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Old 11-23-2020, 08:31 PM   #1
hcobb
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

In my setting the primary objective of the top wizards isn't gold or glory. They're not all that interested in devising new spells or enchantments for their own sake or for their practicality.

What they want above all else is to discover the underlying truths of magic and so they do basic magical research. As a result they learn really impractical spells and enchantments. So when you find their treasures don't expect these to be much use for a muggle.
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Old 11-23-2020, 08:46 PM   #2
phiwum
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

So, they're like a modern day philosophy department. I'm good with that.

And frankly, should make for some interesting play.
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Old 11-24-2020, 12:51 AM   #3
hcobb
 
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

You'll get a taste of that in sky turtle.
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Old 11-24-2020, 06:46 AM   #4
tcr25
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

There's also an aspect of wanting to keep an eye over how and where magic is being used (and making sure they are at the center of it), q.v., The Cheesemakers' Ball.
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Old 11-24-2020, 10:24 AM   #5
larsdangly
 
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

I like this, or anything else that presents institutions and NPCs in ways that make sense at a human level. Imagine you met someone at a party who had devoted their life to maximizing the chance of victory in a gladiatorial fight to the death. A marginally interesting brief conversation, perhaps, but you would likely conclude this person was a dangerous nut and wildly under-developed as an adult human. Most of us have a more complex set of motivations, wants and needs, and avoid things like dying in an arena by simply not stepping into one in the first place.
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Old 11-24-2020, 11:22 AM   #6
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

Peanut Butter Amulet Allows the caster to mix a volume of peanut butter to an even consistency. Costs 1 ST/lb.
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Old 11-24-2020, 02:44 PM   #7
phiwum
 
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
Peanut Butter Amulet Allows the caster to mix a volume of peanut butter to an even consistency. Costs 1 ST/lb.
Sucks if you find one of those, but it's for creamy peanut butter and you like crunchy.

The whole creamy/crunchy thing could cause considerable strife in a Wizards' Guild, if not open warfare. I wouldn't introduce this item unless I was ready to make a story involving such a chaotic situation.
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Old 11-24-2020, 09:11 PM   #8
David Bofinger
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

Quote:
Originally Posted by larsdangly View Post
I like this, or anything else that presents institutions and NPCs in ways that make sense at a human level.
Does it? In my experience the really great scientists and whatever usually also have an interest in other things. Garry Kasparov, for instance, went into politics. Edison definitely liked money. Top churchfolk in the middle ages became almost indistinguishable from any other kind of prince.

And even if all aren't like this, they're people, and people have all sorts of degrees of interest in money, power, etc. To have one character think like this is cool. To say they all think like this makes them less people and more stereotypes.

The Cidri concept of wizards as professional experts like lawyers and doctors strikes me as more likely than this idea of them all becoming monk-geeks. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have this as a background, and there might be a good reason for it in story, but I wouldn't push it on believability grounds.

Quote:
Imagine you met someone at a party who had devoted their life to maximizing the chance of victory in a gladiatorial fight to the death.
The nearest equivalent of this in our world might be a fighter pilot?

Quote:
Most of us have a more complex set of motivations, wants and needs, and avoid things like dying in an arena by simply not stepping into one in the first place.
Are you arguing for this idea or against? Henry is proposing these characters are all focused on understanding the basis of magic, to the exclusion of being interested in advancing the ability of magic to help their society. They're actually quite a lot like your gladiator.
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Old 11-24-2020, 09:14 PM   #9
David Bofinger
 
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

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Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
Peanut Butter Amulet Allows the caster to mix a volume of peanut butter to an even consistency. Costs 1 ST/lb.
In this region of Cidri peanuts weight about seventy to eight-five pounds each. Peanut butter factories require arrays of apprentices, who quickly come to hate the taste of peanut butter.
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Old 11-24-2020, 09:21 PM   #10
Shostak
 
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Default Re: Top objective of the Wizards' Guild

It's worse than than that: nobody actually eats peanut butter on Cidri due to severe allergies being prevalent in the gene pool.
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