Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 20, 2003 2:43:28	Okay. The issue of sorcerers came up in another thread and I want to hear more about how people use them in their Greyhawk campaign. The advent of the third edition and the new sorcerer class changed Greyhawk forever - for the better in my opinion. New classes, feats and prestige classes - all of which quite frankly I enjoy a lot. So the question that immediately sprung to my mind after consuming the third edition rules, was how is my beloved Greyhawk going to change? I had high hopes pinned on the Living Greyhawk Gazatteer to solve those problems. Unfortunately it did not. Now I'm not bagging it, I know the guys that wrote it had their hands tied a bit. But it obviously did not make much use of the third edition rules. So my question is, which the advent of sorcerers, how have you placed them into your Greyhawk campaign? The only information I have seen that attempts to address this issue for Greyhawk is in the Silents Ones article that appears in one issue of the LGJ. It describes sorcery in Greyhawk as being more popular some time ago, but is now a bit of a rarity. There being fewer sorcerers than wizards. That there are more wizardly institutions than sorcerers institutions (which makes sense anyway). I this the way you guys use them in Greyhawk? Also we need some sample sorcerers. I could only find a few references to sorcerers in the LGG, the most prominent one being the leader of Sterich, who is a Sor13. Any others?
#2 Argon Sep 20, 2003 13:20:08	Well i think another reason behind the lack of sorcerors in Greyhawk has a great deal to do with it's inherent magic level. FR is considered a high magic level world. Where as GH is considered a moderate magic level world. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that their would be few mages and even fewer sorcerors. While FR would have many mages and a few sorcerors. I would think that DRL would have the least in these areas. As DRL seems to have an slightly lower level of magic than GH. At least from the second age to the fifth age. Any magic evident in the world of Krynn seems to have a long history behind it. GH is similar but you get a few +1 swords and the like added in. While FR is the +1,2,3,4,5, capital of the gaming worlds presented here. I think thats what was in the authors minds at the time of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. I hope this clears a few things up for you.
#3 zombiegleemax Sep 20, 2003 20:41:26	I haven't read the Silent Ones of Keoland article fully (forgive me G, it just didn't appeal...) but the notion of shoe-horning sorcerers into GH has the essential merits of the argument I put forth in another thread, that of incorporating new edition rules via evolution of the setting. So... my idea (it's not all that original, just pointing out the obvious really), would involve creating a backstory for the origin of sorcerers and making their inclusion into GH fit without disturbing or rewriting what has already been written. One idea is that sorcery is new and, much like psionics, is a development that is occurring 'naturally' within the various races. Races like elves, who have dealt with magic extensively for thousands of years, would naturally have evolved this innate ability. The idea that I prefer, however, is that sorcery is associated with the primal forces of nature and, especially, of oerth. When the races were young and magic was abundant, sorcerers were revered almost as priests would be in a highly spiritual setting. However, something happened (I have my own ideas on this but don't want to share them... :P ) that forced sorcerers underground and, over generations, made them reviled. Only those who studied the ways of the sorcerer, the scholars of the grey elves, retained any ability to utilize magical forces. They were the first wizards and from them, all methods of spellcasting have their root. They taught the Suel and the Suel destroyed themselves and most of the grey elves with that knowledge, forever erasing sorcery and 'true' magicks from the planet. At least, that is what everyone thought... for nothing could ever wipe out sorcery as long as the oerthblood flowed in it's myriad forms and the planet lived. Magic was an integral part of the world and thus whoever dwelled on the world was subject to it's influence. Sorcerers were born regardless of the social situation and some survived and prospered. It is only in recent times, however, that they have begun to surface, as the legacy of their banishment has subsided into relative obscurity. Some nations and peoples still believe in the old superstitions that sorcerers are inherently evil and bring bad luck and curses down upon those who support them but most people treat sorcerers much the same way as they do wizards; with respect and a little fear, always a good idea when dealing with someone who has the innate ability to fry you to a crisp. Of course... I have other little things that explain this idea and it all ties into my own version of oerth where magic is waning and whatnot but at least it's an example of a way to incorporate sorcerers without disrupting the setting overly much.