A Wizard question

[AllenOwen]

In a medieval fantasy setting, where magic is rare and feared (for good reason), how do mages earn money?

[DangerousThing]

In today's society, where drug cartels are feared (rightly), how do they make money?

[AllenOwen]

Originally Posted by DangerousThing

In today's society, where drug cartels are feared (rightly), how do they make money?

Selling drugs. More specifically, selling drugs and buying off the authorities.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by AllenOwen

Selling drugs. More specifically, selling drugs and buying off the authorities.

Right. In the same way, mages sell their services to people who are willing to make use of their powers. Mages can offer things- healing, mind control, knowledge of the present and future- that people will pay large sums of money for even at risk of punishment if caught.

EDIT: I mean, historically, people went to fortune tellers and witch doctors even in regions where it was illegal despite the fact that their magic didn't work. There will be no shortage of customers for a provably effective mage, and mere laws and customs will do nothing to change that.

[Varyon]

Note also that even if the populace is too fearful to make use of their services, an intelligent ruler is likely to have rather deep pockets and will be able to make use of someone who can bend the fabric of reality in fun and exciting ways.

The wizard may also have a cover of sorts that lets him practice his art in secret to earn a profit. Someone who can conjure up permanent weapons might have the cover of a traveling weapon's merchant (I mean, it's not really a cover so much as what he is, he just lies about where he got the weapons from), someone who can make food from thin air may work as a chef, someone who can predict the future can make appropriate investments, etc.

If sufficiently powerful, they could just lay claim to a region and demand taxes/tribute from the locals, raining firey death down on those who object. They'll probably need some loyal (or at least incapable-of-rebelling, due to magical compulsion or similar) servants to pull that off, at which point they're basically just nobles with really shiny toys.

[The Colonel]

Quite possibly as something else - as a sage, engineer, philosopher … some kind of academic, or a physician, astrologer, apothecary or herbalist. A surprising number of real world occultists were actually clergymen...

[Ulzgoroth]

While some kinds of magic-users do seem to have an interest in trading magic for money, it may be worth mentioning that some don't seem to have any need to. Whether they subsist more or less directly on their own abilities (not needing to eat, conjuring food, or farming/hunting/gathering for themselves) or by spending money with no visible support (conjuring/transmuting it? Finding lost treasures? Mundanely independently wealthy? Just happen to have a couple tons of gold in their basement, don't ask?) they might still be willing to do something for you but the price won't be coin because they have no concern for such petty tokens.

[AlexanderHowl]

The Old Man/Woman of the Forests/Mountains/Swamps is a classic trope for forbidden magic. They are far away enough from civilization to avoid the authorities but close enough that determined people can find them. Of course, they will require payment for their services, but the nature of the payment will depend on the personality of the practitioner.

[Inky]

Agree with all the above. In the Middle Ages witchcraft was not only illegal but widely believed to be directly involved with devils from Hell, and yet there was still a steady trickle of people paying alleged witches to do something for them. And yes, there were also the ones who called it something else, an angle which works better for the well-off or at least upper-class ones. Any particular reason why you want to know?

[CeeDub]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

The Old Man/Woman of the Forests/Mountains/Swamps is a classic trope for forbidden magic. They are far away enough from civilization to avoid the authorities but close enough that determined people can find them. Of course, they will require payment for their services, but the nature of the payment will depend on the personality of the practitioner.

Quoted for truth. Equally valid regardless of where your campaign falls on the sliding spectrum of realism vs fantasy, or whether magic is only frowned upon or outright criminalized.