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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SHARK" data-source="post: 72360" data-attributes="member: 1131">Just Brilliant Deadguy!Greetings!Indeed, Deadguy, you've put some thought into this as well! I like those ideas of yours! I think as one goes through the various branches of life, carefully considering how magic might effect them, it begins to dawn on one how fantastic the implications can be. It seems like many D&D campaigns are done in a sort of vacuum, you know? Like the only *changes* that effect the campaign world are what is accomplished in the present campaign.For example, perhaps I'm unusual, but I have some players that have been playing with me off and on for ten years or more. I have one player that has a family dynasty built up. Her first character, an elven wizard, married an NPC wizard, who is also a powerful nobleman in the Vallorean Empire. He is a half-elf. They had kids. Lots of them. They also built an enchanted castle that flies, and is made out of beautiful crystal of different color. Pale white marble is used as well. Both of them have a dozen or more apprentices. Both have many powerful friends, and incredible wealth. They have passed on magic, wealth, and training not only to their children, but their apprentices as well.One of the character's children, a female elf, (three-quarters elf, actually)--has become a powerful wizard, following in her parent's footsteps. A second long campaign has developed, where she is now a very powerful wizard, and she has become a member of an elite wizard's order, the Order of the Silver Dragon, which is fully funded and supported by the Vallorean Emperor. Her character has a dozen or so talented apprentices. She recently married the Crown Prince of the Vallorean Empire. Time has passed on some, and they have children now as well. The Crown Prince is three quarters human, and one quarter elf. That means that the children are essentially half elves. This will also benefit them with extended life-spans. Now, imagine what the next daughter, a upcoming wizard, will be able to accomplish. The new wizard, lets say when she becomes 15th level, well, she can reasonably expect assistance from (1) Her mother, who is a very powerful wizard, and the next Queen of Vallorea.(2) Her mother's powerful apprentices and friends, several of whom are very powerful, and the rest are formidable as well.(3) Her grandmother, who is a powerful wizard, and incredibly wealthy as well.(4) Her grandfather, who is a powerful wizard, and incredibly wealthy as well.(5) Her grandparent's apprentices, and friends alike. (6) She can call upon any powerful wizard-friends that are part of her group, or circle of friends.Now, think what someone like this could accomplish. There are probably similar characters in your own campaigns. Players, and even NPC's. Something I also tend to think about, is well, take this one player example I have mentioned. There certainly isn't just her, her family, and friends involved with something like this. In distant kingdoms throughout the campaign, there are other wizards, other families, and groups of friends helping each other, serving to make big dreams come into reality. There are merchant guilds and kingdoms alike, as well as wealthy religious denominations, that are more than eager to bankroll the development and research of a group of wizards, if they themselves don't have all the money and resources necessary.And so, it can be seen that there will be all kinds of interesting things going on. It just stretches believability when you have *wizards* in the campaign, and yet, though it can be plainly seen what *groups* of them could accomplish, and then imagine what several generations of them could accomplish,--we won't go there, because somewhere, there is this idea that prevails that wizards must be loners, arrogant, selfish, and incredibly short sighted. Thus, we have them locking themselves up in some isolated tower out in the middle of nowhere. They have these incredible spell lists, and the ability to create incredible magic items, --but somehow, as the campaigns roll by, the spells never change, the social dynamics never change, the application of magic never changes. From one campaign to the next, the whole campaign environment seems *stagnant* A slightly magical 14th century European town-environment. Think about how you have run consecutive campaigns, with some of the same players perhaps. Why is the campaign environment arrested? It seems that with all of the spells, and potential for magic, and its effects, the prevailing model of the selfish, paranoid, isolated wizard just wouldn't last. Imagine what that isolated wizard could *discover* compared to the thirty or fifty wizards in the Royal Guild, backed by the wealth of the Crown? That isolated wizard is going to be behind the curve, really. The guild would have several dozen of the most brilliant minds, all skilled in wizardry, working on great discoveries and projects that the lone wizard couldn't even touch.These are some of the considerations that I don't see talked much about, or thought about seriously to a large degree.What do you think?Semper Fidelis,SHARK</blockquote>

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