Be DM

You know there is a heap of RPGs where martial characters have resource management, right? Like L5R has 'once per encounter' abilities too.

It does when the game assumes that the only way to become awesome is by popping spells that allow you to do so.

Besides, nowadays every martial class has a caster variant, but nobody's raising a stink over the Fighter having the option to go EK.

B-b-but 4e called them “Powers”! REEEEEE

Martials weren't spellcasters. Their abilities were martial powers. Dumbass.

Nope. They were, mechanically, spells.
Also 4e nerfed or removed 90% of the problem spells from 3.5.

I'm stuck because two of my best friends from high school who make the game fun get really annoyed at the thought of playing any other system.

Thanks for volunteering your abject ignorance on the subject! You can leave now.

You gotta understand though, martials are designed to be shitty so that people end up choosing to become a mage once they understand how the game works.

They're the red shirt you make to fuck around with the mechanics while mages are the main character who actually moves the plot along.

It's a shame but it actually requires a high IQ to understand how to play a caster in D&D.

No. They were, mechanically, martial. Hence why they all had the "martial power" mechanic.

>Also 4e nerfed or removed 90% of the problem spells from 3.5.
Isn't that what people have been suggesting be done for years?