this any different from the Evocation or Necromancy 1st level power? It's basically taking in one of the good ideas from 4e, making it so wizards aren't useless after they burn all their memorized spells.
I came to a similar conclusion. I converted the 1st-level iconics from 3.5 to AR1. For the humans I put the +2 attribute score into their class' key stat.
The results are:
Valeros' melee attack: longsword +4/1d8+2
or (with Double Slice replacing Combat Expertise)
longsword +2/1d8+2; shortsord +3/1d6+1
all fine and dandy until you look at Ezren as a Universalist:
Hand of the Apprentice, wielding a cane: +4/1d6+4
In terms of niche protection, at 1st level Valeros and Ezren are a little too close together in terms of effectiveness for my liking.
Seems that the balance has shifted too for in favour of the wizard.
Suggested fix: Hand of the Apprentice can only wield a light weapon (the 5 lb mage hand limit allows for a flail to be wielded), and either use half the Int bonus or make it a bonus to hit only.
It should also be stated (rather than implied) that Hand of the Aprrentice cannot make attacks that use the CMB. The first thing that occured to me was "ooo, can Ezren trip someone with his cane wielded by Hand of the Apprentice?".
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I agree it's too good. Never mind the wizard can wield a greatsword!
I fixed it by rolling its ability *into* Mage Hand, so it can be used to wield a weapon - simple fix!
Mage Hand
Transmutation
Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One nonmagical, unattended object weighing up to 5 lb.
Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You point your finger at an object and can lift it and move it at will from a distance.
As a free action, you may draw a weapon from your person.
As a move action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the spell ends if the distance between you and the object ever exceeds the spell’s range.
If you choose to, concentrating as a standard action, you may use mage hand to make a single strike per round with a melee weapon of up to 5 lb, using your caster level as your attack bonus, and dealing regular weapon damage.
all fine and dandy until you look at Ezren as a Universalist:
Hand of the Apprentice, wielding a cane: +4/1d6+4
Wow. That's scary. Well yeah, fighter can do that too, but he's a fighter. Oh, and he doesn't have 30ft reach. =)
I agree that Hand of the Apprentice could get abused. But, I really dig its flavour - telekinetic combat at level one sounds really fun. I'm envisioning two competitors hacking away at each other with floating blades.
So here's yet another alternate proposal for consideration (or a good pounding).
1. Perhaps clarify that Hand of the Apprentice can only be used to wield a single-handed weapon. As the title implies, it's a telekinetic "hand" not "hands".
2. Further limit it so that it can only be used to wield a weapon the wizard is proficient in. If you don't know how to wield it properly with your hands, you don't know how to guide it properly with your magic. (Alternately perhaps just impose the standard non-proficiency penalty.)
The above two suggestions limits the Hand of the Apprentice ability to daggers and staves etc. But it also opens the door for say a bastard sword or an axe, if the wizard is prepared to sacrifice a feat or invest in a level of fighter or other martial class.
If it was me, I wouldn't even bother with #1 above, just go with #2 and bring on the floating great sword. But I think that's too crazy for some.
3. Lastly, I agree the full INT bonus to both attack and damage potentially makes for too good a combatant. I like Archade's suggestion of the wizard's caster level as the total attack bonus - so the attack equals the BAB of a fighter of the same level before the fighter's Strength is considered. Alternatively, as per Forbin's suggestion: the wizard uses his own BAB, plus his INT bonus /2 (rounded down) as the attack bonus. INT /2 for the damage bonus. As always, rounded down.