The Wizard is a pure spellcaster, harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Similar to the Sorcerer and Sorceress of previously Diablo games.
Background
The word "wizard" is used derogatory for rogue Sorcerers 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 seventh entry of the Writings of Abd al-Hazir.
This female 19 year old 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 somehow relied on trickery and deceit to bring Valthek unconscious and then proceeded to flee the city immediately after the encounter. The extensive property damage was decided being the result of Valthek's magical prowess, not the young wizard.
Abd al-Hazir is concerned that a young, rebellious and inexperienced wizard is 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.
"It is my honest hope that this self-styled wizard chooses never to return to Caldeum."
Character 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 clans. Always on the top of their skills and even smarter than their teachers, cocky and self assured.
Sorceress Redux?
Some fans have criticized the Wizard for just being the Sorceress with a new look. Jay Wilson commented on that in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008.
- Jay Wilson: I would say that if someone makes the argument that the Wizard is just a reskinned Sorceress, 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 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.
Background
Abd al-Hazir writes about a 'wizard' in Caldeum:
- 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.
Resources
Attributes
Starting Attributes
- Strength: x
- Dexterity: x
- Vitality: x
- Willpower: x
- Life: 20
- Mana: 80
Attribute raise per level
- Strength: x
- Dexterity: x
- Vitality: x
- Willpower: x
Attribute Point Effect
- +1 point in Strength gives +1% Melee and Ranged Physial Damage Bonus and +1% Armor Bonus and +1% Block Amount
- +1 point in Dexterity gives +x% Critical Strike Chance and +x% Dodge Chance. Higher Dexterity lowers chance you will be interrupted by getting hit.
- +1 point in Vitality gives +2 Life and Mana Regeneration of +x per sec.
- +1 point in Willpower gives +x% Spell Damage Bonus and +x% Health Globe Bonus
Wizard Skills
The wizard skills are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories, Storm, Arcane and Conjuration. All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills. Active skills are used in combat, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.
Storm Skills
The Storm tree skills specialize in the power of the heavens, making the wizard 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 armor and the power of a wizard.