Wizard
You owe allegiance to no man, aye, but a demon or god may hold sway upon your soul. You are a tight-lipped warlock studying ancient tomes, a witch corrupted by black magic, a demonologist trading soul-slivers for secrets, or an enchanter muttering chants in lost tongues. You are one of many foul mortals clutching at power. Will you succeed? Low-level wizards are indeed very powerful, but high-level wizards fear for their souls. Wizards control magic. At least, they attempt to. Mortal magic is unpredictable and wild but powerful. Unlike clerics whose faithful service is rewarded with divine powers, wizards wield magic through mastery and dominance of forces in which they are not always voluntary participants. Wizards are sometimes trained in combat, but are rarely a match for warriors or clerics in a clash of worldly weapons.
Hit points: A wizard gains 1d4 hit points at each level.
Weapon training: A wizard is trained in the use of the dagger, longbow, longsword, shortbow, short sword, and staff. Wizards rarely wear armor, as it hinders spellcasting.
Alignment: Wizards pursue magical arts according to their natural inclinations. Chaotic wizards study black magic. Neutral or lawful wizards seek control over elements. Wizards of all persuasions practice enchantment.
Caster level: Caster level is a measurement of a wizard’s power in channeling a spell’s energy. A wizard’s caster level is usually his level as a wizard. For example, a 2nd-level wizard usually has a caster level of 2.
Magic: Magic is unknown, dangerous, and inhuman. Even the best wizards occasionally fail to properly harness a spell, with unpredictable results. Wizards thus inculcate their preferred magics, lest they err in casting a spell and corrupt themselves with misdirected magical energies. At 1st level a wizard determines 4 spells that he knows, representing years of study and practice. As his comprehension expands, a wizard may learn more spells of progressively higher levels. A wizard knows a number of spells as shown below, modified by his Intelligence score.
Known spells are determined randomly. They may be of any level for which the wizard is eligible, as shown by the max spell level column. The wizard chooses the level before making his die roll. Higher-level spells are more powerful but harder to cast – and there are consequences for failure.
Wizards cast spells by making a spell check. A wizard’s spell check is usually 1d20 + Intelligence modifier + caster level. In some cases, a wizard may roll a different die on the spell check (see Mercurial Magic).
Supernatural patrons: Wizards weave magic spells in consultation with powers from supernatural places and the outer planes. Demons and devils, angels, celestials, ghosts, outsiders, daevas, genies, elementals, Chaos Lords, spirits, elder gods, alien intelligences, and concepts foreign to mortal comprehension whisper secrets in exchange for favors best left unexplained. In everyday concourse, these secrets manifest as spells; in dire circumstances, the wizard can invoke one of his patrons directly and call for material assistance. This sort of request is called invoking a patron.
To invoke a patron, the wizard must Spellburn at least 1 point of an ability score and cast the spell invoke patron. There may be additional requirements depending on the specific circumstances. Presuming the patron condescends to attend to the wizard, some negotiation may be required: a bauble exchanged, a secret name spoken, a sacrificial token burned, or maybe a quest performed. If the patron deigns to act, it sends an emissary to assist the wizard in the way the patron deems most appropriate.
Invoking a patron is powerful magic. Do not use it lightly.
Some common patrons include the following:
• Bobugbubilz , demon lord of amphibians
• Azi Dahaka , demon prince of storms and waste
• The King of Elfland , fey ruler of the lands beyond twilight
• Sezrekan the Elder, the wickedest of sorcerers
• The Three Fates , who control the fate of all men and gods to see that the world reaches its destiny
• Yddgrrl The World Root , the World Root
• Obitu-Que , Lord of the Five, pit fiend and balor
• Ithha, Prince of Elemental Wind , prince of elemental wind
Familiars: More than one wizard has found comfort in the company of a black cat, hissing snake, or clay homunculus. A wizard may utilize the spell find familiar to obtain such a partner.
Luck: A wizard’s Luck modifier applies to rolls for Corruption and Mercurial Magic .
Languages: A wizard knows two additional languages for every point of Int modifier, as described in Appendix L: Languages .
Action dice: A wizard’s first action die can be used for attacks or spell checks, but his second action die can only be used for spell checks. At 5th level, a wizard can cast two spells in a single round, the first with a d20 spell check and the second with a d14. Note that the results of mercurial magic may modify the action dice based on the dice chain.
Wizard Spells
Wizard spells are not easily learned. While divine entities may place knowledge in the hearts of clerics, wizard spells result from dangerous interactions that do not follow predictable rules. Magic is not like physics. It is imprecise and the decimal point is hard to place, so to speak; as Harold Shea learned, summoning 1 dragon, 0.1 dragon, or 100 dragons is a matter of inculcation, not equations. A supernatural display can be accomplished in more than one way; one wizard may chant, another might practice a strange ritual, and a third may burn incense, all to produce the same result. Moreover, one wizard’s method of magic may not work for another wizard due to some trick of bloodline, extraplanar allegiances, or simple cosmic fate. Magic is just that: magic.
The wizard’s class progression table shows how many spells he knows. He does not simply learn new spells upon advancing a level, however. This rules convention of “spells known” plays out in game terms as follows.
General Principles of Wizard Spells
In all conversations with a player about wizard spells, the judge should remember these principles.
1 Knowledge is scarce. There is no “encyclopedia of magic.” The internet doesn’t exist. Even the Gutenberg press does not exist! This is a medieval, feudal society without bookbinding technology. Knowledge is rare, and knowledge of spells and magic is even rarer. Obtaining that knowledge is as often as much a process of adventure than of reading. “Research” in the modern sense of going to a library with organized indices to retrieve certain books does not exist. Simply learning that a spell exists is a great accomplishment—much less learning how to cast it.
2 Wizards are jealous bastards. No offense, but it’s true. When knowledge is scarce, he with the most knowledge holds an advantage over his peers—and wizards want that advantage. Identifying, obtaining, and learning a spell represents a significant investment; no wizard gives away that investment for free. A wizard must pay some price to loosen the lips of those who would share with him.
3 The means are mysterious. Even when a wizard learns that a spell exists and finds a source to teach him, the process of spellcasting may be beyond his grasp. Practice, practice, practice!
4 Obtaining magical knowledge should be part of the adventure. Finding new spells and magical knowledge should be a motivational goal for any wizard player.
5 Wizards seek understanding but are ever imperfect. While clerics use magic to further a cause, wizards seek to understand magic for its own sake. But they are human, and their minds are finite. The fickle hand of fate—reflected in the randomness of the d20 die roll— shall always influence their efforts.
Learning new spells with level advancement: When a wizard advances to a new level, he knows a new spell. “Knowing” a spell works as follows.
1 If the wizard has heard stories of a new spell (through adventuring, another character, discovering a spell in a scroll or tome, or other game activities), he may identify that spell to learn. If not, his potential new spells are randomly determined (see below).
2 The wizard must dedicate some time to learning and practicing the spell. Assume at least one week per spell level, though it may vary.
3 The wizard may need to seek out a place where the knowledge is found, and may need to pay a price for that knowledge. See below for more on this.
4 When the wizard has studied the spell sufficiently, he makes a check against DC 10 + spell level. The check consists of 1d20 plus his caster level plus his Intelligence modifier. If he passes, he learns the spell. If he fails, he cannot attempt to learn that spell again until he has advanced another level.
Determining New Spells
We encourage you to introduce knowledge of spells in-game through rumors, scrolls, demons, patrons, tomes, rare artifacts, conversation with peers, ancient lore, and myth and legends. Wizards who have not learned new spells through game experiences may randomly determine which new spells they are exposed to.
For every spell the wizard is eligible to learn, randomly identify 1-3 that he can learn. Presenting multiple options gives the wizard a “backup plan” if he fails to learn the first spell.
If the wizard fails to learn the first spell, give him the chance to learn another.
Finding knowledge: You can create adventures out of the search for knowledge. Since every wizard must learn many spells over the course of his career, it’s best to reserve the adventures for important sources of multiple spells. Identifying a “fountain of knowledge” for that wizard can provide a great motivation for a long-term quest.
Here are some tables for randomly determining where spell knowledge can be found, what price must be paid for it, and which rare components are required to make it work. As the judge it’s up to you to craft the story that turns these elements into an adventure.
Remember that spellcasting varies from wizard to wizard. A magician with a half-demon great-great-grandfather may cast fire-based spells more easily than a cultist who is purely mortal. Thus, the same spell cast by different wizards may have completely different requirements.
Career
Career Progression
| Level | Attack | Crit. Die/ Table | Action Die | Known Spells | Max Spell Lvl | Ref | Fort | Will |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +0 | 1d6/I | 1d20 | 4 | 1 | +1 | +0 | +1 |
| 2 | +1 | 1d6/I | 1d20 | 5 | 1 | +1 | +0 | +1 |
| 3 | +1 | 1d8/I | 1d20 | 6 | 2 | +1 | +1 | +2 |
| 4 | +1 | 1d8/I | 1d20 | 7 | 2 | +2 | +1 | +2 |
| 5 | +2 | 1d10/I | 1d20+1d14 | 8 | 3 | +2 | +1 | +3 |
| 6 | +2 | 1d10/I | 1d20+1d16 | 9 | 3 | +2 | +2 | +4 |
| 7 | +3 | 1d12/I | 1d20+1d20 | 10 | 4 | +3 | +2 | +5 |
| 8 | +3 | 1d12/I | 1d20+1d20 | 12 | 4 | +3 | +2 | +5 |
| 9 | +4 | 1d14/I | 1d20+1d20 | 14 | 5 | +3 | +3 | +5 |
| 10 | +4 | 1d14/I | 1d20+1d20+1d14 | 16 | 5 | +4 | +3 | +6 |
Wizard Titles
| Level | Lawful | Chaotic | Neutral |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cultist | Evoker | Astrologist |
| 2 | Shaman | Controller | Enchanter |
| 3 | Diabolist | Conjurer | Magician |
| 4 | Warlock / Witch | Summoner | Thaumaturgist |
| 5 | Necromancer | Elementalist | Sorcerer |
Other Benefits
Wizard Spells
* As per cleric spell of same name. Because the wizard version of the spell is a different spell level, the wizard receives a -2 penalty to spell checks when casting it. For example, binding is a level 2 cleric spell but a level 3 wizard spell; therefore, when rolling on the spell table, the wizard applies a -2 penalty to spell checks. On a result of natural 1, the wizard suffers a 50% chance of major corruption or misfire, rolling on the generic tables as appropriate.
** If either patron bond or invoke patron is rolled, the wizard receives both of these spells, but they count as only one spell slot.
*** Ignore this result if the wizard does not have the spell patron bond. If the wizard has that spell, he also gains the appropriate patron spell. Consult your judge for more information.
Patron Spells
| Patron | Invoke Patron results | 1st Level | 2nd Level | 3rd Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobugbubilz | Tadpole Transformation | Glorious Mire | Bottomfeeder Bond | |
| Azi Dahaka | Snake Trick | Kith of the Hydra | Reap The Whirlwind | |
| Sezrekan | Sequester | Shield Maiden | Phylactery of the Soul | |
| The King of Elfland | Forest Walk | War Horn of Elfland | The Dreaming | |
| The Three Fates | Blade of Atropos | Curse of Moirae | Warp & Weft | |
| Yddgrrl, the World Root | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Obitue-Que | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Ithha, Prince of Elemental Wind | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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Comments
Author's Notes
From DCC Handbook