No Wizards at the Guild

[Chioran]

Hey Folks,

Here's one for the sounding board (and you Book of Guildcraft ppls)...

Should Wizrds be permitted to have guilds? Why or why not?

[Mark_Aurel]

Should wizards be permitted to have guild holdings? Of course, if they choose to.

Should there be guilds of wizards? No.

[Chioran]

Orginally posted by Mark_Aurel

Should wizards be permitted to have guild holdings? Of course, if they choose to.

Should there be guilds of wizards? No.

Why not?

I would envision this guild as a loose collective of wizards, most likely one of relatively high level and most of the rest fairly low level as well as apprentices. I do not envision this as a wizard factory. I would see this simply as a group, that would be controlled by 1 wizard, that could ply their trade and share some camaraderie.

This would provide the wizard class with further opportunities for regency and gold.

[blitzmacher]

There aren't enough wizards in cerilia to be able to have a guild of wizards. The closest thing to that would be the college of sorcery in the city of anuire, and thats a school, not a place of comerce.

[Lawgiver]

Other than the College of Sorcery (which houses less than 15 true wizards and 20-30 magicians in my campaign) there is no other "wizard's guild". While I have never held such a meeting the college may sponsor a council meeting type event every 5-10 years much like the Sword and Crown.

[Mark_Aurel]

Exactly; there aren't enough wizards to really justify a "guild" anywhere.

As for the "College of Wizardry," this is another mistake on the part of the designer of the Book of Magecraft, I think. A "college" isn't necessarily a place of learning in the modern sense - it can also be a "collegium;" a place where the great practitioners of magic would meet and exchange secrets. Given the nature of Cerilia, this would be more accurate.

Even Gandalf was part of an "order" of wizards; however, that was not an "order" that took it on itself to teach fledgeling mages and magicians, but more like a fraternity of sorts.

I don't really like the implementation of the College in the BoM - it makes magic something that can be taught for a price, not something that comes only to a few, and must be _learned_ at a heavy cost.

[Lawgiver]

Orginally posted by Mark_Aurel
As for the "College of Wizardry," this is another mistake on the part of the designer of the Book of Magecraft, I think. A "college" isn't necessarily a place of learning in the modern sense - it can also be a "collegium;" a place where the great practitioners of magic would meet and exchange secrets. Given the nature of Cerilia, this would be more accurate.

I agree with the view of the College of Wizardy as more of a meeting hall than a training center. The old College was destroyed. The new facility is more of a large library and research based institution. There are a few "teachers" but no more than 5 students are accepted every year and 2-3 drop out due to the intense difficulty and pressure. Students don't even get the ooportunity to learn even basic cantrip till late in their second year of instruction. Those who lack the discipline and mental capacity are dimissed or quit within the first two years. If a student makes it through the first two years they nearly always complete their training (6-8 years worth). [All human wizard PCs generally start at age 25+ in my campaign]
The magic arts are highly secretive and are not to be given to those who would abuse the power. Much like the Jedi council the council of wizards does not allow those who would use magic for evil to be trained within their walls.

[Lord Eldred]

I still don't see why there could not be a mages guild that a wizard would gain regency from...the premise would be that all things magic would be traded here including knowledge. It wouldn't have to have a lot of wizards to run. Just the one who owns it and then any scribe interested in magic. Since there is limited magic in the world, perhaps you would limit mage guilds to half the province level. I think people are thinking of the mage guilds of old but I don't think that is what Chioran is talking about!

[Chioran]

Thank you Eldred. That is exactly what I had in mind.

[Lawgiver]

You offer one then multiple will creep up. Perhaps such a concept may have existed in the days of old (but not likely). Birthright is largely based on the concepts of LOTR/Middle Earth. Would Gandalf or one of his fellow mages set up a "shop" to peddle their services. Perish the thought!

Take up arms my friends to banish the ideal. Lest we fall in to the subtle trap of Forgotten Realms!