When you’ve acquired enough magical superpowers to make Doctor Strange jealous, it’s only natural to feel like a badass. Start soloing encounters with mass suggestion or a well placed cloudkill and you may begin to think that you’re a one-wizard wrecking crew. Who needs the tin can with the great sword? I’ve got disintegrate! Lock picks? I’ll just disintegrate the door! Healing? Why would I need healing? My enemies are all disintegrated! That sense of overwhelming confidence? That’s called hubris. You’ve got to fight it, because it is the single greatest weakness of the dedicated mage.

This is, in one comic writer’s humble opinion, the problem with armchair wizardry. It is absolutely possible to look at any given encounter, go to the big book of spells that is the internet, and point out a magical solution. Just because you can do anything, however, it does not follow that you can do everything. Being the batman wizard is a laudable goal, but that’s the thing: it’s an aspiration, not a state of being. There will be times when you don’t have the perfect solution memorized and ready to go. You’ll get ambushed. You’ll be silenced. You’ll find yourself fighting underwater or in the dark. You’ll lose access to spellbook, rest, or component pouch. These are the times when you’ll have to rely on your buddies.

So I say to all you casters out there: remember your place in the marching order. Despite your many powers you are far from invulnerable. And yes, even though you are obviously the most important member of the group, and the natural leader, and the best looking, it’s best to lead from behind. Because phenomenal cosmic power doesn’t mean squat when you’re out of hp.

So how about it? Any of you guys ever fall into this trap? Have you ever seen a squishy caster run into melee like a dork? Let’s hear your tales of eviscerated wizards and overconfident sorcerers in the comments!

THIS COMIC SUCKS! IT NEEDS MORE [INSERT OPINION HERE] Is your favorite class missing from the Handbook of Heroes? Maybe you want to see more dragonborn or aarakocra? Then check out the “Quest Giver” reward level over on the The Handbook of Heroes Patreon. You’ll become part of the monthly vote to see which elements get featured in the comic next!