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Pruit! Jim! Huge fan, I need your expertise. I know you have made a video on Devil's already, but I have a whacky campaign idea where players start as lemure devils and rise up through the rankings being promoted into stronger devil's. But I'm lacking a clear way to RP devil's, and their interactions with mortals on the material plane. Specifically contracts/pacts, and etiquette of how they would corrupt. Could they outright demand a mortal kill a LG Npc in order to gain a benefit? Could a devil be tasked with murdering a LG npc, if the mortal doing the bargaining requests it? I know a devil can be taken to courts if sort if they are suspect to wrongly condemning a soul, or forcing a mortal to damnation. Are devils even allowed to kill mortals directly on the material plane? Thank you for your time!
Reading Dragon Lance books about the twins, it explains how much wizards have to work. Raistlin had talent but he work painstakenly worked to become as powerful as he became.
Arie Robbins Read "Brimstone Angels" if you get a chance. The general rule for devils is the "target soul" must be convinced to relinquish their souls, usually through deception. Ergo, commanding an atrocity doesn't result in anything other than the atrocity. Lemurs are generally picked out to become one of the next teir, either when a predecessor dies, or they need a couple extra hands. If I remember right there's a "max" number of Devils allowed to exist.
When your flavoring spells remember what school your wizard specializes in, an evoker fireball will probably just be them creating a ton of fire out of nothing, where as a conjurer might make a dime sized hole to the elemental plane of fire or hell, or perhaps your diviner uses the magical power of a spell slot to look in to every possible reality and see what actions lead to a fireball type effect happening, like throwing a rock causing a nearby bird to fly up and spook the guard your fighting to drop his lantern on the ground causing an oil explosion.
I like the way both Jim as Huell and Liam O'Brien as Caleb play their wizards - characters who understand the multiverse is filled with powerful energies and magic, and through careful study of the formulae one can manipulate that energy in limitless ways.
Liam particularly as he will describe the components used, and the arcane language/ hand motions. that is a very strong approach to that role play. I have enjoyed watching him do that a ton.
Whenever I picture a wizard that tattoo'd their spells on their arm, for some reason I imagine them copying the spells into the other arm as a spare because, well, it never hurts to be prepared.
If you are tattooing and run out of space do you need to gain weight? I could see a world where the most powerful wizards weigh like 500 lbs and have to eat all the time to maintain their girth
My favorite spellbook I've ever come up with is a crystal in a staff. It is activated with a passphrase only known to the wizard. Once activated it glows and projects all the writing into the walls or whatever surface through the facets of the crystal. So to add more spells you have to use magic carving tools (equivalent in cost to ink and paper) to etch more spells onto the crystal. The etchings only appear visible with the pass phrase.
one of these days I plan to run a goblin wizard who got a hold of his/her book during a raid their tribe went on and the spellbook is actually a back up book of another different wizard thats enchanted to copy the spells of the primary spell book into it. The goblin knows this because the spellbook also function as a journal/diary of said wizard The Goblin is far too nervous to try and write their own spellbook so the gm is essentially picking the wizard spells I'd be able to use. a sort of weird psuedo warlock if you will
cool twist if it works two ways-- you get confident enough to add spells to the book, and now the main wizard is getting spells added to his book for free without having to leave his study, while you do the dirty work delving gross ruins and ancient temples.
That is a great concept. Love the meeting of the Wizard and a way for the DM to give out one of those ever critical "Journal Entry"s without having to come up with some stupid encounter that will only make sense in 2 more sessions.
My wizard has a literal addiction to magic and magical items, so if there's and enchanted coin of always being shiny at the top of a tower filled with demons, you better believe he is getting that coin.
One neat alternate spellbook would be the spinning rotary map from Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End. Imagine a spell "book" that rolls up into a tube shape about a foot and a half long and 3 inches thick that fits in a scroll case. Every morning the Wizard unrolls it and then unfolds the side flaps so it becomes a 4 foot square mat with dozens of narrow rings covered in intricate designs. To memorize each spell the wizard has to turn the rings in specific combinations so that the markings across the entire surface line up just right for that spell.
My wizard’s Spellbook is a deck of flash cards. Super easy to RP spell selection when it’s also me just shuffling through the deck figuring out what I want to cast that day!
I played a Wizard where the Monk was her older brother, and she tattooed her spells onto her brother’s back. It was pretty fun to rp spell selection when our Rogue picked arcane trickster, because she would take that opportunity to teach the Rogue how some of the more basic spells worked.
I love Wizards, both as a player and as a DM. As a player, I like being the character who knows stuff, as well as having a license to be slightly quirky because of the things they know. For example, my Wizard characters usually have tics like "my character never looks anyone in the eye, because if he does he might accidentally use his Hypnotic Gaze - or the other person might use something like Dominate Person." I also like being the player who "triggers" the background lore dumps by reading tomes, inspecting the murals in ruins, etc. I used to have a DM who would text me random bits of lore that my character had knowledge of. It was really fun and actually fascinating how much that DM had written out about his world. Mechanically, I like having a large variety of spells, and mixing it up between utility, buffing/debuffing, and blasting. As a DM, I like having a character around who will actively try to learn about the world. I put a lot of work into the background lore of the world, and having a Wizard around to pore through archives, investigate ruins for the sake of learning, and otherwise engage in the lore, lets me show off that work.
Wizards also gain the benefit of Ritual spells without having to have them prepared like all other classes. Which adds some flexibility with regards to Spell preparation.
I thought the ritual spell still had to be prepared (costing a preparation slot) but could be cast as a ritual (thus saving a spell casting slot). Have I misunderstood?
Don Durham what you stated is correct for every other casting class. Wizards don't need them prepared since we have the source material available for study
That explains it. As usual, I was thinking like a backwoods Druid -- what would I know from a spellbook...? ;) Thanks for the clarifications everyone. Happy Gaming.
I love the idea of having a wizard who has his spells tattooed all over him, having to look through his familiar to prepare the spells, believing that it brings him closer to the raw power of magic
I'm constantly shocked at GMs who don't make allowances for characters with super high mental stats, especially intelligence and charisma. The vast majority of players I've met are of average or slightly above average in these characteristics, yet some GMs allow them to play characters high in these stats and force heavy RP without giving the players the tools to effectively play such characters. Essentially these GMs only gamify the physical aspects of characters. A weak player can play a strong character, and a clumsy player can play an acrobat... but every wizard can only be as smart as their player. Every faceman is only as charismatic as the player. GMs who force resolution of non-combat encounters via unassisted RP don't make sense to me. Like Jim, I love playing wizards. I cannot fathom playing a proper wizard in a game like this - I may be smart but do not have a 200IQ.
this is why i always felt weird about DMs that give bonuses to players who "rp better" or describe their actions. ie player A says "i'm going to try to convince the inkeep to give us a room for free" vs player B says "'listen here, innkeep, we just saved this town, barely, from orc raiders. my friends are wounded and worn. we have no gold to spare. i can see that business isnt exactly booming here right now, just let us stay the night to regather our strength'". the DM would probably set a 15 (or higher) persuasion DC for player A, but only a DC 10 for player B. assuming both players are playing with the same character sheet, is that fair? why play a bard with 18 CHA and expertise in persuasion if i'm naturally good at making persuasive arguments as a player? i can play as a barbarian and be a face (normally a huge drawback to playing a barbarian) i think webDM even advocated doing the same thing for finding traps, making the DC lower to find traps and secret doors if the player describes themselves pressing against seams in bookshelves or feeling cracks in the stone. why bother investing points into INT or investigation if i know how to describe finding traps as a player? on one hand, i see the appeal of rewarding roleplay with in-game benefits. but on the other it emphasizes the capabilities of the player over the capabilities of the character.
As a DM I would simply like to inform you of my thoughts on the matter. When I am determining the DC for an event that kinda just happens I will often take into account the background of the character making the check. If a character that is generally socially awkward walks up and asks for a free room in a tavern I probably won't adjust the DC by more than 1 or 2 for decent roleplay. If it is a Charismatic Bard on the other-hand I know they would probably have a better chance of conveying their point in a more persuasive way. In this case I will typically adjust the dc by somewhere from 3-4 instead. As for adjusting the DC based on roleplay, I can see how you would thing that that emphasizes the skill of the player more. I do believe that when a player goes the extra distance and gets into character they should be rewarded for it. If they just tell me they are going to try and persuade someone, that could mean they simply go up and say" Hey can we get a free room?" whereas when a player actually gets into character and talks to me as their character. I can definitively say that that is what their character is saying. Along with this I will not adjust the DC if the roleplay is not anything like their character. If their RP is good and withing their characters description, sure the DC will change. (and if its really well done maybe there will be some bonus XP in it for them)
+Chaster Mief in my opinion, a good DM would take both of these things into account. For your innkeep/free room example, if Character B has an awful charisma score but tried to RP himself some smooth talking, I would definitely reward the player with an easier DC check to reinforce that level sort of play; it's good fun and helps encourage more shy or reserved players to do the same! BUT! I would only give him a minor reward, to compensate for his low charisma score. Instead of knocking a 15 DC down to 10, perhaps just drop it to 13-14. If he had a really high charisma score, I would be more inclined to give a bigger bonus, knocking down from 15 to 10. This can be tricky to keep track of, but I think it's the ideal way to handle a situation like that. Even a small bonus is still a reward, and could be the extra push the dice needed to clear the check successfully.
@@chastermief839 I'm 100% with you on this one, the player is roll playing a character, not themselves (in most games anyway) and should have no bonuses for being better than the character they are playing, in fact they should be penalised for doing it, an int 9 person wouldn't be inventing String theory even if the player knows it. As for the people saying they adjust the DC for good RP, only do that by 1-2 at most, never lower the DC for high ability scores, it messes with the maths, a 1 point change in the DC is a 5% change in the odds for the roll on a D20. A 20 Charisma Bard has a 75% chance to pass a DC 10 roll (85% including proficiency bonus if it's a trained skill, increasing to 95% with Expertise at level 3), there is a reason the DC's are what they are.
Now I am imagining a death note / lelouch of the rebellion rped wizard I still fear a master mind who is just stupid not evil more than a wise selfish ruler
28:00 nothing helped me understand DnD more than reading Tales of the Dying Earth. You understand what kind of world original DnD was going for, what the gods were supposed to be (weird powers rather than Greek Gods etc), exactly were the magic system came from. It's quite incredible actually.
I once ran a BBEG Wizard whose spellbook was a tattooed, chained slave-child he led around. The PC's thought killing the child would break his power, so they did. But he was just memorizing his spells off the child's back.
33:53 There is a psychic damage fireball in the game. It's called Synaptic Static. They're not completely identical, but they have the same damage and radius. Range on static is similar: 120 feet vs 150. Main difference is it's a 5th level spell instead of a 3rd and requires an intelligence save instead of a dexterity save. However, it can impose a penalty to all attacks, ability checks, and concentration saves for a minute.
I have a character named Mythrin Lazuli who is a dwarven wizard from an ancient bloodline of dwarven wizards. His ancestors created the family heirloom spell book which is a six sided wand of lapis lazuli with runes written on it with golden ink. Each rune represents a spell and most of them are incomprehensible to Mythrin as his family was besieged and his father killed before he could teach him the runes upon the wand, written in the hand of dwarves long passed. He is now in a mission to relearn the secrets of his ancestors while at the same time escaping those who wish to see his bloodline permanently broken.
My current wizard took up magic because he's so much of a procrastinator that he decided to spend years studying magic so life would be easier for him.
Ah, Wizards... The class that most fits me as a person - Spends time alone in his isolated lair, doing gods know what - Only comes out to get food - Gone notably eccentric, if not completely bonkers - Obsessive on specific fields, complete expert in subjects normal people have no use for - collects artifacts, but only the special rare ones - Portrait of high functioning autism
One way to approach playing a character with very high intelligence is preparation. Unlike your character, you often have a week or more to consider what to do in a situation. Researching relevant info between sessions and just having more time to make connections can go a long way towards bridging the intelligence gap between player and character.
It's a tall order for sure. A bit of meta gaming helps. I lucked out with my last wizard, the DM threw a riddle at us that I happened to know. I answered abruptly and curtly, rping how that was no challenge for my intellect.
Just use larger words, if Matt Kovil taught me anything it's that the way someone speaks often reflects on how other perceive them intellectually. If you use deliberately large or more nuanced words while RPing your character will come off as smarter or more eloquent.
I have a LVL 5 wizard with 20 INT. I favored him as Frankenstein's monster who is strictly book/science smart. He has practically no construct of small talk and such pleasantries.
Jim singing Gloryhammer there at the end there really got me excited. God damn do I love that band. Legitimately one of my favorite things is the magic system from Dungeon Crawl Classics because of how mystical it feels, having corruptions and manifestations via the usage of said magic, and even having it linked to the beseechment of otherworldly spirits and entities that can grant you powers or having to go on quests in order to learn new spells or special techniques. One thing in the system that I think gets a bit glossed over as well is their way of handling the creation of Magical Swords. Not only does it allow for the GM to have the resources necessary to create interesting, unique, and powerful enchanted blades of mythic status, but it can even act as a great mechanic for the players to utilize when they get to that point where the Fighter wants to finally forge their own Excalibur, Glamdring, or Astral Hammer! ;D
I had a magic storm occur in my previous campaign and so until the storm was gone, magic became unstable and I literally gave my wizard and cleric DCC spells, they loved it, but It did cause their turns to be longer. They summoned a Genie.
12:15 I love when DMs are open to those crazy aesthetic changes to something that otherwise don't affect mechanics unfortunately not everyones open to that sort of thing
Something that I noticed is that most of the stuff you guys talked about here, the spell-books, the quirks, character ambition (which can really apply to any class), the way you modify your spells while casting casting them, all this stuff can really apply to all full caster classes.
I was meaning flavor wise, with the "*how* the wizard casts the spell" thing mid-way through the video. What it *looks* like. But ya I should have worded that better.
I really love the different ideas for spellbooks. The familiar spellbook is actually also how the Witch class works in Pathfinder: you commune with your familiar each morning (as a conduit for your patron) in order to access your spells, and you can learn new spells either through other witches' familiars interacting with yours or a ritual in which you destroy a scroll and feed it to your familiar (similar to a wizard copying spells from another wizard's spellbook or from scrolls). It's a fun flavor, though it also makes your familiar much more valuable and vulnerable if your enemies discover this or have reason to target it.
I found Dark Sun's solution to spellbooks interesting (or maybe this was just the fans who did the 3rd edition update). Since wizards are feared and hated, carrying around a spellbook is a good way to get a mob on you. So wizards would set up codes using beads in a pattern on strings. Easier to carry than some solutions, but still flavorful.
I have a half-elf wizard whos spellbook is a collection of scrolls, notes, and pages from other spellbooks that he carefully tore out with a strand of leather laces holding it together
If you've ever heard of trinkets, they are the best idea for the concept for a spellbook base. For instance, the ring of keys for forgotten locks in the 'Gothic Trinkets', section. Something you can do is have the keys engraved with runes, but they are a bit too difficult to read on their own. The book component is a locked diary, and depending on which key you unlock it with, a different spell is revealed
I’m currently playing a wizard and put 9 for INT. I off set this, however, by using a Headband of Intelligence and it is the character. All I described to DM how it pumped information on magic into his mind. Now he’s some kind of demon messiah (?) at the center of some international cult conspiracy and may soon become the servant to a blue dragon just so he can have some kind of protection after his master (in his mind) left him for dead at the claws of that very beast. Just goes to show that a little description can go a long way. Also, if people would like to more accurately rp different mental disorders without being insensitive, I’d highly recommend picking up a copy of the DSM 5th edition. You don’t need to be a paych expert to read it, but it’s a very good source to draw from.
36:56 right on Jim Davis. I hope the world is listening and remembering how it was before Toy Story. you guys are always great, whether with cup of tea or glass of wine, an hour or whatever, i'm listening to your jam.
Hell Yeah a series just discussing Magic! And Metaphysics! This was a great episode! I was always keen on the idea of using nonstandard Spellbooks, like a meditation orb of wisdom or a Ghost.
An ocd wizard sounds like so much fun lol I have ocd tendencies and for a while turning the door knob an odd number of times was my thing and the number had to be 3 or over. It was weird and amusing. I'm gonna have fun with this lol
A series purely on magic sounds amazing! I'd love to see a breakdown of illusion magic since it's such a challenging school to use and is often downplayed by DMs.
THANK YOU for discussing elements being bound to one spell. That is one of the things I absolutely loved with lore wizard, the ability to take a spell, master it, and change its composition to a different element for Thematic, and not Minmaxing.
Jim: Gandalf with his wizard's staff would be an arcane focus caster, you know. And I am speaking about the books, not the movies! [edit] He's also a Bladesinger.
Thanks for the video! Wizards have always been hard for me because, well, they’re a lot smarter that I am. This was really helpful! Idea for wizard rule: total number of coins carried must be divisible by 3
Thank you guys for these long videos. I send my - very patient - players these whenever one for their class comes out, and they always come back with ideas.
There's a nice art set on Tumblr and I believe Deviantart that shows what spells might look like physically on frequent spellcasters. It's pretty cool, and if you do some searches you'll probably find them.
Magic RP and spell breakdown series WHEN?! First time commenting on y'alls videos but I have been watching since your channel started and am an avid fan. Please please please keep making videos for a long time to come. I'm going to be 25 this year and feel like I missed out on a lot of the D&D I could have been playing had I been born only 5 years earlier. I love your talks and how you both just talk, just talk. The fact you can just talk like the friends you are really lends itself to y'alls playstyle and how you see the game and makes me hope I find a group like yours one day.
I love the idea of the tattooed wizard. Where my mind went immediately was they got their spell book stolen once before and they vowed to never have that happen again. So their skin is covered in what looks like pieces of paper that are covered in dots, slashes, squares, and blanks that they use to hide their notes. Then (and I don’t know if this allowed because I have never actually played D&D, but it’s a neat idea so my mind ran with it) they are able to shift their tattoos on their body because all the spells are written in magic ink, the way I am thinking their pointer fingers are both also tattooed and they uses them as stylists to move the pages around their body. So all of their “prepared spells” are the ones located on their arms, and to activate the spell they need to shift the page onto a certain part of their arm and swipe whatever the activation for the spell is across the page. Also a pocket of holding (again if that is possible I don’t really know) would be really helpful cuz then they could just pull out whatever activation they need at any given time.
My Dragonborn's spellbook was a draconic/common dictionary so every spell he learned he could translate into his native language. He was also a librarian so this became his life's work.
Slayers had a Dragon Wizard that carved their magic spells into stone pillars kept in a pocket dimension. Sounds pretty permanent, until the PC party showed up, then got in a fight with the villains in the middle of his "spell book", shooting off exploding spells and laser magic. That wizard was PISSED with them.
Been playing an elf wizard, Bethran Balladir, for almost 2 years. I love wizards over sorcerers because they show with practice & commitment, you can attain power - as strange as magic can seem, it can also be the great equalizer! Also, in regards to magical formulas, no mention of Fullmetal Alchemist? Everyone's a wizard in that show! (Most Transmuters.)
I SUPER DUPER APPROVE YOUR IDEA FOR A SERIES JUST ON MAGIC!!! Yes please sir may I have some more! Lets cover all those topics you mentioned and more. Love it, love it, love it.
I would love to see you guys make episodes on each individual spells! It sounds like a great idea! Because I love it when a DM asks me what does my spell look like. It is also something I practice a fair amount with my players but some extra inspiration would be wonderful!
Sorrcerers are supposed to basically have the old "spell like abilities". How does a vamp turn to bat? Its a spell like ability. Wizards is ShadowRaven and sorcerers are Starfire.
I have this idea for an artistic wizard who's wand looks like a paintbrush with an interchangeable brush-shaped tip that makes all elemental damage be a certain type. It would take too long to change during combat so they're stuck with a certain type the entire fight. It might even be a day to day thing to stop myself from having every random enemies weakness only through a minute's prep time. The idea just sounds really interesting to me.
I kinda disagree with your outlook on sorcerers. I would say they did have to work for it. Just in a different ways. Wizards have to approach it mechanically and really understand it to even use magic. A sorcerer has to learn how to discipline themselves so they can control that magic enough that it is even useful. Yeah, you can play a wild magic sorcerer and let whatever happen...but most want to be able to direct it. Control that power. It takes a different approach...but I don't see why a sorcerer shouldn't work just as hard for their magic as a wizard. That they meditate about their approach and think about how it feels when they channel the magic and how they could improve their technique and even study what works and what doesn't. That maybe the greats among sorcerers are just as disciplined and well read as any wizard...they just have to appraoch their magic from not as a machine they operate and have to learn all the nuts and bolts to get good at using it but rather as part of the machine. That they are a cog and they have to learn how to turn properly to achieve their goals. Of course warlocks are just slackers. No helping that. ;)
I see the difference between wizards and sorcerers being similar to the difference between an engineer and an artist. They both practiced and studied to hone their skills, but the subject matter was different
They talked about sorcerers already i think, and mentioned much of what you said, how they have to actually harness and practice with their power and such
The way i would change warlocks is make them intelligence based, cause i prefer much more the idea of a person giving service in order to get KNOWLEDGE of magic rather than just power.
One thing I like to add to the game is focus items that have mild bonuses to certain types of magic, as well as cantrip focuses that allow a non-cast to cast that cantrip as if they were level 1, or have some other very minor property. Basically common magic item wands and stuff.
The idea for the video solely on magic is a great idea and I love it! Can't wait to see it, unless it's the Schools of Magic series. In which case, I'm only waiting on one more to come out. WHERE ARE YOU, ABJURATION?!
I love the thought demon idea, especially the implications of what could happen if the demons broke loose or turned on their jailer, a bit of risk involved in spell casting
A lot of your advice to make wizards more interesting (which btw is all really interesting and flavorful) is really making them seem more like warlocks (appeasing patrons, weird rituals, etc.).
The talk about the spellbook made me imagine a wizard whose grimoire is a Rolodex of vellum flashcards. "Yeah, I remember the spells in general. All I need are little notes for the details."
My high-elven Bladesinger has arcane tattoos instead of a spellbook. To prepare different spells, he magically re-arranges them on his body. He folds up his sleeves to show the ones on his arms, and shaves the sides of his head to show the ones on his head and neck. He's pretty cool.
I ran a wizard, Cecil, he was obsessed with Lawful order (see lawful neutral) so he wanted his magic to be as efficient as possible. His spell book (and the one I used) had each spell broken down into the type of spell, what it was used for, and then translated into a language that is most suited. Like utility spells out of combat were dwarven, spells meant for harming people were in infernal, enchantment spells were in Elvish, etc. His focus was his spell book, which was gilded and had a rope that kept it tied to him at all times. It was one of those 'enduring spellbook' common magical items, and despite being written in a ton of languages it was then done into a cypher that only he knew, and THEN was magically scrambled.
I think sorcerers would stress me out as a wizard. It'd be like "WHY DON'T YOU TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR MAGIC WORKS ? DON'T JUST EXPLODE THE THING JUST HOW NO DON'T PLEASE JUST UGH" I mean they have the gift of magic and just use it all Willy nilly like a 5 year old juggling nukes. I'm getting sweats just thinking about it.
I have been throwing gems embued with magic(ice gem, infernal gem, gluttony gems) as crafting components. The wizards in my game are using the to craft new versions of the spells that they have. It has gotten all of our minds racing for the possibilities.
My spellbook is a set of heavy armor that my forge cleric/wizard works very carefully to maintain, and bless every day. The spells themselves are etched on the backside of scales that I carefully prepare and add to the armor with my smithing skills. :)
I am playing a changling (Bladesong) wizard in a campaign right now. She became a wizard to hide, in her backstory she has been openly vocal about her distaste for wizards especially those who focus on the school of enchantment. Her spell book is actually a magic item called "the apprentices spell tome" as my wizard adds a spell to the tome it adds it's own to it as well (so every level up I only add one spell and the dm adds one). It was a gift from her teacher to help in her studies.
My favorite spellbook that I've created so far is a deck of cards. When casting spells he throws the cards out and the cards are consumed. The cost of copying new spells into a spellbook is the cost of buying the expensive cardstock and inks for making fancy cards, and preparing spells is making new cards after the previous ones are consumed. I also like the idea of etching your new spells when you learn them onto the blade of a sword, which is also your spellcasting focus.
When I think of the D&D description of Wizard as someone who worked hard for their magical power the first character that comes to my mind is the secondary player character of the Touhou series, Marisa Kirisame. In a world of physical gods altering the land, hell ravens creating artificial suns, fate-altering vampires, millenia-old yokai who can rend the very fabric of reality, immortal moon people, and the judge of the dead just walking around, she practiced enough to be able to contend with all that. Everyone else is naturally powerful in some way, even the primary protagonist is a natural at her family's shinto magic and has the ability to "float through life" (at its most extreme basically being an invincibility mode), but Marisa is a normal girl who just *_really_* wanted to be able to shoot big f-off laser beams, and worked towards it, and was successful. However, she generally tries to hide that hardworking side of hers for some reason. Maybe pride. Sure, the playing field is evened out by everyone following a specific set of rules for their "danmaku" duels, as well as having a "hakkero"-item to boost her raw power output, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she has, so long as those rules are followed, become one of the toughest fighters around through hard work and study. (Unrelated, but she seems to also have multiclassed as rogue... Stealing spells and books from others - oh I'm sorry, "borrowing ") Maybe I should come up with D&D sheets for some of the characters some day... Even if most of them boil down to either clerics, sorcerers, or monsters.
The whole no loss of any part of yourself to keep your magic, great end stage Howard Hughs comes to mind, long hair and fingernails, traveling around with jars of your own waste. He can fly around on a giant goose that everyone says is too big to fly.
I played an EK Wizard who's spellbook was a sheet of glass that, after deactivating its defenses, reveals itself to be many small, thin sheets with the arcane knowledge magically inscribed into the glass.
12:52... One of my players took a level of Warlock after the party defeated three flame skulls and their Illithid master. His character was curious about the skull and saved one from being consecrated allowing it to regenerate. He now has a pact with the mostly crazed spirit of the original owner of the skull a very powerful Githzerai female.
My mind goes to the sorcerer a bit for the ritual actions such as lighting candles twice. It gives a slight fey vibe reminding the people around them that while this person is a certain race they are intrinsically connected to a powerful force at a level they cannot comprehend.
Some great ideas here guys. Thank you for doing this episode. I only wish that there were more GMs and Players that were this creative and not so rule-bound in their games, as these sorts of things make a far richer game than simply those who must play by strict adherence to what companies publish. I might also add that those looking at trying to use the origins of the Vancian magic system should also look at Pelgrane Press' own 'Dying Earth' RPG which was put together with the assistance of Jack Vance Himself, as it has a lot of interesting ideas that D&D lacks that could be incorporated into a game (if you are willing to step outside the murder hobo paths many D&D games seem trapped into).
I've often thought that a true wizard duel wouldn't be combat but just which one could accomplish the greatest feat with magic in a new way. I'd love a good breakdown of magic spells and optimization. My favorite part of playing a wizard has been using magic to its greatest potential. I played a wizard/druid in Hackmaster where the DM picks your spells for you and my starting offensive spell was Charm Person. For 5e its reading the subtext, like where Tiny Servant has 60 ft. of blindsense. Amazingly useful even if you have to wrangle out just how the servant would alert you and know what to look for.
My favorite flavor a caster ever out on a spell was a warlock for his eldritch blast. Instead of the crackling green energy or whatever his was completely invisible and looked like a shockwave. I just loved the image it made
The wizards in Dragonlance are one of those types that are really interesting to me, because you know... They're freaking clerics! The three gods of magic in Dragonlance are there for the wizards at all times. Some speak with them, some PRAY to them. Well, moreso Nuitari maybe over Lunitari and Solinari, but to some extent all of them. The fact that the wizards of their respective robe colors, white, red and black HAVE TO wear their colors lest their god or goddess might not grant them the ability to use magic just hammers it in how similar the wizards in that setting are to clerics and I love that!
My personal wizards spellbook is her wands that she carves personally with her wood working, gen cutters, stone masons, etc. tools, and she still uses spell components because we play a really low magic/low fantasy game so I track spell components
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Web DM I concur on the Magic Series, Jim. Probably pull it off in a five or six episode series.
Pruit! Jim! Huge fan, I need your expertise. I know you have made a video on Devil's already, but I have a whacky campaign idea where players start as lemure devils and rise up through the rankings being promoted into stronger devil's. But I'm lacking a clear way to RP devil's, and their interactions with mortals on the material plane. Specifically contracts/pacts, and etiquette of how they would corrupt. Could they outright demand a mortal kill a LG Npc in order to gain a benefit? Could a devil be tasked with murdering a LG npc, if the mortal doing the bargaining requests it? I know a devil can be taken to courts if sort if they are suspect to wrongly condemning a soul, or forcing a mortal to damnation. Are devils even allowed to kill mortals directly on the material plane? Thank you for your time!
Reading Dragon Lance books about the twins, it explains how much wizards have to work. Raistlin had talent but he work painstakenly worked to become as powerful as he became.
Arie Robbins Read "Brimstone Angels" if you get a chance.
The general rule for devils is the "target soul" must be convinced to relinquish their souls, usually through deception. Ergo, commanding an atrocity doesn't result in anything other than the atrocity.
Lemurs are generally picked out to become one of the next teir, either when a predecessor dies, or they need a couple extra hands. If I remember right there's a "max" number of Devils allowed to exist.
44:20 - YES!!! Do a series on magic, for the love of Mystra!
When your flavoring spells remember what school your wizard specializes in, an evoker fireball will probably just be them creating a ton of fire out of nothing, where as a conjurer might make a dime sized hole to the elemental plane of fire or hell, or perhaps your diviner uses the magical power of a spell slot to look in to every possible reality and see what actions lead to a fireball type effect happening, like throwing a rock causing a nearby bird to fly up and spook the guard your fighting to drop his lantern on the ground causing an oil explosion.
Your
@@stinky1895 drats
This...I like this
if you want to play an evil hedonist wizard just make your spellbook a malnourished gnome slave with your spells tattooed on him. it's great
+itsthe weeb27 the Gnomes name is spellbook. and he's bound by chain to my litter.
What about a wizard who tattoos their spells on themselves?
Or like Dispater does with messages-tied to the back of an imp.
Problem being when a group of adventurers free your gnome and you lose all your spells.
That's why you need a backup gnome.
I like the way both Jim as Huell and Liam O'Brien as Caleb play their wizards - characters who understand the multiverse is filled with powerful energies and magic, and through careful study of the formulae one can manipulate that energy in limitless ways.
Liam particularly as he will describe the components used, and the arcane language/ hand motions. that is a very strong approach to that role play. I have enjoyed watching him do that a ton.
Whenever I picture a wizard that tattoo'd their spells on their arm, for some reason I imagine them copying the spells into the other arm as a spare because, well, it never hurts to be prepared.
god gave you two for a reason
If you are tattooing and run out of space do you need to gain weight? I could see a world where the most powerful wizards weigh like 500 lbs and have to eat all the time to maintain their girth
Makes me think of Scar from Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
Sumo Wizards. Nuff said
greatmightypanda AND that is a great explanation for why the Wizard's Con is so high.
My favorite spellbook I've ever come up with is a crystal in a staff. It is activated with a passphrase only known to the wizard. Once activated it glows and projects all the writing into the walls or whatever surface through the facets of the crystal. So to add more spells you have to use magic carving tools (equivalent in cost to ink and paper) to etch more spells onto the crystal. The etchings only appear visible with the pass phrase.
I was actually thinking earlier today "I really hope the wizard rp vid is coming out soon" and y'all delivered
paxbby you accidentally cast Wish
Diviner confirmed
one of these days I plan to run a goblin wizard who got a hold of his/her book during a raid their tribe went on and the spellbook is actually a back up book of another different wizard thats enchanted to copy the spells of the primary spell book into it. The goblin knows this because the spellbook also function as a journal/diary of said wizard The Goblin is far too nervous to try and write their own spellbook so the gm is essentially picking the wizard spells I'd be able to use. a sort of weird psuedo warlock if you will
cool twist if it works two ways-- you get confident enough to add spells to the book, and now the main wizard is getting spells added to his book for free without having to leave his study, while you do the dirty work delving gross ruins and ancient temples.
and the eventual meeting The Wizard. which would be one hell of a moment
That is a great concept. Love the meeting of the Wizard and a way for the DM to give out one of those ever critical "Journal Entry"s without having to come up with some stupid encounter that will only make sense in 2 more sessions.
make it a blue they are awesome its in the monster manual 2 in 3rd ed
Ron White can I use that for my story I'm writing and trying to publish?
My wizard has a literal addiction to magic and magical items, so if there's and enchanted coin of always being shiny at the top of a tower filled with demons, you better believe he is getting that coin.
One neat alternate spellbook would be the spinning rotary map from Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End.
Imagine a spell "book" that rolls up into a tube shape about a foot and a half long and 3 inches thick that fits in a scroll case. Every morning the Wizard unrolls it and then unfolds the side flaps so it becomes a 4 foot square mat with dozens of narrow rings covered in intricate designs. To memorize each spell the wizard has to turn the rings in specific combinations so that the markings across the entire surface line up just right for that spell.
My wizard’s Spellbook is a deck of flash cards. Super easy to RP spell selection when it’s also me just shuffling through the deck figuring out what I want to cast that day!
"It's time to duel!"
Matteus Silvestre I mean, yeah. But summoning spells are so few now T-T
My wizard is actually a part time artist for our world's tcg. I'll talk to my DM about this
I played a Wizard where the Monk was her older brother, and she tattooed her spells onto her brother’s back. It was pretty fun to rp spell selection when our Rogue picked arcane trickster, because she would take that opportunity to teach the Rogue how some of the more basic spells worked.
I love Wizards, both as a player and as a DM.
As a player, I like being the character who knows stuff, as well as having a license to be slightly quirky because of the things they know. For example, my Wizard characters usually have tics like "my character never looks anyone in the eye, because if he does he might accidentally use his Hypnotic Gaze - or the other person might use something like Dominate Person."
I also like being the player who "triggers" the background lore dumps by reading tomes, inspecting the murals in ruins, etc. I used to have a DM who would text me random bits of lore that my character had knowledge of. It was really fun and actually fascinating how much that DM had written out about his world.
Mechanically, I like having a large variety of spells, and mixing it up between utility, buffing/debuffing, and blasting.
As a DM, I like having a character around who will actively try to learn about the world. I put a lot of work into the background lore of the world, and having a Wizard around to pore through archives, investigate ruins for the sake of learning, and otherwise engage in the lore, lets me show off that work.
Wizards also gain the benefit of Ritual spells without having to have them prepared like all other classes. Which adds some flexibility with regards to Spell preparation.
I thought the ritual spell still had to be prepared (costing a preparation slot) but could be cast as a ritual (thus saving a spell casting slot). Have I misunderstood?
Don Durham
Nope the ritual spell does not need to be prepared to be cast as a ritual for a wizard
Don Durham wizards get the better ritual casting where you just need it in your book
Don Durham what you stated is correct for every other casting class. Wizards don't need them prepared since we have the source material available for study
That explains it.
As usual, I was thinking like a backwoods Druid -- what would I know from a spellbook...? ;)
Thanks for the clarifications everyone. Happy Gaming.
I love the idea of having a wizard who has his spells tattooed all over him, having to look through his familiar to prepare the spells, believing that it brings him closer to the raw power of magic
"I'm running out of guano."
"We better get this s^&t in order."
Roll for Initiative.
"Maybe your wizard is one of those people who just bounces there leg constantly."
*Looks down at bouncing leg*
I'm a wizard :)
With a name like yours, was there ever any doubt?
I'm constantly shocked at GMs who don't make allowances for characters with super high mental stats, especially intelligence and charisma. The vast majority of players I've met are of average or slightly above average in these characteristics, yet some GMs allow them to play characters high in these stats and force heavy RP without giving the players the tools to effectively play such characters.
Essentially these GMs only gamify the physical aspects of characters. A weak player can play a strong character, and a clumsy player can play an acrobat... but every wizard can only be as smart as their player. Every faceman is only as charismatic as the player.
GMs who force resolution of non-combat encounters via unassisted RP don't make sense to me. Like Jim, I love playing wizards. I cannot fathom playing a proper wizard in a game like this - I may be smart but do not have a 200IQ.
this is why i always felt weird about DMs that give bonuses to players who "rp better" or describe their actions.
ie player A says "i'm going to try to convince the inkeep to give us a room for free" vs player B says "'listen here, innkeep, we just saved this town, barely, from orc raiders. my friends are wounded and worn. we have no gold to spare. i can see that business isnt exactly booming here right now, just let us stay the night to regather our strength'". the DM would probably set a 15 (or higher) persuasion DC for player A, but only a DC 10 for player B.
assuming both players are playing with the same character sheet, is that fair? why play a bard with 18 CHA and expertise in persuasion if i'm naturally good at making persuasive arguments as a player? i can play as a barbarian and be a face (normally a huge drawback to playing a barbarian)
i think webDM even advocated doing the same thing for finding traps, making the DC lower to find traps and secret doors if the player describes themselves pressing against seams in bookshelves or feeling cracks in the stone. why bother investing points into INT or investigation if i know how to describe finding traps as a player?
on one hand, i see the appeal of rewarding roleplay with in-game benefits. but on the other it emphasizes the capabilities of the player over the capabilities of the character.
As a DM I would simply like to inform you of my thoughts on the matter.
When I am determining the DC for an event that kinda just happens I will often take into account the background of the character making the check. If a character that is generally socially awkward walks up and asks for a free room in a tavern I probably won't adjust the DC by more than 1 or 2 for decent roleplay. If it is a Charismatic Bard on the other-hand I know they would probably have a better chance of conveying their point in a more persuasive way. In this case I will typically adjust the dc by somewhere from 3-4 instead.
As for adjusting the DC based on roleplay, I can see how you would thing that that emphasizes the skill of the player more. I do believe that when a player goes the extra distance and gets into character they should be rewarded for it. If they just tell me they are going to try and persuade someone, that could mean they simply go up and say" Hey can we get a free room?" whereas when a player actually gets into character and talks to me as their character. I can definitively say that that is what their character is saying.
Along with this I will not adjust the DC if the roleplay is not anything like their character.
If their RP is good and withing their characters description, sure the DC will change. (and if its really well done maybe there will be some bonus XP in it for them)
+Chaster Mief in my opinion, a good DM would take both of these things into account. For your innkeep/free room example, if Character B has an awful charisma score but tried to RP himself some smooth talking, I would definitely reward the player with an easier DC check to reinforce that level sort of play; it's good fun and helps encourage more shy or reserved players to do the same!
BUT! I would only give him a minor reward, to compensate for his low charisma score. Instead of knocking a 15 DC down to 10, perhaps just drop it to 13-14. If he had a really high charisma score, I would be more inclined to give a bigger bonus, knocking down from 15 to 10.
This can be tricky to keep track of, but I think it's the ideal way to handle a situation like that. Even a small bonus is still a reward, and could be the extra push the dice needed to clear the check successfully.
@@chastermief839 I'm 100% with you on this one, the player is roll playing a character, not themselves (in most games anyway) and should have no bonuses for being better than the character they are playing, in fact they should be penalised for doing it, an int 9 person wouldn't be inventing String theory even if the player knows it.
As for the people saying they adjust the DC for good RP, only do that by 1-2 at most, never lower the DC for high ability scores, it messes with the maths, a 1 point change in the DC is a 5% change in the odds for the roll on a D20. A 20 Charisma Bard has a 75% chance to pass a DC 10 roll (85% including proficiency bonus if it's a trained skill, increasing to 95% with Expertise at level 3), there is a reason the DC's are what they are.
Now I am imagining a death note / lelouch of the rebellion rped wizard I still fear a master mind who is just stupid not evil more than a wise selfish ruler
28:00 nothing helped me understand DnD more than reading Tales of the Dying Earth.
You understand what kind of world original DnD was going for, what the gods were supposed to be (weird powers rather than Greek Gods etc), exactly were the magic system came from.
It's quite incredible actually.
I once ran a BBEG Wizard whose spellbook was a tattooed, chained slave-child he led around. The PC's thought killing the child would break his power, so they did. But he was just memorizing his spells off the child's back.
33:53 There is a psychic damage fireball in the game. It's called Synaptic Static. They're not completely identical, but they have the same damage and radius. Range on static is similar: 120 feet vs 150. Main difference is it's a 5th level spell instead of a 3rd and requires an intelligence save instead of a dexterity save. However, it can impose a penalty to all attacks, ability checks, and concentration saves for a minute.
I have a character named Mythrin Lazuli who is a dwarven wizard from an ancient bloodline of dwarven wizards. His ancestors created the family heirloom spell book which is a six sided wand of lapis lazuli with runes written on it with golden ink. Each rune represents a spell and most of them are incomprehensible to Mythrin as his family was besieged and his father killed before he could teach him the runes upon the wand, written in the hand of dwarves long passed. He is now in a mission to relearn the secrets of his ancestors while at the same time escaping those who wish to see his bloodline permanently broken.
My current wizard took up magic because he's so much of a procrastinator that he decided to spend years studying magic so life would be easier for him.
Ambitiously lazy. I like it.
Ah, Wizards... The class that most fits me as a person
- Spends time alone in his isolated lair, doing gods know what
- Only comes out to get food
- Gone notably eccentric, if not completely bonkers
- Obsessive on specific fields, complete expert in subjects normal people have no use for
- collects artifacts, but only the special rare ones
- Portrait of high functioning autism
Man, Pruitt is getting really good at these intros!
One way to approach playing a character with very high intelligence is preparation. Unlike your character, you often have a week or more to consider what to do in a situation. Researching relevant info between sessions and just having more time to make connections can go a long way towards bridging the intelligence gap between player and character.
Another way I've read about is to write stuff to RP a good memory.
"Maybe your spellbook is your Familiar."
Hello Pathfinder Witch
I always have a hard time RPing super genius type wizards. Maybe I just need to go back to school.
Dungeon Dad spend time between sessions solving the problems affecting the party and find a work around. Use that next session
It's a tall order for sure. A bit of meta gaming helps. I lucked out with my last wizard, the DM threw a riddle at us that I happened to know. I answered abruptly and curtly, rping how that was no challenge for my intellect.
Love your channel too btw.
Just use larger words, if Matt Kovil taught me anything it's that the way someone speaks often reflects on how other perceive them intellectually. If you use deliberately large or more nuanced words while RPing your character will come off as smarter or more eloquent.
I have a LVL 5 wizard with 20 INT. I favored him as Frankenstein's monster who is strictly book/science smart. He has practically no construct of small talk and such pleasantries.
Jim singing Gloryhammer there at the end there really got me excited. God damn do I love that band.
Legitimately one of my favorite things is the magic system from Dungeon Crawl Classics because of how mystical it feels, having corruptions and manifestations via the usage of said magic, and even having it linked to the beseechment of otherworldly spirits and entities that can grant you powers or having to go on quests in order to learn new spells or special techniques. One thing in the system that I think gets a bit glossed over as well is their way of handling the creation of Magical Swords. Not only does it allow for the GM to have the resources necessary to create interesting, unique, and powerful enchanted blades of mythic status, but it can even act as a great mechanic for the players to utilize when they get to that point where the Fighter wants to finally forge their own Excalibur, Glamdring, or Astral Hammer! ;D
I had a magic storm occur in my previous campaign and so until the storm was gone, magic became unstable and I literally gave my wizard and cleric DCC spells, they loved it, but It did cause their turns to be longer.
They summoned a Genie.
Jim Davis had to listen to Power Metal to it's kind of a must for inspiration for a DM
Love the creativity and detail.
12:15 I love when DMs are open to those crazy aesthetic changes to something that otherwise don't affect mechanics
unfortunately not everyones open to that sort of thing
Something that I noticed is that most of the stuff you guys talked about here, the spell-books, the quirks, character ambition (which can really apply to any class), the way you modify your spells while casting casting them, all this stuff can really apply to all full caster classes.
Modifying spells while casting them is full on a Sorcerer thing, with their metamagic.
I was meaning flavor wise, with the "*how* the wizard casts the spell" thing mid-way through the video. What it *looks* like. But ya I should have worded that better.
Most of their rp stuff can apply to multiple classes/races. They just label them with specifics to match the flavors the class/race evoke.
phoenixking62
“All”
You can just say sorcerers, dude. It’s not illegal.
My last wizard was a crazy, super old, insane man, who had a superiority complex because of his elven lineage.
I really love the different ideas for spellbooks.
The familiar spellbook is actually also how the Witch class works in Pathfinder: you commune with your familiar each morning (as a conduit for your patron) in order to access your spells, and you can learn new spells either through other witches' familiars interacting with yours or a ritual in which you destroy a scroll and feed it to your familiar (similar to a wizard copying spells from another wizard's spellbook or from scrolls). It's a fun flavor, though it also makes your familiar much more valuable and vulnerable if your enemies discover this or have reason to target it.
I thought that The Magicians did a great job with somatic casting
42:23 ghostly orb travels from the enchanter wizard’s mouth as he casts charm person on his listeners.
I found Dark Sun's solution to spellbooks interesting (or maybe this was just the fans who did the 3rd edition update). Since wizards are feared and hated, carrying around a spellbook is a good way to get a mob on you. So wizards would set up codes using beads in a pattern on strings. Easier to carry than some solutions, but still flavorful.
I have a half-elf wizard whos spellbook is a collection of scrolls, notes, and pages from other spellbooks that he carefully tore out with a strand of leather laces holding it together
If you've ever heard of trinkets, they are the best idea for the concept for a spellbook base. For instance, the ring of keys for forgotten locks in the 'Gothic Trinkets', section. Something you can do is have the keys engraved with runes, but they are a bit too difficult to read on their own. The book component is a locked diary, and depending on which key you unlock it with, a different spell is revealed
I’m currently playing a wizard and put 9 for INT. I off set this, however, by using a Headband of Intelligence and it is the character. All I described to DM how it pumped information on magic into his mind. Now he’s some kind of demon messiah (?) at the center of some international cult conspiracy and may soon become the servant to a blue dragon just so he can have some kind of protection after his master (in his mind) left him for dead at the claws of that very beast. Just goes to show that a little description can go a long way.
Also, if people would like to more accurately rp different mental disorders without being insensitive, I’d highly recommend picking up a copy of the DSM 5th edition. You don’t need to be a paych expert to read it, but it’s a very good source to draw from.
36:56 right on Jim Davis. I hope the world is listening and remembering how it was before Toy Story.
you guys are always great, whether with cup of tea or glass of wine, an hour or whatever, i'm listening to your jam.
Hell Yeah a series just discussing Magic! And Metaphysics! This was a great episode! I was always keen on the idea of using nonstandard Spellbooks, like a meditation orb of wisdom or a Ghost.
An ocd wizard sounds like so much fun lol I have ocd tendencies and for a while turning the door knob an odd number of times was my thing and the number had to be 3 or over. It was weird and amusing. I'm gonna have fun with this lol
A series purely on magic sounds amazing! I'd love to see a breakdown of illusion magic since it's such a challenging school to use and is often downplayed by DMs.
THANK YOU for discussing elements being bound to one spell. That is one of the things I absolutely loved with lore wizard, the ability to take a spell, master it, and change its composition to a different element for Thematic, and not Minmaxing.
Jim: Gandalf with his wizard's staff would be an arcane focus caster, you know. And I am speaking about the books, not the movies!
[edit] He's also a Bladesinger.
Nah. He’d be a cleric or a celestial warlock
Tbh. There really isn’t anything in DnD which reflects him
But eh
He’d probably have fighter levels tho
I’d say Aasimar Eldritch Knight, with the Far Traveler background.
This has been by far the most helpful Wizard video! Good work guys
Thanks for the video! Wizards have always been hard for me because, well, they’re a lot smarter that I am. This was really helpful!
Idea for wizard rule: total number of coins carried must be divisible by 3
Thank you guys for these long videos. I send my - very patient - players these whenever one for their class comes out, and they always come back with ideas.
There's a nice art set on Tumblr and I believe Deviantart that shows what spells might look like physically on frequent spellcasters. It's pretty cool, and if you do some searches you'll probably find them.
Brian B. Any hints as to where I could go to see those specifically?
Brian B. What's super helpful to find it
Joel Zerr If you google FilibusterFrog Tumblr, you should find magical scars.
"We need to get this shit together!"
I saw what you did there Pruitt
Magic RP and spell breakdown series WHEN?! First time commenting on y'alls videos but I have been watching since your channel started and am an avid fan. Please please please keep making videos for a long time to come. I'm going to be 25 this year and feel like I missed out on a lot of the D&D I could have been playing had I been born only 5 years earlier. I love your talks and how you both just talk, just talk. The fact you can just talk like the friends you are really lends itself to y'alls playstyle and how you see the game and makes me hope I find a group like yours one day.
I love the idea of the tattooed wizard. Where my mind went immediately was they got their spell book stolen once before and they vowed to never have that happen again. So their skin is covered in what looks like pieces of paper that are covered in dots, slashes, squares, and blanks that they use to hide their notes. Then (and I don’t know if this allowed because I have never actually played D&D, but it’s a neat idea so my mind ran with it) they are able to shift their tattoos on their body because all the spells are written in magic ink, the way I am thinking their pointer fingers are both also tattooed and they uses them as stylists to move the pages around their body. So all of their “prepared spells” are the ones located on their arms, and to activate the spell they need to shift the page onto a certain part of their arm and swipe whatever the activation for the spell is across the page. Also a pocket of holding (again if that is possible I don’t really know) would be really helpful cuz then they could just pull out whatever activation they need at any given time.
My Dragonborn's spellbook was a draconic/common dictionary so every spell he learned he could translate into his native language. He was also a librarian so this became his life's work.
Slayers had a Dragon Wizard that carved their magic spells into stone pillars kept in a pocket dimension. Sounds pretty permanent, until the PC party showed up, then got in a fight with the villains in the middle of his "spell book", shooting off exploding spells and laser magic. That wizard was PISSED with them.
i would watch a series on spells and magic, magic is often my least favorite part but your take on it might renew some interest
First? Anyway, you guys have absolutely massively improved my first campaign (which is currently in progress)! Thanks!
Been playing an elf wizard, Bethran Balladir, for almost 2 years. I love wizards over sorcerers because they show with practice & commitment, you can attain power - as strange as magic can seem, it can also be the great equalizer!
Also, in regards to magical formulas, no mention of Fullmetal Alchemist? Everyone's a wizard in that show! (Most Transmuters.)
I SUPER DUPER APPROVE YOUR IDEA FOR A SERIES JUST ON MAGIC!!! Yes please sir may I have some more! Lets cover all those topics you mentioned and more. Love it, love it, love it.
I would love to see you guys make episodes on each individual spells! It sounds like a great idea!
Because I love it when a DM asks me what does my spell look like. It is also something I practice a fair amount with my players but some extra inspiration would be wonderful!
Sorrcerers are supposed to basically have the old "spell like abilities". How does a vamp turn to bat? Its a spell like ability. Wizards is ShadowRaven and sorcerers are Starfire.
You gave me a great idea, scrimshaw incorporated into cloths and jewelry.
I like the idea of the rune carved staff as a focus, helping draw the magic from the world around the wizard.
Jim Davis, you are my soulmate/spirit animal ;-) I have the exact same tendencies in playing wizards. It is the default class!
This is the most helpful discussion on wizards and magic in D&D I’ve ever watched. Instantly subscribing.
YESSS!!!! Series on magic please, those are always consistently some of my favorite topics for you guys to dive into
I have this idea for an artistic wizard who's wand looks like a paintbrush with an interchangeable brush-shaped tip that makes all elemental damage be a certain type. It would take too long to change during combat so they're stuck with a certain type the entire fight. It might even be a day to day thing to stop myself from having every random enemies weakness only through a minute's prep time. The idea just sounds really interesting to me.
If anyone else is not getting sound from this channel change your RealTek settings to Stereo to fix. Great vids guys.
I kinda disagree with your outlook on sorcerers. I would say they did have to work for it. Just in a different ways. Wizards have to approach it mechanically and really understand it to even use magic. A sorcerer has to learn how to discipline themselves so they can control that magic enough that it is even useful. Yeah, you can play a wild magic sorcerer and let whatever happen...but most want to be able to direct it. Control that power. It takes a different approach...but I don't see why a sorcerer shouldn't work just as hard for their magic as a wizard. That they meditate about their approach and think about how it feels when they channel the magic and how they could improve their technique and even study what works and what doesn't. That maybe the greats among sorcerers are just as disciplined and well read as any wizard...they just have to appraoch their magic from not as a machine they operate and have to learn all the nuts and bolts to get good at using it but rather as part of the machine. That they are a cog and they have to learn how to turn properly to achieve their goals.
Of course warlocks are just slackers. No helping that. ;)
Warlocks are magically indentured servants. They took a shortcut, but AT WHAT COST?! Usually not much because people forget about the pact.
Anakin Ligman Like I said, slackers. Loafing your way to power. XD
I see the difference between wizards and sorcerers being similar to the difference between an engineer and an artist. They both practiced and studied to hone their skills, but the subject matter was different
They talked about sorcerers already i think, and mentioned much of what you said, how they have to actually harness and practice with their power and such
The way i would change warlocks is make them intelligence based, cause i prefer much more the idea of a person giving service in order to get KNOWLEDGE of magic rather than just power.
One thing I like to add to the game is focus items that have mild bonuses to certain types of magic, as well as cantrip focuses that allow a non-cast to cast that cantrip as if they were level 1, or have some other very minor property. Basically common magic item wands and stuff.
New WebDM, gonna be a good day.
I would love to see a Arcana Series from you guys.
I remember playing a saurial in 2nd edition, and their spellbooks were their staffs with spells etched on them
The idea for the video solely on magic is a great idea and I love it! Can't wait to see it, unless it's the Schools of Magic series. In which case, I'm only waiting on one more to come out. WHERE ARE YOU, ABJURATION?!
I love the thought demon idea, especially the implications of what could happen if the demons broke loose or turned on their jailer, a bit of risk involved in spell casting
I'd definitely love it if you guys did a series on just magic itself and concepts like the Wizard's Tower, Lichdom, ritual magic, and the like.
When ever I played a "Lost City" I always had egyptian style hieroglyphs, which were themselves basically scrolls and spellbooks writ into the walls.
You guys should definitely do that series on wizards that left nerd mentioned
A lot of your advice to make wizards more interesting (which btw is all really interesting and flavorful) is really making them seem more like warlocks (appeasing patrons, weird rituals, etc.).
The talk about the spellbook made me imagine a wizard whose grimoire is a Rolodex of vellum flashcards.
"Yeah, I remember the spells in general. All I need are little notes for the details."
My high-elven Bladesinger has arcane tattoos instead of a spellbook. To prepare different spells, he magically re-arranges them on his body. He folds up his sleeves to show the ones on his arms, and shaves the sides of his head to show the ones on his head and neck. He's pretty cool.
I ran a wizard, Cecil, he was obsessed with Lawful order (see lawful neutral) so he wanted his magic to be as efficient as possible. His spell book (and the one I used) had each spell broken down into the type of spell, what it was used for, and then translated into a language that is most suited. Like utility spells out of combat were dwarven, spells meant for harming people were in infernal, enchantment spells were in Elvish, etc.
His focus was his spell book, which was gilded and had a rope that kept it tied to him at all times. It was one of those 'enduring spellbook' common magical items, and despite being written in a ton of languages it was then done into a cypher that only he knew, and THEN was magically scrambled.
Ars Magica is a good inspiration as well. Your magic has a definite effect on your personality as well.
I think sorcerers would stress me out as a wizard. It'd be like "WHY DON'T YOU TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR MAGIC WORKS ? DON'T JUST EXPLODE THE THING JUST HOW NO DON'T PLEASE JUST UGH" I mean they have the gift of magic and just use it all Willy nilly like a 5 year old juggling nukes. I'm getting sweats just thinking about it.
Finally, a wizard RP video! My invocation was a success! Mystra be praised!
Seriously, I've been looking forward to this. Thank you, good sirs.
I have been throwing gems embued with magic(ice gem, infernal gem, gluttony gems) as crafting components. The wizards in my game are using the to craft new versions of the spells that they have. It has gotten all of our minds racing for the possibilities.
My spellbook is a set of heavy armor that my forge cleric/wizard works very carefully to maintain, and bless every day.
The spells themselves are etched on the backside of scales that I carefully prepare and add to the armor with my smithing skills. :)
I am playing a changling (Bladesong) wizard in a campaign right now.
She became a wizard to hide, in her backstory she has been openly vocal about her distaste for wizards especially those who focus on the school of enchantment.
Her spell book is actually a magic item called "the apprentices spell tome" as my wizard adds a spell to the tome it adds it's own to it as well (so every level up I only add one spell and the dm adds one). It was a gift from her teacher to help in her studies.
Anyone else think that series jim wants to do would actually be really good and also interesting?
Maybe just me :)
My favorite spellbook that I've created so far is a deck of cards. When casting spells he throws the cards out and the cards are consumed. The cost of copying new spells into a spellbook is the cost of buying the expensive cardstock and inks for making fancy cards, and preparing spells is making new cards after the previous ones are consumed. I also like the idea of etching your new spells when you learn them onto the blade of a sword, which is also your spellcasting focus.
When I think of the D&D description of Wizard as someone who worked hard for their magical power the first character that comes to my mind is the secondary player character of the Touhou series, Marisa Kirisame.
In a world of physical gods altering the land, hell ravens creating artificial suns, fate-altering vampires, millenia-old yokai who can rend the very fabric of reality, immortal moon people, and the judge of the dead just walking around, she practiced enough to be able to contend with all that.
Everyone else is naturally powerful in some way, even the primary protagonist is a natural at her family's shinto magic and has the ability to "float through life" (at its most extreme basically being an invincibility mode), but Marisa is a normal girl who just *_really_* wanted to be able to shoot big f-off laser beams, and worked towards it, and was successful. However, she generally tries to hide that hardworking side of hers for some reason. Maybe pride.
Sure, the playing field is evened out by everyone following a specific set of rules for their "danmaku" duels, as well as having a "hakkero"-item to boost her raw power output, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she has, so long as those rules are followed, become one of the toughest fighters around through hard work and study.
(Unrelated, but she seems to also have multiclassed as rogue... Stealing spells and books from others - oh I'm sorry, "borrowing ")
Maybe I should come up with D&D sheets for some of the characters some day... Even if most of them boil down to either clerics, sorcerers, or monsters.
The whole no loss of any part of yourself to keep your magic, great end stage Howard Hughs comes to mind, long hair and fingernails, traveling around with jars of your own waste. He can fly around on a giant goose that everyone says is too big to fly.
I played an EK Wizard who's spellbook was a sheet of glass that, after deactivating its defenses, reveals itself to be many small, thin sheets with the arcane knowledge magically inscribed into the glass.
12:52... One of my players took a level of Warlock after the party defeated three flame skulls and their Illithid master. His character was curious about the skull and saved one from being consecrated allowing it to regenerate. He now has a pact with the mostly crazed spirit of the original owner of the skull a very powerful Githzerai female.
My mind goes to the sorcerer a bit for the ritual actions such as lighting candles twice. It gives a slight fey vibe reminding the people around them that while this person is a certain race they are intrinsically connected to a powerful force at a level they cannot comprehend.
Some great ideas here guys. Thank you for doing this episode.
I only wish that there were more GMs and Players that were this creative and not so rule-bound in their games, as these sorts of things make a far richer game than simply those who must play by strict adherence to what companies publish.
I might also add that those looking at trying to use the origins of the Vancian magic system should also look at Pelgrane Press' own 'Dying Earth' RPG which was put together with the assistance of Jack Vance Himself, as it has a lot of interesting ideas that D&D lacks that could be incorporated into a game (if you are willing to step outside the murder hobo paths many D&D games seem trapped into).
I've often thought that a true wizard duel wouldn't be combat but just which one could accomplish the greatest feat with magic in a new way.
I'd love a good breakdown of magic spells and optimization. My favorite part of playing a wizard has been using magic to its greatest potential. I played a wizard/druid in Hackmaster where the DM picks your spells for you and my starting offensive spell was Charm Person.
For 5e its reading the subtext, like where Tiny Servant has 60 ft. of blindsense. Amazingly useful even if you have to wrangle out just how the servant would alert you and know what to look for.
My favorite flavor a caster ever out on a spell was a warlock for his eldritch blast. Instead of the crackling green energy or whatever his was completely invisible and looked like a shockwave. I just loved the image it made
The wizards in Dragonlance are one of those types that are really interesting to me, because you know... They're freaking clerics!
The three gods of magic in Dragonlance are there for the wizards at all times. Some speak with them, some PRAY to them. Well, moreso Nuitari maybe over Lunitari and Solinari, but to some extent all of them. The fact that the wizards of their respective robe colors, white, red and black HAVE TO wear their colors lest their god or goddess might not grant them the ability to use magic just hammers it in how similar the wizards in that setting are to clerics and I love that!
I'm glad to see someone defending spell components. It seems that most groups immediately throw out tracking components.
Please do the magic series! That would be fantastic! Can’t wait to see what you all conjure up next.
My personal wizards spellbook is her wands that she carves personally with her wood working, gen cutters, stone masons, etc. tools, and she still uses spell components because we play a really low magic/low fantasy game so I track spell components