Does a wizard really have the same chance to hit as a fighter?

Question

In D&D versions Original to 3.5, the ability to hit your opponent varies from class to class (i.e. Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard). The classes in 5th edition all seem to have the same basic attack adjustments from proficiency at every level (not counting ability score adjustment, skill expertise or racial adjustments).

This seems to be a major departure from previous editions, so I'm not sure if I'm reading it right or missing something major.

Do all character classes really get the same attack adjustments? Is there something in the rules that I am missing? Unless a wizard specifically focuses on using a specific weapon, I would have assumed fighting classes would be inherently better at hitting their target. As far as spell targeting, that makes sense, but not for physical combat.

Just to be clear, I am in no way criticizing the rules. I am just trying to understand how it all fits together.

All classes have proficiency in several simple weapons (Dagger, Dart, Sling, Quarterstaff, and light crossbows). With these weapons, all classes have the same proficiency bonus. I am purposely not considering ability scores to compare against previous edition. In previous editions, even with proficiency, there was a difference in ability to hit between classes.

Is this understanding correct? Is there something else that accounts for the differences, like combat tables or class combat adjustments?

It just seems that there is no basic combat difference between classes, other than ability scores and specialty skills, and I find that surprising enough to think I'm missing something.

Answer 1

Dale M's answer is pretty much the one I would have given, but I'll try to add clarification based on the comments from his answer.

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On a single attack, a wizard and a fighter of equal stats and features have similar chances to hit. But it doesn't matter because a fighter will still be a better fighter than a wizard will be. It also raises the point that the wizard shouldn't have the same stats and features after level 1.

This is related to the change in philosophy of 5E: the number in the attack doesn't grow that much, but more interesting tools and tricks make the difference between a good fighter and wannabe-fighter. Example include sneak attack, battlemaster's maneuver, bonus action extra attack, conditional extra damage (ex. the ranger's colossus slayer).

How is a fighter's training shown in the mechanics?

A fighter's training doesn't appear as bigger to-hit number. It appears as extra attack, more HP, fighting style (the fighter goes beyond blindly hitting things), more reliable crits, combat related feats, more efficient offhand attacks...

Bonus attacks, fighting style, feats, stat boosts are not new to 5E, but they still make a difference when it comes to actually hitting. They actually make more of a difference because the base numbers are closer. And then add more damage once an attack does hit.

I will ask the reverse question

If a wizard and fighter have equal experience in fighting (aka they are level 1 and have never seen a real fight), why should the fighter have more chance to hit? They only ever had basic training experience. Or at least even the fighter may have never seen a real combat. While the wizard may at least know enough his staff to hit a target.

Answer 2

You are missing something ... just not about how the proficiency bonus works

All classes making an attack with a weapon they are proficient in or with a spell they have spellcasting proficiency in get their proficiency bonus added to the attack roll.

However, martial classes will tend to put their best scores in Strength or Dexterity and spellcasting classes will tend not to - this will typically make a difference of +2 or so (equal to the 1st level proficiency bonus). In addition, as the character earns ability score increases (and the fighter gets more of these) they will tend to go towards Strength/Dexterity for the martial classes and elsewhere for the spellcasters.

This means that, from the get go and even more as they level, a spellcaster will almost always be better off using an attack cantrip (the damage of which scales with level) than a weapon attack. This is without considering their leveled spells.

Further, martial classes get extra attacks (or more sneak attack damage) and extra things they can do with melee/ranged that spellcasters don't. While the spellcaster may have the same chance to hit with a weapon they will do it much less often and do much less damage when they do.

Answer 3

One major philosophical shift in 5e is the emphasis on active rather than passive abilities. Additionally, as godskook pointed out in the comments, 5e also introduces the idea of "bounded accuracy" which compresses the possible space of possible attack bonuses and armour class values and instead shifts the emphasis of power away from accuracy.

Thus, in 3.5 the difference in Fighter skill vs. Wizard skill in combat was represented by base attack bonus. While there are still some inherent passive bonus differences in 5e (for example, fighters can add their proficiency bonus to any simple or martial weapon, whereas wizards only get that bonus when wielding a dagger, dart, sling, quarterstaff, or light crossbow, barring any proficiencies from other sources such as feats or racial abilities), the primary differences will manifest as active abilities or specializations which improve the effectiveness of one's actions.

At first level the differences may not be large, but even so the fighter still has a definite edge (also keep in mind a fighter has 10+Con. hit points vs. 6+Con. HP for a wizard): the fighter will have a Fighting Style which can include, for example, Great Weapon Fighting to reroll 1s and 2s on damage dice when wielding a two-handed weapon, as well as Second Wind to use an action to recover 1d10+level in hit points.

Those abilities alone should heavily tilt combat toward the fighter, and their combat abilities only continue to diverge from there, with Action Surge at second level providing an extra action 1/short or long rest, and the Martial Archetype of 3rd level providing a broad range in choices to give the fighter an edge.