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Main Linear Warriors Quadratic Wizards Discussion
I think that "quadratic wizards" does a horrible job of describing the power of a wizard in relation to their level. If the power of wizards was actually like a quadratic graph, wizards would gain a massive amount of power when they got to level two, then gain less and less power per level until a certain point where their power would start dropping, losing more and more power with every level. The word you're looking for is exponential.
I think that either the name of the trope should be changed to "Linear Warriors Exponential Wizards" or every reference to exponential in the article should be changed to quadratic. As several people have mentioned, the two are mutually exclusive.
Personally, I side with quadratic. The way to envision the power of a warrior can be y=x. Eg, http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=y%3Dx+from+0+to+2
. The way to envision the power of a wizard could be y=(x^2)/2. Eg, http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=y%3D(x^2)/2+from+0+to+2 .
. The way to envision the power of a wizard could be y=(x^2)/2. Eg, http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=y%3D(x^2)/2+from+0+to+2 .
soulution: pick a rogue character. Cant do much with a poisoned knife inserted into the base of your skull, warrior or mage. The super knife that you just stole from the store your broke into at night after pickpocketing the shopkeeper.
Anyone think we should change the page quote? it's not only incomprehensible if you aren't familiar with pokemon (which doesn't have any relation to this trope), but a fairly crappy way to explain it. I like this one from the Quotes page:
Now if you don't mind I'm somewhat preocccuiped telling the laws of physics to shut up and sit down.
— Varrsuvius, Order of the Stick
But really, anything else would be better.
Possible new additional entry for Tabletop Entries:
Played mostly straight in Shadowrun 2nd edition. Through manipulation of the priority system, a Street Samurai, Mercenary, or physical character can start with an enough amount of resources, allowing him to buy idiotic amounts of cyberware/guns/pointed sticks of various sorts and still have money to burn. While the resources were important for Mages and adepts as well, the inability to by cyberware of almost and lack of skill points saw them with a pistol and a basic skillpoint. However, Street Samurai-style characters would hit a 'wall' in that they could only buy so much cyberware—once they hit the essence limit, they were effectively done. Meanwhile, Mages just kept on growing...
Does anyone else think the introduction could use a tad bit of work? The third reason could use a bit of a revize, since it ruins the tone of the rest of the article, to the point someone had to add their own little "yes, I would like that!" into the article.
Just a note, but Dark Heresy is mentioned twice in the examples with conflicting explanations. One says that it averts it while the other says that it plays the trope perfectly straight. I don't know anything about the subject, so I don't feel comfortable trying to merge the two into a coherent example, but I felt I should bring it up.
D&D spellcasters can make magic items for the rest of the party. At the expense of gold and exp. But gold grows on trees in D&D, if you're an adventurer. A high level group has more gold than the entire nation. Of course it has to, as everything more useful than a torch costs something like, at least 1000 per stat bonus value (or equivalent), but gold grows on trees (or monsters poop it out)... and the higher level they are, the more capable they are of leaving a crater in what used to be a thriving port city... so they can adventure more and get more gold, to spend on loot to get more powerful... singularity ensues.