A beginner's guide to playing a wizard

This article is a work in progress!

Wizards are the greatest wielders of elemental magic, attuned to the raw power that imbues the world of Elanthia and all that dwell thereon. It is through this attunement that wizards focus their spells to harness power for attack, defense and utility. Wizards excel at creating temporary magical items, enchanting armors and weapons for greater abilities, and casting down their foes through elemental forces like fire, air and water. Wanting to stay close to the elemental power, wizards generally will avoid heavier armor types which can inhibit their spell-casting. Skill at physical arms like swords and maces is difficult for the wizard to acquire, so most wizards prefer to research powerful spells and literally blow their foes out of the very boots they wear, rather than grunt and sweat while trying to beat their foes into submission.

Overview of Wizardry

Wizards are one of the four pure spell-casting professions in Elanthia and the only profession dedicated solely to the study of elemental magics. Clerics and Empaths focus on the study of spiritual magics, while Sorcerers blend a destructive understanding of elemental and spiritual magics. Wizards generally are concerned with strengthening and protecting their comrades, and creating or improving equipment and devices that other professions may seek. Wizards strive to balance their understanding of the elemental forces, providing a general service of utility to others in the lands that is difficult to equal. Yet for all that the aspiring adventurer may hear about the soul-searing power of the cleric, the debilitating touch of the empath or the degenerative nature of the sorcerer, there is one fundamental truth that remains today: Few can match the sheer death-dealing power of the well-prepared wizard across the entirety of a battlefield.

However it may be that most of the mysteries of wizardry are freely shared between the profession's members - those mysteries are not shared with the general populous as those mysteries are deemed to be too dangerous. Histories have shown some professions have perverted the purity of the elements for so trivial a pursuit as that of personal power.

What it means to be a wizard

There will always be those that pretend towards mastery of power, proclaiming themselves thereby the masters of others. Wizardry's true adherents understand intuitively that the elemental forces of the world tend towards a balance and that this balance is important to truly understanding the nuances of magic on Elanthia. Accepting that for every casting of elemental fire something must burn to release equivalent power, for every enchantment of a suit of armor something must be stripped of spells, for every peak of power that someone holds another must lose that power, for every spell cast with evil intent, another of good intent must be loosed - all this and more lies at the heart of all a wizard will do. It is precisely for this reason that the wizard may be shunned by one community, and yet beloved of another. It is this complex interplay of high versus low, of gathered versus consumed that causes the wizard to be misunderstood and at times represented poorly. It is the highest of calling, neither permitting subjugation of ones self to the spirit powers, nor the lessening of others through magics of utter despair and wonton loss,; that of true understanding of the nature of the world and the power within and without, corrupted neither by belief nor desire.

Most wizards thus welcome new adherents to the craft, speaking openly and frankly with aspiring adventurers about how the elemental magics may assist and lending of their own understanding to accomplish tasks great and small. It is hoped that what follows will guide the youthful practitioner in some early choices to be made. It is known that if the adventurer approaches the profession with heart steady and mind clear, success will be assured! Little can deter the steadfast wizard from a selected goal.

Early wizard character design preparation

In order to create a wizard character, some few choices need to be made during the creation and early years of your character's journey. An important point to be emphasized - the wizard profession is perhaps one of the more forgiving of all the pure professions in terms of being able to correct slight errors in training. So while there are some core concepts that you should strongly consider, don't be afraid to explore a bit outside of the recommended paths. Also, as a general note, this guide will give you insights needed to get through the first 20 to 25 levels of training, traditionally referred to as 'Lord level'. There are other, more advanced guides, which will explain training concepts and hunting techniques useful in the higher levels of the game. These should be consulted between 10 and 15 trainings, after a basic understanding of the game's rules and mechanics are achieved, and after you have settled on how you would like most to portray your wizard.

Wizardry as a profession may be loosely defined in three groupings. War-mages or Battle-mages use spells to augment their protections and rely on speed and set-up spells to physically assault their foes. Magus use their spells to create or sustain items of power, enchant armor and weapons, and are generally likely to follow the path of alchemy. Pure wizards study spells and magical skills almost to exclusion, seeking to become more powerful in their use of the elements to protect allies and self, and to destroy their foes. Note that the distinction between these three groups is one of focus - which skills and spells should be sought first and foremost. In truth, any of the three sub-types are easily playable, and at the ultimate reaches of knowledge and experience it is easily feasible to be fully capable in two of these areas. A few mages of renown have managed to become extremely proficient in all three!

Let's explore these three sub-types, briefly, to gain an appreciation for what each feel like.

Pure wizard character design preparation

The pure wizard is perhaps the most straight-forward of the sub-groups, and the archetype most commonly thought of in the genre. Here, the wizard focuses on learning all nuances of the spells available, and has the broadest repertoire of spells and magical skills from which to draw. The focus for this sub-group is to consistently train in magical skills, elemental lores and spells with each level advancement, while focusing less on physical skills and utility skills. This wizard will generally wear armors that will not hinder spell casting in any way, and will make no effort to learn any combat arms skills.

Pure wizards are likely later in life to want to focus on a particular spell-type or lore-type in an effort to increase that type's effectiveness. For example, some wizards prefer the element of air, and focus on Elemental Lore, Air and related spells to gain the maximum benefit of that element. Others may chose to focus on Elemental Lore, Earth and associated spells.

Magus wizard character design preparation

The magus is a variation of the pure wizard, generally focusing on magical skills and spells while dabbling in some of the more useful utility spells like Trading, First Aid and Survival if the magus wishes to pursue Alchemy. The true difference generally lies in the order in which spells may be learned, in order to increase the magus' ability to create and recharge magic items, and enchant armor and weapons. This wizard likewise will generally wear armors that will not hinder spell casting in any way, and will make no effort to learn any combat arms skills.

It is important to note that the differences between the magus and the pure wizard tend to be very difficult to discern, especially at mid levels and beyond in the game where the training paths ultimately merge together.

War-mage character design preparation

The war-mage is an interesting study in the blend of the arts magical and the arts martial in the hands of a pure profession. No other pure profession in the lands is as diverse and adept in varied combat forms as is the war-mage. War-mages will choose to be skilled in a weapon type such as Polearms, Two handed weapons, Edged or Blunt weapons and Shield, Brawling, or Ranged weapons. War-mages will usually train in physical combat skills such as Combat Maneuvers, although that training is difficult to maintain early in the character's journey. And war-mages may opt towards armors that might hinder their spell casting abilities slightly, in order to gain the better physical protections afforded by these armors.

War-mages generally do not prefer to stand toe-to-toe against a foe like a warrior or paladin might, preferring instead to knock their foe down via spells or skills, and relying on Hasted speed to mount a devastating assault. In order to accomplish this diverse training path, the battle-mage will not be as well versed in magical skills, and may not have as broad a repertoire of spells from which to draw as the pure mage or magus does, early in their journeys. While the differences between the war-mage and the pure wizard are evident nearly immediately, much later in the game the war-mage will blend training paths with the pure wizard and ultimately these paths likewise come close to merging.

Character creation and training

Now that the core sub-types have been covered, you hopefully have an idea for the wizard you want to portray. Your vision of that portrayal will ultimately decide how you wish to train and advance your character, and how you will interact with others in the lands. During the vast majority of the game, each sub-type has some advantages, and some disadvantages when compared to the others. This holds true for a great majority of your character's journey, but ultimately the paths do blend together and so there's no right or wrong answer - merely what you wish to be known for.

With a firm concept of the type and personality of the wizard you wish to portray, it's time to get into the mechanics; to breathe life into the character and begin the pursuit of knowledge, training and riches! Before we begin, remember this one rule: There are only five absolutely, incontrovertibly final decisions you will be subject to in the lands -- your character's name, your character's race and culture, your character's profession, your character's elemental attunement, and any decisions concerning banning for inappropriate game play on your part. That's it! Have particular care in those five areas, as the rest of the decisions are changeable over time. Some decisions may be easier than other decisions to reverse or correct. But the possibility is there. Of course, it will help if you read this guide through completely, and ask any questions you may have before becoming too invested in any particular path.

There is an exceptional general New Player's Guide to this process that you should pause to become familiar with. Don't be afraid to read ahead in the guide. When you're ready we'll be here to focus a bit more specifically on the wizard you want to portray so that you can portray your vision to the utmost.

Racial Selection

Lets not clutter the issue significantly here on race and culture. There is no wrong selection here. Each race has some inherent advantages and disadvantages, but these have only modest impact to the wizard. Due to the permanence of the race decision, those advantages and disadvantages are summarized below - but try not to think in terms of absolutes. Rather, let your vision of your wizard be your guide, and use this summary data only for foreknowledge of the task that lies before you.

Race Selection Summary for Wizards

General Wizard	Pure Wizard	Magus	War-Mage
All races	Halflings	Dwarves	Half Krolvin
	Burghal Gnomes	Elves	Giantmen
	Forest Gnomes	Sylvan Elves	Dwarves
	Aelotoi	Erithian	Elves
	Elves	Humans	Half Elves
	Dark Elves
	Half Elves

The chart shows that any race can successfully be a wizard. The pure wizard usually is a smaller, more dextrous race, while the magus generally is a race with good dexterity and influence. The war-mage is the purview of the sturdier, stronger races. Keeping these thoughts in mind, you can turn to the cultural distinctions within each race, if you wish - there is absolutely no need to choose a culture, but reviewing them can assist in crafting your vision to roleplay your wizard.

Statistics (Attributes)

An excellent guide on Statistics for New Players is worth reading in general. Note in particular that this decision regarding attribute placement isn't permanent - and in the course of the first 30 days, you can change attributes up to five times. So don't panic! Glance over that information to get a feel for how attributes work in Elanthia, and then we'll focus specifics for the wizard.

NOTE: More information will be added to this guide soon!

See Also

• Wizard (main article)
• New Players' Guide (a comprehensive beginner's guide for new players of any profession)
• Whirlin's Wizard Guide
• Charge Item (guide)
• The Art of Roleplaying in GemStone IV (guide)
• Player Guide Contest

References

• Wizard profession on Play.net
• GemStone IV New Player Guide on Play.net

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