Need DM Advice

[Shoelessme]

Yo,
I have a new game starting up. It is a low magic, non-optimized game. I encourage flavor over mechanics and I try to use common sense rule modifications.

Translation: If you want to grab a line and play tarzan in a pirate adventure I would probably allow it because its cool, fun and inspires the characters to be creative. The rules don't really make it practical but its cool so I would probably allow it. Might have a chance of falling on your face but that would be fun as well.

My problem: A character wants to play a wizard. Now I personally like wizards. But both the nation they are fighting with and the people they are fighting against don't favor arcane magics. Think jealous gods and scary druids (flavor of old Celtic but same mechanics) I'm not going to forbid him any core class, or most non core for that matter. I see it kind of like allowing a player to play a drow in a light elven campaign. Sure you could....but there will be consequences, possibly fatal ones. I am also worried that he won't find as much loot. There is only so many times I can say "Oh look this arcane hating cleric has a spell book lying around for no reason" before it gets really obvious. I can come up with a few excuses (we confiscated this a while back/ its a nice item for clerics as well) but really if they learn he is arcane caster they might throw him in jail and confiscate his gear. Should I warn him ahead of time of the type of campaign it will be, but let the cards fall where they will? Or should I go back through all the loot tables I spent so long setting up, plug in magic items for him and make him hide from magic sniffers/pretend to be a cleric/ be sneaky all the time? It could be fun for a game or two but might get frustrating.

[eggynack]

I don't really see how you can play a low magic or non-optimized game with a wizard. those guys are crazy in the buns, and he'd likely outstrip the power level of any campaign you'd describe as non-optimized, and do so with nothing but clever spell use. I suggest that you do not let him play a wizard on that basis. Restrict the game to the low tiers, and maybe point him towards a lower form of magic man, like a beguiler or dread necromancer. It'd help him fit in better with your campaign world, and help him fit in better with the party. Also, now I really want to build Magic Man from Adventure Time in D&D form. I've thought about it before, and every time I do it's amazing.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I once had a situation similar to this once, except it was in an anti-gods campaign world (gods screwed up, everyone hates them now) and one of my players wanted to play an Archivist.

We talked about it, and she played up the scholar portion of the character an helped disguise her casting (Worldy Focus, Invisible Spell, Silent Spell, etc...). It actually worked, most of the time.

[Humble Master]

Maybe you could convince him to play a Sorcerer. He could then be a sort of outcast who was ostracized for have control of strange and unknown powers (Arcane Magic). He then had to master this bizarre ability to survive and thus became a Sorcerer. This would make him less reliant on spellbooks.

He could try to disguise his power as Divine Magic, carrying around a holy symbol and using subtler spells.

I would personally say yes. When someone wants to play a character that is different from the world around them (but not different in a weird/stupid/way that doesn't fit in my world as a whole). Their character becomes a foal to the world around them and this distinction can make the character more interesting.

[ArcturusV]

Well... I'd actually ask the player WHY he wants to be a Wizard. Too often the answer falls into a category of theme and concept, ones which can be solved without actually being a wizard, or even an Arcane Caster at all really.

I mean if he's someone who wants to be chucking fire (A common enough thing I find), you can just point him towards a Fire Shugenja. He can be a divine caster, they're geared down enough that it's hard to be overwhelming with them, and he can go chucking around Fireballs and Lightning all he wants. Problem solved.

If it's an Optimization thing, as in the few times I've found players who gave answers that I found out later meant they wanted to break the game, or they were just lying and said "I just really want to be a wizard", "I've never played one before", etc... I just tell them no. Not working for this campaign, try again later. You're perfectly allowed to do that.

But still I'd suggest options. Options are always something to go with. Point them to Druids or Clerics which can be just as/more powerful and fit in the setting.

[HalfQuart]

I think you should definitely explain the world to the player, as the character would certainly be aware of the world he grew up in... and don't make any major accommodations for your normal found (or purchased) magic items. You could perhaps send the party on special quests to find arcane items that they hear about as rumor. And maybe refluff Collegiate Wizard so he gets the benefit but without the college, which surely wouldn't exist, so that he'd get a more reasonable number of spells to know.

I've experienced plenty of unoptimized Wizards (or perhaps just uncreative players) in the groups I play with, so it is certainly possible that it won't break your low-op game. I'd definitely have a frank conversation with the player and then vet his character and (especially) his spell list well ahead of time.

[Gildedragon]

Point them to the Adept. It's not that powerful but fits a low magic low power campaign to a T. Let them gain and learn spells as a wiz from the wiz list

[GreenETC]

I'd ask him about what he wants to do as a Wizard, and then try to steer him to a Beguiler, Shugenja, Sorcerer, or an Eidetic Spellcaster Wizard, with strict attention to the spells you give him. This way you can eliminate the problem of needing to give him spellbooks or spells in general, and you don't have to worry about him needing to hide his book.

Plus if they find a scroll or something, you can have him organize a way to hide himself and learn off it in secret.

[BowStreetRunner]

I would allow him to play a wizard if he likes. As for the recommendation that he play sorcerer instead, it may sound counter-intuitive but a sorcerer would be more powerful for your campaign than a wizard. The key reason a wizard is usually more powerful is access to more spells. Cut that access, and the sorcerer has more spells per day.

Make sure the player knows that he will not likely be finding a lot of resources to support his class. There will be generic loot from which he can benefit, but he should expect wizard gear to be rare. He will still be very powerful even without wizard items.

When you do feel like rewarding him, let the party find some ancient ruin with something in it that no one without a high spellcraft or knowledge (arcane) score would recognize that leads to a scroll or two. Put low-powered utility spells in his grasp through methods like this - but if he wants the really good spells he will have to use his two spells per level for those.

Encourage him to take up a side-job. Craft, Profession and Knowledge can all be particularly useful in giving his character another role to play in the party. Check out Complete Warrior p. 122, Stormwrack pp. 85-87 for a few ideas in this regard.

Talk him into multi-classing. Losing caster levels shouldn't be such a big deal to him in your world and he may find some interesting builds that would be fun to play but are generally not recommended because they aren't optimized.

[Stux]

Do you have a particular reason why the world in general is against arcane magic?

One idea that popped in to my head while reading this is that in your game world arcane magic could attract trans-dimensional beings that feed on magical energy. If anyone uses an excessive amount of magic within a short time period in the same a location there is a tear in space that allows these creatures to pour through. They could be demons, shadow creatures, or something more fitting to your particular setting.

In an encounter, keep track secretly how many spells have been used and each round roll a d20. If it is below the current total then a tear appears and an appropriate CR number of creatures appear attacking anyone in their way (party or opponents) to try to reach arcane spell casters.

Depending on your plot there are many ways you could tie this planar instability in to your main campaign storyline in a relevant and cool way.

[Azoth]

As far as hiding it goes, he can use Sleight of Hand to do it. In Races of Stone they expand the skill into an opposed roll against spot checks to hide your casting as muttering and the somatic components as other gestures.

Couple that with the +0 metamagic Invisible Spell, and you mutter/twitch and bad things happen that no one can see or discern are your fault.

I found that combo and shape spell metamagic to be particularly useful on my "average joe" wizard. Party thought they were body guarding a guide while I played an NPC/DM helper...when in reality he was a billy bad wizard saving their butts.