Player Tips – Adding More Class to Your Class – Wizard

April 29, 2016

And with this we have a wrap. Last week I covered the warlock with the Player tips adding more class to your class. Today I finish the series with the last class in the players handbook: the Wizard.

Wizards come in all shapes and sizes. They wield the power to change the world. You will find many great heroes across the worlds of D&D that are wizards but you can probably find just as many if not more so as Villains. You see because they get to have all that power it takes a strong moral character to wield it properly.

So beyond the idea of power what is a wizard. A wizard is one who possesses a mind capable of memorizing many facts and symbols. They have spent hours and hours studying strange things that make normal people bored or sick. Some of their simple spells might not be too hard to memorize but as a Wizard unlocks new levels or power or spells those spells could be pages and pages worth of material that they need to commit to memory.

So it matters not how smart a wizard is, whether they have a 10 or an 18 Intelligence, they must go through this process just to be called a wizard. So what options do we have to add more class to your class as a wizard? With eight traditions or schools to choose from there is already a versatility fairly unrivaled among the other class choices. The cleric is closest with 6 choices.

You can easily try to avoid the normal, blasty mage and not take evocation. But I am sure there are already lots of you out there that play that way anyway. So you have several role playing options to add more class to your class. Play something that just seems odd. Why not play a half orc wizard, play a gnome or halfling and not be an illusionist. When you think outside the box you can make some interesting choices that can keep people guessing.

With all the magic capable sub-classes there is not a lot of incentive to mutli-class off of wizard though I am not trying to convince you not to if you like the idea. The eldritch knight, way of the elements and arcane trickster can keep things covered for those classes the rest you can take a couple of feats, magic initiate and ritualist. These add enough of a mage to almost anyone else.

So it then begs the question of why you became a mage. Is it a family tradition? Was it because you merely stumbled upon a mentor? Did you feel drawn to the magic and study? If you can figure out why you became a mage, what you want to do with it and how your character is different than all the other mages that have been created you will have gone a long way to adding more class to your class.

Adding More Class to Your Class – Backgrounds

A wizards background can either be where he came across magic to decide to become a wizard or where he realized he went wrong and decided for a course correction. Did you meet a powerful caster who took you under his wing. Were you captured and held prisoner until you were trusted. Your regular questions about magic proved you had an intellect capable of handling it so you were trained as the masters apprentice.

Acolyte – The divine it called to you, or so you thought. You had spent years learning about religion and helping people and yet the answers you sought never showed and in fact you left when your service was done with more questions than you had answers. What deity did you serve? Why were you called or why did you serve? How did you find a master or did you find books and spent years teaching yourself?

Charlatan – The master of the con or so you thought. You tried for a long con on an old man and boy did you make the wrong choice. This is why you should do your research first. You conned, or attempted to, the most powerful wizard in the town. He turned the con around on you and now you serve him. How do you view this new relationship? Have you vowed revenge or do you want to learn all he can teach you?

Criminal – You have found yourself in a group of what you thought was thugs but they always have great plans. As you work your way up through the group you find there is one pulling the strings of these ‘thugs.’ Once you get a chance to meet the mastermind you swear allegiance and become the apprentice. Hoe do you keep out of trouble with the law? How do you handle criminal activity and be a hero?

Entertainer – You traveled with a circus looking for anyone to add to the show. Everything designed to shock and amaze. Anything to delight the crowd and you were one of them. Until you came across another traveling act you thought you were the best. They had something that your crew did not and you could not explain how they did the things that they did. You thought you knew all the tricks but you were wrong. This is where you were exposed to true magic for the first time. You had to have it and you would pay any price, all so that you could be as good as this other troop. How did you find a mentor? Did you perform while training or did you have to take a break, and it broke your heart? After your apprenticeship are you more wizard or more performer?

Folk Hero – You live in a dangerous world. Yep there are orcs and goblins and other monsters lurking outside of town, but those can be dealt with. It is magic and evil wizards that can change all of that and the only way to contend with it is to be as powerful as them. As a youth you were willing to sacrifice your life to help another and town mage saw your potential. You decided to train to help all those you could. With your training done and being a full wizard how do you serve others how much area can you protect? What are your plans?

Guild Artisan – Born of means you have been skilled to craft beautiful things. While learning your craft you have learned that not only are there items out there of better skill but those enchanted have the ability to withstand the test of time like no other. You set upon your trek to learn the ancient craft so that your creations will be able to last forever. What type of things do you make? Why do you want them to last forever? Is this your mark on the world to prove you existed once you are gone?

Hermit – You come from an area that mages are rare. Somehow you came in contact with a wizards spell book. It captured you. You felt that what you had was worth learning. You locked yourself away from all others until you mastered what was in those pages. Now that you have unlocked these powers what are you to do? What have you gotten wrong? How will this effect the area you live in? How will these answers effect you?

Noble – Being of privilege has all the advantages. You had the best tutors and when you decided that you wished to learn magic your parents interviewed many so called practitioners until one not only passed their tests but met your approval as well. Once you apprenticeship started your world changed. You saw how others lived and you had the hard work forced upon you as the price of your apprenticeship. It was your signed contract that you and your parents willingly signed, bound with magic. Here you became a better person. Now that you have finished and are better how will you handle the world? Will you stay changed or will you go back to the old ways?

Outlander – You are of the wilds. You were literally raised as a wild animal. As a young child, abandoned as a baby, you were found by a traveling wizard. This mage raised you as her own and not only taught you how to be a person but taught you the powers of her magic. Now the decision is left to you to enter the world and see what you make of it? Will you look for your parents? Will you help out others as the animals and wizard did for you or will you take for your own because of the life you were denied?

Sage – You were a scribe or librarian around tomes of magic for a long time. You saw powerful wizards coming and going and they always intrigued you. You asked many times if you could study with them and were always met with a question that you never had the answer for. Hungry for learning you would look up the answer but each time they asked something else. Finally instead of saying that you did not know you said that you wished you knew. This was the answer that they were looking for and you were accepted. You started your life as a wizard. Now where will you go? What type of life will you make?

Soldier – You have seen war. You have seen battle. It is too much. The physical confrontation just seems like a waste. You were conscripted and you hated every minute of it. You prefer to solve a problem with words or with your mind rather than physical violence. Somewhere along the way you encountered a like mind and were trained in the arts of magic. Now filled with knowledge and confidence it is time to make your mark on the world. How will you do it?

Urchin – You know what it means to be poor. You know what it means to be hungry. Once you found the power to getting beyond that you swore that never again would you be in that position no matter the cost. What lengths are you willing to go to? What is your feeling about those still in this position?

So there you have it. That wraps up this series. Do you have any suggestions of what else you want Nerdarchy to work on? Thanks for reading and until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!