Non-Cliche Pyromancer

[TeeHee]

Hey all,

Recently I was offered the chance to playtest my friend's homebrew system. It is very rules-light and has a freeform magic system similar to the Ars Magica or GURPS (noun-verb) casting. He really wants to test how pure mages compare to pure warriors, and I thought the best way to do this was to make a blasty fire mage. So:

1. Any non-cliche (no priest of fire that cleanses sins, no burned at a young age, no anger culminating as fire, no fire/dragons in the bloodline, etc.) character concepts and backgrounds for a pyromancer?

2. Creative/Fun ways to use fire spells that isn't hurling a ball of fire into enemies?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

[Maglubiyet]

1.
He failed out of general wizardry school so his father hired the only magical tutor he could afford -- a crazy local fire mage.
He was trained by an efreeti, who naturally focused on pyromancy.
He studied from a book of elemental magic, but he never got to the chapters on Air, Water, and Earth. He accidentally destroyed it in a burst of flame after the first chapter.

2.
Surgically burning chair/table legs and light fixtures to create obstacles and drop things on people. Scorching drawstrings and belts to drop opponents' pants.
Sparkler/fireworks to distract people
Superheating flasks or bottles or wineskins to cause explosions of steam

[Lord Raziere]

3. Comes from the Order of Candles. A highly disciplined and controlled sect of fire-wielders, they are renowned for their ability to only set what they want on fire and nothing else. Their minds are highly trained with iron-willed focus and finesse. Their control so great, they are often called upon to stop city fires, the masters to put out any fire just by snapping their fingers. They are so named for their ceremonies that show off their control by lighting many candles in a room without a single person being harmed. They are not pacifists however. They are more dangerous than any wild pyromancer, for their control over the flame allows them to do things no wild pyromancer full of anger could ever achieve.

[BWR]

In L5R the element of fire is not merely destructive and burninating things, it is the element of knowledge, inspiration and creativity. A great number of the masters of fire magic in Rokugan are pacifists and scholars as well as priests, which leaves them having to use either non-offensive fire magic (a number of buffs are fire based in that setting), or using aggressive spells in a way that doesn't hurt people.

[tensai_oni]

Fire is an element of civilization and progress. It keeps beasts at bay, warms you in winter, smelts metals in great forges and lights up the darkness. It represents betterment of humanity, and mastery over natural elements and the world.

You can play your firemancer as someone who believes that, a type of magical reneissance/enlightened scientist (from the real life 18th century Enlightenment, not any mystical kind).

[Xuc Xac]

"The Pyromancer, at your service. Yes, I know I don't light many things on fire and I don't have any red in my robes, but if we could all just step outside of our literal minds for a moment, it really does make perfect sense."

Make your pyromancer a bard that manipulates spiritual fire: kindle a new hope, fan the flames of passion, ignite a burning rage, spark a creative idea, or thaw an icy heart.

[Yora]

Dark Souls has quite interesting pyromancers who are essentially an order of mystics who are contemplating the nature of the primordial source of life energy. Which in that setting is actually fire.
You could say that they are quite like Jedi but instead of telekinesis and telepathy their attunement to the universe lets them control fire.

[awa]

A smith could do some interesting things with the ability to manipulate fire, making better steel.

[Kadzar]

2. Refer to the original meaning of pyromancy and burn things to perform divination.

[Fri]

Dad's a pyromancer and considered useless compared to other more versatile mages that can use more things than fire. On his dying breath, you swear to him that you'll show them pyromancy is the best magic and not only useful for destruction or murder.

So now you travel around as a magician that had sworn to use and only use fire magic, and solve any problem only using application of fire magic creatively (though you do can kill one monster or two if needed).

[StriderITP]

You portray yourself as a pyromancer, but your secret is that you're actually a bard whose fire comes from good lyrics and attractive physical appearance

[Lapak]

1. Concept: the character just happens to be talented at fire spells, or at least feels that they are. They've always been most comfortable with that element. No destiny, no traumatic experiences with fire, no pyromania; they're just good at using it.

2. Creative uses:

Environmental control. Instead of burning enemies, you light a fire that splits up their group so everyone else can divide and conquer. Burn bridges or staircases to prevent an enemy's escape (or provide your own by preventing pursuit.) Pour fire into a ready water source (pond, river, barrel, etc) to provide a cloud of steam as cover.
First aid. Cauterize wounds to prevent infection and bleeding.
Signaling. Communicate with your allies across great distances, especially at night, by using firebursts as beacons.
Light. A controlled, steady flame is obviously useful here.
Messages and/or art. Carve designs into wooden (or, if you have the intensity available, stone) surfaces to pass along information, to impress those around you, or to create artwork.
Transportation. Make yourself useful as the power supply for a hot-air balloon; depending on the physics of magic in this system, go ahead and provide propulsion too with some horizontal blasts.