I want a bunch of types of wizards

[soldersbushwack]

I'm thinking of making a game where the players are magic users with all sorts of different abilities. Each player would have three to four magical traditions and each tradition would only give one or two special powers. For example, alchemists might have the power to throw bombs, clerics might have healing, herbalists might have healing potions and psychics could have a head explode attack. I want a bunch of different magical traditions. They also don't have to be stereotypical wizards. Mad science, clerics and psionics work just as well as traditional wizards.

[Lorsa]

Well, there's always the [insert word]mancer. Like necromancer or pyromancer (and aquamancer?). Other than that you have ritual mage, astrologer, shapeshifter, illusionist, technomage etc, etc. Where do you draw the line of what is a wizard and what sort of silliness you can stand?

[soldersbushwack]

[insert word]mancers describe results not methods. It is entirely possible to have an alchemist who creates strange concoctions to reanimate the dead or a mystic who sees into the smoke of fires to perceive the wisdom of the dead and have them both be necromancers. Now some might call this just fluff but this stuff in fact imposes mechanically important game limitations that prevent wizards from becoming far too powerful.

Most [insert word]mancers just have some innate magic as their method.

[SethoMarkus]

I agree with Lorsa; what are the limits and what flavor do you want?

I mean there are the traditionals:

Geomancer, uses natural forces and elements

Chronomancer, uses time and space magic

Arcanist, studies the nature of the arcane itself, typically creating sigils and spells that manipulate magic directly

And then there are the silly:

Pastamancer, uses magic to prepare and control noodles

Necrodancer, uses a dance performance to raise and control ghastly ghouls from the grave

Kineticist, specializes in transforming kinetic energy directly into damage, uses a sword, club, or axe as a focus...

[SethoMarkus]

As a note, I'm not trying to be confrontational, I just find a lack of detail or direction in your initial request. If you are simply looking for different traditions of magic, I would first look at them conpletely divorced from effects (opposed to linking an alchemist to throwing bombs).

Here are some examples of traditions:

Using mathematical formulae to invoke magic as a natural part of the world

A deep connection to the natural world that allows an intuitive and subtle/not-so-subtle control of thr natural life energies around the "caster"

Astrological/Astronomical equations and calculations to take advantage of natural cosmic forces

Sheer force of will from a conditioned and disciplined mind

Memorization of arcane spells and incantations

Learning of arcane spells and incantations

Pacts with powerful supernatural beings

Invocations of the true names of the world or other powerful, ancient languages of the gods

Precise hand/wand/instrument gestures that interact with magic that flows through the whole universe

Music as magic, playing an instrument or singing with supernatural perfection to harmonize with the magical/natural vibrations of the world

Manipulating magic as a force of nature or naturally occurring energy

Energy and energy manipulation granted by bacteria in the body

Blood of a supernatural being running through your veins


If you just want names of types of magic traditions/practices/specialities:

Wizard, Mage, Druid, Magi, Occultist, Magician, Witch, Warlock, Invoker, Priest, Shaman, Animist, Witch Doctor, Voo-Doo Priest(ess), Shapeshifter, Trickster, Psychic, Arcanist, Artificer, Herbalist, Apothecary, Alchemist, Necromancer...


I apologize if I am missing thr point still, I just really don't know what it is you are asking for.

[Mordar]

I'm thinking of making a game where the players are magic users with all sorts of different abilities. Each player would have three to four magical traditions and each tradition would only give one or two special powers. For example, alchemists might have the power to throw bombs, clerics might have healing, herbalists might have healing potions and psychics could have a head explode attack. I want a bunch of different magical traditions. They also don't have to be stereotypical wizards. Mad science, clerics and psionics work just as well as traditional wizards.

You already mentioned Alchemy, so I'll mention:

• Thaumaturgist - Their magic requires a focus item tied to the target or desired outcome, crafted or prepared in advance;
• Ritualist - Their magic requires ritual, time and materials;
• Sorcerer - Their magic controls the minds of others (either things like illusion or things like charm, requires sentient targets);
• Conjurer/Summoner - Their magic just brings existing things to them...be it a spoon or a demon;
• Wizard - Okay, this is just the traditional spell caster, I guess.

Is this the kind of thing you mean?

- M

[SethoMarkus]

Rereading your posts, I suppose you could be looking for magical effects? Such as:

Fire/Earth/Air/Water spells/magic, along with other elements such as gravity, magnetism, electricity, etc

Illusions and enchantments

Transfiguration and transmutation

Charms, jinxes, hexes, and curses

?

Maybe look at Spheres of Power and thr Cleric Domain lists for D&D 3.5/Pathfinder for some ideas there? Then it's just a matter of combining an effect with a practice/tradition that tou think matches flavor wise and slap a name on it...

[Flickerdart]

How about these?

Channeler: The channeler's magic comes from a fusion of two sources - the innate power of the wizard himself, and the focus (wand, staff, lightsaber, quadruple orc battleaxe) that he wields. The channeler prefers spells of the "beam of energy" variety where raw magical energy shoots from his doomstick to do something. Many channelers craft their own focus in order to become more closely attuned to it.
Lorespeaker: Each thing has a true name - a description of what it is, spoken in the language of the universe. The lorespeaker has learned to utter spells in this language, to change the nature of what a thing is. Lorespeakers can improve objects and beings to make them more "perfect" versions of themselves, or warp and pervert them.
Medium: The workings of reality extend far past the physical. Spirit beings govern the existence of all things, from the smallest pebble on the beach to the sun moving across the sky. The medium can speak with these beings and even make pacts with them, exchanging something the spirit wants for influence over the spirit's domain. Some might even let you sell your soul in exchange for great gifts...
Witch: Everything in the world is connected - the past and future can be read in signs, if one knows how to interpret them. The witch can glean knowledge from reading the alignment of celestial bodies, or performing rituals. But greater still is her power to alter these signs, to turn away ill luck or place powerful curses that will come to pass sometime in the future.
Spellwright: The meanest amount of energy can be turned to powerful effect with sufficient precision. The spellwright is an artist, builder, tinkerer, architect, and even musician, who creates magical objects and locations. Need a sacrificial altar that will get the attention of your deity? A magic circle needs to be drawn just right to protect an artifact? Your champion's shield must withstand a dragon's flame? You need a hymn that will inspire your army with courage? The spellwright is the man for the job.

[TheIronGolem]

Very broadly speaking:

Alchemy - You know this one, it's Fantasy Chemistry. Bombs, poisons, Love Potions 1-9, etc. Harry Potter makes for a good reference here.

Mana Manipulation - There exists some kind of intangible, elemental force that's omnipresent (with some possible exceptions). It's called mana (or something else, doesn't matter) and you can produce magical effects by extracting it from the area, shaping it into a desired effect, and setting it loose. Lends itself well to an academic, semi-scientific approach.

Theurgy - You don't really do things yourself, but you're really good at getting the god(s) to do things on your behalf. Doesn't have to be gods, though - could be demons, angels, the spirits of your dead ancestors, etc. Easy to set hard limits on what it can and can't accomplish ("Sorry, can't bring people back from the dead, them's the rules").

Summoning/Binding - You grab spirits, demons or other critters from some unearthly realm and get them to do your bidding. May involve extensive negotiations, exotic forms of payment, double-crossing justified by legalistic word games, etc. Faust is the classic example.

Psionics - Whatever it is you do, you do it solely with the power of your own mind. . Telepathy is the most commonly associated power, but you can justify allowing/disallowing most anything. Easily lends itself to sci-fi flavoring, but doesn't need to

Sufficiently Advanced Technology - "This...is my BOOM stick!"

Reality Hacking - You've discovered some kind of "language" that allows you to basically edit reality when you "speak" it. Maybe you learned some small portion of the language of the gods and produce miracles by speaking it, maybe your magic pen causes written statements to come true, or maybe you just discovered that the whole world is just a computer simulation and you found the source code.

[Quertus]

Personally, I could probably tie just about any power source to just about any effect (comes with having played Mage). But here's a few conceptual power sources:

Consuming the flesh of magical creatures.

Drinking the blood of sentient creatures.

Consuming the brains of sentient beings.

Hacking apart small woodland creatures.

Sacrificing parts of your self.

Sacrificing parts of your memory.

Sacrificing life remaining.

Personal faith.

The faith of others.

The faith others have in you.

Artifice created from refined body parts of supernatural creatures.

Symbiotic creature.

Drugs (the lips become a stain...)

Living drugs.

Ancestors.

Spirits.

Appealing to some being(s) that created / control / oversee the universe.

An ambient energy that flows through the universe.

A natural energy that exists outside perceived reality.

Probability manipulation.

Temporal inertia.

Advanced technology, future technology, alien technology.

Dreams.

Imagination.

Oh you know my name is Simon, and the things I draw come true.

[Flickerdart]

Spoiler: Can't forget the most important type of magic

Show

[nedz]

The trouble I'm having is in trying to understand the context of your question. Are you looking for a mechanic or a theory ? Or are you looking for a game system which supports this ?

I ran AD&D with enforced specialisations of 2-4 schools (I did have 16 schools) and sets of spheres for Clerics which created this flavour. But this sounds like more options than you want.

Modifying Spheres of Power might give you what you want ?

Or maybe something like 5E's spells — but with reduced choices.

I have done this sort of thing in the past and it is a lot of work.

It would be helpful if you could tell us more about the rest of the system.

[soldersbushwack]

I'm just interested in hearing about a bunch of oddball types of occultism. I can come up with the rules myself I just need some sources to draw upon.

[Mastikator]

You mean like innate magic "fluid" vs learned verbal spells vs communication with "spirits/gods/demons" vs supernaturally enhanced physical actions?

[Cosi]

Some examples of different magic systems from fiction. I've tried to keep spoilers to a minimum, but there are obviously some (particularly of powers that are revealed later in the plot).

In The Laundry Files magic is the use of computation to attract the attention of extra-dimensional intelligences to do things you want. This can be done with computers, which is mostly safe, although the series' Lovecraftian inspirations mean that screwing up your setup can still go very, very wrong. It can also be done with your brain, which is not terribly safe because in addition to whatever else you wanted to do, it attracts tiny parasites which each parts of your brain, causing dementia like symptoms. Magical techniques are largely about information or summoning. Invisibility, mental manipulation, summoning spirits to possess the dead.

In The Second Apocalypse magic is based on language. Mages use pure meaning to change the world. There are a variety of schools of magic, including the Gnosis (direct creation of magical effects), the Anagogis (less powerful, creates magic through use of "analogies", like a dragon's head to create fire), the Diamos (demon summoning), and the Psukhe (emotional, much closer to religion than other schools). Magic is mostly direct. Flight, teleportation, or lots of different kinds of blasting.

In The Chronicles of Amber magic is the use of one's willpower to walk between worlds. The children of Amber walk the Pattern (a magical maze-ish thing), which gives them the ability to walk between "Shadows", or alternate realities, of which the Earth is but one. More powerful Amberites gain powers like shape-shifting, teleportation, or summoning. They're also supernaturally strong, and have a super-human ability to heal. There are also magical items of various sorts, like the Trumps (which allow magical contact and summoning) and the Jewel of Judgement (which allows the wearer to control the weather around Amber).

In The Codex Alera there are a couple different types of magic. The most notable are furycrafting and ritualism. Furycrafters control one or more of six elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Wood, and Metal), which grants them the ability to summon elementals of that type, gives them thematically appropriate superpowers (for example, Air gives you flight and super speed), and gives the some magical abilities based on that element (for example, Water gives emotion reading and water control). Ritualism is the use of blood sacrifices to do various magic, like controlling the weather or making people vomit up their own entrails.

In The Powder Mage trilogy, there's some pretty standard elemental magic, but there are also the titular "Powder Mages", who gain powers related to gunpowder. They can detonate nearby supplies of gunpowder, bend their bullets, and consume gunpowder for physical strength. There are also people with various "Knacks", which are minor superpowers like having a perfect memory or not needing to sleep.

In Mistborn magic is powered by consuming and "burning" metal. There are a variety of different metal types, which have paired effects. For example, Iron pulls on nearby metals, while Steel pushes on them. Most people can burn only a single type of metal, but Mistborn can burn all of them. There are also some other metal-based magical systems. Feruchemy is the use of metals to store reservoirs of different traits, like memory, strength, or weight. Hemalurgy uses metallic spikes to steal and transfer powers.

[wumpus]

First you need to ask yourself if you are restricting all wizards from certain powers, and if so why. If wizards are sufficiently powerful and you want various types of wizards in your party, go ahead. But you run the risk of "the wizard" being suddenly much more limited (this might be a good thing in D&D 3.x).

One thing I would recommend for "new school" D&D (3.x and after such that all NPCs are assumed to be limited by PC rules) is that the PC "wizard" class is effectively a "war wizard" and that normal "wizards" focus primarily on rituals (ripped from 4.0 and after). This basically lets you assume that (presumably defeatable) wizards are able to cast spells (perhaps only on Lughnasa night) far beyond what is listed in the Players Handbook. Assume they can fight as before (for balance purposes), but you can vastly cut down how valuable their spellbooks might be to a wizard (even more useful for AD&D, and AD&D style 5e).

One cool splatbook I've heard at detailed the use of summoning demons as a primary class feature. In that system, summoning the demon was easy: control or even limiting it to the protective circle was another. This sounded ideal for a defeated NPC to suddenly advance and "catch up to" the party (and possibly challenge the party as single boss, even though he was a former henchman to a lower level boss or in similar straights). Obviously such rewards have great risks, and the party should be encouraged to avoid using any spellbooks thus found.

Necromancy always seemed like an ideal means for an NPC (or possibly an odd PC) class, but I can't say I've ever seen a really good one. Expect things like Rich's Tsukiko's magnificent wight spell to be needed for any real power. I'd expect this only to work well in a system designed to allow a pack of pets. For simple flavor you could simply add human (or other PC race) sacrifice to the above "ritual wizard" bosses, but don't expect elaborate rules to work (the spells casting time/ritually favored times will be "as plot requires").

[RedMage125]

[insert word]mancers describe results not methods. It is entirely possible to have an alchemist who creates strange concoctions to reanimate the dead or a mystic who sees into the smoke of fires to perceive the wisdom of the dead and have them both be necromancers. Now some might call this just fluff but this stuff in fact imposes mechanically important game limitations that prevent wizards from becoming far too powerful.

Most [insert word]mancers just have some innate magic as their method.

Grossly inaccurate.

[x]mancy, originally, indicated that it was a form of divination. And the [x] was, in fact, methods, not results.

Necromancy was speaking with the dead. So...those psychic mediums claiming to channel the spirits of dead people to answer questions...necromancy.

Cartomancy is the use of cards to predict the future or answer questions. This includes Tarot.

Icthyomancy is study of movements of fish to predict things. Hippomancy is the similar study of the behavior of horses.

The list goes on, but the [x] in [x]mancy ALWAYS mean methods. Also, these are things that people used, or at least attempted, in the real world. Not joking.

In fantasy settings, such as D&D, Necromancy was the school of magic that dealt with the powers of life and death. Animating corpses, siphoning out a creature's soul, slaying a creature outright, and (in pre-3e) healing magic, were all Necromancy.

So, while to use the real-world definition, a pyromancer is someone who uses fire to predict the future or divine information (like a Japanese miko doing a fire reading), in D&D a pyromancer is a spellcaster who uses a lot of fire.

[Quertus]

[x]mancy, originally, indicated that it was a form of divination. And the [x] was, in fact, methods, not results.

Why has nymphomancy never caught on?

[Arbane]

Grossly inaccurate.

[x]mancy, originally, indicated that it was a form of divination. And the [x] was, in fact, methods, not results.

I suspect you're not going to be too happy with my suggested reference for the OP, Unknown Armies, a modern-day occultism game where magicians are all potentially-dangerous obsessed nutcases, with their magic depending on the thing they're obsessed with: Cliomancy, Entropomancy, Videomancy, Dipsomancy, Pornomancy...

[RedMage125]

I suspect you're not going to be too happy with my suggested reference for the OP, Unknown Armies, a modern-day occultism game where magicians are all potentially-dangerous obsessed nutcases, with their magic depending on the thing they're obsessed with: Cliomancy, Entropomancy, Videomancy, Dipsomancy, Pornomancy...

Lol, I have no issue (although the mind boggles at "pornomancy").

In that context, I was only discussing the ORIGINAL meaning of [x]mancy. Which were all divination in some way, shape or form.

I know more recent fantasy archetypes use things like "pyromancy" to mean slinging or wielding fire, not using it to divine information. I'm fine with that.

But with either definition, the [x] in [x]mancy still denotes methods. Not results.

[Cluedrew]

[x]mancy, originally, indicated that it was a form of divination. And the [x] was, in fact, methods, not results.

I have no idea how the modern meaning drifted so far from the original meaning. Mainly because I actually have no information about the transition.

Still the modern meaning has its uses if you want to get more varied effects out of it. Still I someday want to do a setting/system/story that plays with this and has about a billion forms of divination, if only mixed in with other types of magic. I mean a blaster wizard would be a strange idea to someone in the middle ages but you can get some good mechanics out of it.

[Lord Raziere]

I'm thinking of making a game where the players are magic users with all sorts of different abilities. Each player would have three to four magical traditions and each tradition would only give one or two special powers. For example, alchemists might have the power to throw bombs, clerics might have healing, herbalists might have healing potions and psychics could have a head explode attack. I want a bunch of different magical traditions. They also don't have to be stereotypical wizards. Mad science, clerics and psionics work just as well as traditional wizards.

.....do you want this mechanically? flavorfully? how?

This kind of sounds like Mage: The Ascension. Except....three or four traditions? per player? only or two special powers per tradition? Thats REALLY strange. I mean....

what is the point of having so many traditions for only a couple powers each? what character concepts worth exploring do you get out of it? I mean, I understand someone having two traditions just in case someone anti-magics/counters one and you can use the other, but three is getting into "crazy prepared" territory while four is just stretching yourself really thin with the various paradigms and how they work.

while all that work to learn how these different paradigms work for so little gain is kind of not fun, because a tradition of magic is investing a lot, its an entire mindset and belief. your mad scientist is going to look at the world very differently from a cleric. and both of them are going to look at things than a normal wizard. And your proposing a maximum of four of those beliefs and perceptions clashing against one another in one character. which sounds very ninja-pirate-zombie-robot mashup to me.

A better way is to stick to one or two traditions at a time, and just have whatever effects you want be filtered through one or the other. all a tradition really is, is an explanation for the fireball, not the fireball itself.
Wizard: that fireball is there because I wiggled my fingers and said a strange word
Science: That fireball is there because I chucked a grenade/have a flamethrower
Psychic: that fireball is there because I willed it to do that
Cleric: that fire ball is there because I prayed to my god
Alchemist: that fireball is there because I chucked a bomb made from potions
Hacker: that fireball is there because reality is like a computer I know the cheat codes
Martial Artist: that fireball is there because I trained for months to learn the technique to PUNCH it out of my fist
Shaman: that fireball is there because I asked a spirit to throw it for me
Summoner: that fireball is there because its actually a monster I summoned from a world of fire, and is a living being
Pirate: Yaaaaarr, matey that there fireball is here because I have the cursed skull of Icebeard who died in a fire ironically while at sea, and it shoots fireballs for me at me command.
Cowboy: Y'see buckaroo, this here fireball is there because I took the Fireball Six-Shooter '92 from Johnny the Steel, I challenged him to guns at dawn and beat him to the draw, he was dead before he hit the ground.
Mario: That fireball is-a-there because I-a-ate a fire flower and-a blasted fire at you.
Giant Mecha: that fireball is there because I am piloting this prototype ace mecha that will never be replicated, outfitted with fireball cannons to destroy all opposition, but that will never heal the pain of the loss of my loved ones!
Card Player: That fireball is there because I drew the fireball card from my deck and threw it thus playing it from my hand.
Gambler: that fireball is there see, 'cause I rolled the right numbah on these here magic dice.
Cat Mage: that fireball is there, because I control all things involving cats and there is no rule against me turning cats hacking up hairballs into hacking up fireballs, and then conjuring a cat to do that.

magical traditions are just the excuse you make for so that the thing you want to do happens.

[wumpus]

Why has nymphomancy never caught on?

It has, over and over. All successful nymphomancers simply open a gate to the plane of nymphdom, pass through, and are never seen again.

*Although rumor has it that occasionally one escapes and complains of doing nothing but moving furniture, squashing bugs, and other "manly" tasks.

[Dr_Dinosaur]

Spheres of Power + the Alchemist can reflect this kind of setting really well! There's even an srd for it!

[TheDerpyAlicorn]

Is there a reason you need it all to made up beforehand?

Why not let the players make their own classes? Have a bunch of generic powers like savage worlds, then the players choose a neat name like "Umbralogist" and choose powers then fluff up the powers in a way that relates to the name (I choose the bolt power which is me casting a spell that shoots a blast of semisolid shadowstuff)?

Easier to make and you'd get more classes the more games you run.

[The Glyphstone]

I suspect you're not going to be too happy with my suggested reference for the OP, Unknown Armies, a modern-day occultism game where magicians are all potentially-dangerous obsessed nutcases, with their magic depending on the thing they're obsessed with: Cliomancy, Entropomancy, Videomancy, Dipsomancy, Pornomancy...

Tyromancy: A whole new level of meaning to "Behold the power of cheese'.

[RedMage125]

Here is a list on Wikipedia of the many x-mancy varieties.

Just thought about this and wanted to share.

Some of it's hilarious.

[Kane0]

I like the idea of a mage that powers his magic by sacrificing his lifespan. Gives real incentive for the whole immortality thing they always seem to be after.

[RedMage125]

I like the idea of a mage that powers his magic by sacrificing his lifespan. Gives real incentive for the whole immortality thing they always seem to be after.

But wouldn't that invalidate the lich? Since, as an undead creature, it has no "lifespan"?

Or were you saying casting spells ages you, whether my minutes, hours, months or years? That kind of thing explains all the ancient, wizened old wizards. Even if they achieved "immortality", or even just a really long lifespan, they look old as hell. Also allows liches to work, since they no longer age, they get their magic for free.

[Anxe]

Reading through a list of alternate class features for 3.5 wizards might give you some ideas.