About the cowled Wizards in FR setting [Archive] - Wizards Community

About the cowled Wizards in FR setting [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Pudge_is_cute
03-10-08, 04:55 AM I'm not sure if this is bad for our game but hey, a little research and outside help is not bad at all am I right. :/

Yes, I've read the descriptions about these fascist wizards in the net, that they capture those "deviant" magic-users without a license and throw them in that Asylum called Spellhold. The problem is the information regarding about them are somewhat limited and slightly not helpfull in my research so I make this thread in order to ask help in how to do and understand the following.

1. In what sense does the word "deviant" means in the cowled wizards dictionary and....

2. if you are a D.M in what way would you make an excuse for the cowled wizard to capture or be after the party wizard?

3. In DnD terms how could I get a license to be a legal wizard in Amn or whatever there is a wizard bannage area?

4. What would they do to me(wizard) "if" they capture me, I mean, torture? I don't want that(nobody does). T_T

5. How could I avoid these people, I mean should I do it the magical way or do I just pretend as an intelligent peasant?
Entropy_Judge
03-10-08, 09:06 AM Having read nothing more than the tiny paragraph in Wikipedia, I'm not sure I can help much - these would be questions your DM should know the answer too, however.

1) It could mean anything from practicing illegal magic to illegal branches of magic (Necromancy, maybe?) to being a member of a particular organization (Red Wizards, Zhentarim, etc). If I were DM'ing, I probably wouldn't tell the players what their definition of "deviancy" is unless it's relatively common knowledge, though.

2) Observed use of illegal magic (using a necromantic spell and having someone see and report it), or (if I wanted to use them as a plot hook for something) if a thief steals the spell component bag and finds something that can be used for 'illegal' purposes (maybe a gem for use in Animate Dead spells) and turns them in. If I were just using them as an annoyance/deterrent, it would be limited to excessive use of flashy magic.

3) Player advice: Have a non-M-U character look for information; maybe say that he/she has a M-U friend who wants to come study. The less you know about the wizards, the more careful I'd be about checking for a license, but *Do Not Lie* to them, even if you can make the DC.

4) Brainwash to join their order, magical experimentation (owlbears had to come from somewhere ...), maybe they'll just kill you. I would base it on how paranoid I wanted the CW to be, as well as how 'deviant' your character was being.

5) Again, depending on how paranoid they are (maybe they check for magical auras and go for them first?), the best way to go would probably be non-magical - pretend to be a Sage, or some other knowledgable personage who's looking for information. Depending on how agreeable the rest of your party is, they may be willing to play the role of bodyguards.
Lincoln Hills
03-10-08, 03:14 PM You can learn much about the order of the Cowled Wizards, and Spellhold, by playing Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, an oldie but goodie. Part of one chapter is dominated by Spellhold. However, I'll summarize.

1. Officially, "deviants" are wizards who use magic to endanger the citizens of Amn. But unofficially, "deviants" are wizards who don't pay a substantial bribe to the Cowled Order.

2. The Cowled Wizards can't really make a pinch until a foreign wizard casts an "attack spell" (basically use the same conditions listed under invisibility to decide what qualifies) in public. Then they can nail the PC with claims of "endangering the public," "national security," and so forth.

3. Seek out any licensed arcane spell-caster - odds are he's a member of the Cowled Wizards or can tell you where to find one. You'll want to make sure that you are presented to a 'treasurer' or other official fee-taker, and see ample proof of Cowled Wizard membership, because this is Amn and scamming ignorant foreigners is a national pastime.

4. Captured "deviants" were formerly placed in Spellhold, in cells bearing something similar to globe of invulnerability enchantments or Impeded Magic planar traits: only an exceptionally powerful caster had a chance of breaking free. However (in the course of BGII) one eventually did so: I suspect that Spellhold now employs different forms of magic toward the same end. In essence, you'd be hold captive for life in an island fortress, but whether you were treated well or not depends on who the Warden of Spellhold is these days.

5. The simplest way is to only cast spells in private areas, or while cloaked with disguise self, improved invisibility or something along those lines. Technically the C.W. can't grab you just for being an arcane caster - you can walk around with your spell component pouch and pointy hat all day, and they can't do a thing about it. You can even get away with stuff like divinations in public, but remember: they're watching and waiting for any excuse to shake you down or lock you up.
Pudge_is_cute
03-11-08, 12:49 AM That is also one of the reasons why I cam asking you guys, my D.M is a fanatic and has played all DnD games(from those DnD arcade games, Baldurs gate, N.W.N, and T.o.E.E) which gives him enough knowledge on said areas.

Even now I am paranoid, my Wizard is under the Geass quest to this certain merchant bound to Calimshan, but he is willing to end the quest in Athkatla as long as I retrieve a certain item to his possesion. Giving the nature that most of my spell are flashy and the fact that you guys give makes me even more deathly afraid of approaching that place.:weep:

Any more advice in what Athkatla is in store for me(according to Baldurs gate or any other source)? T_T
unundindur
03-11-08, 01:22 AM Pay 5.000 gp in licence. That's what you do in BGII ;)

What level are you? If you are exceptionally powerful you may kill enough of them that they stop attacking you (let me stress exceptionally).

If you are there to simply kill someone or find an item or whatnot, there is nothing stopping you from having full fledged spell-battles inside a building.

Just keep away from the public areas. :)
Pudge_is_cute
03-11-08, 01:34 AM Pay 5.000 gp in licence. That's what you do in BGII ;)

What level are you? If you are exceptionally powerful you may kill enough of them that they stop attacking you (let me stress exceptionally).

If you are there to simply kill someone or find an item or whatnot, there is nothing stopping you from having full fledged spell-battles inside a building.

Just keep away from the public areas. :)

I just reached lvl 10 last week(due to roleplay and a couple of fights) and I do not have the advantage of having gold since I am largely indebt with this merchant. Long story short, I help him, he help me, I help him again, next thing I know he help me big time and since I have this reputation, he ensure that I will always be at his side... and beside him in bed(collateral he says).

I am not sure if 10 lvls is enough to stop them if ever I have no choice. I also want to be out of that merchants grasp so I think it will be a viable choice to do this mission, though it appears this is really not worth the risk. I hope I am not gonna frustrate my D.M by not accepting the mission though.
Josheva
03-11-08, 04:56 PM 1. In what sense does the word "deviant" means in the cowled wizards dictionary and....

2. if you are a D.M in what way would you make an excuse for the cowled wizard to capture or be after the party wizard?

3. In DnD terms how could I get a license to be a legal wizard in Amn or whatever there is a wizard bannage area?

4. What would they do to me(wizard) "if" they capture me, I mean, torture? I don't want that(nobody does). T_T

5. How could I avoid these people, I mean should I do it the magical way or do I just pretend as an intelligent peasant?

Being a long-time Baldur's Gate player, I will try to help. All of my knowledge of the Cowled Wizards comes directly from this source.

1- A "magical deviant" is anyone who casts an arcane spell of any sort in a public place after receiving your first warning not to. If you are involved in a majour disturbance you forfeit your right to a warning. These do not have to be attack spells, but they do have to be arcane.

2- Baldur's Gate 2 begins with you and your party in a wizard's lair after being captured. When you leave the lair, the wizard is killing some shadow thieves. One of your group members defiantly casts a magic missile at this wizard. When the cowled wizards come, this wizard and your group member are both carted off to spellhold.

3- You may pay 5000gp to have a license to cast spells in public areas. If you cause a magical disturbance anytime afterwards you are carted off to spellhold with no refund.

4- Spellhold is basically a place for people to disappear. You are not tortured there, but are, rather, taken care of until your problems can be solved. I am not sure if the wizards actively do anything to solve your problems, but they do let you out of the asylum if you can pass a series of challenges that test your sanity, which take the form of an obstacle course/labrynth.

The specific wizards on duty, however, are controlled about as much as prison guards. If a cowled wizard wants to throw some magic missiles at you for annoying him, or cast a dominate person on you for...other reasons...nobody will stop him.

5- Before you have your licence just avoid casting arcane spells of any sort in public places. Your DM may decide that they have surveillance over everything within city limits, so you may want to consult him about that. In BG2 you can cast spells within houses and such, but he may think differently.

You can also kill enough of them that they stop coming at you, but that would be foolhardy and unadvisable.
WilliamTanner
03-12-08, 11:46 AM I think your character would do well to dress like a local (i.e. not a wizard) and ask around town what the cowled wizards are and how best to avoid being disappeared.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Pudge_is_cute 03-10-08, 04:55 AM	I'm not sure if this is bad for our game but hey, a little research and outside help is not bad at all am I right. :/ Yes, I've read the descriptions about these fascist wizards in the net, that they capture those "deviant" magic-users without a license and throw them in that Asylum called Spellhold. The problem is the information regarding about them are somewhat limited and slightly not helpfull in my research so I make this thread in order to ask help in how to do and understand the following. 1. In what sense does the word "deviant" means in the cowled wizards dictionary and.... 2. if you are a D.M in what way would you make an excuse for the cowled wizard to capture or be after the party wizard? 3. In DnD terms how could I get a license to be a legal wizard in Amn or whatever there is a wizard bannage area? 4. What would they do to me(wizard) "if" they capture me, I mean, torture? I don't want that(nobody does). T_T 5. How could I avoid these people, I mean should I do it the magical way or do I just pretend as an intelligent peasant?
Entropy_Judge 03-10-08, 09:06 AM	Having read nothing more than the tiny paragraph in Wikipedia, I'm not sure I can help much - these would be questions your DM should know the answer too, however. 1) It could mean anything from practicing illegal magic to illegal branches of magic (Necromancy, maybe?) to being a member of a particular organization (Red Wizards, Zhentarim, etc). If I were DM'ing, I probably wouldn't tell the players what their definition of "deviancy" is unless it's relatively common knowledge, though. 2) Observed use of illegal magic (using a necromantic spell and having someone see and report it), or (if I wanted to use them as a plot hook for something) if a thief steals the spell component bag and finds something that can be used for 'illegal' purposes (maybe a gem for use in Animate Dead spells) and turns them in. If I were just using them as an annoyance/deterrent, it would be limited to excessive use of flashy magic. 3) Player advice: Have a non-M-U character look for information; maybe say that he/she has a M-U friend who wants to come study. The less you know about the wizards, the more careful I'd be about checking for a license, but Do Not Lie to them, even if you can make the DC. 4) Brainwash to join their order, magical experimentation (owlbears had to come from somewhere ...), maybe they'll just kill you. I would base it on how paranoid I wanted the CW to be, as well as how 'deviant' your character was being. 5) Again, depending on how paranoid they are (maybe they check for magical auras and go for them first?), the best way to go would probably be non-magical - pretend to be a Sage, or some other knowledgable personage who's looking for information. Depending on how agreeable the rest of your party is, they may be willing to play the role of bodyguards.
Lincoln Hills 03-10-08, 03:14 PM	You can learn much about the order of the Cowled Wizards, and Spellhold, by playing Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, an oldie but goodie. Part of one chapter is dominated by Spellhold. However, I'll summarize. 1. Officially, "deviants" are wizards who use magic to endanger the citizens of Amn. But unofficially, "deviants" are wizards who don't pay a substantial bribe to the Cowled Order. 2. The Cowled Wizards can't really make a pinch until a foreign wizard casts an "attack spell" (basically use the same conditions listed under invisibility to decide what qualifies) in public. Then they can nail the PC with claims of "endangering the public," "national security," and so forth. 3. Seek out any licensed arcane spell-caster - odds are he's a member of the Cowled Wizards or can tell you where to find one. You'll want to make sure that you are presented to a 'treasurer' or other official fee-taker, and see ample proof of Cowled Wizard membership, because this is Amn and scamming ignorant foreigners is a national pastime. 4. Captured "deviants" were formerly placed in Spellhold, in cells bearing something similar to globe of invulnerability enchantments or Impeded Magic planar traits: only an exceptionally powerful caster had a chance of breaking free. However (in the course of BGII) one eventually did so: I suspect that Spellhold now employs different forms of magic toward the same end. In essence, you'd be hold captive for life in an island fortress, but whether you were treated well or not depends on who the Warden of Spellhold is these days. 5. The simplest way is to only cast spells in private areas, or while cloaked with disguise self, improved invisibility or something along those lines. Technically the C.W. can't grab you just for being an arcane caster - you can walk around with your spell component pouch and pointy hat all day, and they can't do a thing about it. You can even get away with stuff like divinations in public, but remember: they're watching and waiting for any excuse to shake you down or lock you up.
Pudge_is_cute 03-11-08, 12:49 AM	That is also one of the reasons why I cam asking you guys, my D.M is a fanatic and has played all DnD games(from those DnD arcade games, Baldurs gate, N.W.N, and T.o.E.E) which gives him enough knowledge on said areas. Even now I am paranoid, my Wizard is under the Geass quest to this certain merchant bound to Calimshan, but he is willing to end the quest in Athkatla as long as I retrieve a certain item to his possesion. Giving the nature that most of my spell are flashy and the fact that you guys give makes me even more deathly afraid of approaching that place.:weep: Any more advice in what Athkatla is in store for me(according to Baldurs gate or any other source)? T_T
unundindur 03-11-08, 01:22 AM	Pay 5.000 gp in licence. That's what you do in BGII ;) What level are you? If you are exceptionally powerful you may kill enough of them that they stop attacking you (let me stress exceptionally). If you are there to simply kill someone or find an item or whatnot, there is nothing stopping you from having full fledged spell-battles inside a building. Just keep away from the public areas. :)
Pudge_is_cute 03-11-08, 01:34 AM	Pay 5.000 gp in licence. That's what you do in BGII ;) What level are you? If you are exceptionally powerful you may kill enough of them that they stop attacking you (let me stress exceptionally). If you are there to simply kill someone or find an item or whatnot, there is nothing stopping you from having full fledged spell-battles inside a building. Just keep away from the public areas. :) I just reached lvl 10 last week(due to roleplay and a couple of fights) and I do not have the advantage of having gold since I am largely indebt with this merchant. Long story short, I help him, he help me, I help him again, next thing I know he help me big time and since I have this reputation, he ensure that I will always be at his side... and beside him in bed(collateral he says). I am not sure if 10 lvls is enough to stop them if ever I have no choice. I also want to be out of that merchants grasp so I think it will be a viable choice to do this mission, though it appears this is really not worth the risk. I hope I am not gonna frustrate my D.M by not accepting the mission though.
Josheva 03-11-08, 04:56 PM	1. In what sense does the word "deviant" means in the cowled wizards dictionary and.... 2. if you are a D.M in what way would you make an excuse for the cowled wizard to capture or be after the party wizard? 3. In DnD terms how could I get a license to be a legal wizard in Amn or whatever there is a wizard bannage area? 4. What would they do to me(wizard) "if" they capture me, I mean, torture? I don't want that(nobody does). T_T 5. How could I avoid these people, I mean should I do it the magical way or do I just pretend as an intelligent peasant? Being a long-time Baldur's Gate player, I will try to help. All of my knowledge of the Cowled Wizards comes directly from this source. 1- A "magical deviant" is anyone who casts an arcane spell of any sort in a public place after receiving your first warning not to. If you are involved in a majour disturbance you forfeit your right to a warning. These do not have to be attack spells, but they do have to be arcane. 2- Baldur's Gate 2 begins with you and your party in a wizard's lair after being captured. When you leave the lair, the wizard is killing some shadow thieves. One of your group members defiantly casts a magic missile at this wizard. When the cowled wizards come, this wizard and your group member are both carted off to spellhold. 3- You may pay 5000gp to have a license to cast spells in public areas. If you cause a magical disturbance anytime afterwards you are carted off to spellhold with no refund. 4- Spellhold is basically a place for people to disappear. You are not tortured there, but are, rather, taken care of until your problems can be solved. I am not sure if the wizards actively do anything to solve your problems, but they do let you out of the asylum if you can pass a series of challenges that test your sanity, which take the form of an obstacle course/labrynth. The specific wizards on duty, however, are controlled about as much as prison guards. If a cowled wizard wants to throw some magic missiles at you for annoying him, or cast a dominate person on you for...other reasons...nobody will stop him. 5- Before you have your licence just avoid casting arcane spells of any sort in public places. Your DM may decide that they have surveillance over everything within city limits, so you may want to consult him about that. In BG2 you can cast spells within houses and such, but he may think differently. You can also kill enough of them that they stop coming at you, but that would be foolhardy and unadvisable.
WilliamTanner 03-12-08, 11:46 AM	I think your character would do well to dress like a local (i.e. not a wizard) and ask around town what the cowled wizards are and how best to avoid being disappeared.