Ancient Wizards Study help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Ancient Wizards Study help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Magrus
01-02-07, 10:49 AM I think I am going to go with the players stumbling into the remains of an ancient keep. The treasure at the end being a protected wizards lab/library. IF they get past the traps and actually find the secret door. I was curious to see what others might suggest for me to put in here. The only arcane caster in the group happens to be a sorc, so spellbooks have no immediate value. However, with a crafty player, they could be sold for oodles of gold to a wizard for later use.

I am curious to see if people would suggest going heavy on a spellbook library, or if I should stick with a middle ground for other items. Heavy on potions and scrolls? Maybe no wands? Stuff like that. If someone's done up something like this, I'd appreciate a suggestion in what content for the spellbooks would be a good idea too.

On a note, I am probably going to have the players ending up between 8th-10th level when this even comes around.
Lunas_Argent
01-02-07, 11:19 AM What level is the party, as well as the wizard who owns/owned the lab/library?
I would think that an academic wizard of high level would have an entire library of boks as well as a few closets and chests of wands, rings or such. A lowere level wizard wouldnt have been studying long enough to acqire more than a couple of spell books. I'd say one starting off and another every 5 levels or so. These being included as part of the treasure for a NPC of the appropriate level (that is if they have to deal with the wizard, If not, I would go by the encounters level).
A wizard is also going to have herbs, minerals and stones (and objects made from these minerals and stones), devices made from certain materials (chalk made with blood, dreamcatcher with gryphon feathers, etc.), items made from silver or gold, candles, bones from certain animals (or certain humanoids). Think of any book or movie youve ever read or seen with wizards in them and what they used in their work.
Potions and wands would be common for most wizard capable of making them. Their like spells that could be used anywhere/when and are very useful for wizards. Not all common objects in a wizadrs workshop are all that common, either. A wizards candles might be for certain rites or may have certain spells or qualities.
Puca
01-02-07, 11:19 AM Any and all magical tomes would be right for a study, of course. A Golem Manuel for a Flesh Golem has all wizard spells and is about the right level.

I would think that any wizards study would need a way for him to observe the outside world. A crystal ball seems right for such a place.

After that, Id look at items that are bigger than average – I dont know why the wizard left, but it would seem that any easy to carry items would be with him. So have big stuff that will also be hard for the party to carry, like the magic Mirrors. Actually, a Mirror of Opposition, though high caster level for this group, would be a nice final encounter for this group.

Then little items, basically knickknacks: Feather tokens, Figurines of Wondrous Power, that sort of thing.
Magrus
01-02-07, 11:51 AM What level is the party, as well as the wizard who owns/owned the lab/library?

I mentioned somewhere between 8th-10th when I get them to this area in the first post. The wizard? I was thinking of him being powerful as I was planning on them stumbling on an ancient keep. Something buried and a new keep has been built on top of. So, I was going to be deciding on whether it was a truly powerful and having his stuff end up so old that the protection spells he had cast on his stuff ended up crumbling from the age of the protections. Or possibly having the "powerful wizard" having left in a hurry and taken anything not too big to carry on his person. Or perhaps some it was destroyed in some accident, I'm not sure yet.

The mirrors and candles I like. Herbs and such would go well with an alchemists bench. If I am going with candles, I suppose there might be a seperate room with a permament protection from evil spell on it used for summoning or ritual casting. Which might lead to a few types of arcane casters then. Perhaps one of the following?

*Conjurer
*Primitive caster focusing on ritual spells. Perhaps new spells that are unknown to the world as of now and incredibly powerful.
*Someone who was using magic to experiment on other creatures. Perhaps creating new species or something.

Considering the type of campaing that this is, I might lean towards a combination of the last two. So, perhaps to be more detailed, lets say a wizard from a ages ago lived here. So old in fact, that the home he had, whether it be an old keep, cave, tower, whatever...was buried under the slow building up of soil and such over the tower. The normal permanent spells that would last "forever" were tested, and they do not last "forever" but simply longer than any natural creature would ever live for. The stuff wasn't looted, as the protection spells were in place until recently. The room wasn't trashed, because the protection spells kept everything safe. The wizard died in the home, so he didn't take off with anything.

The wizard performed experiments, but didn't use magic as it is used today. No, he focused on ritual spells, not slinging spells on the fly like wizards and sorcerers of this age. The party stumbles on arcane antiques. To the wrong people, this stuff is dusty crap, not useful to todays "advanced" wizards. To the right people though, which may be an adventure in and of itself to find, this stuff is worth its weight in platinum. Special spells that have been kept safe from the dawn of ages now extinct that haven't even been rumored about. A powerful wizard could decode the spells and apply them to the "new" form of magic, or perhaps a truly ancient dragon would recognize the spells and seek to trade his entire stash for the books that are largely undecipherable to the party.

Any thoughts for the type of stuff that might be littered around a lab for something like that? I'd probably need to tear through the epic spells information to create the main worth of the main spellbook, but the "minor" goodies which could be used right away as loot is what would be good for me right now. Maybe ideas for custom magic items or spells too since I may need to make all of the stuff by hand.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Magrus 01-02-07, 10:49 AM	I think I am going to go with the players stumbling into the remains of an ancient keep. The treasure at the end being a protected wizards lab/library. IF they get past the traps and actually find the secret door. I was curious to see what others might suggest for me to put in here. The only arcane caster in the group happens to be a sorc, so spellbooks have no immediate value. However, with a crafty player, they could be sold for oodles of gold to a wizard for later use. I am curious to see if people would suggest going heavy on a spellbook library, or if I should stick with a middle ground for other items. Heavy on potions and scrolls? Maybe no wands? Stuff like that. If someone's done up something like this, I'd appreciate a suggestion in what content for the spellbooks would be a good idea too. On a note, I am probably going to have the players ending up between 8th-10th level when this even comes around.
Lunas_Argent 01-02-07, 11:19 AM	What level is the party, as well as the wizard who owns/owned the lab/library? I would think that an academic wizard of high level would have an entire library of boks as well as a few closets and chests of wands, rings or such. A lowere level wizard wouldnt have been studying long enough to acqire more than a couple of spell books. I'd say one starting off and another every 5 levels or so. These being included as part of the treasure for a NPC of the appropriate level (that is if they have to deal with the wizard, If not, I would go by the encounters level). A wizard is also going to have herbs, minerals and stones (and objects made from these minerals and stones), devices made from certain materials (chalk made with blood, dreamcatcher with gryphon feathers, etc.), items made from silver or gold, candles, bones from certain animals (or certain humanoids). Think of any book or movie youve ever read or seen with wizards in them and what they used in their work. Potions and wands would be common for most wizard capable of making them. Their like spells that could be used anywhere/when and are very useful for wizards. Not all common objects in a wizadrs workshop are all that common, either. A wizards candles might be for certain rites or may have certain spells or qualities.
Puca 01-02-07, 11:19 AM	Any and all magical tomes would be right for a study, of course. A Golem Manuel for a Flesh Golem has all wizard spells and is about the right level. I would think that any wizards study would need a way for him to observe the outside world. A crystal ball seems right for such a place. After that, Id look at items that are bigger than average – I dont know why the wizard left, but it would seem that any easy to carry items would be with him. So have big stuff that will also be hard for the party to carry, like the magic Mirrors. Actually, a Mirror of Opposition, though high caster level for this group, would be a nice final encounter for this group. Then little items, basically knickknacks: Feather tokens, Figurines of Wondrous Power, that sort of thing.
Magrus 01-02-07, 11:51 AM	What level is the party, as well as the wizard who owns/owned the lab/library? I mentioned somewhere between 8th-10th when I get them to this area in the first post. The wizard? I was thinking of him being powerful as I was planning on them stumbling on an ancient keep. Something buried and a new keep has been built on top of. So, I was going to be deciding on whether it was a truly powerful and having his stuff end up so old that the protection spells he had cast on his stuff ended up crumbling from the age of the protections. Or possibly having the "powerful wizard" having left in a hurry and taken anything not too big to carry on his person. Or perhaps some it was destroyed in some accident, I'm not sure yet. The mirrors and candles I like. Herbs and such would go well with an alchemists bench. If I am going with candles, I suppose there might be a seperate room with a permament protection from evil spell on it used for summoning or ritual casting. Which might lead to a few types of arcane casters then. Perhaps one of the following? Conjurer Primitive caster focusing on ritual spells. Perhaps new spells that are unknown to the world as of now and incredibly powerful. *Someone who was using magic to experiment on other creatures. Perhaps creating new species or something. Considering the type of campaing that this is, I might lean towards a combination of the last two. So, perhaps to be more detailed, lets say a wizard from a ages ago lived here. So old in fact, that the home he had, whether it be an old keep, cave, tower, whatever...was buried under the slow building up of soil and such over the tower. The normal permanent spells that would last "forever" were tested, and they do not last "forever" but simply longer than any natural creature would ever live for. The stuff wasn't looted, as the protection spells were in place until recently. The room wasn't trashed, because the protection spells kept everything safe. The wizard died in the home, so he didn't take off with anything. The wizard performed experiments, but didn't use magic as it is used today. No, he focused on ritual spells, not slinging spells on the fly like wizards and sorcerers of this age. The party stumbles on arcane antiques. To the wrong people, this stuff is dusty crap, not useful to todays "advanced" wizards. To the right people though, which may be an adventure in and of itself to find, this stuff is worth its weight in platinum. Special spells that have been kept safe from the dawn of ages now extinct that haven't even been rumored about. A powerful wizard could decode the spells and apply them to the "new" form of magic, or perhaps a truly ancient dragon would recognize the spells and seek to trade his entire stash for the books that are largely undecipherable to the party. Any thoughts for the type of stuff that might be littered around a lab for something like that? I'd probably need to tear through the epic spells information to create the main worth of the main spellbook, but the "minor" goodies which could be used right away as loot is what would be good for me right now. Maybe ideas for custom magic items or spells too since I may need to make all of the stuff by hand.