Wizards Guild Planning Committee

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Zhym
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Re: The Dark Tower - Wizard's Guild of Gaul

#1 Post by Zhym »

What date does the tower go up? Can Pendleton (and Baxtaw, I presume) stay there as lodging while we figure out the guild bylaws and, well, name? Do you want us to handle that planning IC, or can/should we do it OOC?

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Marullus
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Re: The Dark Tower - Wizard's Guild of Gaul

#2 Post by Marullus »

Sure, you can stay there to supervise construction for free; we will say it is "ready" and counts as a useable tower at the current game date (Oct 8). I think the result of the IC negotiation will be more interesting. I suggest starting a new thread (even moving these two posts there) for you guys to all roleplay it out together and then post the results here.

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Zhym
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Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#3 Post by Zhym »

This is an IC thread for Pendleton, Baxtaw, and any other interested parties to plan the Soecietus Arcanaeum / University of Gaul / whatever we end up deciding to call the wizards guild in Gaul.

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Re: The Dark Tower - Wizard's Guild of Gaul

#4 Post by Zhym »

I've created the thread, but I can't move these posts.

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Marullus
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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#5 Post by Marullus »

Zhym wrote:This is an IC thread for Pendleton, Baxtaw, and any other interested parties to plan the Soecietus Arcanaeum / University of Gaul / whatever we end up deciding to call the wizards guild in Gaul.
Ta da!!
Marullus wrote:They confirm the ring has no infernal taint. It is a wizardly Created item.

The Wizard Tower is being constructed by the ArchDuke at no cost and turned over to the Wizard Guild proposed by Baxtaw and Pendleton. They will have rights of a Lord for one Archmagus decided amongst themselves and an obligation to secure the underground ruin as their territory. For now, it will be sealed by a warded gate only accessible from within the tower. He reveals to the Guild and your group it is a magically-created labrinth created as a testing ground and experimental laboratory for Dreadlord Belleron's apprentices. Belleron's city was on the same location as Gaul, but the entire city disappeared without leaving any ruins - only the foundations remain, which Gaul built on when the ArchDuke arrived.

The politics of the wizard guild are clear enough - with Hagaseth establishing a tower and apprentices among the recently (and inexplicably) resurgent dwarves who now claim Kingship over all the north, the ArchDuke needs his own wizardly advantage, and an organization that can rapidly grow and share knowledge while also unearthing lost secrets below meets that need.

Starbeard had good vision for running the exploration underneath, but is now absent. We will leave it sealed for now until we have a GM solution for it. In the meantime, all PCs wizards joining into the Guild need to sort that out IC. I will make an IC location for it tied to Frogmorton Ford. They need rules for joining, spell sharing, communal goods. They also need to decide if what NPCs (types and levels) they try to entice from the Southlands (and based on what offers).

Discuss IC as a guild here: viewtopic.php?f=438&t=8569

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Re: The Dark Tower - Wizard's Guild of Gaul

#6 Post by Dram »

Baxtaw will let Pendleton serve as Guild Master he knows more about the tower. Baxtaw will be second. Baxtaw is out with Bremen at this time. Adventure at this is at a pause. As for rules we can work that out together.
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Zhym
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Re: The Dark Tower - Wizard's Guild of Gaul

#7 Post by Zhym »

FYI, Marullus suggested we do guild planning in another thread. I made the thread and we moved the posts about it there: viewtopic.php?f=353&t=8570

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#8 Post by Zhym »

Marullus can confirm or countermand, but I think we're okay bending the rules of time and space to allow everyone who is interested participate in the discussion. Especially since Baxtaw's expedition hasn't officially left yet.

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#9 Post by Dram »

Wizard Guildof Gaul:
Ideas for Membership
The guild has created for those magically inclined to study and learn spells.

1) Membership Fees 150gp yearly dues or lifetime membership of 1000gp.

2) The guild will need need other income to stay operational. Paying them 50 gold per level spell that is not already in the guilds possession. And charging member 75 or 100 gold to learn spells that they wish to learn.
3) Study Quarters will be 25gp per night weekly cost will be 150gp. Lifetime Members are free.
4) Scrolls 75gp per level spell.
5) Members will share all spells they have with the guild be it spellbook or scrolls.

These are only ideas. Create or add to any of these ideas.
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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#10 Post by Zhym »

Pendleton considers Baxtaw's proposals. "Those are solid ideas, and I agree that we will have to consider ongoing costs as part of membership. Those costs will include not only paying guards, but building a library suitable for research. But the coin of our profession is knowledge. Perhaps it should also be the price of membership? Instead of, or perhaps in addition to, a monetary membership fee, we could establish membership by contribution of spells. Higher levels of membership would require contributions of higher levels of spells."

"Asking for spells as a condition of membership would help solve another issue I perceive with your proposal: the possibility of freeloaders. If everyone contributes all their spells to the library and has access to all the spells in the library, then a person could avail himself of tomes full of magic while contributing only a single Read Magic scroll. Aside from the equitable concerns this presents, it could dissuade our more learned colleagues from joining—for why would someone join our society if he gave away all his knowledge and received nothing in return? And how would we know if someone has contributed his full spellbook?"

"We should also consider whether open access to our entire library is wise, or if some spells are so dangerous that access to them should be restricted somehow."

"I would make a few other suggestions." Astoundingly, Pendleton starts speaking in bullet points.

  • "Archmage would be a two-year term appointment, with the Archmage elected by a board of regents or governing council or committee of the learned—some sort of senior leadership, whatever we want to call it. Not only is it more egalitarian, but it saves on having to guard against ambitious up-and-coming mages or tiresome battles for leadership.
  • Your suggesting price for study quarters seems a little steep. I would choose something a little more in line with costs in town, with members getting free or significantly reduced-price lodging and study space.
  • Membership tiers:
    • Associate - Limited privileges (free room and board, no library/research privileges?)
    • Apprentice - access to 1st-level spells, fee-based access to research facilities, common sleeping accommodations
    • Thaumaturgist - access to 2nd-level spells, full access to research facilities, shared sleeping accommodations (2/room)
    • Magician - access to 3rd-level spells, priority access to research facilities, single sleeping accommodations
    • Sorcerer - access to 4th-level spells, priority access to research facilities, dedicated room
    • Wizard - access to all spells, dedicated room
    • Archmage - guild leadership. Access to all spells, priority access to research facilities, dedicated suite

    Membership in each tier would be obtained through a demonstration of skill (e.g., casting a spell of the required level), a contribution of a spell of that level, and some monetary fee.
  • Leadership postitions would be open to members of all levels, but based on significant contributions to the guild (e.g., a large number of spells or significant/unique high-level spells, donation of magic items for use by the guild, etc.).
  • The guild could also offer services to the public, such as magical item research. The guild might also offer spell transcription to the public, for a limited selection of spells.
  • The guild could accept students."

"These are just some thoughts."

FYI, I'm basing some of this off the Tower of Wendell from Keehnelf's game. Despite Wendell's issues as a PC, his Order of the Skull isn't a half-bad template for setting up a guild.

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#11 Post by Dram »

Baxtaw- I like your ideas far better than mine.
"We should also consider whether open access to our entire library is wise, or if some spells are so dangerous that access to them should be restricted somehow."
This could be vote on by 3 to 5 of the senior Mages.
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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#12 Post by Marullus »

*bump*

The ArchDuke offers only one Lordship to the tower. So your rules need to determine who is top-dog socially.

I liked the idea of "to copy a spell you must donate a spell not currently in the library." That ensures that all trades are valuable to the group (because they're new) and inspires further exploration/research to get new things to trade with.

At the moment, you still need to pay 50gp/spell level for inks when copying things (or find inks by adventuring). You can acquire large cash or large supplies that change this for the tower in the future.

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#13 Post by Zhym »

Can the Lordship be ex officio, as suggested? IOW, there's only one top dog at a time, but from time to time the guild selects a new top dog. Is that acceptable?

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#14 Post by Marullus »

Yes, as long as it is one at a time.

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#15 Post by Dram »

Is there another thread location where the construction of the is being constructed. What is the length of time for the tower to be completed?
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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#16 Post by Marullus »

I am fine if you brainstorm here. The tower will be completed before winter (i.e. shortly after these fall expeditions depart). Since it is paid for as a strategic investment by the Duke, you have a wide license.

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#17 Post by Marullus »

*Bump*

So what are you guys deciding, here? I need a plan for what you're building and instituting before Winter.

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Zhym
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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#18 Post by Zhym »

Setting up a new wizard guild (or University, as Pendleton would have it) is complicated business!

But let's simplify it if we can and start with the basics:

We set it up as an anarcho-syndicalist commune. The members take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the year. All decisions of that officer have to be ratified by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs or a two-thirds majority in the case of more—

Okay. Maybe not.

But before I get into all that, can I get a show of hands of people who are interested in joining as founding members of the guild? I'm thinking that founding members would share significant portions of their spell books. Maybe not all of their spells, but I think there'd be an expectation that we'd each contribute several spells to the library. In exchange, founding members each get access to the entire library. Founding members also become part of the governing committee (or whatever fancy term we come up with for it. Board of Regents, maybe?).

After founding members are set, new members can join by contributing spells not in the library.

Has anyone other than Baxtaw expressed an interest in joining yet?

I think we're agreed that Pendleton will be the Archmage of the guild, at least to start. And I also think it makes sense to borrow an idea from the Pythons, given the sometimes slow pace of posting: the Archmage can act on his own but his decisions could be overridden by vote of the governing council.

Looking toward goals for the guild, I think they are, roughly in order of importance:
  1. The spell library
  2. Magical research facilities
  3. Sleeping quarters, etc.
That second part will require some money. So maybe some founding members could contribute enough money to get decent research facilities going, while others would contribute using spells.

Thoughts?

In the interest of disclosure, here are the spells Pendleton could contribute to the library, by level:
  1. Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Light, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Read Magic, Sleep
  2. ESP, Invisibility, Web
  3. Monster Summoning I

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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#19 Post by Alethan »

Zhym wrote: I think we're agreed that Pendleton will be the Archmage of the guild, at least to start. And I also think it makes sense to borrow an idea from the Pythons, given the sometimes slow pace of posting: the Archmage can act on his own but his decisions could be overridden by vote of the governing council.
Well... Earc might be interested in joining, but he would put his name in for the above position, all things considered. He has 12 1st level spells, 3 2nd level spells, and 3 3rd level spells to his name. And a tower. And produces his own growth potion. All at just Level 6.
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Re: Wizards Guild Planning Committee

#20 Post by Spearmint »

Idriss would commit to the tower but not for any leadership position. He has created some variations of spells notably Mirror Image to Mirror Others.

Recently he acquired Fireball but having burned the Infirmary library last time has been forced to practice outside the city.

He has a particular interest in phantasmal and inter-planar spells or research.

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