Now, I have always played transmuters, or sometimes I'll play an illusionist for a change. And I have always agreed that direct damage spells are a weak option.
But recently, for a change, I decided to make an evoker, just for fun. I figured I'd play a bit, blast some orphanages, he'd die, and that would be that.
But.. He did really really well. Ending many encounters on the first or second turn. The reason I retired him was because he was too good, and the rest of my party was doing nothing. And this was not a weak party. We have one newbie playing a Ninja, but the others are veterans playing a Druid, a Warforged cleric, and a Barbarian/cheesy prestige classes.
Anyway, he was a grey elf evoker. I took the focused specialist variant, as well as the evoker varient to increase the caster level of my fire spells. I took the searing spell metamagic feat, as well as empower spell. Thanks to Metamagic school focus, and arcane thesis, I was able to cast empowered searing fireballs, with caster level 13, when I was level 8.
In case you did not know, searing spell makes your fire spells so hot, that they ignore fire resistance, and deal half damage to fire immunity.
I one hit killed the dragonne. And the group of Dwarven guards in the prison. And the ogre-mages who attacked us. And I two hit killed the undead Kraken. How is this underpowered?
I still like playing an illusionist more, since you can have a lot more fun, but I do not see why people seem to think that evokers are underpowered. I admit, the power of my evoker would not scale up well in higher levels. But for low to mid levels.. Anyway, your thoughts?