The wise old sage, stooped and walking with a staff, good-natured and kindly yet terrifying if angered. The lean, wily battle wizard, festooned with bandoliers of magical throwing daggers and wands. The tribal magician, feathered rattle in hand, tatoos shimmering with magical force. The vile necromancer, lurking in his subterranean lair, plotting to rule the land. All these are examples of the wizard, the character class without which no game could be considered high fantasy. The Quintessential Wizard is a sourcebook that will greatly expand the class, fleshing out the wizard from his typical role as a source of magical artillery to a character with more options and variants than any other in the game. Of all the character classes depicted within the d20 system, the wizard is the most versatile. With reasonably comprehensive spellbooks, the wizard can be more dangerous than the fighter, more sneaky than the rogue, or a better all-rounder than the cleric. Responsibility for success and even survival of the entire party often rests on the wizard's shoulders - if he wastes a spell or memorizes the wrong one, disaster can ensue for the whole group, whereas by selecting just the right spell at just the right time he can deal with almost any situation successfully, however dire.
