"Wizard" or "Sorcerer" or "Mage"?

Quasqueton · Jan 14, 2005

What are the various classes called *in* your world?

I mean, there is an obvious in-game difference between wizards and sorcerers. So just calling them "mage" isn't really precise enough. We, in the Real World don't refer to cars and trucks as "automobiles"; we call them "cars" or "trucks" specifically.

Same with clerics and paladins, fighters and barbarians, rogues and bards, rangers and druids, and anyone and monks.

Same with adepts and PC spellcasters, warriors and PC . . . combatants, experts and PC . . . um. . . skillsmen.

Are the classes refered to by their game name? Is a fighter called a "fighter"? Is a monk called a "monk"? Paladin, "paladin"? Etc.

Quasqueton

Mac Callum · Jan 14, 2005

Quasqueton said:
What are the various classes called *in* your world?

Are the classes refered to by their game name? Is a fighter called a "fighter"? Is a monk called a "monk"? Paladin, "paladin"? Etc.

Quasqueton

Well, I use Grim Tales now, but when I played D&D, this was how it worked.

Characters are referred to by their profession mostly. A Fighter would be referred to as a mercenary, soldier of X, Knight, etc. depending on who pays him. Monks are sometimes called monk, but usually referred to by their order (i.e., a Franciscan), with the monk part being understood.

The classes which are more like professions are usually referred to by their class: paladin, cleric of X, ranger, bard.

Rogues are usually only called rogues if they act like rogues - in the Oxford English Dictionary sense.

"Barbarian" referred to people from barbarous cultures (as defined by the Rome IMC). I always called the Barbarian class "Bezerkers", just to be clear when people from "civilized" cultures to took the class.

Wizards were usually called Wizards of Book-Mages. Sorcerers were called Sorcerers or Blood-Mages. Either one could be referred to by a Prestige Class they'd taken.

The most important reference for any PC or NPC however were always in-campaign social ranks and roles. If a Wizard was also a Knight-Captain of the King's Guard, he was called "Knight-Captain McClaural", never "Wizard McClaural." Even if he was in judgement before a Wizard's Guild Tribunal, he would still be called Knight-Captain.

Crothian · Jan 14, 2005

the classes don't really have names. But the jobs the characters do have names. Sometimes people will be referred more by the type of magic or type of weapon they use, or their title, or for the famous onjes their names.

Insight · Jan 14, 2005

In the game we run, characters with the class 'Wizard' are called Mages. Characters with the class 'Sorcerer' are called either Warlock or Witch depending on their gender. There are reason why the names are different from the class names, not least of which is that I didn't feel like copying class names directly from the PHB. A little originality goes a long way, even if it's not that original.

To add to the differences in distinction, Mages follow different Traditions, each of which has a slightly different world view of how magic works, what magic should be used for, etc. Warlocks and Witches, on the other hand, are self taught (pretty much the same as in the PHB and supporting material). We had planned to have Tradition Magi be different from Elves and Dwarves in their view and use of magic, but that has so far proved too complicated to implement, so we stuck with what he already had. But in a perfect world with enough time and players buy-in, Elves would have different magic than Magi, who would have different magic than Dwarves.

Arcane Runes Press · Jan 14, 2005

In my campaigns, they pretty much refer to themselves as whatever they want. Wizard, witch, conjurer, blasphemer, mage, master, and so on. To people that aren't spellcasters, the difference between them is largely moot, so if a wizard calls himself the Foozle the Sorcerer, they aren't about to disagree with him.

GlassJaw · Jan 14, 2005

I'll be using Grim Tales soon as well for my campaign. The class names are generic: Strong, Fast, Tough, Smart, Dedicated, and Charismatic Hero. There are no multiclass penalties, presitge classes, or advanced classes. You are what you are. Want to call yourself a Swordsman of Doom? Great. Just make sure you can back it up....

JimAde · Jan 14, 2005

People in my world rarely if ever use the PHB class names. Wizards will call themselves "scholars" or something. Sorcerers generally have some other identity (mercenary, assassin, shopkeeper, whatever). Priests (the profession) and Clerics (the class) have some overlap but are by no means the same thing. Fighters would be soldiers, guards, mercenaries, whatever.

Actually, a Bard might call himself a bard, but most travelling musicians and storytellers are, in fact, members of the Expert class.

Arnwyn · Jan 14, 2005

Like what others have said, the various classes are usually referred to by their profession, whatever that may be. (Often it just comes down to "adventurer".) The nomenclature may get a bit more specific when obvious differences can be observed (much like the "car" and "truck" example above, we might get "spellcaster" along with "adventurer"), but beyond that it will come down to naming by profession.

Desdichado · Jan 14, 2005

Yeah, I don't really like calling characters by their metagame class name. Most folks in my games wouldn't know the difference between a wizard, a sorcerer, a psion, a bard, or even an expert with maxed out Sleight of Hand and a penchant for doing magician's parlor tricks.

The_Universe · Jan 14, 2005

Some classes by their class names, others have been modified to fit the game world a little better.

Sorcerers (and often bards) are Redmages. Wizards are bluemages. Clerics are Whitemages, Druids are greenmages. Paladins are Paladins. Fighters are mercenaries/warriors/musketeers/archers/bowmen/whatever. Rangers are usually rangers. Rogues can be...anything. No blanket name. Monks are usually called monks, but not always. They often share titles (if not talents) with Whitemages. Bards, if not redmages, are called bards/performers.