OSR: Wizard

by feliciacano

How did you unlock your capacity to do magic?

1d8

1- You were tested by a Magus, who told you that you had the potential to become one of them. You believed him and after training for many years, you unlocked your powers.

2- In a moment of stress or trauma, you subconsciously used magic, enforcing your will on the world.

3- You took some extremely powerful (and likely illegal) drugs and it cracked your mind open, unlocking your magical abilities.

4- You nearly died, but survived. When you returned, you found you had magical powers.

5- You were fumbling around when you were young and tried to replicate a feat of magic you didn't understand or fully comprehend and unbelievably, something actually happened.

6- Your abilities naturally developed, first emerging around 1d4 [1= When you were an toddler; 2= When you were about seven; 3= Just after puberty; 4= When you were almost fully grown.]

7- You wanted to be magical more than anything and so you attempted a wildly dangerous experiment in the hopes of unlocking your magical abilities. It worked, even though it either almost killed you, burned down the building you were in, got you branded a ne'er-do-well and trouble-maker or some combination of all four.

8- You made an ill-advised bargain with a powerful being, blacked out and woke up with the ability to make things explode with the right turn of phrase.

Where did you learn magic?

1d6

1- At a Wizard's Monastery. You joined a monastery that trained not religious brothers, but Wizards and imbibed their methods and style of casting. You are a Chartered Wizard, with legal permission to use magic and institutional backing.

2- At a Temple. You joined a Temple to the local God. They trained you to be a priest, but to use your other gifts as well for the glory of the Deity. You are a Chartered Wizard, backed by the ancient pedigree of the priesthood and the reigning Deity.

3- In a foreign land. You are either a foreigner yourself or you went abroad and learned magic in a distant lands. Your theories and method of casting will either be thought of as exotic and intriguing or backwards and ridiculous. You are an Outsider Wizard, inhabiting a legal grey area. In some places you might be a criminal, in others a mere curiosity, in others you might be welcomed.

4- From an old Hedge-Witch. Before the modern methods of Wizard Monasteries and Colleges, before Temples started recruiting and training Wizards, all those with talent learned High Art at the feet of the master, same as any apprentice. You learned from an older, more experienced spellcaster. You are an Outsider Wizard.

5- From a outlaw Mage. You learned from an Outlaw Mage, one who practiced a forbidden type of magic. You must conceal your true heritage or be killed on the spot. You are an Outlaw Wizard.

6- From a Spirit. You were instructed by a Spirit, in exchange for a contract or pact. Depending on the spirit you contracted to help you, you could be either an Outsider or Outlaw.

What debt do you owe?

1d4

1- Service. You owe the organization or master who trained you X years of service (as determined by the Referee). You either have some time before you must return, you are performing this service in installments or you are truant and in breach of your oath.

2- Money. It costs a wagonload of coin to train someone to use magic. You owe someone important a vast sum.

3- Favors. You promised your teacher that should they need your help, you would be there.

4- Loyalty. You owe your teacher nothing, but he saved you. Just as he helped you, you will be there to help him.

from here

Wizard

Starting HP: 1/3 Con

Fighting Spirit: N/A

Atk Modifier: +1 per Magi level, max +4.

Starting Equipment: Spellbook, Quick Melee Weapon, X Spells in your Spellbook, where X equals your COG Modifier (min 1), sub-class specific starting equipment

Abilities:

1: Type of Spellcaster

2: Book Casting

3: Safety Casting

4: Rapid Preparation

5: Astral Warrior

6: Spellsmith

7: Astral Fishing

8: Archmagi

9: Master of Magicians

1:

Type of Magi: At level one, please select what type of Magi you are. Depending on what type of Magi you are will determine what starting power you have, what drawbacks you suffer from, your legal status and the type of magic you have been trained in.

2:

Book Casting: You may cast a Spell out of your Spellbook. This requires you to spend an extra action to read it out of the book, but does not require it to be already prepared. You must still roll a spellcasting dice.

3:

Safety Casting: Once per day, you may replace one of your spellcasting dice with a "1".

4:

Rapid Preparation: If you wish to prepare a new spell, it now takes ten minutes instead of an hour.

5:

Astral Warrior: X times per day (min 1), where X is your Cognition (or INT) modifier, you can cast two spells on your turn as a single action.

6:

Spellsmith: You may combine two spells and create something new. This destroys both spells and creates a new one, with some of the properties of both.

7:

Astral Fishing:

You can cast out on spell in the hopes of learning a new one. This process takes 1 week of uninterrupted work. After the week is up, make a Wis save. On a success, you gain one of the following (Wizard's choice):

a) a random spell from your spell list (roll 1d12)

b) a random spell from a random spell list

c) a mutant version of the spell you sent out

Additionally, you must save again or lose the spell you send out. On a success, you keep it. On a failure, it is lost to the Astral Sea forever.

You get a +1 to your Save for:

a) every 10 silver spent on reagents, inks, magical artifacts, incense, or other tools of your trade

b) each ritual preparation you describe to the GM

c) the number of other spellcasters helping you with your fishing

8:

Arch-Magi: You can either learn six new spells from any spell list or invent an entirely new spell with the DM's permission. These new spells do not count toward spells learned.

9:

Master of Magicians: Once per day, you may add +10 to the sum of any rolled Spellcasting Dice.

by riikozor

Other Wizard Skills:

The following are all skills a Wizard can learn. They must be picked up and learned actively like any other skill and are not learned automatically by leveling up. A Wizard character starting at a higher level than one can start with X of these skills, where X is 1/2 his level (round down). Note that unless the Referee states otherwise, the rules for these abilities only apply to Wizards who use spells and may change depending on the campaign and magic system.

Storing Power: Wizards can store power inside of certain materials. Gemstones can naturally hold mana, which makes them glow. A Gemstone can hold power equal to it's value. For example, a flawless 600 silver diamond can store 6 MD, while a cloudy 300 silver sapphire can only store 3 MD. Some crystals, especially white quartz, can also store mana very well. Specially warded glass and jewelry made of carefully constructed gold and silver can also store mana, but these are generally less efficient than gemstones and crystals. This skill governs not only storing power in these items but how to create mana-storage devices from materials that cannot naturally store mana, such as gemstones and certain crystals.

Ritual Magic: Ritual magic requires preparation and materials, but it enables Wizards to perform greater feats by enhancing, altering or reversing the effects of a spell. It can also be used to combine the effects of multiple spells into one. Ritual magic can technically be done by people with no magical training, however as it is such an absurdly useful tool, Wizards do not look down upon it.

Countering Elemental/Physical Spells: A Wizard can counter a damaging spell or a spell that affects them in a physical roll by striking back, as a reaction, with the opposite element or an opposing force to neutralize the effect of the spell cast.

For example, Cinnamon Jane fires a blast of fire at Gloaming Myrtle, who counters with a jet of conjured water. They both roll their MD and if their spellcasting rolls were successful, they compare the damage they would have dealt. If Jane's roll was higher, Myrtle takes the difference in damage. For example, if Jane did 6 damage and Myrtle's water jet only did 4, then Myrtle takes 2 damage. If Myrtle's water jet did 5 damage and Jane's only did 2 however, then Myrtle would take no damage.

Channeling Mana from Natural Sources: Magical talent is the ability to draw mana from the environment around you and utilize it to perform magic. However, this is ambient mana. In sources such as thunderstorms, volcanoes, raging seas and celestial bodies such as the Sun and Moon, there is an abundance of natural mana that could be tapped into to dramatically enhance the power of a spell or ritual.

The reason this is not usually done is because it is absurdly dangerous, especially if not done with proper equipment or preparation. It can be done though- not safely or easily and no matter how many precautions you take, the chance of spontaneous combustion or catastrophic failure is never zero, but think of the power. You'll show those fools who dared to question your genius!

Binding: Wizards rarely use their real names, instead using Aliases instead, which they refer to as "Grey Names". This is because if someone knows a Wizard's true name, they can be bound and forced to obey the one who binds them. Most other magical creatures such as Dragons, Outsiders, Sphinxes and other beings of magic can be bound if someone knows their true name. However, even if you know such a being's true name, the ritual is not guaranteed to work and should you fail to bind such a creature, that creature will likely exact swift and terrible vengeance upon you.

Binding is ritual magic, so one does not need to be a Wizard to use it, merely possess the right equipment and knowledge. And while most Wizards scoff at the "lower disciplines", binding is simply too potent a tool to neglect, so they still use it, though sparingly. Binding is a powerful ritual, but it is not without it's serious drawbacks.

Summoning: Another common ritual, summoning is the primary means through which powerful Outsiders (Angels, Demons, Spirits, Gods) enter the physical world. While this is also ritual magic, it is extremely useful to certain types of Wizards, so it is considered honorary 'High Art'.

Alchemy: The lowest of the "lower disciplines", Alchemy is the most common magical art. Almost every village will have a herbalist who can brew up a few potions to cure disease, restore vitality and aid in, or prevent, pregnancy. Most big cities will have alchemy shops where alchemists sell potions that do all sorts of things, some even magical. The best Alchemists, the "true Alchemists" as they call themselves, are seekers after knowledge, enlightenment and eternal life, but most who learn Alchemy just want to learn to make potions that will prevent baldness or ensure a better yield come harvest time. So if a farmwife can learn how to do Alchemy, if he is willing to "lower" himself, a Wizard can learn it too.

Artifice: Another of the "lower disciplines", Artifice is inscribing objects with magical runes to enhance that item or cause it to produce magical effects. This does not require magical talent, so many non-casters practice it. Most Wizards disdain it, but there a few who practice it, as it can produce incredibly useful devices.

from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Optional Rule:

Magical Potential-

All Wizards have a varying level of magical strength. When you create a Wizard at level 1, have them roll 1d12 on the following table. When you get the result, roll the number of proscribed dice to see what their maximum potential strength is in terms of MD. A Wizard's growth rate is the number of MD they gain per level.

Magical Potential Table

1d12

1- 1d4+2 MD. You have a growth rate of +1 MD per level.

2- 1d6+1 MD. You have a growth rate of +1 MD per level.

3- 1d6+2 MD. You have a growth rate of +1 MD per level.

4- 1d6+3 MD. You have a growth rate of +1 MD per level.

5- 1d8+2 MD. You have a growth rate of +2 MD per level.

6- 1d8+3 MD. You have a growth rate of +2 MD per level.

7- 1d8+1d6 MD. You have a growth rate of +2 MD per level.

8- 2d6 MD. You have a growth rate of +2 MD per level.

9- 2d8 MD. You have a growth rate of +2 MD per level.

10- 3d6 MD. You have a growth rate of +3 MD per level.

11- 4d6 MD. You have a growth rate of +3 MD per level.

12- 5d6. You have a growth rate of +3 MD per level.

source unknown