100-things-about-wizards

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That player who reminds the DM to make things more difficult  (Robin Wood, Different Worlds 35, Chaosium, July/August 1984)

[100-things-about-wizards]

002: Training (Greyhawk)

So now that we’ve discussed what separates spellcasters from non-spellcasters I thought it would be interesting to look at how people become spellcasters; specifically wizards. This discussion will take place in three parts; first Greyhawk, the default setting for 3rd edition, then Forgotten Realms, the current default and finally I’ll talk about some ideas for a generic fantasy setting.

Greyhawk is a low-magic setting and as you might expect there are relatively few wizard schools in the Flaenass; not even one per country. This means that most wizards learn during a one-on-one apprenticeship and not through a formal school. But of the actual institutions of magical learning, the most prestigious is the University of Magical Arts. Admission requires; an entry fee of 100gp, a recommendation from a wizard and approval from a board of tutors at the school itself.

The 100gp requirement shows that most students are either (a) wealthy or (b)  sponsored by the same person that recommended them to the school. In other words, this system isn’t too different from the traditional master/apprentice relationship, just with money. What the student gains however is not just prestige but also access to magical knowledge they would never encounter in the tower of a single mage.

Another distinguishing element of the school is the fact that most apprentices are also adventurers. It is common for students to leave school after completing their basic studies to explore the world and then return to finish their apprenticeship. In practice this means that apprentices either (a) set out to adventure with only cantrips and a dagger or that the (b) the school still considers them to be “apprentices” until they choose a school of magic at level 3. Possibly a little of both.

Source 1

Source 2

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Goji ❤ [x]

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002: Magic Initiates

So in my last post I talked about how spell slots distinguish spellcasters from non-spellcasters. These slots are aren’t just game terms, they’re a real thing int the physical brain of a wizard. But what about people with the magic initiate feat?

This is a good question. People with the magic initiate feat (and of course high elves etc) have the ability to cast cantrips. Are they also spellcasters? No. They’re not spellcasters for the same reason a basilisk isn’t a spellcaster - someone who has cantrips has an innate ability. It may seem odd to call a learned ability innate but in the context of magic innate isn’t the same thing as natural. Think of it like swimming. Some creatures have the potential to learn how to swim while other lack this ability completely. But there’s an important distinction here; brain damage can impair or even remove your ability to swim but you can’t lose your ability to cast cantrips through memory loss. Even level drain won’t remove the benefit of the magic initiate feat. In other words, once learned, cantrips become part of your essence. Ironically this also means that you’re still a non-spellcaster because you’re now a being whose essence contains magic.

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[100-things-about-wizards]

001: What IS a spellcaster?

The obvious answer to this question is that a spellcaster is someone who can cast spells. But anyone can cast a spell from an incantation, so what makes “spellcasters” different? The answer is spell slots. All spellcasters have spell slots. In game terms this is presented as an abstraction but I believe that spell slots are real and physical. On page 34 of the 3.5 book Complete Mage, an un-named wizard describes the process of preparing spells for the day. 

“I  have  my  spellbooks,  the  original  manuscript.  I  begin  the processes  by  resting  my  mind  and  body,  erasing  the  detritus from the previous day. Sleep wipes my mental parchment clean. When I awake, I focus for a while. I cast off the details left over from my dreams and set my thoughts in order, just like a scribe setting the rules and margins on a page. When I finish, I have built  a  mental  structure  for  my  spells.  This  is  the  essence  of magic. As I have continued to hone my magical art, I find I can create more and more mental pages to contain my spells.”

This shows that spell slots are a real thing in the physical brain of a spellcaster that they can actually feel.