this is not a thread about optimal class building or question about direct gameplay, but I still think this is the best forum to post it on.
After looking into the classes I realy find myself in love with a wizard. Here is my problem tho: How can I write a backstory for my wizard human without sounding too much like a sorcerer? Everytime I try to come up with something thats not just a rich folk who got to wizard school and stuff it sounds like a young person who has awoken to their magical powers and needed guidance.
My conecept was about a young farmer who was somehow a wizard, but every idea of my own sounds kinda edgy and cringy.
some experienced wizard, presumably a so-called hedge wizard found your character and took them in as an apprentice for whatever reason, possibly becuase they needed an heir to inherit their laboratory or becuase they noticed that your character was "thinking like a wizard", having the same kind of mindset that is needed to pursue wizardry, with your spellcasting comming from years of practice and study from your master.
You could also consider the possibility of your character being largely self-taught, having come across vague references in some tombes and manuals you found within a local library and learning wizardry from there, with some of your spells possibly being ones you either invented yourself or that you rediscovered independently of other wizards (so your magic missile spell might be a little weird and have a different formula becuase you were not aware of the existing magic missile spell that already existed (of course this would not alter the mechanics of the spell, just the way you describe it))
either way you might want to consider the possibility of your wizard deliberately learning spells that would be handy in farming, such as mage hand, prestidigitation and especially mold earth
In both of these instances you would not be any more magical than anyone else, your character would just be a bit smarter, having the know-how needed for magic with the right amount of arcane lore needed to actually do anything
Depending on how common magic is in the world you play in, you could really lean into the mystery of magic.
Imagine a young farmer having worked hard the last many years to afford his own plot of land... Now he's not rich, so the only plot he can afford is an old abandoned farmhouse located somewhere well off the beaten track. After settling in, he starts going to work at clearing the overgrown land and stumbles across a boulder, covered in arcane symbols and half buried in the ground. Knowing these stones are sometimes found in in wilderness, and being unable to move the large rock, he doesn't think much of it and keeps working towards a successful farm.
After a while however, the farmer realises that nothing but the wild untamed plants of the surrounding forest will grow, and he finds himself with more time on his hands than he would like. Being alone and frustrated for such a long time can take it's toll on the mind, and slowly the farmer's thoughts wander to the mystical symbols he'd seen on the boulder when he first moved here.. He starts trying to make sense of them.
At first it's just just a hobby to occupy his time, but the little progress he does make is such a relief from his otherwise fruitless existence, that it becomes his obsession and after carefully studying the symbols for months, it finally dawns on him the the symbols represent a powerful arcane spell laid upon his land many years ago. Thinking this spell must be why his hard work has produced nothing but back pain, the farmer decides he must lift this spell from his land... However he is only able to gather the very basics of arcane knowledge from the arcane symbols from the boulder, so he sets out on a journey to learn more.
Depending on how common magic is in the world you play in, you could really lean into the mystery of magic.
Imagine a young farmer having worked hard the last many years to afford his own plot of land... Now he's not rich, so the only plot he can afford is an old abandoned farmhouse located somewhere well off the beaten track. After settling in, he starts going to work at clearing the overgrown land and stumbles across an boulder, covered in arcane symbols and half buried in the ground. Knowing these stones are sometimes found in in wilderness, and being unable to move the large rock, he doesn't think much of it and keeps working towards a successful farm.
After a while however, the farmer realises that nothing but the wild untamed plants of the surrounding forest will grow, and he finds himself with more time on his hands than he would like. Being alone and frustrated for such a long time can take it's toll on the mind, and slowly the farmer's thoughts wander to the mystical symbols he'd seen on the boulder when he first moved here.. He starts trying to make sense of them.
At first it's just just a hobby to occupy his time, but the little progress he does make is such a relief from his otherwise fruitless existence, that it becomes his obsession and after carefully studying the symbols for months, it finally dawns on him the the symbols represent a powerful arcane spell laid upon his land many years ago. Thinking this spell must be why his hard work has produced nothing but back pain, the farmer decides he must lift this spell from his land... However he is only able to gather the very basics of arcane knowledge from the arcane symbols from the boulder, so he sets out on a journey to learn more.
this idea is way cooler, but how would the wizard be able to decipher the writings on the rock if he has nothing to start from? If all these runes are written in a language they do not understand, how did the translating start? And then even if he did, how did that lead to him figuring out the verbal and somatic components nessesary to cast spells, heck even completely unrelated spells? Does simply starting at the glyphs for long enough eventiually give you an intuitive understanding of what they mean? Was the spell so comprehensive in its magnitude that it by its nature covered all of the basics of spellcasting, thus allowing many spells to be reverse-engineered from it? would this not result in a character who looses all character motivation once they have either gained enough gold from adventuring to get another farm or once he learns the dispel magic spell at 5th level, or once he learns remove curse at the same level?
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Hey you're free to fill in any details you want to :) I imagine you can decode arcane symbols the same way you can sort of reverse engineer a language... Find patterns and so forth.. Maybe there's a lil bit of common mixed in. Hell... maybe he found a series of boulders along the borders of the property, some of which are very similr but with minor changes... Stuff like that.
It's also possible he finds an old dusty journal of a previous owner who'd managed to consult a travelling mage and as such had a bit of success before giving up and selling the place.
Your character, who is weak and frail, was captured by an invading army and sent to be processed and put on the slaver’s block.
A member of the invading army, an officer known for cruelty, discovered that you had potential as a Wizard. He took you in and had you trained. Oddly, though he had a well-deserved reputation for cruelty to everyone (slave or soldier, enemy or not), he was especially kind and gentle to you as long as you studied hard and progressed in your studies. You never stood up for other people as you were afraid his wrath would turn on you, though.
When you realized that you were becoming cruel yourself, you gathered your things and fled. You remain haunted by the things you witnessed and never protested.
Remember the biggest difference between Wizards and Sorcerer's. Wizards have to work and study for their magic. Sorcerer's just happen to do it. So anything that requires research or teaching or Guidance is suited for a Wizard. even their most basic spells in cantrips are from rote repeated memorization and understanding mechanics and philosophy of what they are doing to make it work.
Anything that just happens to be and tapping into ones own powers and possibly not even understanding what they can do is probably a Sorcerer.
Here is the backstory of my Wizard I just created:
Adametrius hails from Woodmoor; a small and quaint hamlet surrounded by fields and forest. Woodmoor saw few travelers as it wasn't on any major trade route. It's only export of note was lumber. Truth be told, while being a fine place to live, the hamlet was so insignificant it wasn't worth the ink to put on a map.
His mother, Meave, carved out a simple modest existence by working in the kitchens of Lord Elgin Woodmoor; a benevolent cheese merchant who had bought his way into the lowest rung of nobility and was fair and just in his rule over the simple folk of Woodmoor. His original surname has been lost to the ages.
His father, Wilhelm, maintained a failing leatherworking business, buying hides from local hunters and crafting various belts, saddles, and sheaths. His specialty was making gloves, and is the root of the family surname 'Gant'; a commoner's name Adametrius would hide out of shame in the future to try and forget his low birth. Adametrius was trained in such craft by his father, though his talents truly lied elsewhere.
His mother, on the other hand, saw more in her son than a simple leatherworker and so she secreted his access to Lord Elgin Woodmoor's rather impressive collection of tomes of lore. As a boy he spent countless hours hiding under a bookcase reading one dusty tome after another. Once he was discovered by Elgin, it was quite clear the young boy had accumulated some knowledge and was permitted access to the library if he tutored the lords own children.
He was fascinated with the arcane, and Woodmoor's library had but one book that was clearly arcane; filled to the brim with symbols and glyphs related to spells, but to an untrained eye such as young Adametrius is was near impossible to understand. Parts of the text were Draconic, and he slowly learned this difficult and alien tongue. His persistence and natural talent were pushed to the limit as he attempted to coax the tome into giving up it's secrets. He enjoyed a sliver of success, and taught himself the most simplest of cantrips. The glyphs and symbols of this forgotten spellbook began to make more sense, but before he could claim any true power, disaster struck. When Adametrius had seen 12 winters, a band of goblins and orcs descended from the forests and hills and razed the simple hamlet. Though his parents were spared in the attack, his lord was not so lucky. He died in a few days from a viscous wound suffered in the attack.
The hamlet mourned this loss but before they could even begin a simple burial ceremony, a plague swept through the area. Within weeks the smell of death emanated from nearly every shop, home and farmstead of the small hamlet. The pestilence claimed the lives of his parents, despite his best efforts and attempts at magical curing. Everything he learned thus far, which was no small amount, failed him.
The town was abandoned, and the few survivors took what supplies they could and left for greener pastures, including Adametrius. He lamented that he lacked the knowledge to save his family and neighbors from a plague, and sought out such knowledge with fervor vowing to understand the secrets of life and death and everything in between. His pursuit of knowledge had begun... He worked as a scribe or a tutor to whatever household or keep would have him, provided it had a library. Once he had devoured the knowledge within he would move to the next area, seeking to find answers to arcane mysteries. The pain of his family's passing would fade in time, and he would come to enjoy this part of his life, yet the knowledge of the arcane still eluded him, save for a few cantrips and tricks he had taught himself.
He finally found a wizard by the name of Azam who was in the employ of a lesser count of a small fiefdom. Azam was delighted at the large spellbook Adametrius has taken from Woodmoor's estate. Azam promised to teach him the arcane knowledge and power he sought in exchange for the book and him taking on the role of apprentice. Adametrius toiled away long hours doing research and procuring components, transcribing glyphs he didn't understand. He performed every mundane task that was asked of him for years, until grey started creeping into his beard and he came to realize what he had suspected: The secretive wizard had no intention of teaching him any true power. He then spent his time and the ample resources of the wizards to fashion his own spellbook and some travelling equipment, finally utilizing some of his earlier tutelage in leather craft and gathered his meager possessions. Azam hardly looked up from his book when Adametrius announced he was ending his apprenticeship. Adametrius smiled as he left the wizard's chambers, for it was time to explore the secret places of the world for the answers he sought.
This is where his adventures begin...
SO I did create a custom background where he gets two proficiencies in skills, one in tools, and one in language.
The skills are arcane and history, the tool is leatherworker, and the language is draconic.
I then added some custom equipment to reflect some of his background:
A wide-brimmed and worn brown hat owned by his father. Hidden inside is a small silver locket, with two tiny portraits of Wilhelm and Maeve; his parents.
A layered dark blue robe lined for warmth, oil treated against water and befitted with many pockets, pouches, and straps (some hidden). A sheath for his dagger strapped on his left wrist hidden beneath his robes. A backpack style harness with a single water proof clasped pouch on the lower back designed to hold a hefty spell book. Attached to this harness is a thin satchel sitting on his hip to hold his father's leatherworking tools. Another thin satchel holding water skin and some rations is on his other hip. This harness is worn over his shirt but is concealed under his robe.
A tobacco pouch, and small corncob pipe.
His signet ring is the old WoodMoor estate signet ring, slightly modified to become his personal signet.
His alignment is neutral and his characteristics involve seeking knowledge.
The basic story is much like what you were working with: A farmer who somehow got into magic. I just started filling in that 'somehow' and before I knew it I had a story. Maybe your story involves a young lighthouse lighthouse keeper's son whose mother died in childbirth. Maybe it involves a stalwart and rather drab fishing village. Maybe your mcguffin isn't a lord's library, but a fey creature of the water or forest who entices you with magic while setting the stage for some carnage, or a benevolent creature whom you aided who promises to teach you their magic.
Consider unusual teachers. Perhaps your character fled into the wilderness for whatever reason, came upon a cursed city, and there was taught by a ghost.
or he fell into a hole in the ground which led him to a magical, intelligent sword who taught him how to read magic.
One of my wizard characters had a backstory where she was sold to a powerful wizard to serve basically as a maid/servant. She stole books from his library to practice on her own until one of her experiments led to setting a broom on fire. After that initial display of power, her role changed to apprentice. Obviously there are more details to the backstory but that is the gist.
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Hey there folks!
this is not a thread about optimal class building or question about direct gameplay, but I still think this is the best forum to post it on.
After looking into the classes I realy find myself in love with a wizard. Here is my problem tho: How can I write a backstory for my wizard human without sounding too much like a sorcerer? Everytime I try to come up with something thats not just a rich folk who got to wizard school and stuff it sounds like a young person who has awoken to their magical powers and needed guidance.
My conecept was about a young farmer who was somehow a wizard, but every idea of my own sounds kinda edgy and cringy.
Can you help me out?
some experienced wizard, presumably a so-called hedge wizard found your character and took them in as an apprentice for whatever reason, possibly becuase they needed an heir to inherit their laboratory or becuase they noticed that your character was "thinking like a wizard", having the same kind of mindset that is needed to pursue wizardry, with your spellcasting comming from years of practice and study from your master.
You could also consider the possibility of your character being largely self-taught, having come across vague references in some tombes and manuals you found within a local library and learning wizardry from there, with some of your spells possibly being ones you either invented yourself or that you rediscovered independently of other wizards (so your magic missile spell might be a little weird and have a different formula becuase you were not aware of the existing magic missile spell that already existed (of course this would not alter the mechanics of the spell, just the way you describe it))
either way you might want to consider the possibility of your wizard deliberately learning spells that would be handy in farming, such as mage hand, prestidigitation and especially mold earth
In both of these instances you would not be any more magical than anyone else, your character would just be a bit smarter, having the know-how needed for magic with the right amount of arcane lore needed to actually do anything
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Those are some really nice ideas! Thank you very much
Depending on how common magic is in the world you play in, you could really lean into the mystery of magic.
Imagine a young farmer having worked hard the last many years to afford his own plot of land... Now he's not rich, so the only plot he can afford is an old abandoned farmhouse located somewhere well off the beaten track. After settling in, he starts going to work at clearing the overgrown land and stumbles across a boulder, covered in arcane symbols and half buried in the ground. Knowing these stones are sometimes found in in wilderness, and being unable to move the large rock, he doesn't think much of it and keeps working towards a successful farm.
After a while however, the farmer realises that nothing but the wild untamed plants of the surrounding forest will grow, and he finds himself with more time on his hands than he would like. Being alone and frustrated for such a long time can take it's toll on the mind, and slowly the farmer's thoughts wander to the mystical symbols he'd seen on the boulder when he first moved here.. He starts trying to make sense of them.
At first it's just just a hobby to occupy his time, but the little progress he does make is such a relief from his otherwise fruitless existence, that it becomes his obsession and after carefully studying the symbols for months, it finally dawns on him the the symbols represent a powerful arcane spell laid upon his land many years ago. Thinking this spell must be why his hard work has produced nothing but back pain, the farmer decides he must lift this spell from his land... However he is only able to gather the very basics of arcane knowledge from the arcane symbols from the boulder, so he sets out on a journey to learn more.
this idea is way cooler, but how would the wizard be able to decipher the writings on the rock if he has nothing to start from? If all these runes are written in a language they do not understand, how did the translating start? And then even if he did, how did that lead to him figuring out the verbal and somatic components nessesary to cast spells, heck even completely unrelated spells? Does simply starting at the glyphs for long enough eventiually give you an intuitive understanding of what they mean? Was the spell so comprehensive in its magnitude that it by its nature covered all of the basics of spellcasting, thus allowing many spells to be reverse-engineered from it? would this not result in a character who looses all character motivation once they have either gained enough gold from adventuring to get another farm or once he learns the dispel magic spell at 5th level, or once he learns remove curse at the same level?
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
Hey you're free to fill in any details you want to :) I imagine you can decode arcane symbols the same way you can sort of reverse engineer a language... Find patterns and so forth.. Maybe there's a lil bit of common mixed in. Hell... maybe he found a series of boulders along the borders of the property, some of which are very similr but with minor changes... Stuff like that.
It's also possible he finds an old dusty journal of a previous owner who'd managed to consult a travelling mage and as such had a bit of success before giving up and selling the place.
Your character, who is weak and frail, was captured by an invading army and sent to be processed and put on the slaver’s block.
A member of the invading army, an officer known for cruelty, discovered that you had potential as a Wizard. He took you in and had you trained. Oddly, though he had a well-deserved reputation for cruelty to everyone (slave or soldier, enemy or not), he was especially kind and gentle to you as long as you studied hard and progressed in your studies. You never stood up for other people as you were afraid his wrath would turn on you, though.
When you realized that you were becoming cruel yourself, you gathered your things and fled. You remain haunted by the things you witnessed and never protested.
Remember the biggest difference between Wizards and Sorcerer's. Wizards have to work and study for their magic. Sorcerer's just happen to do it. So anything that requires research or teaching or Guidance is suited for a Wizard. even their most basic spells in cantrips are from rote repeated memorization and understanding mechanics and philosophy of what they are doing to make it work.
Anything that just happens to be and tapping into ones own powers and possibly not even understanding what they can do is probably a Sorcerer.
Here is the backstory of my Wizard I just created:
Adametrius hails from Woodmoor; a small and quaint hamlet surrounded by fields and forest. Woodmoor saw few travelers as it wasn't on any major trade route. It's only export of note was lumber. Truth be told, while being a fine place to live, the hamlet was so insignificant it wasn't worth the ink to put on a map.
His mother, Meave, carved out a simple modest existence by working in the kitchens of Lord Elgin Woodmoor; a benevolent cheese merchant who had bought his way into the lowest rung of nobility and was fair and just in his rule over the simple folk of Woodmoor. His original surname has been lost to the ages.
His father, Wilhelm, maintained a failing leatherworking business, buying hides from local hunters and crafting various belts, saddles, and sheaths. His specialty was making gloves, and is the root of the family surname 'Gant'; a commoner's name Adametrius would hide out of shame in the future to try and forget his low birth. Adametrius was trained in such craft by his father, though his talents truly lied elsewhere.
His mother, on the other hand, saw more in her son than a simple leatherworker and so she secreted his access to Lord Elgin Woodmoor's rather impressive collection of tomes of lore. As a boy he spent countless hours hiding under a bookcase reading one dusty tome after another. Once he was discovered by Elgin, it was quite clear the young boy had accumulated some knowledge and was permitted access to the library if he tutored the lords own children.
He was fascinated with the arcane, and Woodmoor's library had but one book that was clearly arcane; filled to the brim with symbols and glyphs related to spells, but to an untrained eye such as young Adametrius is was near impossible to understand. Parts of the text were Draconic, and he slowly learned this difficult and alien tongue. His persistence and natural talent were pushed to the limit as he attempted to coax the tome into giving up it's secrets. He enjoyed a sliver of success, and taught himself the most simplest of cantrips. The glyphs and symbols of this forgotten spellbook began to make more sense, but before he could claim any true power, disaster struck. When Adametrius had seen 12 winters, a band of goblins and orcs descended from the forests and hills and razed the simple hamlet. Though his parents were spared in the attack, his lord was not so lucky. He died in a few days from a viscous wound suffered in the attack.
The hamlet mourned this loss but before they could even begin a simple burial ceremony, a plague swept through the area. Within weeks the smell of death emanated from nearly every shop, home and farmstead of the small hamlet. The pestilence claimed the lives of his parents, despite his best efforts and attempts at magical curing. Everything he learned thus far, which was no small amount, failed him.
The town was abandoned, and the few survivors took what supplies they could and left for greener pastures, including Adametrius. He lamented that he lacked the knowledge to save his family and neighbors from a plague, and sought out such knowledge with fervor vowing to understand the secrets of life and death and everything in between. His pursuit of knowledge had begun... He worked as a scribe or a tutor to whatever household or keep would have him, provided it had a library. Once he had devoured the knowledge within he would move to the next area, seeking to find answers to arcane mysteries. The pain of his family's passing would fade in time, and he would come to enjoy this part of his life, yet the knowledge of the arcane still eluded him, save for a few cantrips and tricks he had taught himself.
He finally found a wizard by the name of Azam who was in the employ of a lesser count of a small fiefdom. Azam was delighted at the large spellbook Adametrius has taken from Woodmoor's estate. Azam promised to teach him the arcane knowledge and power he sought in exchange for the book and him taking on the role of apprentice. Adametrius toiled away long hours doing research and procuring components, transcribing glyphs he didn't understand. He performed every mundane task that was asked of him for years, until grey started creeping into his beard and he came to realize what he had suspected: The secretive wizard had no intention of teaching him any true power. He then spent his time and the ample resources of the wizards to fashion his own spellbook and some travelling equipment, finally utilizing some of his earlier tutelage in leather craft and gathered his meager possessions. Azam hardly looked up from his book when Adametrius announced he was ending his apprenticeship. Adametrius smiled as he left the wizard's chambers, for it was time to explore the secret places of the world for the answers he sought.
This is where his adventures begin...
SO I did create a custom background where he gets two proficiencies in skills, one in tools, and one in language.
The skills are arcane and history, the tool is leatherworker, and the language is draconic.
I then added some custom equipment to reflect some of his background:
A wide-brimmed and worn brown hat owned by his father. Hidden inside is a small silver locket, with two tiny portraits of Wilhelm and Maeve; his parents.
A layered dark blue robe lined for warmth, oil treated against water and befitted with many pockets, pouches, and straps (some hidden). A sheath for his dagger strapped on his left wrist hidden beneath his robes. A backpack style harness with a single water proof clasped pouch on the lower back designed to hold a hefty spell book. Attached to this harness is a thin satchel sitting on his hip to hold his father's leatherworking tools. Another thin satchel holding water skin and some rations is on his other hip. This harness is worn over his shirt but is concealed under his robe.
A tobacco pouch, and small corncob pipe.
His signet ring is the old WoodMoor estate signet ring, slightly modified to become his personal signet.
His alignment is neutral and his characteristics involve seeking knowledge.
__________________________________________________________________
The basic story is much like what you were working with: A farmer who somehow got into magic. I just started filling in that 'somehow' and before I knew it I had a story. Maybe your story involves a young lighthouse lighthouse keeper's son whose mother died in childbirth. Maybe it involves a stalwart and rather drab fishing village. Maybe your mcguffin isn't a lord's library, but a fey creature of the water or forest who entices you with magic while setting the stage for some carnage, or a benevolent creature whom you aided who promises to teach you their magic.
The first Earthsea book is a good example of how you can have a wizard who isn't rich.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Ever watch Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio?
Make some variation of that story, only instead of Mr. Miyagi teaching him karate, he teaches him magic.
Consider unusual teachers. Perhaps your character fled into the wilderness for whatever reason, came upon a cursed city, and there was taught by a ghost.
or he fell into a hole in the ground which led him to a magical, intelligent sword who taught him how to read magic.
One of my wizard characters had a backstory where she was sold to a powerful wizard to serve basically as a maid/servant. She stole books from his library to practice on her own until one of her experiments led to setting a broom on fire. After that initial display of power, her role changed to apprentice. Obviously there are more details to the backstory but that is the gist.