Mystic Chapeaus!

[Spiteful Dwarf]

Hey all, thought it would be fun to see if we could discuss what IMHO is the most important part of roleplaying a wizard. No, not spell-selection. Not familiars or metamagic feats. I'm talking accessories... I'm talkin' HEADGEAR!

Think about it; how many iconic spellcasters sport some form of crown-covering doohickey? And the wizards seem to get the neatest ones! Lemme run down some chapeau archetypes; see if you can think up some other ones...


1. Skullcap. Now this is stylin'. Not innately ostentatious, but it can be glammed up with a solid metal finish (see Merlin in Excalibur). A wizard wearing one of these lets it be known that he is strict, to-the-point, and will murder your bones for making fun of his waggy fingers. Best coupled with a serious fu-manchu, the skullcap is the height of minimalism in wizard headgear.


2. Large Brimmed Conical Cap or LBCC. As made popular by Gandalf and his incessant clones. This is a pretty wicked hat, as it fools foes into thinking your spellcaster is a dandish fop. Practical as well as potent, wearing this hat will protect your precious wizzy brains from the rain, as well as giant globs of goblin blood from that cleave-crazy fighter friend of yours. The LBCC's headband also sports many useful slots that can hold mystic twigs, feathers, gems, or cool little bird skulls that will make it seem like you are willing to use anything, ANYTHING as a component for one of your spells!


3. Diadem. This is like the Cadillac Escalade of wizard hats. Usually, when you can afford one of these puppies, people expect you do be able to do something nasty with the gem(s) adorning its simple metal band. Maybe it's made of platinum, or solid quartz. Or, maybe if you're out to prove how awesome your wizardly skills are, you can make one out of a single plane of force. Just don't make it too tight! You've spent too much on schooling to waste it all in the name of fashion.


4. Animal Skull. A perennial favourite of necromancers and the more shamanistic spellcasters, the skull sends a simple, but powerful message. I killed this mofo, and am now wearing his head as an accessory; wanna fight? All too often seen as the fashion domain of the insanely evil, I'd personally like to see more goodly wizards popping the heads off of beasts they slay and using them to hide their goofy ears. When you think about it, wizards pickle and jar all kinds of creatures, don't they? Why is it so uber-evil to wear a head as a hat?


5. Classic Conical Cap. Or CCC, for short. Like it or not (I don't like it), this is the hat that most people envision when they hear the word "wizard". Traditionally stiff as a Tarrasque's tail, moves have been made in recent years (I'm looking at you, Harry Potter!) to reinvent this tired, old thing by making it rumpled or covering it with stitched star and moon shapes. Please! This is like the corduroy bellbottoms of the 70's. Best left to ancient history.


6. Portable Hole. Bear with me, here... How terrifying would it be to be assaulted by a mad wizard who seemed to be able to see you, no matter where you hid, despite the fact that he has a patch of black where his head and neck should be! Of course, this would have to involve some sort of divination or blindsense in order to work at all.

But think! Your precious, precious brains, the greatest treasure you will ever own, will be safe on the ethereal plane. Plus you will garner a fearsome reputation as "That Headless Mage". Just hope that no one pushes you through any open gates.


Any others you guys can think of?

 

[Avatar_V]

Haha - this made me laugh Here are a couple more I thought of...

Witch's Hat. Though it's really just a (black) variety of the LBCC, a witch's hat is pretty iconic (thanks to the Wizard of Oz, etc). Pairs well with brooms and cauldrons.

Hood/Cowl. Nothing says 'mysterious' like a nice big hood to hide your face in shadow. If you can somehow have magically bright eyes peering out of it, even better (assuming that you don't end up looking like a jawa).

 

[Fate Lawson]

While not strictly a hat, one must never forget that classic:

the MOO Multiple Orbiting Objects. Nothing speaks of mojo to spare like having your head as the center of it's own solar system.

 

[Stalker0]

Let us not forget putting on hundreds of those dull gray ioun stones!! Nothing like dozens of rocks orbiting around your head to make you feel like a wizard!!

 

[MrWildman]

A more modern piece often donned by those appreciating subtlety:

The Floppy Flat-Topped Hat (FFTH) -More inconspicuous than a towering be-dazzled cone or gems that assault passersby, for those wizards who want to pass un-noticed. Often paired with a long coat, scarf, and optional sonic screwdriver.

 

[MrWildman]

Man, now I can't stop...
First I came up with:

Primitive Feathered Headdress (PFH)- Admittedly a fashion choice usually associated with the more spontaneous casters, your basic (really basic) dancers and charmers, your screamers and droolers. Common accessories include rattles and a bone in the nose.

Then, while waiting for someone else to come up with something I got these:

Collar Past Your Ears (CPYE)- Though not on the head, it certainly interacts with the head. Encircles it like a fence really. You know the look; that awesome cape topped by the stupid collar that says: "I'm so bad I don't need peripheral vision!". These guys tend to go for the glistening baldy look.

Gem-Encrusted Egyptian Thing! (GEET!)- Not really daily wear, this is the shiny ancient artifact that's only used for special occasions, like a sacred heart-ripping ceremony or to summon your flying monkeys. Goes with any look.

ANd if you're gonna have things circling your head, why settle for boring gray rocks when you could have:

Wailing Ghostly Faces (WGF)- Though usually half-seen and only dimly perceived, the tortured souls of your victims encircling your head in a roiling cloud of despair can really spice up an outfit. And if you're a brisk walker you may develop a banner of mourning faces to enhance your entrances and exits.

It's all you guys' fault!

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Large Brimmed Conical Cap or LBCC. As made popular by Gandalf and his incessant clones. This is a pretty wicked hat, as it fools foes into thinking your spellcaster is a dandish fop. Practical as well as potent, wearing this hat will protect your precious wizzy brains from the rain, as well as giant globs of goblin blood from that cleave-crazy fighter friend of yours. The LBCC's headband also sports many useful slots that can hold mystic twigs, feathers, gems, or cool little bird skulls that will make it seem like you are willing to use anything, ANYTHING as a component for one of your spells!

This is the traditional - and in my not humble opinion as Arch Chancellor of the Unseen University, the only acceptable - type of hat.

...

Our bard in one of our Forgotten Realms campaign had a Chapeau of Magnetic Inversion. It had an "Protection from Arrow" spells on it, and was quite useful against anyone interested in throwing eggs or bad tomatoes at him. (Though with his Perform check, who would really want to do that?). It was worn for style, not for effect, obviously..

 

[Kesh]

Any others you guys can think of?

I lewt teh hat.

 

[MrWildman]

I've noticed that the conical hats (with and without brims) come in varying degrees of what I can only call "sharpness". I'm sure there's a better term, but my brain hurts.
The Classic Conical of the spoiled Court-Wizard is often sharp enough to count as a martial weapon. Hey! There's a wizard-only feat- Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Pointy Hat!
Your "Salem-esque" witch's hat usually has a well-starched brim and wicked point, but it seems traditional to bend the top over to one side.
The other end of the scale include Gandalf's well-weathered hat and that poor unfortunate thing held hostage at Hogwart's.

Kesh: "The Scarlet Hootenanny!" Very cool.

Finally, something else that probably shouldn't count as "headgear"...parasites! No clever name or anything, most often seen burrowing in the hair and beards of hedge-wizards and crazed hermits.

Peace.

 

[awayfarer]

Frayed Baseball Cap

You like to have a few beers before tinkering with the dark and hoary mysteries of the universe. There's nothing better in life than cracking open a few cold ones, chewing yer tabbacy and fishin'...with arcane lightning you shoot from your eyes.