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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8133069" data-attributes="member: 82106">Here's where I have difficulty with the concept that &quot;Nobles would just hire out their magic needs.&quot; Why would mages, who have all this power, need to rent themselves out at all? If I can simply charm people into doing what I want, put them to sleep so I can do whatever I want, make people into my friends, read minds, etc. then I'm actually a pretty powerful guy (given that I can do everything else that some laird can accomplish, except maybe pigstick people with great effect, heck I'm probably good enough in a fight to beat average townspeople). I'm just using 1e PHB here as an example.Now, I think that the way 1e's magic user rules work, some random peasant who managed to learn basic spell casting and was smart enough to use that skill, would probably not know how to do MANY of these things (he'd have a few random spells). However, a TRADITION of studying magic, that would quickly produce (in at most a couple generations) a pretty significant repertoire of lower level spells.Certainly the aristocrat who can cast Friends, Forget, Invisibility, Write, Erase, and Strength (as a kind of reasonable example of a repertoire you might develop) would be at a pretty significant advantage over his brother, Sir McFighter, as a ruler. Why wouldn't he rise to power? At least more often than not...My point is: those who cultivated an ability to use magic WOULD BE the rules, because they COULD BE and nobody could easily stop them! Granted, these low level spells might not be ENOUGH on their own to guarantee power, but once you're established, dynastic power is clearly favored, so you and your scions would most likely stay there, and continue this tradition.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 8133069, member: 82106"] Here's where I have difficulty with the concept that "Nobles would just hire out their magic needs." Why would mages, who have all this power, need to rent themselves out at all? If I can simply charm people into doing what I want, put them to sleep so I can do whatever I want, make people into my friends, read minds, etc. then I'm actually a pretty powerful guy (given that I can do everything else that some laird can accomplish, except maybe pigstick people with great effect, heck I'm probably good enough in a fight to beat average townspeople). I'm just using 1e PHB here as an example. Now, I think that the way 1e's magic user rules work, some random peasant who managed to learn basic spell casting and was smart enough to use that skill, would probably not know how to do MANY of these things (he'd have a few random spells). However, a TRADITION of studying magic, that would quickly produce (in at most a couple generations) a pretty significant repertoire of lower level spells. Certainly the aristocrat who can cast Friends, Forget, Invisibility, Write, Erase, and Strength (as a kind of reasonable example of a repertoire you might develop) would be at a pretty significant advantage over his brother, Sir McFighter, as a ruler. Why wouldn't he rise to power? At least more often than not... My point is: those who cultivated an ability to use magic WOULD BE the rules, because they COULD BE and nobody could easily stop them! Granted, these low level spells might not be ENOUGH on their own to guarantee power, but once you're established, dynastic power is clearly favored, so you and your scions would most likely stay there, and continue this tradition. [/QUOTE]

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