Ethics and Rulership

[irdeggman]

Thank you, that is what I was trying to get across.

Hmm using the Sword of Roele adventure as an example of BR "trending" is really a bad idea.

Unless I am mistaken that adventure is almost universally treated with contempt because of the way it was "written" not as a BR-type material but rather more of a FR cast-off.

Birthright seemed to drift more towards typical adventuring, with typical powerful weapons and monsters. Rather than developing the intricacies of diplomacy, spy networks, etc.... even in later PS Modules like Binsada, if I remember correctly, the NPCs were more powerful characters, magic was more potent, and of course, the Sword of Roele has already been mentioned.

This complicates the current discussion about the use of magic in Cerilia, how frequent it is for commoners to see or be effected by it, how powerful it is.

It depends on where you are in Cerilia.

For example in the Khinasi lands wizards are much more common than elsewhere in Cerilia.

Wizardly magic (except for bards) are much more common there. Magicians are common (and welcome) profession in the lands there.

Hence higher level wizard regents are a logical outgrowth of this cultural norm.

In general I didn't notice a great discepancy in the over all levels of the NPCs in the Khinasi PS (or Cities of the Sun), but there are more higher level wizards (again there should be).

When the most powerful of wizards in Anuire being Cain, for example, who is 10th level, who has a major bloodline, or even Lasica Diem who has a strong major bloodline yet bounces between 2nd and 5th level (depending on the source of information) then any other spell caster of magic in this region should be significantly more limited. [Note: Obviously Taeghas and Ilien's regents have the potential to match them in power, as do one or two others.]

To me this suggests that in order to even be able to gather the neccessary components, and gain the education needed, you would need the resources and wealth available to only the most powerful nobles/bloodlines.

In Anuire definitely.

Even if a non-blooded person had the intelligence and ability needed to cast magic spells of significant power, where will they get the teachings, where will they get the needed components, how will they devote their lives to studying spells without the monetary means available to noble houses?

Even though there are 2 wizardly colleges of reknown.

The Imperial College and the one in Moedre.

Many realms could even have laws against non-nobles from dabbling in magic, just as many have laws against worshippers gathering in the name of a foriegn/non-sanctioned religion.

They would have little to offer anyone capable of teaching them... I just think they would be few and far in between.

But not in the Khinasi lands - there is only the 5 Oaths.