>So, in the interest of trying to keep track of ideas so far, we seem to have:
1. Human (Courtier) Fighter- Battlemaster (duellist)
2. Human (?) Sorceror- Arcane origin
3. Human Cleric- Tempest
4. (?) Dwarf Barbarian- battlerager
5. (?) Kobold (halfling) Rogue (Spy/inquisitive ?)
6. Human Paladin- Vengeance
That does seem to be the composition so far: pretty varied it looks.
>Random question: so spellcasters need to be, essentially licensed, right? Who does this- is it the church, or the local government- or maybe a separate guild (The Guild of Arcane Knowledge, or Guild Arcane, maybe)? And who handles enforcement (again- the church or some other agency)
This is a good question. While I loooove the idea of a "Guild Arcane" and that will definitely be a thing, I do not think they would be the ones policing magic.
Nobody would trust the Mages to police the Mages, you know?
I would say The Church of The Maker is the most sensible choice: they're in every city so they can cross all City-State boundaries, meaning their records can travel freely. If you're a Spellcaster, you've got to bring yourself in front of the Church and get your papers. Naturally, Warlocks may have a bit of trouble with this.
For enforcement, that's basically anyone. The Church may have dedicated "Mage Hunters", but the local guards and authority of the City-States would also be vested in catching rogue spellcasters. A city guard would be well within their power to ask someone for their papers if they just saw a spell go off. There may even be some City-States with a group or two of "concerned citizens" who may not even care if the Mage in question is Sanctioned or not.
>I'm still debating, and my sudden schedule change has not left me much free time (which will even out once I'm done with orientation/training/etc.). I'm about split between basic ideas:
1. A serious scholar:
1a. A dwarf Cleric (knowledge), whose father had begun a study of the changes to magic since the event, and the long-term effects on the dwarves who used many runes and items, but few actual spells. Will probably MC to Wizard (Artificer), and maybe the Rune Magic prestige class.
1b. Half-elven cleric of the Maker (knowledge, or Arcana from SCAG), a librarian and researcher, she has been working on cataloging and indexing the many volumes of magical lore that the church possesses, and has begun to find unsettling information... Will probably MC to Lore Bard at some point- but maybe to Tome Warlock instead, depending on just what she finds out... (Maybe with someone like the Magdelena as a strong right arm?)
Both of these are great, and I love the second idea basically pairing up a Mage Hunter and a Magical Scholar, that's just good stuff.
2. A ranged combat specialist:
1. Wood elf Outlander rogue/ranger- archery;
2. Human Mercenary vet Rogue/Fighter- crossbow specialist, her company was disbanded and she has been doing free-lance work since. (might use the generic banneret/Purple Dragon Knight from SCAG, if so maybe also valor bard- she was an officer trainee...)
Shores up a party role and the idea of a Mercenari is right at home. The Wood Elf intrigues me as well: someone from outside the City-States?
3. Something different:
3a. Half-elven rogue/monk: formerly a reknowned dancer and court darling, disgraced after a scandal and working as a bodyguard and messenger.
3b. Human or Gnome Rogue, an investigator (or former investigator) for whichever agency polices spellcasters (Social/investigative skill set, and a crossbow)
Love both, really. Both feel very noir, and I kinda like that to show the shadows under the Illuminated Age going on.
"She walked into my studio as I was finishing up the touches on my latest piece, turning my da Vinci into a Botticelli with one brush stroke ..."
I dig this a lot.
Really, good stuff all around, I love every option and I know there's a lot of character in there. I can't really lean towards encouraging one option over the other.