Wizards of High Sorcery Character Class

By: Jamie Devall
email: jamiedevall@aol.com

Summary of Conversion:  I took the Wizards of High Sorcery from Dragonlance Adventures(DLA) and converted them to 3rd Edition.  The mages have a more generous spell progression as was the case in 1st Edition.  I compared the bonus spells that the mages got in DLA compared to the 1st Edition Player's Handbook (PHB) and translated that bonus over to 3rd Edition.    In some cases, the spell progression tables had to be tweaked.  An example of tweaking would be with the White Robe progression table: At 12th level, a White Robe would have four 6th level spells whereas at 13th level he would have only three.  I adjusted accordingly where necessary.  Titles based on level within each of the orders of High Sorcery have been retained.    This conversion also retains the 18th- level limit for characters on Krynn.  I've tried to avoid covering material in other conversions as much as possible without having this conversion suffer.

Posted: 1/20/2001
Modified: 6/01/2001

Wizard PC's on Krynn start out as other wizards from 3rd Edition for the first 3 levels.  They cannot go any higher than level 3 unless they declare allegiance to one of the 3 orders or become a renegade mage.  Wizards of High Sorcery gain feats, bonus feats, saves, hit dice, and skill points in the same way as wizards in the 3E PHB.  Before a wizard declares allegiance, he/she must take the Test of High Sorcery.  Each test is individualized for the initiate/wizard petitioning for membership.  Tests are conducted this way not just to test the initiate's abilities, but to see how he/she will use his/her magical abilities.  In each test, there should be 3 tests of the wizard's knowledge of magic and its use, mandatory casting of all spells known to the initiate, 3 tests that cannot be completed solely by the use of magic, combat against a PC who is a friend or ally, and one encounter with an opponent  who is 2 CR's higher than the initiate.  The initiate is not allowed any sort of help in the last test even though friends/allies are alowed to help in all other portions of the test.   

Level 1-3 Wizard Spell Progression
        0     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9
1.     3     1
2.     4     2
3.     4     2     1

Advancement Table for Level 1-3 Wizards
Level     Title           Special
1.          Student     -Summon Familiar, Scribe Scroll
2.          Novice
3.          Initiate*

* Wizards take the Test and Declare Allegiance or become renegades.

There are 3 orders of mages that comprise the Wizards of High Sorcery.  They are the White Robe Mages, Red Robe Mages, and the Black Robe mages.  The orders differ based on alignment, spheres of magic, and moon magic.  The White Robes are good while the Red Robes are Neutral.  The Black Robes are evil.  However, while at a conclave or in the tower of Wayreth, the wizards put those differences aside.  Each order is granted unlimited access to only some of the spheres of magic.  These are listed below.  

White Robes- Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, and Evocation
Red Robes- Conjuration, Divination, Evocation, Illusion, and Transmutation
Black Robes- Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Illusion, and Necromancy

The spheres not listed for a given order are restricted.  This limited access only applies to spells of 4th level or higher.  Wizards of High Sorcery have access to all spells between spell levels 1 through 3.  The only catch is that no more than half of a Wizard's spells at spell levels 1-3 can be from the restricted spheres.  For example, a Wizard with 4 first level spell slots, 2 second level spell slots, and 1 third level spell slot would only be able to cast 2 first level spells and 1 second level spell from the restricted spheres.

Each order is also affected by one of the moons of magic.  The moons of magic are covered in detail in the Magic of Krynn conversion by James O'Rance. It can be found in the conversion library on Eric Noah's 3E D&D Site: www.rpgplanet.com/dnd3e or it can be found along with other Dragonlance conversions at James' site: www.geocities.com/taladasnet/taladas.html 

The Wizards' Conclave is the ruling body over the members of the 3 orders.  It is composed of 21 members with each of the orders having a total of  7 members on the Conclave.  The Master Level Mage of each order is in charge of the other 6 members.  Each order uses a different method to determine the Master Level Mage.  While the White Robes elect theirs, the Red Robes draw lots.  The most powerful Black Robe usually ends up being the master level mage, but on occasion, two mages do battle to see who will be Master of the order.  The Master of the Conclave is determined using the Consensus spell.  This spell takes the views of all Wizards of High Sorcery into consideration when utilized to make a decision.  The Master of the Conclave decides the majority of decisions that come before the Conclave.  However, if the rest of the Conclave strongly disagrees, they can call for the election of a new Master of the Conclave through use of the Consensus spell.

Changing orders after becoming a wizard of High Sorcery has effects upon the wizard.  Whether it be through actions or choice, a wizard who changes orders immediately loses 2 levels of experience.  The wizard also will not be able to cast some spells since the spheres of magic a wizard has access to are based on the order he/she is in.  The moons of magic factor into this as well.

Renegade Mages  operate outside of the jurisdiction of the Wizards of High Sorcery.  Renegades can be wizards who have advanced higher than the level of initiate without taking the test or spell-casters who come from another world.  They can also be Wizards of one of the three orders who have defied their order and/or the conclave.  Regardless, Renegade mages are seen as a threat to the orders and the balance of magic in general.  When a renegade is detected by the orders one of three things happens.  The renegade either joins one of the orders, goes before the Conclave, or is destroyed.  Renegade wizards who go before the Conclave are given a final chance to join the Wizards of High Sorcery.  If the renegade refuses this final chance, he is cast out of Krynn and sent to another world.  Each of the 3 orders employs different methods for dealing with renegades.  White   Robes try to capture renegades in a multitude of ways while doing as little harm as possible.  If unsuccesful, the renegade would be reported but monitored closely.  Should the renegade do anything threatening toward life or magic, White Robes would be forced to destroy him.  Red Robes try to capture renegades and bring them before the Conclave.  Renegades who can't be captured are destroyed by Red Robes.  Black Robes try and get renegades to join their order before opting to destroy them.  Renegades are a little more easy to detect than one might believe.  How easy this is depends on the skill number that the renegade has in disguise, the skill number in spot that the Wizard of High Sorcery has, along with the magical means employed by the Wizard of High Sorcery in detecting a renegade, and those employed by the renegade in avoiding detection.

School Specialization:  Wizards of High Sorcery are considered to be specialists.  They get their bonus spells for specialization from the spheres of magic that they have unlimited access to.  It is also important to note that Renegade Mages can specialize as well.

White Robe Mage Spell Progression

        0     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9
4.     4     3     2
5.     4	   3     2     1
6.     4     3     3     2
7.     4     4     3     2     1
8.     4     4     3     3     2
9.     4     4     4     3     2     1
10.   4     4     4     3     3     2     1
11.   4     4     4     4     3     2     2     1
12.   4     4     4     4     4     3     3     3     1
13.   4     4     4     4     4     3     3     3     2
14.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     3
15.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     1
16.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     2
17.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4
18.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4     4
  
Advancement Table
Level     Title              Special
4.          9th Order
5.          8th Order    -Bonus Feat
6.          7th Order
7.          6th Order
8.          5th Order
9.          4th Order
10.        3rd Order    -Bonus Feat
11.        2nd Order
12.        1st Order
13.
14.
15.                            -Bonus Feat
16.
17.
18.         Master*      -Master level Mage Bonus Feat

* Only one White Robe wizard can be of Master level.

White Robe mages may seem to have to follow more strict guidelines than the other orders.  However, these mages have a much higher ceiling as far as levels go given the high level of the Master of the White Robes.  At the higher levels, White Robe mages become the most powerful of the 3 orders.

Red Robe Mage Spell Progression

        0     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9
4.     4     3     2     1
5.     4     3     3     1
6.     4     4     4     2
7.     4     4     4     2     1
8.     4     4     4     3     2
9.     4     4     4     3     2     1
10.   4     5     4     3     3     2     1
11.   4     6     4     4     3     2     2     
12.   4     6     4     4     3     3     3     1
13.   4     6     4     4     4     3     3     2
14.   4     6     4     4     4     4     3     3     1
15.   4     6     4     4     4     4     3     3     2     1
16.   4     7     4     4     4     4     4     4     2     2
17.   4     8     4     4     4     4     4     4     2     2
18.   4     9     5     4     4     4     4     4     3     3

Advancement Table
Level   Title               Special
4.        9th Order
5.        8th Order     -Bonus Feat
6.        7th Order
7.        6th Order
8.        5th Order
9.        4th Order
10.      3rd Order     -Bonus Feat
11.      2nd Order
12.      1st Order
13.
14.
15.                           -Bonus Feat
16.       Master*       -Master Level Mage Bonus Feat 
17.
18.

* Only one Red Robe can be of Master level or above.

Red Robe Mages, save for the Master, can't advance as high as White Robe Mages, but they receive bonus spells before the other orders do as compared to the spell progression chart in the 3E Players' Handbook.

Black Robe Mage Spell Progression

        0     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9
4.     4     3     2
5.     4     3     2     1
6.     4     3     3     2
7.     4     4     3     2     1
8.     4     4     3     3     2
9.     4     4     4     3     2     1
10.   4     4     4     3     3     2     1
11.   4     4     4     4     3     3     2
12.   4     4     4     4     4     4     2     1
13.   4     4     4     4     4     4     2     2     1     1
14.   4     4     4     4     4     4     3     2     2     2
15.   4     4     4     4     4     4     3     2     2     2
16.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     3     2     2
17.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     3     2     2
18.   4     4     4     4     4     4     4     3     3     3

Advancement Table
Level     Title              Special
4.          9th Order
5.          8th Order     -Bonus Feat
6.          7th Order
7.          6th Order
8.          5th Order
9.          4th Order
10.        Trimorte       -Bonus Feat
11.        Brother to Darkness
12.        Blackmage
13.        Master*       -Master Level Mage Bonus Feat
14.
15.                             -Bonus Feat
16.
17.
18.

* Only one Black Robe wizard can be of Master level or higher.

Black Robe Mages can only advance so high before bottoming out.  However, any Black Robe with the tenacity and ambition can attempt to usurp the Master of the Black Robes position by challenging the current master through magical combat outside of the conclave and the walls of the tower.

Warning:  At the levels in which Wizards gain bonus spells, a Wizard of High Sorcery PC/NPC will cast spells at a higher level than that of their character level.  For instance, an 17th level White Robe mage casts as a level 20 mage.  DM's need to take this into account when planning encounters with creatures/opponents since the bonus spells alter the toughness of an encounter.  To gauge the level at which a Wizard of High Sorcery is casting, compare the appropriate spell progression chart to the one found in the 3rd Edition Player's Handbook.  

Master Level Mages are the only mages with access to the really high level spellbooks, scrolls, magic items, etc.  To varying degrees, the Master Mages maintain level supremacy amongst their respective orders by being the ones who control access to these items amongst their orders.  Only extraordinary circumstances should allow a Mage of a given order to become more powerful than the given order's Master (ex. Raistlin) or to supercede the maximum non-master level permitted by a given order (ex. Dalamar).
.
Any mage who can defy the gods by going beyond level 18, and get away with it, gets the bonus feat that mages get at level 20.

* Special thanks to Joey Alpern, Ross V. Elia, and David Caveney for their feedback.

*Optional Rule on Experience: In 1st Edition Dragonlance, the 3 orders advanced in level at different rates.  The White Robes took longer to advance in level because they, ultimately, stood to gain the most power.  The Black Robes advanced faster than the other 2 orders but ended up weaker at the higher levels.  The Reds advanced at a rate between that of the Black and the White.  For those who wish to retain the different rates of advancement and/or prefer to use the standard spell progression tables, for wizards, presented in the 3rd Edition Player's Handbook, I offer this guide for advancement of Wizards of High Sorcery in 3rd Edition:

White Robes must earn 1.25 or 1 & 1/4 times the experience needed per level in order to advance in level.
Red Robes follow the standard progression on the experience chart in 3E. 
Black Robes must earn .75 or 3/4 times the experience needed per level in order to advance.

These fractions are a guide, so feel free to come up with your own.  The main point is that the White Robes gain experience at a slower rate than the Black Robes, and the rate for the Red Robes falls somewhere in the middle.  For those who do not agree with different experience rates in 3rd Edition, do not use this rule.  That is why it's "optional."