The school of magic	Residents of the school	Benefits and obligations	Student advancement	Faculty advancement
Territorial development	-	-	-	Policies and growth
Dragon	-	-	-	Dragon 123

Even in the fantastic multiverse of
AD&D® games, there comes a day when
each person must pause and consider
what lies ahead. What does the future
hold in store? At 8th level, a cleric can
construct a place of worship and attract a
body of fanatically loyal followers; at 9th
level, he can set up an ecclesiastical state.
At 9th level, a fighter can establish a freehold
and attract a force of men-at-arms. At
10th level, a thief can organize a thieves?
guild and draw in a group of lesser
thieves. A humble monk of only 8th level
can open a monastery and attract a few
lesser monks for his disciples. At higher
levels, the rangers, druids, and assassins
may gain special followers, while cavaliers
and paladins commence attracting retainers
or men-at-arms as low as 4th level. But
what about the magic-user?

A magic-user can't begin to carve out a
holding until he attains 12th level. This
goal requires 750,001 experience points,
many times more than most other classes
must have before they can attract followers
or begin territorial development;
only the assassin requires more experience
points before he can organize his
guild. And the magic-user still doesn?t
attract any followers. Granted, magicusers
should not be permitted to attract
men-at-arms in the same manner as fighters
or clerics, but why not a few of their
own kind, as thieves, assassins, and monks
do among themselves? A remedy to this
situation would be to give the magic-user
an interim goal to work on before he
begins any territorial development. Thus
is born the school of magic.

The school of magic

The notion that educational centers exist
for the training of magic-users is a fairly
common theme in fantasy literature, be it
a school of magic, college of wizardry,
academy of sorcery, university of necromancy,
or whatever thaumaturgical institutional
combination the phrase-fertile
mind can produce (see the two
DRAGONLANCE® trilogies for a specific
example). Many PCs and NPCs have their
alleged origins in such establishments, and
it isn't so far-fetched an idea to suppose
that some of them might wind up running
such institutions later in their careers. In
fact, establishing a school of magic could
turn out to be the wisest career move that
any magic-user could ever make.
At any time after reaching 9th level
(sorcerer), a magic-user may opt to establish
a school of magic. Ninth level was
selected as the minimum level for this
purpose because it is low enough to be
within grasp of most magic-users (135,001
xp), yet it is sufficiently high to command
respect and to be a challenge to attain.
Establishing a school of magic is completely
voluntary; no magic-user is ever
required to become a pedagogue.
Once a magic-user has decided to establish
a school of magic, he or she discovers
that quite a task lies ahead. First, a suitable
location for the school must be found,
which might entail obtaining permission
from the local residents to allow the
school to be built. Once this has been
accomplished, the actual construction,
furnishing, equipping, and advertising of
the school must be undertaken. After all
of this has been accomplished, the magicuser
attracts the faculty and students for
his school of magic, and he adopts the

appellation of ?Chancellor,? as in sorcererchancellor,
wizard-chancellor, etc.
Selecting the proper location for the
school of magic is a critical decision for
the magic-user involved. Many towns and
cities aren?t excited about having a school
of magic located in the midst of their
communities. The results of an unfortunate
accident or experiment gone awry
could be catastrophic ? a situation not
unlike living down the road from a nuclear
power plant. In spite of this, a goodly
number of municipalities won?t deny a
magic-user the right to open a school of
magic within their jurisdiction, provided
sufficient guarantees of safety have been
made. This usually includes some sort of
insurance payments to the community.
Some municipalities might even encourage
the magic-user to set up a school of magic
within their environs. Such places are
populated by people who can appreciate
the potential advantages (increased
wealth, power, and security) of having
such an establishment within their community;
they might even go so far as to
offer the magic-user some inducement to
locate in their community: perhaps a tax
break or lower construction costs for the
school itself.

On the magic-user's part, he may consider
the hustle and bustle at the center of
a thriving community an inappropriate
locale for the school of magic. The timeconsuming
and mentally taxing research
and study that goes on in such an institution
requires a great deal of peace and
quiet for those involved. However, the
school requires a steady supply of food
and other necessities, and being located in
or near an urban center can facilitate this.
Then there is the problem of security; a
school of magic situated behind a stout
city wall, protected by a competent watch
or militia, has considerably less need for
guards and other security measures than a
school located in the wilderness. It is
because of these overriding concerns that
most magic-users are compelled to construct
their schools of magic in or near an
established community. Only the most
powerful wizards (or the most foolhardy,
desperate, or secretive lesser magic-users)
would dare to attempt the establishment
of a school of magic isolated deep in the
wilderness.

After the location of the school of magic
has been determined, the magic-user must
next decide upon the general size of the
institution he intends to found. Does he
plan to organize an intimate academy to
pass on his arcane knowledge to a select
few, or a medium-sized college that might
attract the attention of the surrounding
communities? Perhaps he intends to found
a great university which will spread his
fame throughout the land! The general

size chosen for the school of magic has a
profound effect upon its cost and the size
of its student body. While it is best left to
DMs and players to determine the actual
size of any schools of magic in their campaigns,
some reasonable limits must be
established. If the system set forth later in
this article is used to advance students
through the school of magic, the bookkeeping
for even a few dozen students
could easily become a major chore. Table 1
sets down some general guidelines for
establishing a school of magic. All of its
entries are explained later.

Once the size of the school of magic has
been set, the magic-user can begin to
tackle the problems of constructing and
furnishing the building, along with harnessing
the considerable costs of these
operations. The person controlling any PC
magic-user, or the DM operating any NPC
magic-users, is responsible for selecting
the form the school of magic takes. The
academy could be housed in a large stone
building, a tower, a moat house, or even a
small castle. A plan of the school must be
drawn up, which may be as simple or as
detailed as those involved can agree upon.
Cost for the construction of the building
can be determined by consulting pages
106-108 of the DMG.

The design of the school of magic is
something that DMs and players must
wrestle with themselves. Nevertheless,
here are a few parameters which might
prove helpful. The building should have
separate living quarters for every member
of the faculty, plus a few extra quarters
for possible future expansion of the faculty
or guests. Individual living quarters
for the maximum number of students
allowed by the school?s size are also
required.. This insures each student and
faculty member the isolation and quiet
they must have for proper study and
meditation, Living quarters for any guards
and servants who reside at the school
must also be taken into account.

The schools educational needs should
include at least three laboratories: one for
the chancellor?s personal use, at least one
for the faculty and students (the size of
the school should determine this number),
and one for the alchemist attracted to the
school. The school may require two
libraries: one for the faculty and students,
containing as much universal knowledge
as possible (and as many duplicate volumes
as can be reasonably obtained); and
a private library for the chancellor, containing
his private collection of those
tomes which he isn?t prepared to share
with the entire school. The school should
contain at least three classrooms, one for
each grade of students

Furnishing the school of magic involves
much more than simply purchasing and

arranging the furniture. Numerous books
and tomes have to be obtained for the
school?s library, and massive quantities of
magical supplies and other paraphernalia
must be procured for its classrooms and
laboratories. Then there is the matter of
packaging the school and advertising its
existence near and far, in order to attract
the faculty and students. Again, this is a
matter best left to DMs and players;
numerous adventures could come as a
result of this one step!

Table 1 lists basic outfitting costs based
upon the size of the school of magic in
question. Establishing a school of magic
should be a very expensive undertaking ?
even for a small school. Considerable costs
are incurred over and above the mere
construction of the building itself.

Residents of the school
After the magic-user has fulfilled all of
the requirements for establishing a school
of magic, he takes the title of chancellor
and enlists an alchemist, a number of
lesser magic-users, and a body of students
whose number is determined by the size
of the school built. These followers are
considered a special type of henchman,
and do not count against the limit on the
number of henchmen allowed by the
chancellor?s charisma score. All of these
followers (except the students) must be
paid a monthly wage commensurate with
their class and level; the details of this are
left to the discretion of DMs and players
(100 gp per month per level of the NPC is
suggested at minimum). This and the
treatment meted out to them by the chancellor
chiefly determine the sort of loyalty
these characters have for their chancellor.
Any guards, servants, or other hirelings
must be sought out and engaged by the
chancellor or his henchmen in the normal
fashion.

The alchemist is an important, indeed
vital, member of the faculty of the school
of magic. Considering the amount of magical
research and study that goes on in
such an institution, the chancellor would
be hard-pressed to keep it operating without
an alchemist. The DM has three
choices in this matter, depending upon the
sources available to him. The easiest method
is to use the alchemist described on
page 29 of the DMG. A DM may also use
the more detailed alchemist presented in
DRAGON® issue #45 (?NPCs for Hire,? by
Georgia and Roger Moore) or in issue #49
("A Recipe for the Alchemist," by Lenard
Lakofka). If the last version is used, the
alchemist should be of a level equal to twothirds
that of the school?s chancellor
(rounding l/3 down and 2/3 up), with a
minimum level of 6th and a maximum of
11th. Using these guidelines, a 10th-level

necromancer-chancellor would attract a
7th-level alchemist (two-thirds of 10 is 6 2/3,
rounded up to 7); while a 24th-level
wizard-chancellor would attract only an
11th-level alchemist, because that is as
high as he can go. The alchemist comes to
the school of magic for a secure place to
practice his trade at good pay.

Of no less importance to the school of
magic are the lesser magic-users attracted
to it. It is these lesser magic-users who are
the principle instructors of the school?s
students. The highest level of any lesser
magic-user attracted to the school of magic
is equal to half the level of the schools
chancellor (rounding any fractions up),
but never higher than 6th level if a PC is
establishing the school (the reason for this
is explained shortly). Using this system, an
11th-level PC wizard would receive a 6thlevel
magician (half of 11 is 5½, rounded
up to 6) as his highest ranking lesser
magic-user. A 16th-level NPC mage would
attract an 8th-level warlock. The level of
this top-ranking lesser magic-user was
intentionally kept low, in relation to the
chancellor, so that he could not pose any
serious threat to the chancellor?s position
as headmaster. At the minimum of 9th
level for a chancellor and 5th level for his
highest-ranking lesser magic-user, this gap
is not so pronounced, but as chancellors
go up in level, the difference in power
becomes quite overwhelming. High-level
magic-users of evil alignment can best
appreciate this limitation, for they must
constantly remain on guard against the
hazards posed by having a powerful
magic-user for an assistant.

After determining the highest-level
lesser magic-user received, the chancellor
also attracts one additional magic-user for
every level below that. For example: a 9thlevel
sorcerer receives a 5th-level thaumaturgist,
plus a 4th-level theurgist, a
3rd-level conjurer, a 2nd-level evoker, and
a lst-level prestidigitator. This gives even
the lowest of chancellors a fair number of
supporting faculty with a good spread of
powers.

Finally, a number of students are also
attracted to the school of magic. Table 1
lists the numbers of students initially
attracted to each size of school. The figures
given assure that the faculty won?t be
teaching to empty classrooms, but allow
space for later enrollment. Some might
still argue that the number of students is
too small; however, aside from the aforementioned
bookkeeping obstacle, it should
be remembered that the toughest modern
law or medical school would be a breeze
compared to any school of magic. Only a
small percentage of the population possess
the necessary gifts to qualify for the
school of magic; these students require the
utmost attention of the faculty, which they

could not receive in a school with hundreds
of students.

All students attracted to a school of
magic established by a PC are zero-level
neophytes. This should also apply to any
school founded by an NPC of less than
12th level. Schools founded by NPCs of at
least 12th level are assumed to have been
established some years past, and have
students of higher grade (initiates and
apprentices). The ratio of students in such
schools should be along the lines of three
neophytes for every two initiates for every
one apprentice. Thus, the school of a 14thlevel
wizard-chancellor with 18 students
would have nine neophytes, six initiates,
and three apprentices. This ratio can be
altered to suit personal tastes.

The race of lesser magic-users and students
is determined by consulting Table 2,
determining the appropriate line for the
chancellor in question, and rolling percentile
dice. The alignment of lesser magicusers
and students attracted to the school
of magic is up to the DM, although it is
reasonable to assume that most would be
of the same morals as the chancellor, if not
necessarily the same ethics. Consequently,
good attracts good and evil attracts evil.
Chancellors of extreme alignments, such
as lawful good or chaotic evil, might be
very restrictive about who is allowed to
enroll. Those of neutral alignments are not
so pedantic; they permit both good and
evil initiates to join them, although this
could well lead to friction between these
factions within the school.

The age of any teacher or student
attracted to the school of magic is entirely
up to the DM in each case. Far too many
variables exist to be able to give any sound
advice on the subject. Are all of the students
just starting out in life? Have some
been around for many years and are only
now taking up magic? Are the faculty
members young Turks whose careers have
blazed from the beginning, or are they
older types who have spent long years
climbing in levels? The addition of demihuman
magic-users only complicates the
matter more.

It might appear to some people that
Table 2 is slanted in favor of humans; it is.
Humans form the bulk of characters in
any campaign, and are thus the majority
of inhabitants of any school of magic. The
smaller numbers of half-elves and elves,
and the low birthrate and great longevity
of the latter race in particular, dictate that
humans dominate schools of magic just as
they dominate all other aspects of the
game.

Benefits and obligations
Thus far, a neat picture has been
sketched of the school of magic and its
residents. About now, someone is surely

asking: "So what" Why would any magic-user
expend so much time and money just
so he can call himself chancellor? Why
would the lesser magic-users and students
be willing to tie themselves down in such a
place for years on end? What do they get
out of it??

The chancellor?s primary motive in
establishing the school of magic is probably
to use it as a means of increasing and
extending his power. The chancellor can
use the lesser magic-users and students as
extensions of himself, enabling him to
project his power to more than one place
at the same time. A desire for security
might also be behind the founding of a
school of magic. Many a high-level magicuser
who?s been resurrected once too
often would leap at the opportunity to
settle down and surround himself with a
circle of fellow magic-users. Then again,
some chancellors may have a genuine
desire to pass on the mystic secrets they
have acquired over the years to a new
generation of magic-users.

Power is also a strong lure for the lesser
magic-users attracted to the school of
magic. The sorcerer, necromancer, or
wizard who founded the school is much
more powerful than they, and he has
many spells that the lesser magic-users
would want to add to their own spell
books. These lesser magic-users might
even have some spells the chancellor lacks,
so the association could prove mutually
beneficial on that count alone. Some of
these lesser magic-users might also have
found the adventuring life a tad too strenuous
for them; thus, the prospect of teaching
in a safe, warm school of magic could
have substantial appeal. Others might feel
that a few years? association with a school
of magic might be a good career move ?
one that could bring potions, scrolls, and
perhaps even magical items their way, for
faithful service to the chancellor.

These are motives for NPC lesser magicusers.
If a DM is operating a school of
magic, PC lesser magic-users of the proper
levels might be permitted. In such cases,
PCs have their own motives. Being part of
a school of magic, but not actually running
it, could prove an interesting change of
pace, and would get the PCs away from
overly familiar dungeon or wilderness
adventures for a time.

Students join the school of magic
because they wish to learn the art and
science of magic. Once again, power is the
key motivation: the considerable power
bestowed by mastering magic. Some may
find themselves enrolled in the school of
magic to serve the purposes of others or
as a last resort for a career. Parents may
commit their children (young adults, actually)
to schools of magic because, for reasons
of birth, tradition, or physical

makeup, these children are unable to
become fighters or clerics. Towns might
sponsor students so that they may later
return and use their magical skills in the
service of the community. Some students
may be attracted because of their insatiable
thirst for knowledge of matters
arcane.

The chancellor of the school of magic
has the hardest job of all: He must see to it
that the school continues to function. He is
in charge of every aspect of the schools
operation, and he is the one who must pay
the bills. The chancellor must provide all
the lesser magic-users, alchemists, and
hirelings with a monthly wage. In addition,
the chancellor must pay an annual
cost for upkeep as determined on Table 1.
This upkeep cost is a percentage of the
total original cost of the school of magic,
including all construction and original
outfitting costs. The actual amount varies
for the size of the school and may fluctuate
from year to year.

Aside from these basic financial obligations,
the chancellor wears many hats. He
is the final arbitrator of what is taught in
his school. The chancellor oversees the
education and discipline of the students
and looks out for the welfare of all concerned,
although a chaotic-evil chancellor
might have some unique views on these
matters. The chancellor also has the primary
responsibility for any relations the
school has with the outside world.

All lesser magic-users attracted to a
school of magic must prove their commitment
to the project by paying the chancellor
a one-time entry fee of 500-1,000 gp
per level of each lesser magic-user. The
exact amount of this faculty assessment is
determined by the DM or player operating
the chancellor of the school of magic.
Alignment may play a part in this decision.
Lesser magic-users won?t be rejected out
of hand simply because they can?t come up
with the money. Any reasonable deal (or
even unreasonable ones) can be workedout
between the chancellor and a povertystricken
potential faculty member. Such a
contract could stipulate forfeiture of salary
until the fee has been paid, a cut in
salary until the fee is paid, a longer commitment
to the school of magic in lieu of
the fee, or a payment of something besides
money (such as spells or magical items)

Any lesser magic-users attracted to the
school of magic are bound to its chancellor
until they attain 7th level (enchanter). At
this point, most lesser magic-users depart
from the school to further their own independent
careers. There is a base 70%
chance at 7th level that any lesser magicuser
will depart from the school of magic,
but this inclination to go solo drops off
rapidly at higher levels: 50% at 8th level,
30% at 9th level, and only 10% at 10th

level. Any magic-user remaining at the
school of magic at 10th level continues to
stay there unless events force him to
leave. This illustrates the likelihood that
the longer a magic-user remains with the
school of magic, the less likely he is to
move on. It also explains why an NPC
chancellor can initially attract a lesser
magic-user of higher than 7th level; such a
magic-user would represent a character
who rose above 6th level but decided to
remain at the school of magic. These
guidelines can, of course, be modified to
suit any situation that might arise. A lesser
magic-user might abandon the school of
magic before reaching 7th level if mistreated
by the chancellor. Another lesser
magic-user might have his chance of leaving
the school of magic greatly reduced, or
even eliminated altogether, if the chancellor
offered him sufficient inducement to
stay (such as naming him as the chancellor
?s eventual successor).

How does the faculty spend its time?
The following system is suggested. While
bound to the school of magic, most lesser
magic-users must spend eight months out
of every year doing nothing except
instructing students. These lesser magicusers
are the ones who must hammer
home the fundamentals of magic, while
the chancellor tutors the students on the
finer points of the mystical arts. Lesser
magic-users of higher than 6th level do not
have to spend as much of their time teaching.
Those of 7th and 8th level need spend
only six months each year teaching, and
those of 9th level or higher need teach for
only four months each year. This lightened
teaching load, which grants these higherlevel,
lesser magic-users more time for
their own research or adventures, is a
major reason for why lesser magic-users
remaining at the school of magic beyond
6th level are increasingly likely to continue
their own research or adventures, is a
major reason why the lesser magic-users
remaining at the school of magic beyond
although he probably teaches more than
that if he wants his students to progress
quickly.

When not teaching, the chancellor can
concoct potions, pen scrolls, go on adventures,
and possibly fabricate magical
items. Most lesser magic-users are limited
to adventuring in the months they are
away from teaching duties. During that
time, they are not truly free; the chancellor
still has authority over them and may
require that they perform other services
for the school of magic. It is up to the DM
or player running the school to devise a
teaching schedule showing which instructors
(chancellor and all lesser magic-users)
are on and off duty during each month of
the year. The only restriction is that there
must always be at least one instructor for

each grade of students ? neophytes, initiates,
and apprentices ? that the school
currently has (most schools won?t have
initiates and apprentices until later on).
The alchemist has a year-round job, but
any reasonable leave of absence should be
granted by the chancellor.

All new students attracted to the school
of magic have to pay a one-time tuition fee
of 100-500 gp. The actual amount depends
upon the size of the school, the alignment
of its chancellor, and the whims of the
person playing the chancellor. As with the
lesser magic-users, lack of money doesn?t
necessarily deny any student enrollment
in the school of magic. Scholarships could
be offered for a few promising students,
and the chancellor might accept the occasional
charity case for a variety of reasons:
a desire to show his magnanimity, a liking
for the student in question, etc.
Upon enrolling in the school of magic,
each student is assigned to a lesser magicuser
of at least 3rd level. This lesser
magic-user becomes the student?s principle
instructor and advisor ? his mentor, in
essence. Exactly how the students are
apportioned among these lesser magicusers
is another problem for DMs and
players. The mentors might pick the students,
the students could select their mentors,
it could be decided by lots, and so on.
In a small school of magic, each mentor
should have no more than three or four
students assigned to him; in a large school,
each could have a dozen or more. The
chancellor usually selects a few of the
most promising students (usually no more
than 2-5, depending upon the size of the
school of magic) and acts as their personal
mentor himself.

The minimum requirement of 3rd level
to qualify as a mentor was chosen so that
the mentors would be magic-users of some
experience. Any magic-users of less than
3rd level at the school of magic cannot
become mentors until they attain 3rd
level. At that point, all new students are
assigned to the newly promoted mentor
until he has a number of students roughly
equal to the other mentors. Should any
mentor leave the school of magic, his
students are reapportioned among the
remaining mentors.

A close and special relationship quickly
develops between a student and his mentor.
The mentor is the one who takes
charge of the student and oversees the
bulk of his magical education, although all
of the magic-users at the school have a
hand in this. After all, the mentor is not
likely to be present all the time. The mentor
is also the one directly in charge of
seeing to the discipline and well-being of
the students in his charge. Again, the
alignment of the school?s chancellor sets
the tone for these activities; thus, doings

that could result in expulsion from a
school of magic with a lawful-good chancellor
might be tolerated or even encouraged
by a chaotic-evil chancellor.

To the student, a mentor is a sort of big
brother or sister, as well as being a primary
instructor and guidance counselor.
The students attend their mentors as
servants, assist them in their research and
experiments, and may even join them on
adventures as they progress. No single
person at the school of magic, aside from
the chancellor, has a more profound effect
upon their future, and a good relationship
with one?s mentor is a prime requisite for
the success of any student of magic.
Unfortunately, this relationship can be
ruined or perverted by even good students
and mentors.

Students attending the school of magic
are pretty much stuck there, as the school
is a year-round endeavor for them. Still,
most schools of magic don?t operate as
prisons. A student could be granted a
short leave of absence (usually no longer
than a fortnight) from time to time, to
return home for holidays, to attend religious
festivals, or to handle important
family matters. Of course, any prolonged
absence from the school affects the student
?s studies. Students who leave the
school without permission, as well as
those who remain away longer than the
allotted time, had best have a good excuse
for their actions. Such delinquent students
could face fines, expulsion, corporal punishment,
or worse, depending upon the
intentions, goals, and alignment of the
school?s chancellor.

Student advancement
All students of the school of magic begin
with a negative experience-point total, in
much the same manner as the two classes
of zero-level cavaliers (horsemen and
lancers). Like the zero-level cavalier, the
magic student must reduce this negative
experience-point total to zero before
becoming a 1st-level character. For the
magic student to do this, he must pass
through the three grades of zero-level
magic students described in Table 3. Promotion
through the three grades is based
upon experience points earned from
studying the mystic arts and from possible
adventuring later on.

Upon enrollment in the school of magic,
the beginning student becomes a zerolevel
neophyte. To reiterate, the neophyte
starts with a deficit of -2,000 xp, has but
1 hp (plus any constitution bonus), and
makes all saving throws as a 1st-level
magic-user, but with a penalty of -3. Even
with this penalty, the neophyte?s saving
throws are superior to an ordinary zerolevel
human in almost every case ? a good
indication as to how well suited he is to be

a magic-user. Neophytes, and all zero-level
magic students for that matter, attack in
combat as if they were zero-level humans
(which the combat tables show is just as
good as a 1st-level magic-user).
Shortly after admission to the school of
magic, each neophyte is presented with
his book of cantrips, which can hold a
maximum of 36 of these simple spells. A
neophyte can learn as many cantrips of
each type as the number of spells of each
level he can learn due to his intelligence
score. For example, a student with an
intelligence of 12 could learn a minimum
of five and a maximum of seven cantrips
in each category of useful, reversed, legerdemain,
person-affecting, and haunting
cantrips. Magic students with high intelligence
are capable of learning most, if not
all, of the cantrips in each category.
Cantrips must be learned just as spells
are, though they are far less complicated
than even the simplest 1st-level spell.
Because of this, all students add 20% to
their percentage chance to know each
cantrip based on their intelligence. This
means that a student with an intelligence
of 9 has a 55% chance of learning each
cantrip, instead of the normal 35% chance
to know each spell. The maximum chance
of knowing each cantrip is 95% for students
with an intelligence of 17 or more;
there must always be a chance for failure.

Cantrips may be learned at the rate of one
per month for neophytes and two per
month for initiates and apprentices. High
intelligence has no affect upon this,
although it does help determine how rapidly
students rise from one grade to the
next. Neophytes use one cantrip per day.
The framework of the school of magic is
not as rigidly structured as the medieval
or modern college, and the students are
not as strictly regimented in their scholastic
endeavors. Students of the school of
magic do not attend classes at regular
hours on a daily basis. Instead, they attend
irregular lectures and symposia held by
the schools chancellor and lesser magicusers
two or three times per week. Additionally,
the students meet with their
mentor several times a week, sometimes
for a very short while, at other times for
hours on end.

Basic indoctrination of the neophytes is
assigned to the school?s lst- and 2nd-level
magic-users. They have the often tedious
tasks of teaching the neophytes the various
theories of magic and the fundamentals
of spell-casting, the verbalizations
required, proper somatic gestures, and
correct use of spell components. The
embryonic knowledge gained from these
lectures is expounded upon by the mentors
during their frequent meetings with
their students. Here, students put into
practice what they have learned, and the

mentor helps them to overcome any difficulties
which might arise. The mentor also
instructs his students in any general
knowledge that he feels appropriate to
their education (if it is allowed by the
chancellor).

In some respects, passing beyond the
grade of neophyte is the most difficult step
in graduating from the school of magic.
Aside from attending lectures and meeting
with their mentors, neophytes must do
much studying on their own time, as well
as help keep the school of magic clean and
tidy, and perform any other menial tasks
which they might be assigned. Also, since
they are restricted to the general confines
of the school, it is virtually impossible for
neophytes to reduce their negative
experience-point totals by any means
other than studying.

At the end of each month, all students of
the school of magic can reduce their negative
experience-point totals by a variable
number of points gained from studying
and practicing the arcane sciences. This
number is determined by rolling 1d6,
multiplying the result by the student?s
intelligence score, and applying any of the
following bonuses or penalties which are
appropriate:

-5 points if the student attends a large
school;
+5 points if the student attends a small
school;
+5 points if the student is a half-elf;
+10 points if the student is an elf; and,
+10 points in any month the chancellor
personally taught the student.

The bonuses for elves and half-elves
reflect those races? natural affinity toward
magic. The school modifiers represent the
likelihood that students in a small school
receive more attention from their instructors
than those in a large school. The
bonus for the chancellor teaching reflects
the fact that students tend to learn more
from his instruction. Whether this is due
to his greater experience and teaching
ability or the students? awe or fear is
irrelevant.

For example: In his first month studying
at the school of magic, Nicomedes the
neophyte rolls a 3 on ld6, which is multiplied
by his intelligence score of 14 for a
total of 42. Add + 5 to this because Nicomedes
is a half-elf, another +5 because he
attends a small school and + 10 because
the chancellor taught that month This
gives Nicomedes a total of 62 xp, which
drops his negative experience-point total
from -1,990 to -1,928.

Using this system, the luckiest, most
brilliant elven magic student who ever
lived, attending a small school of magic
run by the most dedicated chancellor of all
time, could glide through the three grades
of magic students and reach 1st level in
only 15 months! The densest, most pathetic
human student of all time might spend
25 years or more plodding through a large
school with an indifferent chancellor. A
student of average luck and intelligence,
attending an average school with an average
chancellor, might make it through the
school of magic by study alone in about
four years. Fortunately, students in the
two higher grades (initiates and apprentices)
can earn experience points by means
other than studying.

Once a student has reduced his negative
experience-point total to -1,000, he
becomes a zero-level initiate. Initiates have
2 hp, make all saving throws as 1st-level
magic-users at -2, and can use two cantrips
per day. During this secondary stage
of their education, the school?s 3rd- and
4th-level magic-users take over their weekly
lectures, sometimes assisted by the
alchemist. This instruction comprises the
basics of more complicated spell-casting,
elementals of magic reading, the chemistry
of magic, and location and identification of
spell components found in nature. The
mentor also continues the personal tutoring
of any of his students who become
initiates.

At this grade, initiates are permitted to
leave the school for brief outings of no
longer than a week, in the company of a
3rd- or 4th-level magic-user, their mentor,
or the chancellor. These jaunts, which are
not normally worthy of the title "adventures,
" are not unlike the modern class
field trip. Often, the students might also be
accompanied by a druid or ranger friendly
to the school of magic, who sometimes
assists in fulfilling the purpose of the
outing. Sometimes these outings take the
form of testing, such as having the initiates
locate and obtain a certain spell component.
At other times, these trips are
staged to visit local fighters or clerics, who
demonstrate to the students the position
held by magic-users in the world around
them, and expose them to the duties that
might one day be expected of them.

During these short trips, initiates may
supplement their study by earning experience
points in the field. Normal points are
awarded for any monster killed or defeated,
but the magic-user in charge of the
outing has complete control over any
distribution to students of any treasure
acquired during the trip, and is not
required to give any initiate so much as a
single copper piece. Fair-minded instructors
usually dole out some monetary treasure
or other minor tokens to the
students, to whet their appetites and give
them a glimpse of their possible future.
Common sense must prevail in these dealings;
should the members of the outing, by
some stroke of fortune, come across several
thousand gold pieces worth of trea

sure, the magic-user in charge is not going
to give any initiate enough treasure to
make 1st level. Even within these restrictions,
the fortuitous find of a few small
gems or some other valuable piece of
merchandise could be worth more to an
initiate than a couple months of intense
study. A DM could logically declare that
magic students receive no experience for
treasure found, as they have no opportunity
to spend or use it.

When a magic student has reduced his
negative experience-point total to -500,
he becomes a zero-level apprentice.
Apprentices have 3 hp, make all saving
throws as 1st-level magic-users at -1, and
can use three cantrips per day. The final
stage of the magic students? education is
conducted by the school?s lesser magicusers
of 5th level or higher, the mentors,
and the chancellor. Apprentices are
allowed to work in the laboratory, assisting
the magic-users in research and experiments.
At this point, they are exposed to
the formulae for concocting potions, the
process of penning magic scrolls, and
much more. During this time, the apprentices
are inundated by the chancellor, their
mentors, and all the other magic-users
with as much of the legends and lore that
they possess and are willing to share with
others. The magic students must absorb as
much of this as they can, for it will assist
them later to have as much knowledge as
possible concerning everything from the
lowliest potions to the most powerful
artifacts.

At this stage, apprentices also study and
practice something else which will be of
use to them in their later adventuring
lives: a nonweapon proficiency. Upon
enrolling at the school of magic, all students
have only two nonweapon proficiencies.
These represent knowledge or skills
gained by the student in his previous life.
If the DM wishes, any of these proficiencies
may be higher than normal. For example,
Fionulla is a human who decided to
become a magic student at age 27. However,
before that she was a gemcutter of
some repute and has a skill level of 3 in
that nonweapon proficiency. An apprentice
begins work on his third nonweapon
proficiency and becomes proficient in it
upon attaining 1st level. This third nonweapon
proficiency must be an adventuring
or wilderness proficiency requiring
only one slot. Aside from these restrictions,
it may be any nonweapon proficiency
the DM feels the apprentice could
acquire at the school of magic.

Apprentices may go on outings like
initiates and may accompany their mentors
on short adventures during the mentors
? months off from teaching. Such
adventures should be no longer than a
fortnight in length, although some leeway

could be granted concerning this. If any
apprentice is away from the school of
magic for more than a week, he may not
roll for experience points earned from
studying during that month. Because of
this penalty, the apprentice must carefully
weigh the possible gains of adventuring
against the lost study time. Of course,
most students will jump at the chance to
go adventuring, and few will ever truly
examine the consequences. The mentor
retains absolute control of any division of
treasure to apprentices, but due to their
special relationship, he is likely to be
somewhat more generous than with an
initiate.

Once a student has reduced his negative
experience-point total to zero, he is considered
a graduate of the school of magic and
becomes a 1st-level prestidigitator. He then
rolls 1d4 for hit points but ignores the roll
and retains the hit points he had as an
apprentice unless a four is rolled. The
school holds a celebration in his honor, at
which the chancellor congratulates him,
welcomes him as the newest member of
the faculty, and presents the newly promoted
prestidigitator with his book of
first-level spells. This first spell book is
along the lines of those described on page 39 of the DMG and
page 79 of Unearthed Arcana, with certain changes. The spell
book cannot contain any spell which is not
currently known by at least one member
of the school of magic. Logic also dictates
that the prestidigitator would have
reviewed its contents with those who
prepared the spell book, to insure that he
is capable of knowing each spell placed in
the book.

The prestidigitator is now considered a
1st-level magic-user in all respects, and he
may cast one 1st-level spell (or four cantrips,
if he requested to retain them in
place of one of his initial allotment of 1stlevel
spells) per day. However, upon graduation
from the school of magic, the
student is not yet free, as the school of
magic demands service from its graduates.
All 1st-level prestidigitators who have
graduated from the school of magic are
required to remain there for a period of
two years to assist in the teaching of the
students, just like any other lesser magicuser.
The chancellor pays them a monthly
salary; in their off months, they might be
allowed to go adventuring. At the end of
two years, these graduates are free to do
what they will, including remaining at the
school of magic, if that is their wish.
The rules presented here for advancing
a student through the school of magic
were designed primarily for NPCs. As it
can take four years or more for the average
student to graduate, it was felt that
most players would be reluctant to operate
such a character. However, should

someone wish to play a student of the
school of magic, here are a couple of ideas
which could speed up the process. First,
give the student a PC bonus of +25 xp
each month, which could knock a year or
more off the time required to graduate.
The second method is to assume the student
had some prior private tutoring in
magic, and can qualify for enrollment in
the school of magic as a 2nd-grade initiate.

Whenever a student is promoted to the
faculty of the school of magic, the word
gets around, and there is a chance that a
new student soon arrives to fill the vacancy.
Also, at the start of each new year,
there is a chance that one or more new
students are attracted to the school of
magic. The exact percentage chance of
these events occurring, and the number of
students involved, are determined by
consulting Table 4. The only restriction on
results from Table 4 is that the school may
never have more students than the maximum
number allotted for its size on Table 1.
Should the school of magic find itself
with fewer than its minimum requirement
of students, one new student is automatically
attracted each month until the minimum
requirement is met.

Faculty advancement
There are two methods by which faculty
members of the school of magic can gain
experience points and rise in level: teaching
and adventuring. Teaching can be slow
and laborious, but can be spiritually (if not
financially) rewarding. Adventuring is
mostly what the AD&D® game is about; the
bold who survive gain a great profit in a
short time. The school of magic creates a
balance between the two, enabling weary
adventurers to recuperate in the relative
safety of the classroom while still earning
experience, yet allowing the bored pedagogue
the opportunity to cut loose, venture
forth into the world, and get some
excitement.

All faculty members at the school of
magic, including the chancellor but excluding
the alchemist (his teaching is very
minimal), earn experience each month that
they teach equal to 10% of the total number
of experience points earned by all the
students at the school of magic. For example,
a school of magic has 32 students who
earned a total of 1,620 xp in a given
month, which means that every member
of the faculty who taught that month
would earn 162 xp (round all fractions to
the nearest whole number). Additionally,
each mentor, including the chancellor,
gains an additional 10% for the experience
earned by his circle of students during
each month he teaches. Using the above
example, seven students belonging to one
mentor earned 387 of the 1,620 xp, resulting
in another 39 xp for their mentor, who

earned a total of 201 xp for teaching that
month.

This could add up to a lot of paperwork
for a large school with a great many students,
but you were warned. It could also
be argued that it is wrong to give experience
points to magic-users for sitting in
the comfort of the classroom and teaching,
but characters should be able to earn
experience from activities other than
?kicking the door and killing the orc.? The
faculty members of the school of magic
spend three to eight months each year
teaching, performing a valuable service
and honing their magical skills, and it is
only right that they gain from this experience.
Adventuring remains the prime
source of experience points; those gained
by teaching are few in comparison to
those gained from adventuring, and it
would take all but the lowliest of magicusers
many years of teaching to gain
enough experience to rise even a single
level.

The chancellor of the school of magic
has a great influence upon the adventuring
activities of his faculty. It is he who
decides who may leave the school of magic
to go adventuring and for how long. At
any rate, no more than one-third (round
fractions of up or down to the nearest
whole number) of the school?s lesser
magic-users may be absent from the
school at any one time. Thus, the chancellor
of a school of magic with six lesser
magic-users would normally require four
of them to be present at all times. Also, in
most cases, the highest-ranking lesser
magic-user is expected to remain at the
school of magic whenever the chancellor
is absent.

The right to go adventuring is a privilege
for which lesser magic-users must pay
their chancellor. After all, he provides
them with bed and board, a monthly salary,
protection, and the benefits of his vast
knowledge of magic. It is only fair and
proper that these lesser magic-users give
their chancellor something in return. A
chancellor of good alignment often
demands no more than one-third of any
monetary treasure gained by his lesser
magic-users on their adventures. A neutral
chancellor might insist upon one-third or
one-half of any treasure gained, depending
upon his bent. An evil chancellor claims
up to two-thirds of any treasure. Of
course, these figures are suggestions; any
deal could be worked out between a chancellor
and his lesser magic-users.

The chancellor also has the right of
access to any magical treasure obtained by
his lesser magic-users during their adventures.
This does not mean that the magical
treasure is simply handed over to the head
of the school of magic. On the contrary;
no henchman would ever be willing to just

hand over his hard-won spoils to any
master, nor should be expected to do so.
What the chancellor does get is the right
to examine the magical items captured by
his lesser magic-users, perhaps to read
over (and possibly copy) a scroll containing
a spell the lesser magic-user could not
normally use or to attempt the discovery
of the powers of some unusual item.

The changing of ownership of these
treasures between the lesser magic-users
and their chancellor is a matter for DMs
and players to resolve. However, no chancellor
is going to hand over all his spells
and secrets to his lesser magic-users simply
because they have gained a few levels.
Besides, a newly acquired magical item
could well be the key that unlocks the
chancellor?s spell books for a highly coveted
spell. Evil lesser magic-users could
conceivably attempt to hold out on their
chancellors in this matter, but they must
be prepared to suffer the consequences
should he learn of their deception. Similarly,
a chancellor might just take a magical
item he wants. Again, the ramifications of
this could be unpleasant for all concerned

Territorial development
The cost of maintaining a school of
magic, in day-to-day running expenses and
the annual upkeep payment, can get very
expensive. Some chancellors could find
themselves hard-pressed to pay the bills
unless they and their lesser magic-users
undertake a considerable amount of
adventuring. Another possible way to
augment the chancellor's income is with
tax revenue. In order to do this, the chancellor
must first establish a magical freehold
similar to that described on page 25
of the Players Handbook.

Starting at 12th level (wizard), or anytime
thereafter, a magic-user may elect to
establish a magical freehold ? or weirding
hold, as it is often called. In order to do
this, the wizard must construct a stronghold
of some sort (a school of magic is
ideal for this) and clear the surrounding
territory of hostile creatures for a radius
of 10-20 miles (or an area of 300-1,250
square miles, if irregular in shape). It
should be clearly understood that no
wizard is ever compelled to establish a
school of magic before he sets out to organize
a weirding hold, although doing the
former first would probably make the
latter task much easier. Either of these
projects may be undertaken independently
of each other, without each other, in any
order, or simultaneously. However, should
a wizard decide to establish both a weirding
hold and a school of magic at the same
time, he is forced to establish his school of
magic at some distance from the nearest
community.

As with the school of magic, the costs of
constructing the wizards stronghold can
be determined by consulting pages 106-
108 of the DMG. To this must be added
another 1,000-4,000 gp (exact amount at
the DM?s discretion) to advertise in the
surrounding lands for a wizards sword
arm, a fighter who becomes the chief
military officer of the weirding hold. If a
wizard has already established a school of
magic, he can move the school to his new
stronghold in the weirding hold if the hold
was designed to contain it. This entails
moving most of the equipment and paraphernalia
from the old school, but there is
also a minor outfitting cost added on to
the basic construction of the new strong
hold. This outfitting cost is equal to 10% of
the total cost of the new stronghold and is
added to form the new total upon which
the wizard-chancellor?s annual upkeep for
his school of magic is based.

A wizard takes this major step for a
variety of reasons. Chancellors may find
the school of magic has lost some of its
challenge, and they may desire another
goal to work for. Some do it to expand
their power and to give them subjects to
rule, thereby gaming a population base for
military forces. Certain wizards see this as
a single step towards greater conquest;
others might take over an area in an
attempt to prevent its conquest by other
forces. Whatever the reasons, success in
establishing a weirding hold makes a wizard
far more powerful than his level might
indicate.

Once the wizard has fulfilled the
requirements for establishing a weirding
hold, he gains the right to collect taxes
from every person residing within his
territory. The wizard also attracts a type
of fighter known as the wizards sword
arm, who has come to join him in
response to his expensive advertising
campaign. The wizards sword arm may
be drawn to the weirding hold for any
number of reasons of his own. Perhaps he
is old and tired, and seeks what he thinks
is a comfortable position. It may be the
wizards magic or the thought of future
conquests emanating from the weirding
hold which lure him. Then again, the
wizards sword arm may have some deep,
dark reason of his own for coming to the
weirding hold.

The wizards sword arm must be a fighter,
ranger, or cavalier. He is considered a
castellan (see page 34 of the DMG) in all
respects except that his command is the
entire weirding hold. Depending upon his
class and level, the wizards sword arm
may not have any followers or men-atarms,
and the wizard must provide such
troops or send his sword arm out to
recruit them. This is another theme which
runs through much of the literature of
swords and sorcery: the story of the great

wizard who makes an alliance with a
fighter to brandish the sword that he
could not wield. The classic version of this
is that of Merlin and King Arthur.

The wizards sword arm is of a level
equal to two-thirds that of the wizard
establishing the weirding hold, plus or
minus one level. Simply multiply the level
of the wizard in question by 2/3 (rounding
fractions up or down to the nearest whole
number), then roll percentile dice. A score
of 01-40 means the level drops by one, 41-
80 means it remains the same, and 81-00
means it goes up one level. For example, a
14th-level wizard attracts a base sword
arm of 9th level (two-thirds of 14 is 9 1/3,
rounded down to 9). Percentile dice are
rolled, resulting in a score of 17, which
means the wizards sword arm is dropped
a level to 8th level. This method of determining
the wizards sword arm assures
the wizard of getting a sword arm worthy
of his level, while adding a bit of uncertainty
and variety.

Another way in which the wizards
sword arm differs from a normal castellan
or other mercenary officer is that he is
considered a normal henchman and may

continue to gain experience and levels.
This enables PCs to get into the act and
become a wizards sword arm, which is
actually an excellent position for an ambitious
fighter or cavalier. The sword arm is
the man or woman in charge of the day-today
administration of the weirding hold,
thus freeing the wizard for more important
magical activities. He is charged with
the security of the realm, the collecting of
taxes and other tributes, and enforcing the
wizards will. This choice position could
possibly have more than one claimant;
when a PC applies for the job, the DM
might decide to make him earn it by
fighting for it.

When the wizards sword arm is an NPC,
use Tables 5 and 6 to determine his race
and class. For the purposes of the wizards
sword arm, all demi-humans have only a
15% chance of being double-classed and
only a 5% chance of being triple-classed,
where appropriate. The reasoning behind
this is the fact that the wizards sword arm
may be required to be quite high in level;
also, operating in more than one class
greatly restricts the ability to rise to high
levels for all but the most exceptional

demi-humans. It is up to the DM to decide
if any wizards sword arm can fit into his
campaign. If he doesn?t fit, the DM may
just roll again. For example, let?s say that a
19th-level arch-mage attracted a high-elven
sword arm, who turned out to be a cleric/
fighter/magic-user. Even with a strength of
20, the highest level a high elf can attain as
a fighter is 11th, yet the arch mage is
entitled to a 13th-level fighter for his
sword arm. In this case, the DM could roll
for another sword arm, or he could decide
that being a cleric and a magic-user was
sufficient compensation for being a level
or two short as a fighter

Any sword arm attracted who is a cavalier
or paladin has his normal complement
of retainers or men-at-arms, who are
required to swear allegiance to the wizard
whom their master has decided to serve.
This holds true for any rangers of a high
enough level to have attracted their band
of followers.

Policies and growth
The basic fact that the ruler of the
weirding hold is a mighty wizard has a
powerful influence upon every aspect of
life within the holding, and it might even
affect its relations with its neighbors. A
wizard with a weirding hold, and especially
one with a school of magic within the
holding, is far more likely to rely heavily
upon magic than upon the sheer brute
force of men-at-arms. This is even more
evident when the wizard is an elf or halfelf,
or has a large population of elves or
half-elves residing in the weirding hold.

While magic may be the driving force
behind the weirding holds basic philosophy,
it is still the ruling wizard who determines
the policies under which it is
governed. These policies are simplified
statements of how the wizard views his
subjects, his neighbors, and the world in
general. A wizards policies can affect
every facet of life in the weirding hold,
but the most apparent influence is in the
areas of taxation and population growth.
The policies and their effects upon those
two subjects are listed in Table 7. These
are admittedly very basic pronouncements
upon a great variety of possible policies.
Even so, these policies tend to capture the
essence of any possible outlook a wizard
might have.

inely care about the subjects they have
come to rule. Such wizards take an active
role in the many mundane affairs of the
weirding hold. They truly desire promoting
the well-being of their subjects and
normally levy only enough taxes to help
them maintain their stronghold and school
of magic (if they have one). Relations with
most neighboring states could be cordial
or even close, although the alignments of
the wizard and any neighboring rulers
might determine otherwise.

There is much in a weirding hold to
attract new settlers. Some people may be
drawn by an interest in magic or an
appreciation of what magic may provide
for them. (Elves and half-elves can appreciate
this more than most other races.)
Others might be attracted by the low tax
rate and the knowledge that their future
liege is a benevolent ruler who is attempting
to make life easier for them.

No restrictions should be placed on who
may select this policy. Any good wizard
could select it, as well as any neutral one.
A lawful-evil wizard may well be benevolent
towards those he rules, as long as
they remain in their place. Even a chaoticevil
wizard could choose this policy, if it
suits some purpose he has in mind.

Indifferent wizards are those who don?t
really care about their subjects (or much
else for that matter, except magic). All they
are truly interested in is magical research
and study; the weirding hold is established
only as a means for providing additional
funds and security for their endeavors. An
indifferent wizard delegates most of the
administration of the weirding hold to his
sword arm. In such a holding, this warrior
may become the most important figure in
the state, as far as the subjects are concerned.
Relations with neighboring states
may fluctuate because the wizard has no
desire to offend them nor to curry their
favor. Any wizard may select this policy,
although it is difficult to envision a lawfulgood
wizard choosing it.

People who object to government playing
too large a part in their lives could be

attracted to a weirding hold run by an
indifferent wizard. The key here is how
the wizards sword arm runs things,
because the indifferent wizard has given
him free reign to do much as he wills.
Others could be drawn here to harbor
under the protection of a powerful wizard,
and conduct affairs that might not be
welcomed under the rule of a benevolent
wizard, assuming the wizards sword arm
is amenable.

Malevolent wizards are those who actually
prey upon their subjects and neighbors.
Their sole purpose in life is to
increase their personal power, and they do
their utmost to crush anyone or anything
that stands in their way. Malevolent wizards
burden their subjects with high taxes
and oppress them with their harsh rule.
Neighbors are viewed only as potential
threats or as stepping stones to even
greater power. Only evil and certain neutral
wizards should be allowed to select
this policy.

Few settlers are attracted to a weirding

hold ruled by a malevolent wizard. Those
that are are of the same ilk as the wizard

-- mostly
evil humans and humanoids.
These creatures risk throwing in their lot
with the malevolent ruler because they
desire much the same as he does, and
hope that he will use them to oppress
others.

No wizard is committed to the same
policy forever, and he may change his
policy at the beginning of any new year. A
change of policy is a serious matter,
though, and there should be a sound reason
for any change. The initial policy
selected by a wizard tends to affect the
sort of creatures attracted to the weirding
hold, and a radical change in policy could
result in some unpleasantness, to say the
least. Take the case of an evil wizard with
hordes of humanoids dwelling in his
weirding hold. If he were to wake up one
bright morning and decide to become a
benevolent autocrat, he might well find
himself besieged by these erstwhile allies
by lunchtime. On the other hand, an indif

ferent wizard who knows his weirding
hold is in the path of a barbarian migration
might change to a benevolent policy
(in order to attract more new settlers and
to rally the support of his neighbors) without
unduly upsetting his subjects.
The basic tax rate is exactly that: the
basic amount of taxes which may be collected
from each individual residing within,
the weirding hold per month. The wizard
has the option to raise or lower this rate
by 1 or 2 sp, although few malevolent
wizards are inclined to cut taxes. This
variable tax rate gives the wizard some
room to maneuver, enabling him to react
to any situation that might arise.
Most populations tend to grow, and
those of the weirding hold are no excep-

tion. During the time frame of the typical
AD&D® game campaign, it would take a
series of calamitous natural disasters,
continuous warfare on a massive scale, or
a real maniac for a ruler to actually cause
the population of a state to decline. Once
the original population of the weirding
hold has been determined for tax purposes,
the DM has the base number from
which to determine population growth.
The basic annual growth rate for a weirding
hold is 2-5%. This figure may be modified
by the wizards policy in force during
the previous year, and the following
terrain modifiers:

+ 1% if the weirding hold is in the
mountains or on the coast, due to the
healthy climate; or,

- 1% if the weirding hold is in a marsh
or desert, due to the unhealthy climate.
Use of all modifiers can result in an
annual population growth for a weirding
hold of 0-7%, depending upon the wizard?s
policy and terrain.

Example 1: A benevolent wizard rules a
weirding hold in the mountains with a
population of 2,240. At the start of the
new year, 1d4 is rolled, resulting in 2,
which is raised to 3 for the basic growth
rate; + 1 is added for the wizards benevolent
policy and another + 1 because the
weirding hold is located in the mountains.
This results in a total population growth of
+5%, meaning 112 new babies or immigrants
are added to the population of the
weirding hold.

Example 2: An indifferent wizard has a
weirding hold in a forest with a population
of 1,700. The 1d4 roll results in a score of
3, which is increased to 4, but no more
because there are no additional modifiers
which apply to this situation. The population
of this weirding hold rises by 4%,
adding 68 new residents.

Example 3: A malevolent wizard rules
his desert weirding hold of 4,500 souls
with an iron hand. The 1d4 roll is 2, which
is increased to 3, then reduced to 2
because of the wizards malevolent policy,
and finally reduced to 1 because the
weirding hold is in a desert. Population
growth is 1%, or 45 new inhabitants.
As the population of the weirding hold
grows over the years, the wizard might
decide to increase his armed forces by
enrolling some of his subjects into a standing
militia. (This is another matter that
must be worked out between DMs and
players.) Wizards are not meant to be
warlords, however; any build-up of
domestic military forces should be kept
quite small. Foreign mercenaries may still
be hired in any number.
Incorporating schools of magic and
weirding holds into a campaign is a good
way to liven up the magic-user class.

These institutions give higher-level magicusers
something to work for other than
the creation of magical items. They also
open new vistas for lesser magic-users and
even fighters. DMs find that whole new
areas of campaigning open up before
them. The chancellor of a new school of
magic might discover that he has inadvertantly
infringed upon the territory of
another school of magic, resulting in possible
friction, competition, or even hostility
between the two schools. The attempt to
establish a weirding hold could be the
center of a battle between good and evil
for control of a certain area. Indeed, a
penultimate battle between two weirding
holds, each with its own school of magic
and opposing alignment, gives the term
"final exam" a brand new meaning.

Table 1
Guidelines for Schools of Magic

Size of School	Outfitting Costs	Annual cost for upkeep	Maximum no. students allowed	Initial no. of students attracted
Small	10-30,000 gp	2-5%	15	7-12 (1d6+6)
Medium	30-50,000 gp	3-6%	30	17-24 (1d8+16)
Large	50-80,000 gp	5-10%	50	31-40 (1d10+30)

Table 2
Race of Lesser Magic-Users and Students

Chancellor is:	Percentile dice score
Good human	01-85 human; 86-95 half-elf; 96-00 elf1
Neutral human	01-80 human; 81-90 half-elf; 91-00 elf
Evil human	01-95 human; 96-98 half-elf; 99-00 elf2
Half-Elf3	01-60 human; 61-80 half-elf; 81-00 elf
Elf	01-30 human; 31-50 half-elf; 51-00 elf

¹ All elves and half-elves who are faculty have a 25% chance of being double-classed,
and a 10% chance of being triple-classed.
It is up to the DM to determine any other classes possessed by such demi-human magic-users.
The exact alignment of the school's chancellor should be considered in this deccision;
a lawful-good chancellor ins't likely to attract very many lesser magic-users with the other class of thief.

² An elf received by an evil human is actually a drow,
but only if a lesser magic-user is being rolled for.
If no drow exist in the campaign,
or if rolling for a student,
treat this result as a half-elf.
Some may object to giving an evil chancellor a half-elven assistant or student,
yet there is nothing that prevents a half-elf from being evil,
nor a neutral half-elf from serving certain evil characters.

³ Half-elves are included as chancellors on this table due to the changes made on pages 8-9 of Unearthed Arcana,
which now enable exceptional half-elven magic-users to rise as high as 10th level -- more than enough to qualify as a chancellor for a school of magic.

Table 3
Grades of Zero-Level Magic Students

XPs	Grade title	Accumulated  hit  points1	Saving  throw  penalty2	Cantrips  usable  per day	Cantrips  learnable  per month
-2,000 to -1,001	Neophyte	1	-3	1	1
-1,000 to -501	Initiate	2	-2	2	2
-500 to -1	Apprentice	3	-1	3	2

¹ Remember to add any constitution bonus.
² Zero-level magic students make all saving throws as a 1st-level magic-user,
with the indicated penalty.
In no case is their saving throw ever worse than that for a zero-level human.

Table 4
Enrollment of New Students

Size of school	Replacement student	Annual new enrollment
Small	25%	60% for 1
Medium	35%	70% for 1-2
Large	50%	80% for 2-4

Table 5
Race of Wizard's Sword Arm

Wizard is:	Percentile dice score
Good human	01-85 human; 86-90 half-elf; 91-95 elf; 96-00 dwarf
Neutral human	01-80 human; 81-90 half elf; 91-00 elf
Evil human	01-85 human; 86-95 half-orc; 96-89 half-elf; 99-001
Elf	01-30 human; 31-50 half-elf; 51-00

¹ This elf is actually a drow; if no drow exist in the campaign, treat this result as a half-elf.





Table 6
Class of Wizard's Sword Arm

Sword arm is:	Percentile dice score
Human	01-75 fighter; 76-85 ranger1; 86-00 cavalier2
Half-elf	01-85 fighter; 86-95 ranger; 96-00 cavalier3
Elf	01-80 fighter; 81-90 ranger; 91-00 cavalier
Dwarf/Half-orc	01-00 fighter

¹ If the wizard is evil, treat all results of rangers as fighters.
² If the wizard is lawful good, there is a 25% chance that any cavalier attracted is actually a paladin.
³ See notes in text regarding demi-human sword arms.

Table 7
Weirding Hold Policies

Wizard's policy	Basic tax rate	Population growth modifier
Benevolent	5 sp	+1%
Indifferent	6 sp	0%
Malevolent	8 sp	-1%

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Mouser
Colonel,

The postings on level titles as they relate to guilds got me thinking. In many campaign worlds there are "Mage Guilds," which I assume are modelled on historical guilds (somehow  ). I have never really warmed to the idea of a Mage Guild, and there are none in my own campaign world, as it seems to me any locale with one would soon be a magocracy (to use a term from the DMG). My reading of the character to most Magic-Users (and by extentional illusionists) from the DMG section on acquiring spells is that they are rather protective of sharing information and stand-offish when it comes to anyone but their own apprentices.

Anyway, my question is what say you on the matter?
Does Oerth have its share of Mage Guilds and, if so, where are they. What keeps them in check from forming a hegemony wherever they come into power?

Gray Mouser

Good thing you noted the question, 'Mouser, as I had indeed missed it. Sorry.

I did not have any magical guilds at all in my campauign, and that is why they are not mentioned in the WoG.

OTOH, I do have associations for all practitioners of the arcane arts in the LA game, as with other guilds most being located in large communities.

Your assumption about D&D mages being too likely to be sufficiently powerful to sieze government and rule is likely accurate.
I see them as also rather elitest and secretive about their knowledge as you envisaged them to be.
In the LA game the capacity to use magic is not limited to a class, there are competing associations, the ecclesaistics are potent, so a magocracy is not likely.

The LA game Enchanters' Guild will only accept memebers that meet their strict requirements, they demand high initiation fees and membership dues, as well as payment for any services preformed for members, those being at half the cost demanded from non-members. In a way it might be thought of as a mixture of a country club and a univertsoy faculty.

Cheers,
Gary