Fantasy Core RPG--Arcane Magic-Wizard Council

Fantasy Core RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2013
Published here as Open Game Content.


Wizards and the Wizard Council


A freshly trained wizard is arcane marked (as a license of sorts) and released from apprenticeship and perhaps given a few references. At first, they are probably travelling around doing odd magical jobs. With some experience, they may find bigger jobs, or perhaps steady employment. At the highest level, a wizard may work for the most powerful lords, with the best of the best working for the king.

A wizard’s usual main goal is to enhance their abilities and to acquire more spells for personal use and for trade. To that end, they will seek out any opportunity to use their magic and to gain new spells. This can be done by adventuring, by eliminating dangerous spell casters and obtaining their spellbooks, or by travel to distant places and gaining entry to public and private libraries that might have spell books and working for or providing service for the opportunity to access them. At higher levels, a wizard is like an experienced artist. They work only on commissioned tasks that suit them and seek out patrons to fund their expeditions, experiments, and lifestyle.

The Council is made up of highest-level wizards. Only Council members can legally take apprentices. This is done to ensure that only worthy wizards pass along the craft. Apprentices usually owe their masters, either money or service, but always some measure of loyalty. These apprentices can provide valuable support in potential conflicts (the big egos in Council ensure that eventuality), as well as reciprocity in the discovery of new spells.

Their main function though is the regulation of magic users. The Council maintains its independence from the crown and the church by keeping dangerous magic and magic users from becoming more than minor occurrences. The Council’s goal is for its members, apprentices, and journeymen wizards to provide a useful benefit to society and making sure that wizards are not an out-of-control threat. Obviously, some members chafe under the very notion of serving society, and feel that wizards should in fact be running it.

The crown allows wizards and the Wizard Council quite a bit of freedom under two conditions. One, that they police their own, including untrained, unlicensed, and rouge wizards. Two, that they submit to conscription, when necessary, to combat supernatural and national threats. The Church keeps a wary eye on wizards, acting as a check on them via their paladins, who are trained to deal with arcane threats. But so long as they use no magic to break the laws, the church does not bother them.

Arcane Magic Training
Arcane Magic Casting