Why we have Golden Wyvern Adepts.

[Najo]

Because if there is any uglier name than Emerald Frost, it is Cone Magic. We need to find an evocative name that is generic enough not to ruffle any feathers. It is Dungeons and Dragons, not Challenge Areas and Creatures to Fight.

So, I am assuming that the effects of impliments are no moved fully into the schools. I took the liberty of editing these descriptions to illustrate my examples:


So, here are the descriptions:

Serpent Eye cabalists use powers of enchantment, beguiling, and ensnaring.

The mages of the Iron Sigil guard themselves with potent defenses when invoking spells of thunder or force.

Servants of the Hidden Flame wield fierce powers of fire and radiance.

Golden Wyvern initiates are battle-mages who shape and sculpt the spells they cast.

Emerald Frost adepts channel powers of cold and deadly acidic magic.

Stormwalker theurges channel spells of lightning and force.

Here is an example on how you can rename feat chains, while keeping the ideas behind these schools, the feats would have effects like the current Golden Wyvern Adept, changing the way your spells work:

Witch's Eye Hex, Curse, Charm, Snare
Guardian Spellform, Skyfury Spellform, Force Strike Spell
Radiant Spellfire, Brilliant Spellfire
Spellshaper, Greater Spellshaper
Frost Scattering Spell, Acid Scattering Spell
Force Channeled Spell, Lightning Channeled Spell

You then place the schools into sidebars, and use the feats as prereqs into them:

Serpent Eye Cabalist
Pre: Witch's Eye Hex, Wizard level 1
Benefit: You are a member of the secret order Cabal of the Serpent's Eye. You gain +2 bonus to any Social checks with other Cabal members.

Serpent Eye Master
Pre: Serpent Eye Cabalist, Wizard level 11, Witch's Eye Hex and two other Witch's Eye feats.
Benefit: You gain +2 bonus to casting checks when using a Witch's Eye feat.

Golden Wyvern Adept
Pre: Spellshaper, Wizard level 1
Benefit: You are a member of the Order of Battle Wizards known as the Golden Wyverns. You gain +2 bonus to any Social check with other Order members.

and so on....

This gives a generic open ended naming to the feats, letting them work in any campaign. It keeps the orders as fluff and moves them to optional areas of the book. It also brings in simple mechanics for including organizations into the game instead of forcing them on us through class features and feats.

 

[BryonD]

If the six schools are built around "the manner in which the effect occurs in the game" then name them with descriptive terms that fit each's particular manner. You haven't done anything but play a shell game with the mistake.

And if this is correct then it doesn't make new (and old) players any less confused.

 

[Caliber]

So, I am assuming that the effects of impliments are no moved fully into the schools. I took the liberty of editing these descriptions to illustrate my examples:


So, here are the descriptions:...

To be honest ... I find your idea MUCH more confusing than the previous suggestion by Cadfan. In fact, your idea presumes organizations named "Golden Wyvern" and "Emeral Frost" ... I thought that was what you were trying to get away from?

 

[Frostmarrow]

It isn't easy finding a namning convention that works for "spell skills".

Let's look at a few options:

Zodiac: Doesn't work because every setting has a different zodiac.

Celestial bodies: Won't work because the celestal bodies are too few. You have sun, moon, morning star, and then what? Not all races look at celestial bodies at all. Drow elves have better things to do than star gaze.

Colors: Already being used by GW and MTG. (And to good effect; I love those bright wizards in Warhammer.)

Elements: Already present as damage types.

Monsters: Pretty cheesy but it makes sense mages are inspired by the awesomeness of local monsters.

Houses: Can work but requires the houses to be present in every setting.

Poetry: I would try to use poetry rather than monsters as inspiration but is maybe harder to pull off? Poetry includes emotions and ambiance.

Elders: Best suggestion I've seen so far. Mordenkainen and Snilloc are pretty lame though. It would be a good idea to create new elders. Also a perfect opportunity to retcon dragonborn into the game. (Instant IP.)

 

[TwinBahamut]

I think Cadfan's idea is exactly right. It is pretty much what I thought when I first read about these schools. I really think this is a good approach, and is a huge improvement over the old system. The old "schools" like Conjuration and such just seemed like absolute rules and methods, and I don't think they ever added much to either the flavor or mechanics of the game. These new schools actually have a mechanical use (making different wizards feel more distinct from each other in a real way), and they actually encourage there to be real differences between groups and traditions among mages.

I think it would be very hard to justify something like "All Conjuration specialist wizards are thieves who will backstab you, but the noble Transmuters are taught to be just and kind" in a campaign setting, but saying "beware the mage who carries an orb, because he may be a wizard of the Serpent Eye, out to deceive and harm you" or having a mentor say to his pupil "our way is that of the Iron Sigil, which means above all else that our purpose is to protect society, not to do harm" makes a lot more sense to me, and is a huge improvement.

Overall, I think it is just easier to combine intent and personality (good for roleplaying) with spell effects (the new system), rather than methods of achieving those effects (the old system).

As for names... I think Iron Sigil, Serpent Eye, Hidden Flame, and Stormwalker are all very good names for magical traditions, especially if you say "Way of the Hidden Flame" or "Path of the Stormwalker" or something else like that. I am not really sold on Golden Wyvern, and I really dislike Emerald Frost, but the others are just fine. However, I think I would need to see the rules themselves to think up a better name for those two schools.

 

[Tquirky]

Colors: Already being used by GW and MTG. (And to good effect; I love those bright wizards in Warhammer.)

This is definitely preferable to what they're doing IMO. Who cares if M:tG and WH use it too? It's a good idea - flexible, unobtrusive, and immune to aesthetic brain farts, and easy to put a new spin on (like WH has).