One thing I have enjoyed about 5e is thinking about the link between a spellcaster's mechanism and lore. A sorcerer, a wizard and a warlock are
not the same thing, and it changes not only how they play mechanically, but also how they roleplay.
However, I have seen several opinions/comments lately about wizards and "how they are" that felt... wrong to me; so I though I would start a thread and see if others agree, or have insight.
So basically wizards are people who get their powers through study. They have spellbooks, they can learn spells from scrolls, and they are an intelligence dependent class. This creates an impression of a very scholarly, rational type. But is this true?
Consider this: A sorcerer has magic because of an inborn ability/ancestry. A warlock makes a deal with some entity, a cleric worships a god, a druid communes with nature.
1
But what about a wizard? A wizard has NO HELP to master magic. NOTHING but sheer determination and their wits. Think about it. They must be
obsessed with magic, in a way most other casters don't have to be. In what strange ways do they have to warp their mind to be able to grasp magic? What ritual must they do? Trepanation? Days of meditation? "Herbs"? Magic is
not science. The mental habits and practices scientists develop (and
try to apply, it's hard) may be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT for wizards. There is no guarantee of rationality here.
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All the other casters have "something" helping them. They don't have to devote every single moment of their lives thinking about magic. On a quest, the rogue is probably thinking about the fat loot and hmm that spot ahead looks like prime ambush spot, the fighter is also worrying about the ambush and how to keep her companions alive, the cleric is seeking guidance from their god and the wizard... probably thinking about how the conjunction of the 3 great planets last night would affect the length of web strands, and if he could sell the fighter's ears to a necromancer in exchange for a cool orb, and wondering why drawing that 5-cornered square on the ground made the children cry. These examples are not very good - I am not a wizard, after all. Their thought patterns, methods and priorities may be profoundly alien.
I mean just look at this guy. Look
carefully.
View attachment 146427
(source:
We are NOT taking the wizard. )
So next time you play a wizard, consider the strong possibility that by the standards of mere mortal, your PC may be
utterly bonkers.
1 Yes, I didn't mention bards. Why would I though? I have better things to do with my intellectual energy, like pondering the colors of boogers for example.
