How do you RP your wizards?

[Acero]

Just started thinking about it because I'm making one for a game.
It's a Dwarf, so I think I'm going to go like a drunken master type. (not the class) would rather take a drink than 1-hit the mob, but pulls through in the end.
So how do you play them?

[Doc Roc]

Be Polite.
Be Thorough.
Have a plan to kill everyone you know.

[ninjaneer003]

be crazy.....very crazy, just short of you got hit with an insanity spell type crazy. wizards and all characters are best and more memorable when they have quirks about them that make people question their sanity

[Ramza00]

While not the only way to play your wizard. This is one of the most fun ways to play one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anp4lD6E5NU

[Lord Vampyre]

This really depends on their style.

If I'm trying more for a necromantic type, I keep them reserved and stand offish.

For a more enchantment oriented wizard who would prefer to use sleep than fight - I try to keep them more diplomatic .

For a warmage, who just wants to blow things up . Who can make them as crazy as the barbarian bezerker.

[Nihb]

A wizard is a character. Everyone has different goals. Played a chaotic neutral, cheap-ass and money-hungry transmuter named Ludger McConnal. Favorite character and campain ever.

Made two other characters pay a rent for over three months in-game under a platinum piece. Offered my magic item crafting skills to the party and cursed every one of them with minor inconveniences (you get mildly aroused the first time you meet a male dwarf, the longsword makes a toy sound when striking with a longsword in complete darkness, you beard grows 3 feet long over the first night you wear the cape, etc.)

Lost only one client who got fed up. Highly intelligent, he looked to make a complete bestiary of all the creatures we could meet, and kept a 9-headed hydra in his bedroom, polymorphed into a toad. Instead of buying ham and roasted chicken, he bought piglets and chicks and polymorphed them into toads to save on the feeding.

He even got a set of tiny tools so Leon, his rat familiar, could craft poison while he was working on other items (we deemed that a rat was dextrous enough to use tools of its size).

He even brought the daughter of a farmer home to marry her, receiving gifts for the wedding, saving on wine with Prestidigitation. The girl, who had awesome stats for a NPC, would become the barmaid of the tavern we made, that would become our guild's house. Therefore, he didn't have to pay her, since she was her wife.

As a transmuter, he enjoyed changing things and stated that appearances were never important, as a simple spell as Alter Self could redefine your body.

I also remember that he always kept a yarn ball to taunt the catfolk scout. He always used to call the human paladin who was adopted by elves an half-elf, so much that he even forgot that he wasn't even half-elf.

Always laughing, even when prone at the feet of the evil drow sorceress who didn't bother to wear panties that day, throwing stupid one liners around as if they were his vocal components and setting booby traps to his own friends with thunderstones.

Ha, memories...

[Chaelos]

I've played a number over the years, and I generally try to make each one as dissimilar and unique as possible. Some old favorites, though:

-A partially-mad summoner who continually lived "on the edge" in everything he did (always pressing the Big Red Button, etc.)--not because he was chaotic stupid, but because he suspected that he was living in some sort of story/artificial world where nothing mattered and wanted to test the theory. It was a very non-serious campaign, but this is still one of my favorite characters of all time.
-A generally pleasant (but unflinchingly ruthless) warlord bent on conquest for the purposes of stabilizing the crapsack world he lived in. This was probably the most rational, intelligent character of the lot, even if he did venture into Lawful Evil territory on more than one occasion.
-A hunter of monsters, specializing in identifying threats and neutralizing them via absurd Batman-level preparedness. He eventually locked himself in a private demiplane and was, frankly, boring to play at higher levels.
-A researcher of the deepest arcane secrets imaginable, driven on by a geas to release Tharizdun (which he eventually overcame). He was amusing to play, because he'd always be jolly as he was riveting others with the most horrifying details imaginable relating to some of said secrets.

A wizard, however, can take on any form you imagine (think shapechange, except as applied to your mind). They're not all Gandalfs and Voldemorts.

[Private-Prinny]

I use my wizards as a way to work all of my arrogance out of my system. Right now I'm playing a short-tempered Malconvoker who is constantly annoyed with the rest of the party.

Right before we took on the Big Bad's right hand man, I had my character stay outside to hold off the entire approaching army. My DM didn't even bother making me fight because everyone knew I would win anyway. In and out of character.

[oxybe]

i'm currently playing a half-orc wizard/bandito/merchant/chemist/engineer. he fires magical rainbows from his gun. he wears a dull poncho and a dusty cowboy hat. in a typical d&d-esque city.

he's not as outgoing as his odd character might imply, but that's only because he wears clothing from his native country and isn't impressed by the fashion in this one.

he's pretty reserved when all is said and done, and is very "serious business" when dealing with your typical D&D issues (eldrich abominations, dastardly rogues, corrupt city guards, etc...). he knows what's expected of him and tries his best to not get arrow'd by some villainous scoundrel.

during downtime, he's pretty focused on helping his mentor run the shop either by manning the cash/counter, crafting alchemical items in the lab, running errands or scribing scrolls/spell casting services.

when he's hanging out at one of the two bars of the neighborhood with the other PCs, he's "one of the guys". laughing at the sorceror's tricks and tomfoolery, discussing religion and politics with the cleric, making jokes about the guard with the rogue, ect... he chills. dude's been through a lot in his life and he deserves a cold one every once in a while.

he'll take a life if he absolutely has to, but until now he has been taking all measures possible to knock out or incapacitate his enemies as much as possible. only at the last session did he want to hurt/kill, but that's because the "shadowy organization" has been murdering people in town, and most importantly our neighborhood, recently and we want to stop them ASAP. i mean, this isn't just facing some guard doing his job... this is premeditated murder with a calling card (blast our low level and lack of proper divination spells!)

[Orzel]

When playing one of the many clones of the character that shares my username, I stick to the "everything that doesn't make sense or can't be analyzed by me, gets blown up."

Because you're a wizard, if you can't figure it out, no one will.

And weird obsessions. Because you don't have to make sense, but everything else better make sense.

[Dr.Epic]

imagine Professor Farnsworth as a wizard. that's how I roll play them.

[SilverClawShift]

Every wizard I play winds up exactly the same.

Librarian.

Usually concerned with creating a central catalog of arcane spells, a massive library with every arcane bit of information sorted meticulously and easily accessible.

It's never actually worked out that way. Maybe I should roll up a wizard for our next game...

[arguskos]

Librarian.

Usually concerned with creating a central catalog of arcane spells, a massive library with every arcane bit of information sorted meticulously and easily accessible.

Damn, someone beat me to how I play my mages, and it was SCS nonetheless.

[Divide by Zero]

"Wizard" is just a word for someone who uses magic from a book. Beyond that, they're just as varied as everything else in the world. Roleplay a character, not a class.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

When I think of an archetypal adventuring D&D wizard he's...

Distant, but not aloof
Eccentric, but not crazy
Solemn, but not grimdark

Wizards I play are all quite varied, but take elements of these moderate characteristics.

[Gralamin]

Be Polite.
Be Thorough.
Have a plan to kill everyone you know.

Always remember to also have a plan to kill yourself, and a plan to kill yourself in case you are trying to stop yourself from killing yourself when you need to die .

[Drakevarg]

"Wizard" is just a word for someone who uses magic from a book. Beyond that, they're just as varied as everything else in the world. Roleplay a character, not a class.

Quote for truth.

But I'll give an archetype anyway. In most campaign settings, wizards spend most of their life in study. Chances are, this should make them a pasty-faced nerd who disdains any sort of physical effort, is culturally stunted, and probably has a simultanious mix of an inferiority complex and a god complex. (On account of the fact that BEFORE being able to rewrite reality to his amusement, he was probably the wimpiest kid in town. Now, he plays chess with Death on weekends.)

[Seatbelt]

I'm going to be playing a Lawful Evil or Lawful Neutral wizard/malconvoker (DM is waiving alignment since I want to be a malconvoker and he wants us to be evil).

I intend him to be quiet, mild mannered and unassuming, but pleasantly charming. Since he's evil I'm going to add a controlling and manipulative aspect to his character. He's not going to be an arrogant, egotistical ultimate power wizard. He recognizes that he uses minions to get where he needs to be. He is aware that his talents allow him to conjur and dominate beasts from the Hells. But there are wizards out there who can bend reality to their wills so he is not particularly special. He would rather you do his dirty work for him. He's not lazy, but he feels that for every task there is a tool, and true intelligence is being able to expend the least amount of energy for the most return.

[Pluto]

I had the most fun when I exaggerated the characters' apparent neuroses and tics (doing things like polishing silverware compulsively from the beginning of the first session and arranging it to always set in a particular manner) and then trying to justify them later (telekinesis-ing the silverware into the heart of the Werewolf High Priest in the final confrontation), trying to show that the quirks were actually the character functioning on a higher intellectual level than anyone else. It was hard -- but awesome -- to try to pretend to play 8 moves ahead, when I was really just winging it round-by-round.

Good times.

Always remember to also have a plan to kill yourself, and a plan to kill yourself in case you are trying to stop yourself from killing yourself when you need to die .

...
You just blew my mind, dude.

[Shazbot79]

I usually like playing my Wizards a bit like Dr. Who.

I also like the grandfatherly style Wizard and the duplicitous and ambitious evil enchanter Wizard.

I do avoid playing the creepy necro fetish Wizard that everyone else seems to love, though.

[Superglucose]

I have several methods of RPing wizards. For the most part, I play a horribly bored guy who'd probably have social skills if he gave a rat's ass.

The other one I do is the careful sage.

Finally there's the crazy guy.

Wizards come from all walks of life.

[senrath]

I generally end up playing most of my high-Int classes as highly intelligent individuals with a hint of senility thrown in. Unless they're also high-Wis, but that doesn't come up much.

[Greymane]

I've played a few wizards, but really, they can be almost anything.

One of my favorite wizards was lawful evil, had an imp familiar, and everyone else in the group was Good. One was exalted Good. However, everyone else save the Exalted Good Favored Soul was Chaotic, so, eerily enough, the Exalted character trusted my evil wizard before the rest of them, because he never broke his word, and even brought her back from the dead once.

And they even had a romance.

Though, things got strained when it was found out he was heavily deicidal.

Currently, I'm playing a Wizard/Sorcerer/Ultimate Magus who hails from ancient Netheril in the Forgotten Realms. While he can Locate City bomb, he's far too nice to ever have to cause that much destruction. However, he's young and was training to become the equivalent of a lawyer.

Basically, he's come out as a college student who's a bit put off that he can't party anymore. But hey, he's the best dang spellcaster this side of the planes, so he's content in his god-complex.

And I have so many more ideas that have yet to see the light of day.

[Coidzor]

Part Red Mage Fractactical Genius, Part Librarian.

Then garnish with misguided well intentioned extremist, mercenary and/or power-hungry, and inappropriately sexual fixation on power, control, and superiority with a side of ubermensch.

Depending upon what alignment archetype I feel like going with.

Oddly, my mercenary, neutral characters seem to be the ones who are most focused on tactics and efficiency. Something about professional pride, I guess.

[Critical]

Crazy and Intelligent.

[Ogremindes]

I usually like playing my Wizards a bit like Dr. Who.

I also like the grandfatherly style Wizard and the duplicitous and ambitious evil enchanter Wizard.

I do avoid playing the creepy necro fetish Wizard that everyone else seems to love, though.

So The Doctor, The Doctor (first season) and The Master?

[Noedig]

I personally like being a great big **** when I play a wizard. All ways NE or LE. Let everyone know they are inferior. Dont pass up the opportunity to avenge petty slights either. Dwarf spits on your boots? Polymorph him into a rat and sic your familiar on him. Human noble giving you trouble? Set him on fire with Grease and a tindertwig. Someone bad mouth you? Dominate them and make them pull their own tounge out.

Its the little things that count.

[TheArchmage]

My wizard is a character study in what happens when you take a sheltered nerd and utterly destroy his security.
Started out as a NG sun-elf wizard, believed in hope, fair play, and all that good stuff. He wasn't very worldly and definitely didn't consider himself a warrior. Before the campaign even started, he'd been captured by drow slavers, tortured, and forced into backbreaking labor. His introduction to the party was their daring rescue scene.
During the next couple months, thousands of people around him died and he was forced to kill many times, escaping from each battle very close to death as the drow invaded the surface world. He slowly transformed into a cynical, brooding, neurotic, paranoid individual (TN bordering on NE) who has a hit list of people he wants to slaughter and raise as his undead minions. He has a secret contingency plan for fighting each member of the party, even though they were the ones who rescued him.

He's a lot of fun to play.

[Ravens_cry]

Only played one once, he was convinced he was the resurrected long dead God of Alchemy. Basically, he went around trying to convince others he was a God. Every act of wizardry was taken as proof of his growing divine power.
Next time though? I think I will play it as a nerd, always checking the calculations and making sure they have the exact ratios of bat guano and sulphur required to make things go boom.

[Lev]

A little bit crazy, a little bit medicated. Head full of fumes of salves and casting components, toxic metals, ect, and not to mention all the swimming amounts of stuff floating around in there.
I represent spells as yantra patterns:

Spoiler

Show

This way I can actually fill lots of pages with just a single spell. For instance, a level 0 spell may be just a miniature pattern like a 2 dimensional small reference to something i could easily memorize before hand, but a 1st level spell would be a limited 3d pattern stretching over an entire page, and something like a 7th level spell could be a 4th dimensional pattern projected in 3d via multiple 2d layers drawn like a language, stupidly complex but the easiest way to represent literally reaching into a hole in the drywall of the universe and finding the ground wire.