What do you call an illiterate wizard?

[Griffith Dragonlake]

What do you call an illiterate wizard? … A sorcerer!

Seriously, what do you do for pre-literate scholarly spellcasters? In RL ancient history, bards, druids, and Vedic priests would memorize vast amounts of hymns, poetry, rites, and rituals. For a long time, there was a persistent belief that writing down the sacred magical formulas would cause them to lose their magic. For example, the ancient Hebrew alphabet does not contain any vowels in order to retain the magic. In a fantasy world, can we truly say that literacy predates wizardry? I think not!

Why not use the sorcerer class with intelligence as the key spellcasting ability instead of charisma?

And for that matter, for a illiterate mystic, why not use the sorcerer keyed on wisdom? And give them the divine spell list?

Personally I really hope in 4e WotC gets over the rigid definition of wizardry, sorcery, divine, and arcane casters and instead focuses on formulaic v. spontanenous casting as well as power sources (personal, summoned/pact, channeled, etc.).

 

[Piratecat]

What do you call an illiterate wizard?

Screwed.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Seriously, what do you do for pre-literate scholarly spellcasters?

Joking aside the message can be passed along in other forms than written communication.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Dangit, now you got my mind wandering like David Carridine in Kung-fu.


* wizards are taught to examine the motion of the planets, comets, and starts to decipher patterns. Spell recovery is dictated on the visibility of the nighttime sky and the time of year. You could tie this in with spell schools so that, for example, necromancy just isn't available in the springtime.

* spells patterns are communicated through music, this is where bards get their power, they accidentally stumble upon occult patterns.

* hieroglyphics/art (see above cartoon)

* wizards transmit what they need orally



... that last one was just for you, PC ...

 

[Gentlegamer]

Well, there's no real discrepancy. You are citing instances of divine magic, using D&D terms.

I do understand that in historical and fantasy literature, there isn't really a dividing line between arcane and divine magic. The closest is usually black and white magic and that is usually in how the magic is used, not its source.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Why do wizards need to be literate? Replace a spellbook with a staff carved by the wizard, who can then study the strange symbols and shapes to regain their spells. Or let them tattoo these images onto their flesh, or the flesh of a slave/apprentice.

 

[blargney the second]

Edit: maybe I should read the post before replying to the thread title. *grin*

Edit 2: Charisma as a spellcasting stat makes sense both from a mechanical point of view and a flavour one. Good public speakers have boatloads of charm, but they also have the presence of mind and the confidence to not be shaken in front of a group of people. This is important, because it means they can remember what they were going to say!

 

[TerraDave]

there is just no arguing with tatooing on a slave.

this thread to the VTG.

 

[Breakdaddy]

An illiterate wizard is so useless that he is uselii.

 

[Tonguez]

In a Prehistoric campaign I ran I used the concept of Cave Wizards

"The Painted Cave is place of magic, where images of power are painted upon the walls of stone. Each night a cave wizard must sleep within the Painted Cave aznd from this they are imbued with a part of its power"

Painted Caves became spellbooks and dungeons all in one (one adventure involved a quest to recover the 'Lost Burning Cave of Azer')

Using scorcerers witrh a Divine spell list is also approapriate

Of course I've always argued that for most preliterate societies ALL magic should be divine and the concept of the arcane wizard is a very modern one (even irl most of the wizards of history and literature were clergy of some sort. It wasn't until the later Alchemist that a distinct secular magical tradition appeared)