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Archivist

2010-03-05T12:27:30Z

Klear: /* To Sum up */

[[Image:Archivist.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Archivist]]
The '''Archivist''' is the newest class to be introduced to Diablo 3. The Archivist is a ferocious loremaster and librarian, Having unlimited knowledge of books, and all the secrets withing them, Constantly seeking to prove once and for all that the Pen is mightier than the sword. Hailing from the Darkened Studies of [[Westmarch]], this frail man is a force to be reckoned with.

'''Please note!''' This class is part of Blizzard's April Fool's event 2009, and is not a "real" class.

==Character Introduction==

He is meant to expand on the character of Deckard Cain, and will be able to Stay awhile and listen.
[[Abd al-Hazir]] Has written about archivists in his series as his [[Writings_of_Abd_al-Hazir:_Entry_no._0041|41st entry]]:

::''In my writings, I have recounted stories of the barbarians and their endless battles with the demons of the frozen north, and devoted pages to the wizards of Caldeum who harness the primal forces of reality. But the might of these heroes is nothing compared to the power of the archivists of Westmarch. These brave souls wade into battle wielding tome and quill, armored not in ensorcelled plate or links of chain, but in the knowledge of generations past. These archivists fight not only for our future, but for our past as well.

::''I first encountered an archivist in the ruins of the great city of Travincal. While exploring one of the long-abandoned temples, I was drawn by the flickering of faint torchlight through a distant doorway, and then, as I crept nearer, by the sound of a voice. There was a feeling in the air of danger near at hand, an electricity that made the hairs on my neck rise. I inched forward, breath caught in my throat, grateful for the safety of the hallway's long shadows. Then I saw him''

::''He was surrounded, the looming shapes of his foes bearing down upon him. His hair was unkempt and frazzled, his calloused hands cut and stained. But he had an air of supreme confidence, of a submerged violence that threatened to explode into being. He leapt forward, his hands grabbing for the leather bindings of his nearest enemy.''

::''The archivist's eyes searched for an opening, a weakness. His hands wrenched suddenly about his adversary and a sickening crack pierced the still air. Its spine broken, the book lay unmoving in the archivist's now gentle grip. As he lifted its lifeless form into the dim light, the pages of the ancient tome fell open, the secrets of the text laid bare. I remember the words he read, the religious fervor of his voice: "Here begins the first chronicle of the life of holy Akarat, prophet of Zakarum...." And on the shelves that stood all around him, tome after tome waited.''

::''I have the utmost respect for the archivists, these warriors of myth and legend. We know their names: Alimet Two Quills, master of illumination with both left and right hand; Morienne the Scrivener, a midwife whose poetry stole the hearts of kings and brought tyrants to tears; and Salazar Cid, the Master Transcriber of Gea Kul, whose bombastic penmanship is known in all the lands of the Twin Seas and beyond. But these are only a chosen few. The members of their honored fraternity are many, and their numbers grow every day.

::''In the dark days that I fear are yet to come, much will be decided by sword and axe, with steel and spell, but I believe that in scroll and tome our survival lies.''

==Archivist Skills==
[[Image:Book_Vision.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Archivist using "Book Vision"]]
So far, only 4 skills have been confirmed. They are:

*Book Vision: Which makes every book on screen glow a golden color, the use of this is not mentioned.
*Lorenado: A Tornado of books ripple out from the Archivist, ripping apart any one foolish enough to stand in his way.
*Quest Bolt: Sends out a golden exclamation mark that travels straight until it hits something. When an enemy is hit, they are "Frozen", for a Quest Mark appears above they're heads, indicating they have a quest for the player.
*Shush: The Archivist lets out a "Shush", after which, all enemies within 30 feet are ripped to shreds.

==Role in the game==

Bashiok has announced the role of the Archivist as well as explain the Archivist's Unique "Radial Dialogue Tree" in the game by posting in the forums:

::''We're really excited to finally announce the Archivist!''

::''His design stems from you guys, the players, so it's really about "fan service" if you will. At BlizzCon and WWI we were receiving question after question "Can we play as Deckard Cain?" and "Please let me play as Deckard Cain" and "Deckard Cain should be a playable class" and on and on. So we thought, obviously we can't have you play as Cain, he's an important part of the story already, but what if we take the essence that is Cain... 'eau de Deckard'... and make a new type of character class. And we're really proud to be able to offer a first glimpse to you today, and say thank you for your loyal support.

''[[Image:Radial_Dialogue_Tree.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Archivist's Radial Dialogue Tree]]
::''He has a much stronger focus on lore, learning, research, and knowledge. He's obviously quite frail but he does carry some interesting spells into battle. All of his spells, as well as discussion with NPCs is carried out through the Radial Dialogue Tree, which is one of the major game systems we've been hinting at for a while now. It allows the archivist unprecedented control over his spells, as well as the inflection of his speech, body language, grammar, and cantankerousness which all figure in to a successful conversation. It's an amazing new system that no one has tried before, and really sets Diablo III apart as the premiere action-RPG of this lifetime.''

==To Sum up==

The Release of the Archivist Class is a joke that was part of Blizzard's 2009 April Fool's Day materials. Other humor of the day included the Starcraft 2 "Terra-Tron" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers Transformers] spoof, a World of Warcraft "Pimp my mount" spoof of MTV's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimp_my_ride Pimp my ride], and a "Dance Battles" joke for World of Warcraft which would allow teams to face off other teams in a dance off.

==References==
* [http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/archivist.xml| Blizzard Archivist Page]

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[[Category:Classes]]
[[Category:Other classes]]

Wizard

2010-03-05T11:57:24Z

Klear: /* Wizard Lore and Story */

The '''Wizard''' is a pure [[caster|spellcaster]], harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do his/her bidding via a devastating array of offensive spells. The Wizard is quite similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previous Diablo games, in design and concept.

One key change in Diablo 3 is that the Wizard does not use [[mana]], but has a new resource called [[instability]], a change that has profound gameplay implications. Details about how Instability will function have not yet (March, 2010) been revealed.

==Background==
{{Classbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Wizards.jpg
|portrait-width= 200px
|name= Wizard
|classtype= official
|role= [[Caster]]
|attrib= [[Willpower]]

|skilltree1= [[Arcane Skill Tree]]
|skilltree2= [[Conjuration Skill Tree]]
|skilltree3= [[Storm Skill Tree]]

|origin= [[Xiansai]]
|affiliation= None. [[Vizjerei]] (former), [[Zann Esu]] (former)
|friends= None Known
|foes= [[Vizjerei]], [[Yshari Sanctum]], [[Valthek]]
}}
[[Image:Male Wizard2.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Male Wizard using [[Wave of Force]].]]
The word "wizard" is used derogatory for rogue [[Sorcerer]]s and magi that are dangerous to the world at large in the world of [[Sanctuary]].

The female Wizard character in [[Diablo III]] is from the island [[Xiansai]], an island to the far north with a culture similar to Asia in our world. [[Abd al-Hazir]] writes about a 'wizard' wreaking havoc in [[Caldeum]] in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0007|seventh entry]] of the [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir]].

This 19 year old female wizard was sent to the [[Zann Esu]] [[mage clan]], but later handed over to the powerful [[Vizjerei]] since she was a "rude and uncooperative student," that the smaller mage clan could not control. They hoped the harsh discipline at Vizjerei "would break her anarchic spirit." Yet even the Vizjerei instructors were unable to rein her in. She was continually being caught seeking out dangerous and forbidden magics without care for herself or anyone around her.

It was rumoured in Caldeum that she ventured into the infamous [[Bitter Depths]] below the [[Sanctum]], but the truth is she was caught in the [[Ancient Repositories]], where the most dangerous incantations are housed for the safety of the public.

[[Valthek]], a great Vizjerei mage confronted her and she attacked him. She relied on trickery and deceit to render Valthek unconscious and then proceeded to flee the city immediately after the encounter. The extensive property damage was assumed to be the result of Valthek's [[magic]]al prowess, not the young wizard.

Abd al-Hazir is concerned about the young, rebellious and inexperienced wizard wandering the world, using magics she does not understand. He mentioned that certain schools of magic were too dangerous and "those wiser than you or I determined long ago [to forbid] their practice." Primal forces including time warps include the secrets he suspects she gathered from the Ancient Repositories.

===The Male Wizard's Lore===
The official Wizard lore only addresses the female Wizard. Whether the male Wizard will get his own, gender-specific lore tale at some point is unknown. As with all the male/female versions of each character, the male Wizard is known to be much the same as the female, when it comes to personality and temperament.

==Class Design==
The Wizard is an aggressive archetypal magic wielder founding his powers on the aggressive fierceness of the storm, the arcane and conjuration. Both the male and female wizards are rebellious, headstrong, impulsive, and brilliant. Too smart and arrogant to fit into the authority of the sorcerer schools of the [[mage clan]]s. Always on top of their skills and even smarter than their teachers, cocky and self assured.

===Instability===

One major change in the Diablo 3 Wizard is that the character does not use [[mana]] as a spell-casting resource, but a new power called [[instability]]. Full details of this resource have not yet been revealed.

===Sorceress Redux?===
Some fans have criticized the Wizard for just being the [[Sorceress]] with a new look. [[Jay Wilson]] commented on that [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1 in an interview with 1up.com] in December 2008.

[[Image:Wiz-disintegrate1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Wizard using [[Disintegrate]].]]
::''I would respond, "Yeah, you're right; the Wizard is basically a reskinned Sorceress." What we couldn't do with the Sorceress very well was break into what I'd call the old-school pen-and-paper magic user. You know the old magic user who could do a variety of things, like conjure up animals out of midair or create clouds of fog and acid or control time or [[Disintegrate|disintegrate things]] or use death spells. They had this wide variety of magic that they could use compared to the more traditional elementalist -- which is what the Sorceress is, meaning fire, ice, and lightning -- who was just more limited. What we really wanted to do is break into this area, while if we just did the Sorceress again, we'd be like, "OK, you have to do fire, ice, and lightning, but where does disintegrate fit? Where does slow time fit in?" So we decided [that we'd] just take the same class mechanics, and [that we'd] change the basic concept and name and just have a throwback to that old-school magic user to give ourselves a broader range of magic skills. But there was never a huge desire to go away from the basic gameplay of the Sorceress; there's a lot of repeated skills, and that's intentional.''

===Male Wizard's Appearance===

[[File:Wiz-male-ingame1.jpg|thumb|175px|Male Wizard.]]
The Wizard debuted with the female, and the male was not seen in-game or screenshots for some time afterwards. He was playable during the Blizzcon 2009 demo, and his appearance in the game did not excite any comment. That changed quite abruptly in early March, 2010, when an animated graphic of the male wizard, taken from the in-game version, was added to the official site. Fans reacted immediately and strongly, and while opinions were mixed, many of the negative comments were cutting and angry.

The main objection was to the look of the male wizard. His face was deemed to be too soft and effeminate, his downcast eyes made him seem submissive and weak, and his resting animation was compared to belly dancing. [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/male-wizard-in-game-animation-and-ss/]

Blizzard has not yet responded to these attacks. That they released the artwork shows that they're happy with it, so it seems unlikely that they'll make any changes at this point. It's also worth noting that no one objected to the look of the male wizard in game, at Blizzcon 2009. It's only in this head-on view that he became objectionable, and since this is a view players will never have in the isometric, top-down game view, (barring some sort of "zoom in to look at your character's armor" option) this controversy may well fade to nothing fairly quickly.

==Spell Damage==

One of the key changes to spell casters in Diablo III is the addition of +% spell damage modifiers. These sorts of modifiers were found on many skills in Diablo 2, and on a few uniques and runewords, but they were uncommon, and not necessary to kill effectively. As a result, casters in Diablo 2 were much less item-dependent than the combat classes, and found it easier to concentrate on [[Magic Find]], resistances, hit points, and other non-damage bonuses.

This will not be the case in Diablo 3, where mages must add considerable +% spell damage from modifiers to stay ahead of the monster hit point curve. A high level Wizard or [[Witch Doctor]] in Diablo 3 will no more be able to kill quickly with no +spell damage than a [[Barbarian]] or [[Monk]] could succeed with a junk weapon. A quote from Flux's post-Blizzcon 2009 Wizard write up explains this in more detail:

::When viewing the listed damage on each spell, it’s important to keep in mind that those are not absolute numbers, in D3. They’re much like weapon damage; modified by your wizard’s attributes, your character level, by other skills, and also by your equipment. Lots of types of items in D3 carry modifiers that boost spell damage, usually by a percentage.

::I found numerous wands, staves, and even pieces of armor with values between +5-25% spell damage, and that was just in the early stages of the game. We know nothing about higher level equipment bonuses, and it’s entirely possible that the D3 team is projecting high level characters to have +100%, +200%, or who knows, +500%, spell damage. If so they’ll be adjusting the base spell damage accordingly, which might make it look very low to our untrained eyes.

::Here’s an example from early in the game, that was mentioned in the [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/full-witch-doctor-skills/ Witch Doctor skills report]. The skill tree listed damage on my level 2 Skull of Flame spell was 6-9, yet with a level 12 Witch Doctor my Inventory screen showed 19-29 for that spell. I don’t think I had more than +50% spell damage from equipment, so assuming the display values aren’t wrong (in [http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Lying_Character_Screen D2’s infamous LCS] style), there are considerable bonuses added to damage from character attributes, which are then further boosted by the spell damage bonuses on your equipment.

::This is all part of the D3 team’s plan to make all of the attributes useful to all characters, and to make more types of modifiers useful/essential to spell casters. We don’t know enough yet to judge how well it’s working, but it should be a substantial change from how spell damage was calculated and scaled up (or not) in D2.

==Attributes and Skills==
===Attributes===
====Starting Attributes====

*'''[[Life]]:''' 20
*'''[[Mana]]:''' 80


===Wizard Skills===
[[Image:D3_skilltree_wizardshot.jpg|thumb|right|150px|An off-screen still image of the Wizard's skill tree.]]
The [[wizard skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories:
* [[Storm_Skill_Tree|Storm]]
* [[Arcane_Skill_Tree|Arcane]]
* [[Conjuration_Skill_Tree|Conjuration]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills usually boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.

====Arcane Skills====
[[Image:Wiz-slow-time1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Electrocute]] in a [[Slow Time]] bubble.]]
The [[Arcane_Skill_Tree|Arcane tree skills]] consists of many classical pen and paper RPGs, including time distortions, [[Disintegrate]], and other magical forces that are not related to elements like Fire, Ice, Lightning. This tree is also good at enhancing or manipulating other spells known by the Wizard.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
====Storm Skills====
[[Image:Wiz-frost-nova1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Frost Nova]]]]
The [[Storm_Skill_Tree|Storm tree skills]] specialize in the power of the heavens, enabling the wizard to wield electrical energy and casting forth the fierce cold of a blizzard accompanied by the harsh freezing wind. The storm elements also protect and enhance the armour and the power of a wizard.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

====Conjuration Skills====
[[Image:Wiz-spectral-blade1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Spectral Blade]]]]
The [[Conjuring_Skill_Tree|Conjuring tree skills]] summons protection or offence from other planes of existence. This is where the classic [[Hydra]] spell is located, as well as the powerful [[meteor]]. This tree can also be used to increase or modify other spells, similar to the Arcane tree.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Wizard Lore and Story==

Like all of the characters in Diablo 3, the Wizard has an in-game backstory that gives insight into the character's personality and mannerisms. The tale is written from the perspective of [[Abd al-Hazir]], the scholar and historian responsible for most of the game lore thus far released. [http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/wizard.xml]

[[Image:Male_Wizard.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Male Wizard concept art.]]
::Owing to my lack of tolerance for those who would use magic towards their own nefarious ends, many have assumed that I am averse to the practice of the magical arts on a philosophical level. Nothing could be farther from the truth. My quarrel is with those sorcerers who dismiss the ancient traditions and teachings – teachings that have been honed over millennia in order to preserve respect for authority and the rule of law.

::Recently the youth of Caldeum have fallen prey to the overblown stories of just such a delinquent wizard. That is correct: I used the uncouth term wizard, not sorcerer. It seems that even the title of a civilized magic wielder is too restrictive for this young upstart. Through my contacts at the Yshari Sanctum of the mage clans, I am one of the few who actually know the truth behind the rumors now sweeping our streets regarding this hellion who flaunts her magic irresponsibly.

::This wizard was sent here to spend her formative years under the tutelage of the best mages in the world. Well, it seems they neglected to teach our wizard manners on her native island of Xiansai, for she was a rude and uncooperative student from the very beginning. Originally under the guidance of the Zann Esu mage clan, she was eventually handed over to the Vizjerei in the hopes that their strict and unbending discipline would break her anarchic spirit. Yet even the esteemed Vizjerei instructors were unable to rein her in. She was continually being caught seeking out dangerous and forbidden magics, heedless of the consequences to herself or anyone around her.

::Although there is no truth to the tales that she actually ventured into the infamous Bitter Depths below the Sanctum, she was caught in the Ancient Repositories, where the most dangerous incantations are housed for the safety of the public. When confronted by the great Vizjerei mage Valthek and demanded to account for herself, she brazenly attacked him rather than face the punishment merited by her acts. Exaggerated stories of the battle are already being inflated to mythic proportions by the more rebellious of our city's youth, but suffice it to say that she did not actually best Yshari's most powerful mage in single, honorable combat. The details of the encounter remain unclear, as Valthek has yet to regain consciousness, but it has been verified by reliable sources that she relied on trickery and deceit to bring the great man low. I have also been assured that the extensive property damage was chiefly the result of Valthek's magical prowess, not the upstart wizard's. As to where she is now, no one rightly knows, for she fled the city immediately after the encounter.

::It is not my goal to alarm, but I find this situation disturbing. We now have a rebellious wizard, young and inexperienced, wandering the world, dabbling in powerful magics she does not understand. Those wiser than you or I determined long ago that certain schools of magic were too dangerous and forbade their practice. It is those magics that this wizard seems determined to explore – magics centered on manipulating the primal forces from which reality is constructed. Imagine, a headstrong nineteen-year-old youth, able to warp time itself to her will! The thought is truly terrifying. It is my honest hope that this self-styled wizard chooses never to return to Caldeum.

These stories are told on the official site, and though they refer to just one gender, the male and female versions of each character are fairly similar in outlook and personality, though their origin tales might differ slightly.

==Development==
The Wizard was the third [[class]] revealed by Blizzard, debuting at [[BlizzCon 2008]]. It's in essence a re-make of the [[Sorceress]], but with a slightly different set of skills.

In the [[GamesCom 2009 demo]], we saw the male version of the in-game wizard the first time.

On 22nd September 2009, [[Bashiok]] announced the Wizard will not be using traditional [[Mana]], but a [[resource pool|resource]] more specialized for the class. This resource was later named [[instability]]. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-non-mana-resources-and-cinematics/]



==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Wizard Wizard-specific gallery contents]

<gallery>
Image:Ss71 hires.jpg|Female Wizard.
Image:Male_Wizard.jpg|Male Wizard.
Image:Wizard vs King Leoric.jpg|Wizard vs [[King Leoric]].
Image:Wizard disintegrate.jpg|Wizard casting [[Disintegrate]].
Image:Wiz-disintegrate2.jpg|[[disintegrate]] used on [[Zombie]]s.
Image:Skill_wizard_slowtime.jpg|[[Slow Time]] with [[Wave of Force]] to throw spells back at [[caster]]s.
Image:Wiz-slow-time1.jpg|Casting [[Electrocute]] out of a [[Slow Time]] bubble.
Image:Mana-orb1.jpg|[[Mana Globe]] in a [[Experience#Level_Up_Bonus|level-up]] explosion.
Image:Male_Wizard2.jpg|The male Wizard in the game.
</gallery>

==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0007|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0007: Wizard]]
* [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/bashiok-on-non-mana-resources-and-cinematics/ Bashiok on non-mana Resources and Cinematics]

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[[Category:Classes]]
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