Magical Academies?

[Ciaran]

I'm planning on putting a few academies of magic into my setting, where magic is systematically taught to groups of students. Do you have schools for mages in your settings? If so, how common are they? What are the entrance requirements? What sort of political and social clout do they hold?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I treat them like real life colleges. Some are prestigious (Redhurst Academy of Magic is the Harvard of my world, with all the connotations), some are good but unexceptional (St. Feldin's College of Abjuration in Tarsis) and some are simply adjuncts to other colleges (the wizard school at Rashadar College in Uraq).

Dragon had a nice article a few months ago ("a few months" means up to two years in my brain, not sure when it was, exactly) with new wizard colleges that were pretty clever.

Still, the Cadillac of wizard colleges is the Redhurst Academy of Magic. You can get the Player's Guide free on the Human Head Web site, which includes everything that's not reserved for DM use. I believe the entrance requirements are in the guide.

For other schools, I use the guidelines given in Complete Arcane for the Arcane Order: Tuition is 750 gold for a one-time entrance fee, followed by 30 gold/month for a year-round schedule. Redhurst is a lot more than that, but comes with many more benefits.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I've got three "universities" which each have 3-6 colleges within them, for a total of twelve colleges of magic. The colleges are focused on various specilaities but not specifically or exclusively on particular schools of magic. Tuition is about 750 gp epr year, and takes 7 years, from age 11 to 18 for humans. The idea was to emulate Hogwarts and make it slightly more grown up.

The schools came into existence to license wizards as part of an agreement between the wizards and the main religion of the area, which is anti-wizard. Licensed wizards are OK, non-licensed ones (and this includes sorcerors) are subject to persecution.

 

[Crothian]

Yes, there are so far three that are well known. Some will take anyone who has talent or who can pay. If someone is not up to the task they quickly wash out. They are given tests but those are more for placement then entry exams. Others are very strict and only teach people of the right bloodline or of unusually strong talent.

 

[painandgreed]

I'm planning on putting a few academies of magic into my setting, where magic is systematically taught to groups of students. Do you have schools for mages in your settings? If so, how common are they? What are the entrance requirements? What sort of political and social clout do they hold?

In my hombrew, there are two. They act much like ivy leaue schools and entrance has more to do with who you know or are than ability or even money. First come legacies, then members of important or rich families that give moeny to the school. After that, the most intellegent or most likely to do well in studies get in after testing (looking for high Int and Wis). All these are admitted for some level of tuition. Those that pay the highest tution have no worries and can do as they please and just have to attend classes and please their professors. Those who pay less tution usually end up as servants for the richer or older students. Those that pay the least or in some cases not at all, work for the school. They often have to learn some other skill and may spend years working as free labor before they even begin to start their studies.

Both schools have a decent amount of political power. They keep track of alumni and solicit their aid and power. Many of those alumni probably reached where they are today due to aid of the school in the past and thus owe debts to the school. The headmasters of the schools are political players in their own right sometimes having more pull than many other nobles. One of the two schools plays a more subserviant role to the king of the country it is located in and exists pretty much as a part of the government. it is primarily good and although it might accept soem evil students, and keep track of evil magics, it would never teach any vile arts. The other is a separate entity and pretty much rules the city they are located in and conducts its affairs without reguard to local kings and nobles. The alignment of the school varies according to the allignment of the current headmaster and teachers. Usually, it is fairly neutral and allows the teaching of any magic for the right price. Even if the headmaster is not willing, the teachers have a great deal of independance and are free to conduct their own business so long as it doesn't endanger the school.

One of the major businesses of both schools is the buying and selling of magic items. Not only do they take commisions on making such items but they also act as brokers for otehr sbuying and selling. Their contacts and influence often make it the quickest and safest way to deal with even unaligned wizards. Spells can also be purchased to be cast. Many apprentices (which might go into rather high levels) who were trianed for free or cheaply by the school may be required to make items for the school to sell as part of their admitance or continued study.

 

[TheNovaLord]

I'm planning on putting a few academies of magic into my setting, where magic is systematically taught to groups of students. Do you have schools for mages in your settings? If so, how common are they? What are the entrance requirements? What sort of political and social clout do they hold?

In my homebrew world the magicians are everything. The magicians academy is the place to study. Theocrats and their silly idol worshipping ways where done away with 400 years ago. The wizards are the elite and hold all others in their sway and power. Split into 4 different schools (healers, alchemists, inquisitors and battlecodes). All charisma casters are hunted down and slain.

5% own 95% of all things. Strict L_N_E triad of alignments. Power through order.

(well i say my homebrew, it is loosely based of Trudi canavans black magician trilogy using Oones great city as location)


The magicians have to craft eternal wands and win duels to gain standing. With enough standing higher level spells are taught.

http://www.mfbb.net/derbygamesworld/derbygamesworld.html

 

[Woas]

Yes and no.

Yes, I have institutions that eventually "teach" magic to the right "students". These are actually churches. Because I play D&D using Arcane Evolved, my game world has no cleric class and thus any spell casting class can call himself a priest, cleric, paladin, holyman, whatever and claim his spells come from his/her deity. As for who gets taught? Well, the sons and daughters of rich nobility of course them and other younger members of the religious order that show a strong devotion and commitment to the order.


No, the other spell casters in the world who do not claim to recieve magic from divine focus have no established schools or centers of learning. Most learn on their own through trial and error or through apprenticeship/inheritance.

 

[Ciaran]

Thanks for the replies! These all give me some ideas to chew on.

For a more specific question, how closely located are the magical academies in your setting? If you there are three such academies (for example), are they all in the same city, in the same country, or spread across the world, and why?

 

[painandgreed]

For a more specific question, how closely located are the magical academies in your setting? If you there are three such academies (for example), are they all in the same city, in the same country, or spread across the world, and why?

Since I use the RL map for my homebrew, one is in Paris and one is in Thessaloniki (Greece). These correspond to the Eastern and Western empires that dominated history of my world and were in or near the capitols.The only other place that had the population, the resources, and the wealth to have such an acadamy was destoyed in a plague of undead that caused the fall of the old empire and the creation of the eastern and Western empires. There might be others in the world but they are either in a completly different cultural area or belong to the elves (and reserved only for elves).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I spread mine out because, realistically, travel is tough in my campaign, and if I want them to interact with a wizard academy, there needs to be one within a reasonable distance. (Although Redhurst travels.)