1.5.12 The Mage

The Mage class is a general header under which all heroes with fundamentally supernatural powers or spellcasting ability are place. Once this class is chosen, the PC must choose a specific arcane tradition to follow; one is a High Mage, or a Vowed, or an Elementalist, for example.

Not all magical traditions necessarily involve classical spell-flinging and conjury. Some traditions are much more physical in nature, granting the practitioners remarkable bodily prowess or unique magical gifts they can exercise. Some Mage traditions involve no spellcasting at all, restricting their focus entirely to the strange arcane gifts their forebears have developed.

While these spells and occult powers are impressive, they tend to come at a cost. A Mage must spend so much time focused on their studies and training that they have little time to master any other art. Most are notably weak combatants with little ability to survive hardships that would merely wound or weary a Warrior.

In addition to this, many traditions have their own specific limits on practitioners. Initiates of the High Mage tradition, for example, cannot cast their spells while wearing anything heavier than normal clothing, thus making it impossible for them to wear armor and still wield their spells. The hindrances of some traditions extend beyond physical limitations to social penalties or difficulties in dealing with mundane humanity; a necromancer may have impressive powers of magic, but they are often unwelcome in civilized lands and are sometimes subject to the panicked justice of frightened locals and their lords.

The ways of magic tend to be specific to settings in a way that swordplay or skillful arts are not. Your GM may disallow certain Mage traditions or partial classes based on the particulars of their own campaign world or the specific sort of game they want to play. Some campaigns set in historical periods or very low-magic worlds might not include Mages at all, leaving heroes reliant on the strength of their own arms and the cunning of their own native wits.

Whatever the setting, Mage heroes need to rely on careful planning and a cooperative party to get the most from their abilities. While potent, the spells they wield are few in number and usually narrow in effect; even the mightiest sorcerer is just not going to be as effective as their Warrior peers in slaying fearsome enemies or their Expert companions in carrying out the mundane activities of stealth, persuasion, or investigation. Instead, Mages excel at providing carefully-planned impossibilities, those selective defiances of reality that allow their teammates to pull off incredible schemes or overcome otherwise insurmountable odds.

Class Ability: Arcane Tradition

The Mage may pick one magical tradition to represent their occult powers, as listed in this section. This tradition may give them a number of additional benefits and restrictions.