Control of Magic in Obsidian Bay

[NukeHavoc]

As the Obsidian Bay campaign has unfolded, we've found ourselves in an interesting position: neither arcane spellcaster has chosen to join the Guild of Wizardry.

Since the guild is the primary source of arcane magic in the city, particularly in the form of scrolls, potions and the like, this can make acquiring such things ... difficult for non-guild members.

This is a non-issue for Vargas -- his master, Saheed, is more that capable of teaching him the spells he needs, and since these spells are so specialized -- focusing as they do on shadow magic -- it is unlikely he'd be able to easily get them from another source.

For Corash, however, it is more difficult. His interests are not as closely aligned with his new teacher's as Vargas' are with Saheed. If his master does not have a spell, then he must turn to other means of acquiring it.

But aside from the Guild of Wizardry, what are his options?

And One Guild to Rule Them All

To start, I think we need to determine exactly how powerful the Guild of Wizardry is in Obsidian Bay -- does it have an effective monopoly on the manufacture and sale of items such as scrolls and potions in the city? What about greater items (magical armor and weapons, wands, etc.).

My thinking is that the short answer is yes ... with qualifications. The Guild is the dominant magical force in the city, and seeks -- through laws if necessary -- to force everyone to buy from them. That said, there would inevitably be exceptions. For example, the College of the Laughing Song undoubtedly has some sort of an exception relating to its students and faculty, but they are a bardic college that has few traditional arcane casters.

The adventuring guilds are another notable exception, and in some cases their magical resources might rival the Guild of Wizardry. And yet I think they're resources would be directed soley at their members -- yes, you might be able to buy a spell scroll from the Starfire Guild ... but you need to join before being able to do so. That is, after all, one of the reasons to join a guild.

And, of course, the various churches would offer divine healing, scrolls and potions, but that's a different issue from arcane magic, even if there might be some overlap in spells.

I like the status quo we've got going here -- we've always said OB was a guild-intensive city, so if you're not a member of the Guild of Wizardry, you're not a member of an adventuring guild and you haven't found a willing teacher, well, it should be hard for you to acquire new spells.

The Grey Market

We need to think about what sort of restrictions would be in effect for non-Guild of Wizardry members selling items, but I'm thinking along the lines of a high tax that's effectively a ban on such sales. This would inevitably give rise to a black market, but in OB, I see it as more of a Grey Market -- something that exists with a wink and a nod from the powers that be, who acknowledge that some alternative to the Guild of Wizardry should exist ... as long as it doesn't actually rise to the level of challenging the guild.

To that end I see a number of arcane casters scattered throughout the city that engage in low-end magic item creation and who are contactable by low-level mages like Corash who don't belong to the Guild or any of its adventuring kin. Some of these would be loaners, others would be collected together into small groups, such as the Order of the Broken Staff.

They are difficult to find and contact -- I'm thinking something like a base DC 20 Gather Information check, modified upwards by +2 for each level of the spell (i.e. 20 for a zero level spell, 22 for first, 24 for 2nd, etc.).

The Magic Gunshow

Something else we had discussed was the possibilty of Obsidian Bay having a "magic gun show" -- basically a time when non-guild members could buy low-level magic from the guild in a market atmosphere; the idea isn't to make it like a flea market, but rather an upscale sort of event run by the Guild, and targeted at adventurers, nobles and the like. I'm thinking it could be held twice a year -- maybe once in the spring, and once in the fall.

Thoughts?

[EvilGenius]

I like the idea. Finally something for the Broken Staff to do! woot!

But seriously, I agree that if you're not in the Guild of Wizardry or part of an adventuring guild, it should be damn difficult ot get new spells.

What we did in the BRs was learn from captured spellbooks, higher level guildmembers, or find mentors.

I think it should be pretty much the same now. The Grey Market makes sense, but what's in stock should be pretty random, I would think.

[NukeHavoc]

I like the idea. Finally something for the Broken Staff to do! woot!

Exactly.

I think it should be pretty much the same now. The Grey Market makes sense, but what's in stock should be pretty random, I would think.

Yeah, probably -- each NPC should probably have a percentage chance of not having a scroll/potion available.

In terms of other rogue wizards running about, it seems natural that there would be a Tritheronite doing his best to undermine the government-endorsed magic monopoly by selling magic on the free market.


Ken

[erilar]

Well, there are always going to be shady or creepy spellcasters - they are wizards, after all - that either won't fit into the more upstanding and political Guild of Wizardry, or won't want to be associated with it because they want to keep their weird research or goals on the down-low.

So, what if there's a much-smaller association of arcane spellcasters, a loose band of sorcerous folk who work together out of necessity, in the city? I mean, if a weird bird like Vasar weren't in the BR's, would he go to the GoW, or to the weird collection of grey- (and some black-) market shops that have sprung up out of, let's say, the gloomiest section of Darkdweomer End? You know, the portion closest to the shade-casting city wall, that always happens to be dark and spooky even during the height of the day?

A group like that might make for a lot of cool adventure hooks and RP opportunities. For example, an upstanding and moral elf like Corash, forced to deal with the spooky weirdos of the outcast-arcane-merchants club because he can't join the GoW? They wouldn't be terribly organized - you wouldn't get a membership card or anything - but rather you might have to gain their trust over time and build up a reputation, perhaps even through fulfilling some quests and errands - they need to stock their shelves somehow.

Think of Harry Potter - what was the name of the really creepy section of magic London that he stumbled upon when he wandered out of Diagon Alley?

If you guys like this idea, I'll think of a cool name for the group.

[NukeHavoc]

I could certainly see having some sort of small, shadow-cabal in Obsidian Bay doing the sorts of things Lance is talking about -- maybe 8-12 wizards/sorcerers/bards, with a few others that orbit around them. Nothing offical, nothing tremendously organized ... but there nonetheless.

I see other small clusters of arcane spell casters here and there as well (and, of course, the Order of the Broken Staff) but having the cabal would be very cool.

[EvilGenius]

I think this is all very logical. I was sorta assuming that the rogue scoff-laws would be the ones providing for the grey market.

Well, there are always going to be shady or creepy spellcasters - they are wizards, after all - that either won't fit into the more upstanding and political Guild of Wizardry, or won't want to be associated with it because they want to keep their weird research or goals on the down-low.

So, what if there's a much-smaller association of arcane spellcasters, a loose band of sorcerous folk who work together out of necessity, in the city? I mean, if a weird bird like Vasar weren't in the BR's, would he go to the GoW, or to the weird collection of grey- (and some black-) market shops that have sprung up out of, let's say, the gloomiest section of Darkdweomer End? You know, the portion closest to the shade-casting city wall, that always happens to be dark and spooky even during the height of the day?

A group like that might make for a lot of cool adventure hooks and RP opportunities. For example, an upstanding and moral elf like Corash, forced to deal with the spooky weirdos of the outcast-arcane-merchants club because he can't join the GoW? They wouldn't be terribly organized - you wouldn't get a membership card or anything - but rather you might have to gain their trust over time and build up a reputation, perhaps even through fulfilling some quests and errands - they need to stock their shelves somehow.

Think of Harry Potter - what was the name of the really creepy section of magic London that he stumbled upon when he wandered out of Diagon Alley?

If you guys like this idea, I'll think of a cool name for the group.

[Jonkga]

BTW, that offshoot of Diagon Alley where Harry ends up after the failed floo powder trip is called Knockturn Alley, and is the place where that store is where the Malfoys unload all there dark arts stuff prior to the ministy's raids on thier home.