Spell categories
 

I'm automating the random character generator on ITL14 and my next step is to go from "and 4 spells" to actually picking the spells.

I'm tempted to throw out the three random kinds of wizards and roll on the Jobs table on page 59 to determine type of wizard.

Other than combat, non-combat, thief, what other categories do people put various spells in?

ITL page 59's "spells that can (in GM’s opinion) be used to entertain an audience." leaves a lot of ground to search.

Re: Spell categories
 

Some of the general classes I use are:

Summoner - Specialises in Summon spells (scout/myrmidon/giant etc)

Illusionist - Specialises in Illusion spells and perception spells (Blur, Darkness)

Conjurer - Specialises in Create spells (fire/wall/slippery floor etc)

Necromancer - Zombie, Detect Life, Drain Strength

Sorceror - Lightning, Mage Sight, Flight, Control Person

Enchanter - All Staff levels, Create Magic Item, Alchemy/Chemistry talent

Diabolist - Summon Demon, Pentagram, Curse

Druid - Control Animal, Pathfinder, Soothe, Naturalist talent

Oracle - Scrying, Insight, Eyes-Behind, Staff-to-Snake

Re: Spell categories
 

Wow. I really like those!

Re: Spell categories
 

Thanks! Warriors already have a bunch of distinct archetypes - Knight, Archer, Berserker, Assassin, Barbarian, Martial Artist, Fencer - that conjure up a typical set of skills and weapon proficiency pretty readily for most players. So I find it useful to have the same for the various wizardly types. And it gives them more "flavour" in a campaign setting, instead of just calling them all wizards.

Re: Spell categories
 

I split Tracker Wizards (who work for the Army) from Hedge Wizards (who don't).

http://www.hcobb.com/tft/squad.php

Re: Spell categories
 

That works for simple classification. I categorise the former as Martial Wizards, and the latter are very much in the Gandalf school of peripatetic mage. They typically have a grab-bag of various spells.

Other wizard classes I use are Witch/Warlock, Shaman, Court Wizard, and Thaumaturge. One can go as broad or as fine as one needs to.

Re: Spell categories
 

What are the spells and skills for a noble who was born a wizard and can we get them to mutter mudblood?

Re: Spell categories
 

Noticeability, Control Peon, Shield Of Privilege, and Silver-to-Spoon ~_^

Re: Spell categories
 

Should tax collecting wizards know the Drain Strength spell? After all they do need to service a lot of clients each day.

Re: Spell categories
 

They don't need Look Your Best, since they have non-wizard servants trained in that spell for them.

For defense, Turn/Reverse Missiles, Ward, Stone Flesh, Spell Shield, Reveal/Conceal, Image/Illusion, Cleanse Poison, Invisibility, Fireproofing, Dispell Illusions, Remove Thrown Spell, Pentagram, Blast Trap can all be good, but again, bodyguards can learn those and cast those on/for them.

Clearheadedness, Stalwart, Duplicate Writing, but again, a good one for the servants to learn.

For the noble him/herself:
Detect Enemies
Far Vision (for surveying their domain)
Speed Movement
Whisper
Delete Writing
Persuasiveness
Friendship
Great Voice
Drain Strength (servants as strength batteries)
Pathfinder
Control Person
Curse
Soothe
Flight
Scrying
Glamour
Astral Projection
(Long-Distance) Telepathy
Unnoticeability
Trance
Geas
Word of Command

Re: Spell categories
 

Updated with wizards at tax collection.

Re: Spell categories
 

I thought that a Wizard's Guild Classification of Magic Users might brighten up some of the GM storylines. These aren't necessarily the "Magic" dictionary terms and its not meant to be a jobs list.

• Magic User - Generic Term
• Magician - ?
• Warlock - Military Arts magic user
• Sorcerer - Dark Arts specialist
• Witch - Small time solo "hedge" magic or Big Time Group magic
• Wizard - Book Learned magic user
• Alchemist - Deals with the compounds, elements & the magic that is inherent in physical matter [The alchemist philosopher ultimately deals with Elementals for his Great Work]
• Prestigitater - Illusion Magic
• Rune Master - Glyph and Rune magic
• Mage - Deep knowledge of magic manipulation
• Elementalist - Controls Elementals
• Necromancer - Death or Dead/Undead magic
• Shaman - Religions that uses "Earth" spirits for magic
• Demonologist - Uses demons to make magic [Need to alter rules for this]
• Satanist - Religion uses corrupted witch coven to worship demon who does magic [Need to alter rules for this]
• ? - Thieving Magic
• ? - Healing magic
• ? - Construction magic
• ? - Detective magic
• ? - Protection magic
• ? - Persuasion/Sales magic
• ? - Trap magic

These could be used as conversation clues:
"He's strictly a warlock, has no idea how to unlock the door other than blasting it open."
"Our Finder noted they have a Sorcerer and a Necromancer, but no Demonologist. Rugar our Shaman, should be able to handle the Necro, and the Mage will need some time to set up defense against the Sorcerer."

Re: Spell categories
 

You could lay out the spells in a 2D grid, with "distances" between each reflecting how similar they are to each other (basically create a self organizing map by hand), so you'd have spells in overlapping "neighborhoods". You could select a spell from each of two or three groups, and select the other spells by spending points corresponding to the "distance" between a spell and the nearest spell the wizard already knows. If you want an eclectic wizard spend a lot of distance points, and for a very focused wizard spend fewer.

Re: Spell categories
 

^ That is a an interesting new-to-me idea!

Re: Spell categories
 

Rather than making this a wizard-only thing, I think it's better to have categories that might be accessed by wizards or heroes, and then let the categories take the place of the distinction. So instead of a druid category have an outdoorsy category with Alertness, Naturalist, Woodsman, Animal Training, etc. and maybe some spells. A hunter has taken a ranged or thrown weapons category and the outdoorsy category. A druid is a character who has taken a magic category and the outdoorsy category. And so on. It might lead to more variety of characters.