Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Apr 20, 2004 7:25:07	For DM´s all over the world.: Has someone ever played or mastered this "test of the High Sorcery". I´m about to master one my self, because my players wizard is allmost on a apropriate level for it. I would like to get some tips for planing it. This wizard is going to be a white robe, so that should effect the test also? What kind of monsters or puzzles have you used in this?
#2 Dragonhelm Apr 20, 2004 10:05:28	There’s a few important things to keep in mind with the Test. Obviously, you will want to challenge their magical ability, so keep that in mind, especially with their spell list. I also believe that the wizard should have to consciously choose the magic above all else in his Test. This may be difficult for the player, especially if the wizard has to choose magic over a loved one. Also, I believe that the Test should touch upon the foundations of the character himself. The Test may show a character his own flaws – something nobody likes to be confronted with. A character may also go through some change. With Justarius, he got a bum leg from it. You can also have a psychological change as well. Using a kender as an example, perhaps he learns the meaning of fear. I’ve played the Test once, and used it as a background for another character. The time I played it, the wizard was shying away from magic, and he was forced to embrace it (or die). The background that I used for the other character was quite neat. This is for my Solamnic Auxiliary Mage. Basically, the SAM is brother to a squire who seeks to become a Knight of Solamnia. The knight is traveling to take the Knight’s Trials. The wizard is at an appropriate level to take the Test as well, so the two travel together, killing two birds with one stone. The SAM considers the Test to be nothing more than a formality. He doesn’t take it seriously, even when the wizards tell him that the Test could result in death. The SAM smiles and nods, and gets into the Test. His brother is allowed to come along as well. As it turns out, the opponent in the Test is a Knight of the Thorn, who slays the knight-to-be. The Thorn Knight, of course, escapes. What the SAM didn’t realize is that death in the Test is not limited to the wizard. His beloved brother, who only wanted to be a knight, died before given the chance. So he travels to tell the knighthood of his “failure”. He discovers there’s a Solamnic Auxiliary, and vows that the only way he can make up for his brother’s death is to take his place. And so, after taking the Test, he now must face the Knight’s Trial. The Trial is nothing less than finding the Thorn Knight who killed his brother, and bringing him to justice, which he will succeed in. I call this story “Test and Trial”. Problem with the background story is that it tells the character’s story prior to playing it. My SAM, btw, has a neat familiar – a kingfisher. I hope that helps you out some. The Test can be a very challenging thing to DM, but it can also be quite rewarding as well. Certainly, the character will be richer for it.