Hi, everyone! I'm working in a series of articles for my blog dedicated to each of the 13 classes, and I plan to finish each one with a short list famous examples of such class in fantasy tropes, be it novels, movies, TV shows, comics or video games.
(Extra XP if you also include some details about the reason for your ideas and what you like or don't like about the class, both as a player or DM)
Having said that, what characters come to your mind when thinking of WIZARDS?
Merlin is the main one I can think of at the moment, though he could also be a druid.
Gandalf the Gray.
You could do anyone from Harry Potter, but they kind of fit Sorcerers better (with the bloodline stuff and spell consequences).
Glinda the Good Witch from Wizard of Oz.
Tim from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Sarumon the White.
Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange ???? wasn't supposed to be a Sorcerer ?? Are you sure ??
I'd also have him as a wizards rather than a sorcerer... he has a spellbook and PLENTY of spells. Yes, he is the SORCERER supreme, but I guess Marvel's multiverse doesn't distinguish that much in the importance of differentiating those two classes, hahaha
Yeah, the sorcerer / wizard distinction with names does break down once you move away from dnd. Stephen Strange is most definitely a wizard in dnd terms due to his learning of magic, rather than being born with it.
Also, here are some other wizards from media, mostly books in this list. Some of these might have been sorcerers due to being born with magic, but I consider most of them to have learned the magic much more than to have it intrinsically.
Malazan book of the fallen: Tayshrenn, Quick Ben, Beak, Tattersail, and many others
The Black Company: One-eye, silent, goblin, Lady, Most of the ten who were taken.
League of Legends: Ryze, vlad(maybe?), annie, syndra(again, maybe?)
Yeah, the sorcerer / wizard distinction with names does break down once you move away from dnd. Stephen Strange is most definitely a wizard in dnd terms due to his learning of magic, rather than being born with it.
Also, here are some other wizards from media, mostly books in this list. Some of these might have been sorcerers due to being born with magic, but I consider most of them to have learned the magic much more than to have it intrinsically.
Malazan book of the fallen: Tayshrenn, Quick Ben, Beak, Tattersail, and many others
The Black Company: One-eye, silent, goblin, Lady, Most of the ten who were taken.
League of Legends: Ryze, vlad(maybe?), annie, syndra(again, maybe?)
Syndra here is an obvious Sorcerer.... Vlad is a Warlock ... Annie is a Gnome ( evocation magic school ) versed in Fire.... so She is a Wizard.. yep
Harry Dresden from the Dresden files. It's a book and a TV show. I've only seen the TV show. Main character is a wizard. Spells typically have material components and ritual-style casting similar to D&D.
All the main characters from TV show The Magicians - the show shares a lot in common with D&D including wizardry: anyone can do magic but only those with the right intelligence and aptitude can really learn it for amazing things. Spellcasting sometimes features verbal components and less commonly material component but almost always features complicated Somatic components usually requiring one or two hands. Even missing a single finger can complicate or hinder the ability to cast some spells - one person even gave himself extra fingers to assist with more complicated spells. There are colleges where you can go to study magic further if you're talented enough to get in, those not talented enough to get in sometimes become 'hedge' magicians and try to find spells - vying with other groups for 'scraps' almost to the point of addiction. Every magician develops a natural speciality with a particular type of magic which makes that type of magic easier for them, sometimes with extra abilities - much like a subclass. Spells are learned from studying pages or in a class or from a mentor.
The Magicians also has more stuff beyond wizardry in common with D&D including: a Magic Missile spell (which a character even geeks about it being 'straight out of D&D'), alternate planes of existence, deities, mythical creatures, talking animals, and in one episode a wizard named Bigby (as in Bigby's Hand). Oh, and in a few episodes: Dragons.
-
I highly recommend The Magicians for D&D fans. Although, it's not for the faint of heart: there's swearing, gore, nudity, sex, drugs - all the adult fun stuff, although it's tamer than shows like Spartacus or Game of Thrones (and much funnier). It does cover some serious topics though, like the 'R' word, addiction, suicide, abortions, and such. It's a show that gracefully balances serious and dramatic things with humour. It's acted very well and written brilliantly and is one of the best approaches of spellcasting I've seen any show or movie do.
My only complaint about the show: it's not very kind to cats. (3 cats die, 2 were KITTENS).
Ged or "Sparrowhawk" from the Earthsea-Saga (books).
"The Falconer" from the Gentlemen Bastards books.
Rincewind from the Discworld by Terry Pratchet.
Sonea and Akkarin from the Black Magician Triology (In every book of Trudi Canavan are a lot of Wizards, that you can draw inspiration from).
Pros A lot of different possibilities in character development. Interesting solutions for problems. Creative wizard players will come up with some awesome use of their spells. Best battlefield control-class. Spellbook is win-win for dm and player. As a DM you can reward your Wizard really easily by handing out some spellscrolls. As a player you chase spells and feel really rewarded if you obtain some. One of two classes with Inteligence as a main score. As a DM you can get creative with intelligence based tests for knowledge or investigation.
Cons High Level Spells are poorly balanced. Compare Forcecage with Mordenkainens Sword or Wish with Imprisonment. So the main thing, i don't like about the class are some "mandatory" spells that a lot of wizards always will prefer to take.
I highly recommend The Magicians for D&D fans. Although, it's not for the faint of heart: there's swearing, gore, nudity, sex, drugs - all the adult fun stuff, although it's tamer than shows like Spartacus or Game of Thrones (and much funnier). It does cover some serious topics though, like the 'R' word, addiction, suicide, abortions, and such. It's a show that gracefully balances serious and dramatic things with humour. It's acted very well and written brilliantly and is one of the best approaches of spellcasting I've seen any show or movie do.
I totally love The Magicians... it has been my favorite along Supernatural these last five years.
Since Merlin has been mentioned, I would add Morgan Le Fay. In earlier Arthurian stories, she is described as more of a nymph sorceress (and generally a good individual), but in later stories she is described as an arcane pupil of Merlin and a villain.
Jafar from Disney's Alaadin is another famous villainous wizard.
Prospero from Shakespeare's The Tempest is a famous wizard. Although, he is described as a sorcerer, he learns his magic from books while stranded on the island that is the setting of the play.
What I like about wizards is their use of their intellect and knowledge to shape the world around them to benefit themselves and others. There is a discipline to their craft. And, I appreciate how they are driven by a ceaseless desire to learn more arcane secrets and become increasingly more powerful arcane practitioners.
What I dislike about wizards in D&D is the use of the Vancian system of magic and how relatively weak wizards are at low levels compared to other classes. Also, I think many official spells are a bit boring, they are just different variations of damage inflicted on their targets. I wish there were simply a few general damage spells that allowed you to select different damage types, and the rest of the spells served other purposes. I like weirder and more fantastical spells. Also, I think that the Wish spell for supposedly being the greatest magic a mortal can cast is rather a disappointment in its current 5E version.
The Circle of Eight. Because when one is discussing famous Wizards and D&D, they are the list. (There, I did ya one better than “some details,” I gave you all of them.)
Hmm, famous Wizards from other Intellectual Properties, let's see here.... People already gave you the big hits like Dresden, and Strange. But there's:
There are more, but I'll leave some for the others.
PS- Don't fall for the propaganda!!!
Gandalf (and probably Sarumon too) were most likely not actually Wizards. Did you ever see or read about either one of them ever even monitoring, much less using a Spellbook?!? They were Sorcerers.
And Merlin was also most likely not a Wizard either. Well, the fictional one from the Arthurian story was I suppose. But when Geoffrey of Monmouth first wrote about Merlin, his character was mainly inspired by an actual real life person, a man named Myrddain Wyllt, who was most definitely in fact a Bard. Morgan le Fey also got a heavy makeover in the transition.
PPS- The Magicians is effing awesome!! I get really into it, and then they’ll do an episode or a particular scene and I find myself laughing hysterically at this group of theater nerds who must be having an absolute blast with their jobs. Brilliant programming!! 10 out of 10 people with taste surveyed give it a “Must See.”
What I dislike about wizards in D&D is the use of the Vancian system of magic and how relatively weak wizards are at low levels compared to other classes. Also, I think many official spells are a bit boring, they are just different variations of damage inflicted on their targets. I wish there were simply a few general damage spells that allowed you to select different damage types, and the rest of the spells served other purposes. I like weirder and more fantastical spells. Also, I think that the Wish spell for supposedly being the greatest magic a mortal can cast is rather a disappointment in its current 5E version.
There are 137 spells for combat. Many are based on damage be it single use, persistent damage over time, single target, AoE, and there are others which don't do any damage but serve for battlefield control like Grease spells or Hold spells. There are 115 spells that don't do much or anything at all for combat and are utility spells. There are 54 spells that are around equally useful in combat as they are out of it.
D&D has multiple damage types so spells will be designed towards dealing (or protecting against) certain damage types. Having most of your combat spells just change damage type to what you need whenever you want, no resource cost beyond normal spell slots is gamebreaking. There used to be a UA wizard subclass that had the feature of letting you change damage types of spells whenever you cast them. It ended up being brokenly OP so, it never became official. There is new UA for something like this but using it costs some sort of limited resource (I think there's a Sorc Metamagic in playtest that let's you spend Sorc Points to change certain damage types). It's fine for basic low level spells like Chaos Bolt (Sorc) or Chromatic Orb, but for higher spells that do more than just damage or are AoEs, it would become a bit overpowered.
Personally, I like the variety. And with nearly as many utility spells you've got plenty to work with if you want to focus more on non-combat stuff. Hell, even with combat spells you can be extremely useful and take only few that deal any damage at all.
I think your biggest issue is that you haven't really taken a good look at the Wizard spell list. The spell list covers minor tricks to summoning minions, creating castles out of thin air, travelling anywhere in existence, controlling your enemies' minds, stealing souls, summoning meteors, turning enemies into a bunch of rats, creating pocket dimensions, putting somebody to sleep forever, turning people into objects, transform into a dragon, become basically immortal, or even reshape all of reality itself. How much more fantastical do you need?!
Yen Sid ("Disney" spelled backwards) is the powerful sorcerer in Fantasia. They call him a sorcerer but Mickey tries to read the spells from his spellbook to get the brooms to stop.
The Circle of Eight. Because when one is discussing famous Wizards and D&D, they are the list. (There, I did ya one better than “some details,” I gave you all of them.)
Hmm, famous Wizards from other Intellectual Properties, let's see here.... People already gave you the big hits like Dresden, and Strange. But there's:
The Circle of Eight. Because when one is discussing famous Wizards and D&D, they are the list. (There, I did ya one better than “some details,” I gave you all of them.)
Hmm, famous Wizards from other Intellectual Properties, let's see here.... People already gave you the big hits like Dresden, and Strange. But there's:
I would have no problem with having game mechanics to limit the ability to switch types of damage at will in the interest of game balance (especially limiting the ability to use force damage). My point is that I believe many of the spells are simply variations of damage type and area of effect. Even by your count, most of the spells are combat type spells. (And, I think you are counting all sources of spells since there are only about 230 wizard spells in the 5E Player's Handbook)
I agree there are many interesting official 5E wizard spells, but I have found more interesting/weird/fantastical spells in third-party supplements (including products not specifically compatible with 5E). I also enjoy spells that allow for more freeform play with respect to determining the spells' ultimate effects (in cooperation with the DM, of course)
My other issue with playing a wizard is I find that low-level characters are bit weak compared to some other classes. I have no interest beginning a game as a "superhero," but since the defining feature of a wizard is mastery of the arcane arts, I wish there was a bit more magical power at lower levels, even if it only meant allowing a wizard to start off knowing more than just three cantrips. But, I think it would be even more interesting to allow wizards (as some other games do) to attempt to cast spells when they are out of spell slots or to cast spells they know at one level higher than they could normally cast, but either at a cost, or with some risk of injury to themselves or their companions.
Hi, everyone! I'm working in a series of articles for my blog dedicated to each of the 13 classes, and I plan to finish each one with a short list famous examples of such class in fantasy tropes, be it novels, movies, TV shows, comics or video games.
(Extra XP if you also include some details about the reason for your ideas and what you like or don't like about the class, both as a player or DM)
Having said that, what characters come to your mind when thinking of WIZARDS?
"Let your dice roll"
codexanathema.com
Merlin is the main one I can think of at the moment, though he could also be a druid.
Gandalf the Gray.
You could do anyone from Harry Potter, but they kind of fit Sorcerers better (with the bloodline stuff and spell consequences).
Glinda the Good Witch from Wizard of Oz.
Tim from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Sarumon the White.
Doctor Strange.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Doctor Strange ???? wasn't supposed to be a Sorcerer ?? Are you sure ??
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
I'd also have him as a wizards rather than a sorcerer... he has a spellbook and PLENTY of spells. Yes, he is the SORCERER supreme, but I guess Marvel's multiverse doesn't distinguish that much in the importance of differentiating those two classes, hahaha
"Let your dice roll"
codexanathema.com
Yeah, the sorcerer / wizard distinction with names does break down once you move away from dnd. Stephen Strange is most definitely a wizard in dnd terms due to his learning of magic, rather than being born with it.
Also, here are some other wizards from media, mostly books in this list. Some of these might have been sorcerers due to being born with magic, but I consider most of them to have learned the magic much more than to have it intrinsically.
Malazan book of the fallen: Tayshrenn, Quick Ben, Beak, Tattersail, and many others
The Black Company: One-eye, silent, goblin, Lady, Most of the ten who were taken.
League of Legends: Ryze, vlad(maybe?), annie, syndra(again, maybe?)
Syndra here is an obvious Sorcerer.... Vlad is a Warlock ... Annie is a Gnome ( evocation magic school ) versed in Fire.... so She is a Wizard.. yep
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
Merlin from well, lots of stuff. Also this is an example from dnd but karsus, if you don’t know who that is look it up, quite interesting story
Harry Dresden from the Dresden files. It's a book and a TV show. I've only seen the TV show. Main character is a wizard. Spells typically have material components and ritual-style casting similar to D&D.
All the main characters from TV show The Magicians - the show shares a lot in common with D&D including wizardry: anyone can do magic but only those with the right intelligence and aptitude can really learn it for amazing things. Spellcasting sometimes features verbal components and less commonly material component but almost always features complicated Somatic components usually requiring one or two hands. Even missing a single finger can complicate or hinder the ability to cast some spells - one person even gave himself extra fingers to assist with more complicated spells. There are colleges where you can go to study magic further if you're talented enough to get in, those not talented enough to get in sometimes become 'hedge' magicians and try to find spells - vying with other groups for 'scraps' almost to the point of addiction. Every magician develops a natural speciality with a particular type of magic which makes that type of magic easier for them, sometimes with extra abilities - much like a subclass. Spells are learned from studying pages or in a class or from a mentor.
The Magicians also has more stuff beyond wizardry in common with D&D including: a Magic Missile spell (which a character even geeks about it being 'straight out of D&D'), alternate planes of existence, deities, mythical creatures, talking animals, and in one episode a wizard named Bigby (as in Bigby's Hand). Oh, and in a few episodes: Dragons.
-
I highly recommend The Magicians for D&D fans. Although, it's not for the faint of heart: there's swearing, gore, nudity, sex, drugs - all the adult fun stuff, although it's tamer than shows like Spartacus or Game of Thrones (and much funnier). It does cover some serious topics though, like the 'R' word, addiction, suicide, abortions, and such. It's a show that gracefully balances serious and dramatic things with humour. It's acted very well and written brilliantly and is one of the best approaches of spellcasting I've seen any show or movie do.
My only complaint about the show: it's not very kind to cats. (3 cats die, 2 were KITTENS).
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Spells | Magic Items | Feats
Need help with Homebrew? Check out this FAQ/Guide thread by IamSposta
See My Youtube Videos for Tips & Tricks using D&D Beyond
Ged or "Sparrowhawk" from the Earthsea-Saga (books).
"The Falconer" from the Gentlemen Bastards books.
Rincewind from the Discworld by Terry Pratchet.
Sonea and Akkarin from the Black Magician Triology (In every book of Trudi Canavan are a lot of Wizards, that you can draw inspiration from).
Pros
A lot of different possibilities in character development. Interesting solutions for problems. Creative wizard players will come up with some awesome use of their spells. Best battlefield control-class. Spellbook is win-win for dm and player. As a DM you can reward your Wizard really easily by handing out some spellscrolls. As a player you chase spells and feel really rewarded if you obtain some.
One of two classes with Inteligence as a main score. As a DM you can get creative with intelligence based tests for knowledge or investigation.
Cons
High Level Spells are poorly balanced. Compare Forcecage with Mordenkainens Sword or Wish with Imprisonment. So the main thing, i don't like about the class are some "mandatory" spells that a lot of wizards always will prefer to take.
I totally love The Magicians... it has been my favorite along Supernatural these last five years.
"Let your dice roll"
codexanathema.com
Since Merlin has been mentioned, I would add Morgan Le Fay. In earlier Arthurian stories, she is described as more of a nymph sorceress (and generally a good individual), but in later stories she is described as an arcane pupil of Merlin and a villain.
Jafar from Disney's Alaadin is another famous villainous wizard.
Prospero from Shakespeare's The Tempest is a famous wizard. Although, he is described as a sorcerer, he learns his magic from books while stranded on the island that is the setting of the play.
What I like about wizards is their use of their intellect and knowledge to shape the world around them to benefit themselves and others. There is a discipline to their craft. And, I appreciate how they are driven by a ceaseless desire to learn more arcane secrets and become increasingly more powerful arcane practitioners.
What I dislike about wizards in D&D is the use of the Vancian system of magic and how relatively weak wizards are at low levels compared to other classes. Also, I think many official spells are a bit boring, they are just different variations of damage inflicted on their targets. I wish there were simply a few general damage spells that allowed you to select different damage types, and the rest of the spells served other purposes. I like weirder and more fantastical spells. Also, I think that the Wish spell for supposedly being the greatest magic a mortal can cast is rather a disappointment in its current 5E version.
The Circle of Eight. Because when one is discussing famous Wizards and D&D, they are the list. (There, I did ya one better than “some details,” I gave you all of them.)
Hmm, famous Wizards from other Intellectual Properties, let's see here.... People already gave you the big hits like Dresden, and Strange. But there's:
There are more, but I'll leave some for the others.
PS- Don't fall for the propaganda!!!
Gandalf (and probably Sarumon too) were most likely not actually Wizards. Did you ever see or read about either one of them ever even monitoring, much less using a Spellbook?!? They were Sorcerers.
And Merlin was also most likely not a Wizard either. Well, the fictional one from the Arthurian story was I suppose. But when Geoffrey of Monmouth first wrote about Merlin, his character was mainly inspired by an actual real life person, a man named Myrddain Wyllt, who was most definitely in fact a Bard. Morgan le Fey also got a heavy makeover in the transition.
PPS- The Magicians is effing awesome!! I get really into it, and then they’ll do an episode or a particular scene and I find myself laughing hysterically at this group of theater nerds who must be having an absolute blast with their jobs. Brilliant programming!! 10 out of 10 people with taste surveyed give it a “Must See.”
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Epic Boons on DDB
There are 137 spells for combat. Many are based on damage be it single use, persistent damage over time, single target, AoE, and there are others which don't do any damage but serve for battlefield control like Grease spells or Hold spells. There are 115 spells that don't do much or anything at all for combat and are utility spells. There are 54 spells that are around equally useful in combat as they are out of it.
D&D has multiple damage types so spells will be designed towards dealing (or protecting against) certain damage types. Having most of your combat spells just change damage type to what you need whenever you want, no resource cost beyond normal spell slots is gamebreaking. There used to be a UA wizard subclass that had the feature of letting you change damage types of spells whenever you cast them. It ended up being brokenly OP so, it never became official. There is new UA for something like this but using it costs some sort of limited resource (I think there's a Sorc Metamagic in playtest that let's you spend Sorc Points to change certain damage types). It's fine for basic low level spells like Chaos Bolt (Sorc) or Chromatic Orb, but for higher spells that do more than just damage or are AoEs, it would become a bit overpowered.
Personally, I like the variety. And with nearly as many utility spells you've got plenty to work with if you want to focus more on non-combat stuff. Hell, even with combat spells you can be extremely useful and take only few that deal any damage at all.
I think your biggest issue is that you haven't really taken a good look at the Wizard spell list. The spell list covers minor tricks to summoning minions, creating castles out of thin air, travelling anywhere in existence, controlling your enemies' minds, stealing souls, summoning meteors, turning enemies into a bunch of rats, creating pocket dimensions, putting somebody to sleep forever, turning people into objects, transform into a dragon, become basically immortal, or even reshape all of reality itself. How much more fantastical do you need?!
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Spells | Magic Items | Feats
Need help with Homebrew? Check out this FAQ/Guide thread by IamSposta
See My Youtube Videos for Tips & Tricks using D&D Beyond
Pug from the Riftwar Saga. Magician
Erasmus from Quest for Glory video games. Quest for Glory
Yen Sid ("Disney" spelled backwards) is the powerful sorcerer in Fantasia. They call him a sorcerer but Mickey tries to read the spells from his spellbook to get the brooms to stop.
The main cast of Charmed ??? I think those girls were White witches.....
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
Witch, Wizard, whatever. They used a Spellbook to do their thing, close enough for me.
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Epic Boons on DDB
I would have no problem with having game mechanics to limit the ability to switch types of damage at will in the interest of game balance (especially limiting the ability to use force damage). My point is that I believe many of the spells are simply variations of damage type and area of effect. Even by your count, most of the spells are combat type spells. (And, I think you are counting all sources of spells since there are only about 230 wizard spells in the 5E Player's Handbook)
I agree there are many interesting official 5E wizard spells, but I have found more interesting/weird/fantastical spells in third-party supplements (including products not specifically compatible with 5E). I also enjoy spells that allow for more freeform play with respect to determining the spells' ultimate effects (in cooperation with the DM, of course)
My other issue with playing a wizard is I find that low-level characters are bit weak compared to some other classes. I have no interest beginning a game as a "superhero," but since the defining feature of a wizard is mastery of the arcane arts, I wish there was a bit more magical power at lower levels, even if it only meant allowing a wizard to start off knowing more than just three cantrips. But, I think it would be even more interesting to allow wizards (as some other games do) to attempt to cast spells when they are out of spell slots or to cast spells they know at one level higher than they could normally cast, but either at a cost, or with some risk of injury to themselves or their companions.
Some Famous DC Comics wizards, magicians, and witches include:
Dr. Fate, Zatara, Zatana, John Constantine, The Phantom Stranger, Felix Faust, Dr. Destiny, Circe, Madam Xanadu
Also I didn't see any mention here of Elminster, Gromph (the Dark Elf), Blackstaff who are in the Forgotten Realms
As for Dragonlance, lets not forget Fistandantalos, Raistlin Majere, and Dalamar the Dark
Just my 2 cents =)
Q "What do I need to do to prove that I am as mortal as you?"
Warf "Die."