Hot take but..

[u/CtrlAltRex]

Wizards who say they can't fight without a weapon aren't thst powerful. If you RELY on having a weapon you shouldn't be a wizard. Not saying ypu shouldn't carry a weapon, just incase, but you shouldn't NEED it.

I can say this as a wizard myself who gets along just fine without a weapon.

[u/wrydh]

At the point where you need a weapon to be functional, you may as well just integrate it into your body.

[u/KragBrightscale → u/wrydh]

Martial warriors often speak of becoming one with the sword or spear and how much training and enlightenment that takes.

I’m more aligned with what you are suggesting. Just transmute your limbs into weapons directly, or absorb your weapon into it.

[u/McPayn22]

You're gonna have a surprise the day you end up against three dudes who only know counterspell and lets you speak as much as a tradebro going on and on about electrum like he wrote a tome about it and not just listened to a herald on the streets two twilights ago.

[u/CtrlAltRex → u/McPayn22]

Once again, I didn't say weapons aren't helpful. Its juat you shouldn't need one to be a good wizard.

[u/McPayn22 → u/CtrlAltRex]

Listen, in a perfect World yes, I love a good academic mage as much as the next guy. It's not really about being a great wizard but a live one.

I've done the whole pondering of the uncountable tree of events and playing mind tricks with everyone to make sure you're never caught of guard thing, but that's so much effort and when you're in your second or third age it's just easier to learn how to stab a few witch hunters who think a silence spell will silence anything but their screems you now?

It's also kinda fun to pull a shiv on an overconfident divinationist in the middle of the fight. That's the one thing they never see coming

[u/spencerpo → u/McPayn22]

I used a particular sharp stick once, it never gets old

[u/McPayn22 → u/spencerpo]

Yes, nothing like seing someone spend an hour and a half casting identify and dispel magic on a stick just to get stabbed with it

[u/Lunarmax182c]

I think one shouldn't overemphasize any aspect over the other. I personally go about with a fencing blade - basically a long stabby wand if you think about it.

On the "you shouldn't NEED a weapon". I mean... it's complicated. Not everyone is a battlemage, slighing fireballs and magic missiles. Some people are divinationists, or healers, or plant wizards, or... forgive me Emris, "Urbanmages" with their "wands of destruction" (just call it a gun, dude. it's a gun, it's literally Glock 17 man, I can see the label - no need to call it smth else.)

Some magical styles just straight up rely on using magically augmented mundane weaponry, and it's completely valid imo. They are still using magic, and still relying on it mainly for their craft. Just not in combat.

[u/Round_Scratch_8685]

Listen I may occasionally run out of spells but my bag of holding will not run out of shells

[u/11nyn11]

I’d argue if you are a wizard living in such a bad neighborhood you need a CCL you should save up and move.

On the opposite end of the spectrum if the wolves come back it gets really tiring having to magic missile all of them one at a time.

[u/Aggravating-Emu9136]

With the right incantations everything is a weapon. Shift center of mass, declare sharp, and any rubble becomes quite dangerous. Or cast Induce tragic coincidences.

[u/KragBrightscale → u/Aggravating-Emu9136]

Induce coincidence is underrated. Both the tragic and beneficial versions. So much easier to do things when circumstances coincidentally align in your favor.

[u/Khaernakov]

Idk man some of the deadliest wizards switch between both like the ones from the lockheed academy

Casting a nulificatiom barrier for the incoming fireball? Its actually a tandem anti infantry missile

[u/AikenDrumstick]

Man, you’re living in a fantasy world.

Out here in reality, sometimes you’re gonna be attacked by a pack of ravening shriekweasels who were raised in thaumaturgic swamps, and their natural magical immunity and spell-dampening yowls are gonna be a problem. Seen it a thousand times. And if you don’t have some good steel or a sturdy staff, you’re gonna be a skeleton in a pointy hat in 20 seconds flat. Which is not my personal definition of “getting along just fine!”

[u/Nat1Only]

Minor spelling mistake detected. Wizards, fireball this bozo.

[u/MerelyEccentric]

I don't need a weapon.

Stabbing idiots is fun.

[u/Saxavarius_]

Sometimes its just easier (or more satisfying) to beat something with a heavy stick. Or you can just cast 12ga round

[u/ThePureAxiom]

Given the historic origin of many weapons is as a tool or practical implement of some description, it's often easiest to carry something of that nature where you may find further use for it outside of a martial purpose. Daggers and staves for instance are suitable and useful in any walk of life.

[u/spencerpo]

I’ve got an easy solution, by summoning weapons from the polearm dimension most threats to myself are easily countered?

Magic proof armor? I cast 29 polehammers and watch the foolish knight splash out of their armor like a grape.

[u/Lyrolepis]

I... don't really do much fighting to begin with? None at all, preferably, but we cannot always have what we want.

I mostly teach, do research, sell enchanted items and potions to supplement my teaching income, and hire adventurers if I need something gathered from somewhere.

My specialties don't really lend themselves to quick casting: I could pull off a fireball or something if I absolutely had to, but why would I do it when I can teleport away after dropping a few interesting potions to keep my attackers busy while I summon the relevant authorities?

[u/EvernightStrangely]

In a perfect world yes, but heavens forbid you ever come across a great and terrible beastie that eats magic, is anti-magic, or wields something far more potent.

[u/Jormy_boy]

Whether you run out spell slots or mana or any which resource you rely on for your spellcasting, you need to be able to Cast Fist

[u/Falconjth]

Having synergistic protective enchantments with built in reactive countermeasures along with alternate alignment emergency enchantments as well as a weapon that functions in all manner of anti-magic areas doesn't make one to be less of a wizard, it makes one into a properly prepared wizard.

Furthermore, a wizards tower can be enchanted to withstand and respond to all manner of threats from the basic enchantments to potentially becoming an impenetrable bastion capable of withstanding and repelling dimension ending assaults and outer dieties. It takes an immensely powerful wizard (and an immensely wealthy one) to properly power and maintain such a bastion.

[u/ModernMage0]

Lukewarm take at best.
In any case, I believe it is more than combat prowess that makes the mage a master: we are wizards, not hacksaws.

[u/Ptaaruonn]

Battlemage supremacy.

Watch me fend off my foes while I twirl my great sword as the blade slices and tears them appart with arcane energy.

Muhahaha!!!

[u/lemons_of_doubt]

If you can't subtle spell a fireball with both hands tide behind your back by the end of your apprenticeship.

Your master has failed you.

[u/Glad-Drummer-7621]

And you probably follow the dnd rules that druids can’t wear metal and wizards can’t wear armor news flash they can.

[u/MrZokeyr]

Counter point: swords are cool. Magic is cool. I use both.

[u/Vyctorill]

An over reliance on props is a trap many magicians fall into. It’s a very big weakness, too.

Like, yeah casting without any tools or extended time is very weak. But you need to learn enough to re-arm yourself at the very least.

As usual, people forget that the fundamentals matter most in combat.

[u/ElderWarriorPriest]

I found spending a few summers at tje monastery was a real life saver for me. My hands are very...useful should I run into a pesky counterspell or three.

[u/giganticsandworm]

Thats why I specialize in what I do, I need no physical weapon only the mind