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18:22, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Apprentice Wizards.

Posted by Tortuga
Tortuga
member, 1870 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 21:20
  • msg #1

Apprentice Wizards

Basic Premise: The PCs are apprentices in the service of a cranky older wizard. Mostly their apprenticeship is doing chores for him, picking up laundry, going grocery shopping, etc, while he occasionally uses them as living mana batteries and teaches them magic tricks. The exchange is service for spells.

To start with the PCs won't know any magic. Learning it is, in general, a slow process of dribs and drabs; the campaign is really focused on being sent off by the master to do adventures for rare reagents and obscure artifacts so Old Man Wizard doesn't have to go outside or talk to anyone.

This'll be GURPS, by the way, but no experience with the system is necessary.

There are four possible options here, sound off with which one sounds the most fun:

1. Modern world, interdimensional adventures. You're all 21st century humans who have discovered someone who knows REAL FRICKIN' MAGIC. Usually the crazy old hermit just has you pick up his dry cleaning and go to the post office, but sometimes he has you jump from world to world to get those regeants and artifacts. In addition to the multidimensional adventures you're having, you'll have to decide whether you want to try keeping your mundane life or giving that up and becoming an old weirdo like your instructor.

2. Fantasy world, interdimensional adventures. Like the above but you're from Aber-Toril or Oerth or Yrth or something. You've got plenty of medieval life skills but are probably scared of vacuum cleaners and personal hygeine (that's how the devil gets ya!) But hey, at least you know how to use a sword even if your conception of a shower is "put on more perfume." Yes I know this only really applies to medieval Christiandom but it's funny, no I won't make a big deal of how gross and dirty your characters are, this probably won't be a factor.

3. Modern World, Modern Adventures. Don't like interdimensional adventures? Screw 'em! Instead you'll learn magic while dealing with organized crime, rogue psychic, lovecraftian cultists, uh... maybe the Joker, I don't know. But it'll all be in sunny modern (your city here, unless London, in which case not quite so sunny).

4. Fantasy World, Fantasy Adventures. Like the above, but with more dragons and fewer cell phones.

Seriously help me narrow this down guys. Thanks!
geryone
member, 13 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 21:37
  • [deleted]
  • msg #2

Apprentice Wizards

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 22:04, Mon 20 May 2019.
Tortuga
member, 1871 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 21:43
  • msg #3

Apprentice Wizards

I like TechnoMancer but it has sort of an industrialized/commercialized attitude towards magic; I'm aiming for something a little weirder. Old men in towers far from civilization/crazy old hoboes in the back of a burnt out school bus, instead of something you could audit down at the local community college.
airellian
member, 459 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 22:02
  • msg #4

Apprentice Wizards

Interested! :)

I would love interdimensional adventures, both in the modern and fantasy worlds. Why not go a little of both, with characters from disparate backgrounds?

I'm not really well-versed with GURPS, but I'm sure it'll be easy enough to pick up.
Tortuga
member, 1872 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 22:08
  • msg #5

Apprentice Wizards

Yeah, I could go with characters from both modern and fantasy worlds. So call that option 5 -

5. Whatever characters, Interdimensional Adventures. The PCs are gathered from different settings to the Interdimensional Tower of the Slipstream Wizard, from which they will be dispatched to different realities on errands mundane and profound.
gorchek
member, 11 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 22:10
  • msg #6

Apprentice Wizards

I'd favor 1, 2, or 5, but I'd be fine with any of them.

A problem I could see about starting in the modern era is the issue of guns, though that could be handled the way Amber did: chemical reaction change in different realities.
geryone
member, 14 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 22:12
  • msg #7

Apprentice Wizards

Oops, mentioned another game without realizing it was public until later.  My error.

I'm good with any of them.  :)
evileeyore
member, 186 posts
GURPS GM and Player
Mon 20 May 2019
at 22:52
  • msg #8

Re: Apprentice Wizards

Tortuga:
Yeah, I could go with characters from both modern and fantasy worlds. So call that option 5 -

5. Whatever characters, Interdimensional Adventures. The PCs are gathered from different settings to the Interdimensional Tower of the Slipstream Wizard, from which they will be dispatched to different realities on errands mundane and profound.

I like this one.  It has some real interesting interparty hijinks and comedy potential when the modern homeless Wizard apprentice has to learn how to fake being 'medieval' and draws on his beliefs about 'how it was back then' based solely on what he's seen at Ren Faires and Medieval Times restaurants...  and of course when the actual fantasy Elf has keep the ears hiden and not bug out over the horseless carriages of the modern world...
Miette
member, 1 post
Mon 20 May 2019
at 22:55
  • msg #9

Apprentice Wizards

Interesting :) I don't think you can go wrong with any of the options.
MegatonBlade
member, 23 posts
Mon 20 May 2019
at 23:51
  • [deleted]
  • msg #10

Apprentice Wizards

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 04:17, Tue 21 May 2019.
Tortuga
member, 1873 posts
Tue 21 May 2019
at 01:05
  • [deleted]
  • msg #11

Apprentice Wizards

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was moot, at 04:18, Tue 21 May 2019.
Tortuga
member, 1874 posts
Tue 21 May 2019
at 01:05
  • [deleted]
  • msg #12

Apprentice Wizards

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was moot, at 04:18, Tue 21 May 2019.
MegatonBlade
member, 24 posts
Tue 21 May 2019
at 03:23
  • [deleted]
  • msg #13

Apprentice Wizards

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was moot, at 04:19, Tue 21 May 2019.
zeone3000
member, 523 posts
Tue 21 May 2019
at 18:36
  • msg #14

Apprentice Wizards

1 or 3 myself, but it would be hard to go wrong with any of them.
Tortuga
member, 1875 posts
Tue 21 May 2019
at 18:41
  • msg #15

Apprentice Wizards

Okay I've decided to go with 5 because I kinda like it.

Yer a Harry, Wizard!

In Apprenticeship you were a fairly ordinary being from your world of choice when you were presented with the opportunity to apprentice to a powerful wizard from another dimension. Why did you believe him? Why did you accept? I dunno, man, that's your backstory, not mine.

Anyway, now you and your fellow apprentices spend a good part of your time in the wizard's pocket dimension (The Tower) cleaning up alchemical spills, washing soiled robes, cooking the old man's dinner, and acting as a living mana battery. Occasionally you're taught some magic, if the old man feels like it.

Even more occasionally you're sent on a perilous adventure of dubious merit, usually to acquire some strange artifact or obscure magical reagent somewhere in the multiverse.

Many of these adventures will be plagiarized inspired by old published modules from my collection of RPG material so don't be too surprised to find yourself looking for magical leaches in Saltmarsh or trying to collect dhole tears in the Mountains of Madness.


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