Course ideas for Wizarding Academy

[Alan Shutko]

Wizard schools exist throughout D&D editions and fiction. There's the Great School of Magic in Glantri, Hogwarts, Redhurst Academy, Path of the Magi and College of Wizardry. There's probably been a wizard school in each setting that has come out.

What are some ideas for some courses that might be offered in these schools?

Core classes:

• Monster beasties
• Planar studies
• ?

Electives?

I'm less interested in abjuration, evocation, etc but more interested in things like "Care and feeding of level-draining plants".

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I figure the basics would be:

Teaching of paramagical skills. (So this is where you get training in Arcana, Concentration, Spellcraft, or what have you, based on the exact edition.) Higher-"level" classes would teach more esoteric skills, such as Knowledge (the planes). Night classes might be offered to experts, bards, and what not. Some of these classes might not be taught by casters, but by experts. This seems to be the area you're focusing on. "Care and feeding of level-draining plants" might be a 4th-year course.

Looking at this page is handy: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/knowledge.htm

Here's what it says about Knowledge (arcana): ancient mysteries, magic traditions, arcane symbols, cryptic phrases, constructs, dragons, magical beasts. Each of those could be a course.

Teaching of languages. A caster might find Draconic and Elven to be useful languages. Dwarven, probably not so much.

Teaching of spells. First you have to teach Read Magic, and then cantrips, and then so on. (Details depend on edition, of course.) Higher-"level" classes might feature different schools of magic, or different traditions. What is the typical level of a graduating mage? IMO, it should be 1st-level. However, there might be "graduate school" for higher-level academic wizards. (A typical adventuring wizard might have a Bachelor's in Arcane Arts.) Also, some schools of magic or applications might be banned. (Banning the summoning of imps or the animation of the dead come to mind.)

Teaching of rituals. (This may be separate from spells, depending on edition. In a 4e world, the different categories of rituals might have their own classes, eg Creation Rituals 101.)

Teaching of tactics. Some academies might not teach these, or be restricted in what topics they can teach.

Teaching of ethics. (Might be considered "unnecessary" or "impractical" in, say, Thay, or by the drow.)

Teaching of magic item use. Teaching of magic item creation. (In a 3e-world, Scribe Scroll might be taught as a 2nd-year course.)

In a 4e world, teaching of implement types.

Are these schools inclusive? Do sorcerers and wizards go to the same school? Bards? Assassins? Do elves have their own schools? Do you accept foreigners (eg if you're almost at war with a neighboring orc tribe, do you accept their scholarship student)? Are there lots of little specialized schools, or just one big one per major city?

 

[Ahnehnois]

Writing. Lots of writing.

Also, other classes on crafting magic items. Familiar husbandry.

Illusion classes are probably fun. Look something like film/theater courses maybe, where you go around the circle and do creative exercises? Maybe an enchantment class where locals volunteer to be practice subjects (somewhat analogous to the odd dynamic of volunteer practice patients near medical schools)?

Gym class? Nah.

 

[ImperatorK]

Gym class? Nah.

Isn't Con like the second most important ability score for a Wizard? At least that's what the optimization boards taught me.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Isn't Con like the second most important ability score for a Wizard? At least that's what the optimization boards taught me.

It's also an ability score, not part of the wizard class. You don't teach someone in college how to have good Con.

 

[jonesy]

Diplomacy and theology classes.

Meditation, concentration and control of ones movements (dance classes?), breathing, inner peace, and all that jazz (on that note, music classes?). Acting classes?

 

[ImperatorK]

It's also an ability score, not part of the wizard class.

Um, so?

You don't teach someone in college how to have good Con.

There are sports in college. And it's not like Con is useless to Wizards, or casters in general.

 

[Ahnehnois]

There are sports in college. And it's not like Con is useless to Wizards, or casters in general.

Indeed, that's why people born with high Con are likely to become wizards (and adventurers in general). I find it unlikely that they teach you how to have high Con. They don't teach you how to have high Int either; they recruit for people who already do, since ability scores are something you're basically born with. Sports and other learned exercises fall under skills and class abilities, and nothing in the wizard's table suggests they spend any time actually training how to physically do anything other than write scrolls and cast spells. The ability score point at every 4 levels could fall under training, but wizards use that for Int most of the time.

At least, that's my perspective. If you want your wizards to have gym class, go right ahead.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Gym class might be for "jock wizards" eg those that might eventually take a warrior wizard prestige, but should be optional. Most wizards won't take them.

 

[ImperatorK]

Indeed, that's why people born with high Con are likely to become wizards (and adventurers in general)..

Characters don't have to be born with high ability scores. Unless you're trying to say that they pop out of the womb already with 18 Int or 16 Str?