PDA

View Full Version : Your New Career!



TheElfLord
2007-06-20, 08:35 PM
Okay, so I'm designing a DnD world that contains some magic schools. So that brought the question to my mind: What does a graduate of a magic school do? Besides teach at said magic school, or go off in a dark tower to research and cause problems, what do wizards do if they don't adventure.

So I'm hopeing people with contribute to a list of possible wizard careers, to help my gadge what sort of things my alumni will be doing.

RTGoodman
2007-06-20, 09:10 PM
Ah, the "Harry Potter syndrome" - you teach people how to be wizards, but there's no set thing to use the magic for afterwards...

Well, some basic ideas could be just as simple as the following:

-A wizard specializes in making potions/wands/whatever other magic item, and sells it to folks out of his house. (Just make sure you sell things for a profit (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0135.html)). This can help stop the idea of the "magic item store," forcing characters to seek out the wizard who has worked his whole life in making his specialty item, rather than walking into Ye Olde Magick Shoppe to buy whatever they want.

-Alternatively, he could set up shop in a large city and spend his life just casting spells for money.

-Kings and nobles can always use advisers with access to divination spells and such.

-An elite group of wizards could form the backbone of the "artillery" of an army.

-On that I like - a wizard could finish up at school, and then go back home on the farm, forgoing an adventuring career and instead using his arcane powers to help out with chores (spells like mending, prestidigitation, etc).


You can come up with all sorts of things. Of course, the higher level the graduates are, the less likely they are to not just become adventurers.

herrhauptmann
2007-06-20, 09:29 PM
It depends on how magic works in your campaign. If it's D&D standard, not much.
However, I've seen books where there are several forms of magic. The 'high magic' for instance. (The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory) This is the magic that is based off the alignment of the planets and times o the day. This is why a mage needs rooms and rooms full of equipment.
The main city mentioned, is run by and for wizards. Spells do everything there. Keep warehouses free of pests, wards against fire. Preventing ships from sinking. Keep food fresh. Weather magic (snow only falls at night, and never on the roads). Keeps the city bell towers ringing hourly, and ensures all the bell towers cooperate to make a harmonious sound. Ward the walls against monsters. Plus all the battle magic and enchantment one usually sees.

There are mages who perform duties like a 'midwife' for people. Or similar for animals (see the Gleaner by Keith Baker in the sidebar).

One of my mages (stuck in a home grown world,) only wants to return home. So he spends all his time researching planar travel. (I'm aiming for loremaster). Does scribing duties for the commonfolk as income. Also work for the royalty,nobles and churches. Got DM permission to make my own spells, they essentially recopy faded works or those with minor damage. Or repair documents that are badly damaged. This doesn't sound like much, but imagine if someone were to find the original Koran, penned by Muhammed(sp?) himself. How much do you think the owner would pay to have the book repaired without chance of further damage?

He only adventures if there's a likely chance it will help him find a way home.

Behold_the_Void
2007-06-20, 09:47 PM
In high magic settings magic often takes the place of technology, and thus wizards would be in high demand as they have the power to do all of the necessary functions to keep large cities based on magic running.

barawn
2007-06-20, 10:01 PM
So that brought the question to my mind: What does a graduate of a magic school do?

First, if you have magic schools (i.e. universities) I would really recommend making sure that alumni are beholden to the schools in some way - sort of like the Paladin's Code, though not as strict. Arcane organizations like that hold lots of power, and the organization itself is going to exert as much influence over its alumni as it can - whether it does it through intimidation (knowing the weaknesses of all of its students), or by giving beneficial things (like a constant newsletter of research going on at the university, or a minor artifact of decent value only the school knows how to make).

Second, non-professor/research alumni:

1) Magic item sales - this can either be a big-city thing, or a local wizard thing - the "town wizard," who helps out with problems and also sells magic items for the town as well. Big-city will probably be a scroll maker, town wizard will probably be a potion brewer.

2) Entertainers. Real prestidigitation is much more impressive. Bards don't have a monopoly on this.

3) Politics. Everyone can go into politics.

4) Military. See above.

5) Crime. See above.

Wizards don't have to be research types. They can do pretty much whatever any normal person could do. You could imagine a blacksmith wizard pretty easily - although that might be similar to your "dark tower researcher," just in a forge.

Tallis
2007-06-20, 10:10 PM
-Ship captain or navigator, spells can make the trip go much smoother.
-Transport specialist, teleportation, flight, planar travel.
-Sage, they already know a lot about magic, divination can find out what they don't know.
-Communications, all sorts of communication spells out there.
-Interrogator, detect thoughts is great for getting in formation from the suspect.
-Detective
-Emperor, King, Crown Prince, Dog Warden, etc., magic could be useful in all sorts of official positions.
-Researcher
-Fortune Teller
-Stage Magician, entertainer
-Ruler of the (formerly) free world
-Construction/Demolition Engineer
-Security specialist, magic traps, wards and golems
-Reconnaisance for the army
-Dragon Trainer
-Special Forces
-Spy
-Duelist (magic of course)
-Assassin
-Bodyguard
-Spelljammer Captain (if you have spelljamming in your world)
-Motivational Speaker
-Tour Guide
-Merchant

bosssmiley
2007-06-21, 01:28 PM
As any alumni of Unseen University knows, the true purpose of colleges of magic is not to teach magic; it is to control it. It's so much better for business (and public peace of mind) when all the people who can turn other people into toads are too busy fighting over their departmental budget to waste their time throwing about high level spells in built-up areas. :smallwink: