I am currently playing in a game using this system and have encountered a possible issue. The game started at 2nd level, and the warrior folks in the group feel that the weapon wielded by the hand of the apprentice makes them obsolete. Consider a 20 INT wizard with a longsword at 2nd level. With a base attack of +1, he has +6 to hit and does 1D8+5 damage with a 19+ critical range. This assumes he is either an elf or human (either way he gets the weapon prof) and that the limits for mage hand from 3.5 stand (5 lb max). With a 30' range, the wizard is the killer for combat.
This ability ceases to be much of an issue at higher levels (I assume a 5th level fighter will not feel so 'threatened', and the ability recedes in usefulness for the wizard as more potent spells become available, but still...
I was thinking: reduce the bonus to hit and damage to 1/2 the caster's primary stat, treat the caster level as its base attack, so it starts out less potent, but the multiple attacks at higher levels keeps it from being totally useless.
Just a thought.
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Sounds like the DM needs some ranged attackers to go after the Wizard.
Haven't an an issue with Hand of the Apprentice with my group.
However, you're idea has some flaws. Mainly your design makes Hand of the Apprentice significantly better then the other level 1 specialist abilities at higher level.
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And if we compare this to the fighter at 2nd level... BAB 2, Strength 20 (to be fair to compare it to the wizard who also pumped his primary stat to max), Weapon Focus in Greatsword, Power Attack, Overhand Chop. So... we're looking at the following:
To-Hit = 2 (BAB) + 5 (Str) + 1 (Weapon Focus) = +8
Power Attack for 2, means +6 to hit
Damage: 2d6 + 4 (Power Attack) + 10 (Overhand Chop Str).
So your fighter makes a single attack at +6 (Same as the wizard) but does 2d6+14 damage, with a 19+ crit range.
Chances are good the fighter has a much better armour class and way more hit points than the wizard, who has to stand within charge range (really, standard combat move range) to pull this off.
I'd say that your fighters are definitely not useless. Even if his strength is only 12, he still breaks even on the bonus to damage, but has the ability to have much more base damage by using a 2-H weapon.
Not to mention I'd be kind of annoyed if my wizard was wasting time propelling a sword around instead of casting sleep on our low-level adversaries... :)
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Not to mention I'd be kind of annoyed if my wizard was wasting time propelling a sword around instead of casting sleep on our low-level adversaries... :)
I'd say sleep was a waste of time. The Wizard should be using his abilities against the throw away encounters. Less spell casting = less resting.
Well, it was just something I threw out there. The point was to actually do something wizardy instead of attacking with a sword, albeit from 30' away (which I guess could be considered wizardy...) :) Anyway, hand of the apprentice is a little better than the wizard pulling out a bow or a crossbow, I guess, but still feels the same.
Don't let that detract from the rest of my post that actually demonstrates the fighter is still far superior, even at 2nd level, than the wizard using his school "power".
Well, the player who got upset is not very optimal for melee (he is a battle cleric), so perhaps that should be the major point. I'm just used to clerics being better at melee then wizards...
As to the DM needing to send attackers at the wizard, that is always the case. Groups (usually), protect their primary caster, while the foes try for a tackle.
I guess we'll wait and see how the next few games go.