Why do wizards wear robes? [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

JusticeZero

2013-05-31, 12:47 PM

One, None of the ones i've seen do, and two, that's entirely normal clothing for some eras. I presume it's some sort of weird holdover from a misconception people had of academics at some point.
The last wizard I played was rocking a white shirt and a pair of pants, a vest and a bowler.

OverdrivePrime

2013-05-31, 12:48 PM

Well what else would they put on with their wizard hat (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/robe-and-wizard-hat)? >__>

Maybe it's more of an intimidation thing.

Wizards' robes say, "I never have to exert myself to move at more than a casual saunter, even in the most dangerous dungeon the DM can throw at us."

El Dorado

2013-05-31, 12:59 PM

Because a longer hemline is more flattering.

gurgleflep

2013-05-31, 01:00 PM

I always imagined they wore robes so that when they used hand gestures and movements to cast their spells it caused a nice, fluid motion in their robes adding to the overall visual effect.
If you don't like the idea of robes, may I suggest a kilt or a skirt?

HowlingWolf

2013-05-31, 01:03 PM

I'd hate to see an old wizard in his robes on a windy hill! -_- Yikes! A man might get mooned! Or worse yet!

Craft (Cheese)

2013-05-31, 01:05 PM

gurgleflep

2013-05-31, 01:11 PM

I'd hate to see an old wizard in his robes on a windy hill! -_- Yikes! A man might get mooned! Or worse yet!

Whoa man! There are children (and me) present, don't scare us like that! :smalltongue:

I'm a big fan of wizards wearing dusters or trenchcoats.

Trenchcoat? I quite like the image of that :smallamused:
I personally like the idea of them wearing a... crud, what's the name... It's an Asian robe, I think it's called a Kimono?

Toliudar

2013-05-31, 01:20 PM

Have you seen Marlon Brando in The Island of Doctor Moreau? An entire island of violent, drug-addicted animal-people, and the scariest thing there is a fat guy in a muu muu (http://whenfallsthecoliseum.com/wp-content/uploads/muumuu.jpg). Robes demand respect!

Frosty

2013-05-31, 01:23 PM

I'm a big fan of wizards wearing dusters or trenchcoats.This?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wa7nI18pBkE/Tg3vv6vMRhI/AAAAAAAAAv8/2NpdwrkFNCc/s1600/HarryDresden.png

Hand_of_Vecna

2013-05-31, 01:28 PM

Have you considered that the robes might actually be practical garments that only go down to mid calf rather than the kinds of robes cloistered monks do?

ericp65

2013-05-31, 01:29 PM

Maybe it was a fashion development from bedclothes and housecoats, as a wizard can't be bothered to dress and undress manually, when magic can do the job instead :smallwink:

ericp65

2013-05-31, 01:30 PM

Have you considered that the robes might actually be practical garments that only go down to mid calf rather than the kinds of robes cloistered monks do?

Yeah, how else are they gonna show off their fancy footwear?

CowardlyPaladin

2013-05-31, 01:30 PM

Same answer as always:

Because Tolkien.

Everybody in Tolkien were robes, its not inherently a wizard thing.

I know in scarred lanes using arcane magic omits heat, so wizards try to wear loose clothes so they aren't overwhealmed.

Kaeso

2013-05-31, 01:34 PM

I presume they wear robes for the same reason high clergy and nobility wore robes in the Middle Ages: because they could! They had the money to afford it and liked to flaunt it (though, depending on the religious order, flaunting your wealth could be looked down upon for the high clergy). It was a sign of status.

I guess the DnD world would work the same with wizards. They're probably rich people if they can afford formal training in the arcane, and mastering magic makes you very powerful. They would want to wear clothes that scream "Look at me! I'm a wizard! Fear and respect me!". However, this may not be as smart on the field of battle, so it would be both smart and in character for a wizard to wear plain traveling clothes when traveling with a group, unless he's so arrogant that he wants to stick out in the eyes of the enemy like a sore thumb (and by level 10+ a wizard can afford to be that arrogant).

bored2deth

2013-05-31, 01:34 PM

Now I'm getting an itch to play a nasty, gross wizard who is a slob and uses
spells which are meant to disgust, cause nausea, melt things through acid,
etc...lol. A big ol' fat wizard with a long beard with bits of food and pieces of
candy stuck in it. He'd have a big ol' mead belly with lots of hair, and he'd
be smelly and stinky from sweat and stuff trapped in his fat folds. It'd be so much fun! He could go around farting and belching, constantly eating and drinking. A Stank-Wizard! He could cast spells to induce severe to epic flatulence, never-ending hiccups, booming burps, choking farts, and possibly
exude an Aura of Uncleanly Stench. ;-)

He'd wear a +1 dirty pink and purple bathrobe, along with his bright green shower cap (with little stars and moons on it). Wielding a +1 plunger of nausea! His book of spells would be made of cardboard and toilet paper, decorated with candy bar wrappers. Also, I think he'd have some yellow bathroom slippers. Hehehehe....now THAT's a bad mental image.

Telonius

2013-05-31, 02:08 PM

It's a bit older than Tolkien.

I can't find any sources on this at the moment, but I believe the tradition of depicting Wizards (and alchemists, and basically anybody having anything to do with the occult) in robes goes back to the 11th century or so. At the time, the Middle East was the main center of learning, and the astronomers, astrologers, and alchemists actually did wear fairly loose-fitting garments due to the hotter climate. To the (relatively uneducated) Europeans, anybody dealing with fancy numbers like 1 and 15 instead of i and xv, navigating by the moon and stars, and creating crazy chemical reactions, would basically be using magic.

Invader

2013-05-31, 02:09 PM

This right here explains it all perfectly.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=LEKUNQVKM6I&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLEKUNQVKM6I

Hyena

2013-05-31, 02:14 PM

Because wizards wear robes. It's a sign of status - it's saying you have more power in your finger then a hundred of muggles. Nobody will mug a man wearing robe, because men fear magic.

Gerrtt

2013-05-31, 02:20 PM

Maybe it was a fashion development from bedclothes and housecoats, as a wizard can't be bothered to dress and undress manually, when magic can do the job instead :smallwink:

"Well, I am already in my pajamas."

Yora

2013-05-31, 02:29 PM

Everybody in Tolkien were robes, its not inherently a wizard thing.
Like Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn? All wizards!

angry_bear

2013-05-31, 02:36 PM

Have you considered that the robes might actually be practical garments that only go down to mid calf rather than the kinds of robes cloistered monks do?

Well sure if they got the legs for it, but chances are your typical wizard isn't going to be at all fit enough to show off his calf muscles. :smalltongue:

I get why wizards wear robes, it shows that they're educated, and generally smarter than everyone else... What I don't get, is why sorcerers wear them...

RogueDM

2013-05-31, 02:39 PM

Because wizards wear robes. It's a sign of status - it's saying you have more power in your finger then a hundred of muggles. Nobody will mug a man wearing robe, because men fear magic.

Within the setting... I mean, Nobody (in their right mind) would try mugging a wizard unless they had a damned good plan. However, were I the sort to mug anybody I, in the present day, would have no qualms about mugging a man in a robe. 'Cause he's not running anywhere.

But yes, in the assumed culture of the setting robes would be the uniforms of academies. Scholars, historically, did wear robes (see graduation ceremonies). And looking like a wizard went a long way in impressing the "muggles" or advertising your talents.

Also, you could get away with not wearing pants and nobody knew. Unless it was windy (see above).

Elderand

2013-05-31, 02:40 PM

Wizards wear robes because central heating hasn't been invented in most setting and it get cold in a tower

Juntao112

2013-05-31, 02:42 PM

Divayth Fyr

2013-05-31, 02:49 PM

What I don't get, is why sorcerers wear them...
Obviously, they want to be treated like wizards* - after all, seeing a robed person casting spells, you're most likely to think you're in front of a wizard.

*even if one claims otherwise - it is subconscious.

Gerrtt

2013-05-31, 02:54 PM

I honestly prefer my wizards in utilitarian clothes; vests with pockets for things, utility type belts, cargo pants. One can never have too many pockets I'd say.

Snails

2013-05-31, 02:57 PM

I presume they wear robes for the same reason high clergy and nobility wore robes in the Middle Ages: because they could! They had the money to afford it and liked to flaunt it (though, depending on the religious order, flaunting your wealth could be looked down upon for the high clergy). It was a sign of status.

More precisely: Long robes are "elevated" because they are impractical for most kinds of manual labor. Wearing long robes all the time is flaunting you are above such worldly concerns, e.g. the clergy.

Learned men of the middle ages often were or had ties to the clergy. So, it is the stereotype for every kind of scholar.

(Of course, some kinds of robes, just like some kinds of dresses, were practical enough to work in when belted or hitched up properly. Those are not the stereotypical robes of a scholar or a wizard.)

Spiryt

2013-05-31, 03:05 PM

It's interesting question.

"Scholars, alchemists, magicians wore them" may be solid trace, but at the end of the day there was nothing really out of ordinary about robes in Middle Ages.

People of all kind of status wore them, particularly for long foot travels, for protection from weather.

That's probably could be why Tolkien wizards like Gandalf or Radagast, constantly on the road, would wear them.

Of course, clergy of all kind also wore robes/robelike garments traditionally, so there may be something here.

For additional complication, I'm pretty sure that medieval definition of 'robe' wouldn't really fit modern ones, because it involved rather short garments as well.

Svata

2013-05-31, 03:21 PM

Well sure if they got the legs for it, but chances are your typical wizard isn't going to be at all fit enough to show off his calf muscles. :smalltongue:

I get why wizards wear robes, it shows that they're educated, and generally smarter than everyone else... What I don't get, is why sorcerers wear them...

Because Joe commoner can't tell the difference, and the sorcerer wants him to know that if crossed, he can kill him, and his entire family, as easily as a wizard can.

Slipperychicken

2013-05-31, 03:30 PM

Real reason: That's what scholars wore back in the day. It was a way to show the wizard is a learned, educated person who knows all kinds of obscure stuff. In games, it balances their magic powers by making them less resistant to attack, necessitating other party roles like tanks.

Proposed reason: It's much more comfortable to do somatic components in a loose-fitting garment. Even the slightest restriction adds a failure chance to a Wizard's spells.

angry_bear

2013-05-31, 04:12 PM

Seffbasilisk

2013-05-31, 04:39 PM

Because pants are for peasants.

Seriously. If you could re-write the laws of physics, and bend reality to your whim, would you be so constrained?

Sylthia

2013-05-31, 04:46 PM

Like Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn? All wizards!

Minor nit-pick, but technically, there were only 5 "true" wizards in Middle-Earth.

Hand_of_Vecna

2013-05-31, 04:47 PM

Well sure if they got the legs for it, but chances are your typical wizard isn't going to be at all fit enough to show off his calf muscles. :smalltongue:

I get why wizards wear robes, it shows that they're educated, and generally smarter than everyone else... What I don't get, is why sorcerers wear them...

If they don't have calves to show off they show off some nice calf skin boots instead.

I thought sorcerers wore belts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=anNtAshm30s

DMVerdandi

2013-05-31, 05:30 PM

I never imagine them in robes.
While it does lend to the hermetic image of the Initiate of a secret order (Now we ALWAYS see them in robes because they were priestly vestments.), but there are cooler things to dress them in, and definitely far less obvious and utilitarian.

I like the image of rogue leathers, so that's what I generally go for. Or adventurer's gear.

dascarletm

2013-05-31, 05:48 PM

Because pants are for peasants.

Seriously. If you could re-write the laws of physics, and bend reality to your whim, would you be so constrained?

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Wizardsrobes.

elonin

2013-05-31, 06:51 PM

The iconic wizard in fantasy wears robes cause they are studious types. They might have better things to spend their money on. One thing that often gets ignored in dnd is that people in armor would draw more attention. Though in dnd this isn't a good assumption to make.

The better question is what would need to be done to make robes a more attractive option for dnd wizards?

Slipperychicken

2013-05-31, 06:53 PM

The better question is what would need to be done to make robes a more attractive option for dnd wizards?

People won't believe you're a Wizard if you're not in the robes. Probably just think you're a jackass with a Bluff check.

nyjastul69

2013-05-31, 08:13 PM

Same answer as always:

Because Tolkien.

I doubt it. Merlin is commonly portrayed as wearing robes. This greatly predates Tolkien. It probably goes further back as well.

Blas_de_Lezo

2013-05-31, 08:17 PM

Same answer as always:

Because Tolkien.

I doubt it. Merlin is commonly portrayed as wearing robes. This greatly predates Tolkien. It probably goes further back as well.

Wrong. Both of you. Because of Moses. Long hair, beard, robes, wizard things and staff.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpSLJPTzn1diqZR0B-ezjaUy7QaNtZ30-gclpyqYYDM93o69beqA

Scowling Dragon

2013-05-31, 08:17 PM

Cause its PIMPIN. Chicks dig a powerful mage, and let them know with your robe.

nyjastul69

2013-05-31, 08:45 PM

Wrong. Both of you. Because of Moses. Long hair, beard, robes, wizard things and staff.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpSLJPTzn1diqZR0B-ezjaUy7QaNtZ30-gclpyqYYDM93o69beqA

That's what I said. It probably goes further back.

elonin

2013-05-31, 08:48 PM

People won't believe you're a Wizard if you're not in the robes. Probably just think you're a jackass with a Bluff check.

That would be to their detriment. There is a reason it is a good idea to target casters first.

MukkTB

2013-05-31, 09:38 PM

In the sourcebooks you see robes on wizards, but in play I haven't seen that kind of thing. Out of the last several wizards I've seen in play, PC, and NPC, a couple were armored gish, 1 was a low level traveller wearing weather appropriate clothes, 1 was a noble in nobles garb, 1 was an artist and dressed as such, and one was a madman in a loincloth. The last time I played a Wizard I dressed like a rainbow pimp; fancy magic vest, bright yellow feathered mask, shiny blue armor, magic sandals, magic headband, cloak of resistance, whatever color that comes in, and carrying a shield with eyeballs on it.

The robed wizard is more of a general fantasy thing. I have no idea where it came from but it isn't a D&D only thing, and you don't see it too often in play.

animewatcha

2013-05-31, 10:12 PM

It's easier to disrobe than disarmor when with a lady of the evening?

Anderlith

2013-05-31, 10:49 PM

My mages usually wear a loose tunic/shirt. & fitted jeans/trousers/pants. & a b@tchin' long coat.

Girls love a longcoat.
Guy love a longcoat.
Everybody loves a longcoat

put some kickin' sigils & runes on it in silver or mithral thread, & make sure it has plenty of pockets, extraplaner pockets if you can.

In games where casters can wear armor, I wear armor.... & a longcoat :smallbiggrin: