Player's Handbook Rules Supplement

TheComplete

Wizard'sHandbook

TSR, Inc.

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No concept is more fundamental tothe ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS 2nd Edition® game thanmagic. And no character class betterpersonifies the art of magic than its pri-mary practitioner, the wizard. No classis more challenging, few are as elegant,and in the hands of a creative player,none is as fascinating.

The AD&D 2nd Edition Player'sHandbook and Dungeon Master'sGuide explained all of the basic infor-mation necessary for playing wizardcharacters. In this book, we'll expandon that information, adding more de-tails and options and offering a few newvariations.

For instance, we'll be taking a closelook at all the schools of magic, exam-ining their advantages and disadvan-tages, their requirements and benefits,and the types of characters that are bestsuited for particular specializations.Since the schools of magic aren't limitedto those presented in the Player's Hand-book, we'll show you how to createyour own schools from scratch.

We'll discuss ways to personalizeyour wizard characters and describe en-tire campaigns centered on wizardlyconcerns. If you've been bemoaning thelack of spells for certain specialists,such as diviners and necromancers,worry no more—we've added plenty ofnew spells just for them.

For the Dungeon Master, we'll offersome tips to help fine-tune his skills as areferee, covering such topics as the ad-judication of illusions and how to es-tablish guidelines for magical research.We'll explain how spells are cast under-water and in other planes of existence.And for players and DMs alike, we'lltake a close look at combat and how itrelates to wizards.

Think of this book as a smorgasbordof ideas. Everything here is optional.Pick and choose whatever's most ap-pealing, make changes to suit yourcampaign, and experiment with varia-tions of your own design. It's yourgame and your world—we're here to

help you make it as entertaining as itcan be.

Throughout this book, we've usedmale pronouns as a matter of conven-ience. This is not intended to excludefemales—in all cases, read "his" as "hisor her," and "he" as "he or she."

For those of you using The CompleteWizard in conjunction with the originalAD&D game instead of the AD&D 2ndEdition game, this supplement men-tions many page numbers from thePlayer's Handbook and the DungeonMaster's Guide. The page numberscited refer to the AD&D 2nd Editionbooks. Those players using the oldbooks will have to ignore these pagereferences, but in most cases, you canfind the relevant material by consultingthe indexes or contents pages of theoriginal books.

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The Complete Wizard's Handbook

Introduction 3Chapter 1: Schools of Magic .6To Specialize or Not to Specialize?.. .6

Ability Scores 6lst-Level Bonus Spell 6Personality and Background of

the PC 6Access to Mentors 6Party Composition 6Player Preference 6Chance to Learn Spells 7Short Adventure vs. Long

Campaign 7About the Schools 7

Abjuration 8Alteration 9Conjuration/Summoning 11Enchantment/Charm 12Greater Divination 14Illusion 15Invocation/Evocation 17Necromancy 18

Abandoning a School 20Mages 20Specialists 20

A Word About Minor Schools 20Lesser Divination 20New Minor Schools 21

Chapter 2: Creating NewSchools 22The Basics of Creating Schools 22Type of Magic 22

Priests vs. Wizards 22Categories of Effects 22Defining the Effects of a

New School 23How It All Works 23Name of the School 23Name of the Specialist 23Spells 24Basic Spells 24Adapting Existing Spells 24Ideas for New Spells 24Checking for Duplication 24Checking for Play Balance 24Determining Effects and Levels.. .26Casting Times 28Components 28

Allowed Races 28Ability Requirements 28Clothing 29Experience Levels and Spell

Progression 29Hit Points 29Languages 29Oppositional Schools 30Ethos 31Chapter 3: Wizard Kits 33Kits and Character Creation 33Kits and Schools of Magic 33DM Choices 33The Wizard Kits 33

A Note About ReactionAdjustments 34

The Kits 35Academician 35Amazon Sorceress 36Anagakok 38Militant Wizard 39Mystic 40Patrician 42Peasant Wizard 43Savage Wizard 43Witch 45Wu Jen 49

Recording Kits on the CharacterSheet 50Modifying the Kits 50

Creating New Kits 50Wizard Kit Creation Sheet 51Suggestions for New Kits 51Chapter 4: Role-Playing 52Wizard Personalities 52

The Altruist 52The Brooder 53The Commander 53The Counselor 54The Intimidator 54The Mercenary 55The Mystery Man 55The Neophyte 56The Obsessive 56The Showman 57

Changing Personality Types 58Ideas for New Personality Types .. .59Character Background 59Wizardly Careers 60

Teacher 60Administrator 60Advisor 60Trader 61Physician 61Treasure Hunter 61Entertainer 61Lecturer 61Author 61Fortune Teller 61Alchemist 61

Wizard Adventures 62The Novice Wizard 62The Outcast Wizard 62Magic's Good Name 62Assisting the Citizenry 62The Scholarly Quest 64Out of Retirement 64

Magic in the Campaign World 64Worlds With Excessive Amounts

of Magic 65Worlds With Typical Amounts

of Magic 65Worlds With Low Amounts

of Magic 65Worlds With No Magic 65

Campaign Variations 66The All-Wizard Campaign 66The Single Wizard Kit Campaign .66The Restricted School Campaign .66The Restricted Level Campaign . .66

Chapter 5: Combat and theWizard 68The Spell Arsenal 68

The Wizard's Advantages 68Spell Categories 68

Defensive Spells 69Offensive Spells 69Reconnaissance Spells 70Special Spells 71A Mix of Spells 71

Weapon Restriction 71Chapter 6: Casting Spells inUnusual Conditions 73Casting Spells Underwater 73

Spells That Are IneffectiveUnderwater 73Spells That Are Modified WhenCast Underwater 73

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The Complete Wizard's Handbook

Casting Spells in Other Planes 75The Ethereal Planes 75The Inner Planes 75The Astral Plane 76The Outer Planes 78

Casting Spells When the Caster isImpaired 79Impaired Vision 79Impaired Hearing 80Impaired Speech 81Impaired Movement 81Impaired Concentration 81

Chapter 7: AdvancedProcedures 82Levels Above 20th 82

Spells Above 9th-Level 82Spell Commentary 82

1st Level 832nd Level 833rd Level 844th Level 845th Level 857th Level 858th Level 859th Level 85

More About Adjudicating Illusions .88Complexity—Non-Living Objects 88Complexity—Living Objects 89Magical Effects and Special

Attacks 89Flaws 89Revealed Illusions 90Intelligence 90The Illusion-Casting Subject 90Summary of Modifiers 90

Spell Research 90Defining A New Spell 90Spell Components 91Cost of Research 91The Wizard's Library 91Initial Preparation 92Research Time and Chance ofSuccess 92Example of Research 93

Researching Existing Spells 93Limiting the Success Chance 94More About Magical Item

Research 94

Chapter 8: New Spells 95Spell Descriptions 95Spell Components 95

Material Components 95Verbal and Somatic Components .95

First-Level Spells 95Second-Level Spells 97Third-Level Spells 99Fourth-Level Spells 101Fifth-Level Spells 102Sixth-Level Spells 104Seventh-Level Spell 106Eighth-Level Spells 106Chapter 9: Wizardly Lists.. .108Twenty-five Helpful Familiars 108Five Unusual Sources for Spells . . .108Nine Magical Items That Have Not Yet

Been Invented 109Five Debilitating Afflictions 109Nine Principles of Conduct for

Academy Graduates 112Six Common Alchemical Processes 113Eleven Useful Additions to a Wizard's

Laboratory 113Four Prerequisites for Admission to an

Academy of Magic 114Nineteen Courses in a Typical

Academy Curriculum 114Nine Organizations for Wizards.. .116400 Fantastic Materials 118Five Incredible Locations 119Twelve New Magical Items 124TablesTable 1: Minimum Spells for a New

School 24Table 2: Suggested Maximum Damage

of Spells By Level 26Table 3: Random Determination of

Spell Components 28Table 4: Magic Schools and Types of

Effects 29Table 5: Ability Check Bonuses for

Academicians 35Table 6: Oppositional Schools for

Militant Wizards 40Table 7: Savage Wizard Omen

Results 45Table 8: Effects of Witch's Curse 47

Table 9: Selected Oriental Weapons forthe Wu Jen 48

Table 10: Chance of Random Effects ofAlteration Spells in OuterPlanes 78

Table 11: Random Effects of AlteredShapes in the Outer Planes 78

Table 12: Wizard Experience LevelsBeyond 20th 82

Table 13: Wizard Spell ProgressionBeyond 20th Level 82

Table 14: Summary of Possible Modi-fiers for Saving Throws vs. Illusions90Table 15: Library Values Necessary for

Spell Research 91Table 16: Chromatic Orb Effects . . .96Table 17: Summoned Familiars... .108Table 18: Conjuritis Results 110Table 19: Random Generation of

Fantastic Materials 117Table 20: Results from the Garden of

Jertulth 122Maps and Play AidsSchool Creation Sheet 126Wizard Kit Creation Sheet 127Figure 1: Oppositional Schoo l s . . . . .30Map 1: The Island of Ghothar 121Map 2: The Sphere of B'naa 123

Credits:Design: Rick SwanEditing: Anne BrownBlack and White Art: Terry Dykstra, ValerieValusekColor Art: Clyde Caldwell, David Dorman,Larry ElmoreTypography: Gaye O'KeefeGraphic Design: Paul Hanchette

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS,AD&D, PRODUCTS OF YOURIMAGINATION, and the TSR logo aretrademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

°1990 TSR, Inc. All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A.

TSR, Inc. ~»»3!WBi—— TSR Ltd.POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry HintonLake Geneva Cambridge CB1 3LBWI53147 U.S.A. United Kingdom

ISBN 0-88038-838-2 2115XXX1501

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8 ilsl Chapter 1: Schools of Magic

In this chapter, we'll take a close lookat the various schools of magic, analyz-ing their strengths and weaknesses, ex-amining their spells, and sizing up theirspecialists. We'll also look at the minorschools and explore the implications ofabandoning a school.

The schools of magic add many inter-esting possibilities to a campaign. Butnot every wizard is destined to be a spe-cialist, and not every player wants toplay a specialist character. So let's beginwith a basic question.

To Specialize or Not toSpecialize?

The most crucial decision a begin-ning wizard must make is whether tospecialize in a school of magic or in-stead opt for the life of a mage. Each hasits advantages and disadvantages. Forinstance, the mage has a chance to learnany new spell he encounters, but thespecialist's opportunities are morelimited—he cannot learn spells fromschools that are in opposition to hisown. The specialist has stricter racialand ability requirements than themage, but he also has better savingthrow bonuses.

The choice to specialize can haveprofound effects on a wizard's role inthe game, and players should thinkcarefully before committing their char-acters to a school of magic. Followingare a few points to consider.

Ability Scores

A wizard must meet certain abilityrequirements to become a specialist.For instance, a wizard with a Dexterityof 15 can't become an illusionist. Buteven if low ability scores haven't elimi-nated all of the specialization choices,the player should still look at his char-acter's Intelligence score and see how itaffects his chance of learning spells.

An Intelligence of 9 means that thecharacter will have a 50 percent chanceto learn spells of his speciality based onthe normal 35 percent chance to learn anew spell for an Intelligence of 9 (Table4 on page 16 of the Player's Handbook)plus a 15 percent bonus for being a spe-cialist. An Intelligence of 17 means thatthe character will have a 90 percentchance to learn spells of his specialty(the normal 75 percent chance for an In-telligence of 17 plus a 15 percent bonusfor being a specialist). Notice that the15 percent bonus helps the characterwith the lower Intelligence more than itdoes the character with the higher Intel-ligence; the bonus boosts the Intelli-gence 9 character's chance from 35 to50, an increase of more than 40 percent,while the Intelligence 17 character'schance is increased from 75 to 90,which is a boost of only 20 percent.

Clearly, the lower the Intelligence ofa wizard, the more specialization helpsto increase his chance of learning spells.This is somewhat offset by the special-ist's limitations to which spells he canlearn (he can't learn spells from opposi-tional schools), but over the course of acampaign, a low Intelligence wizardstands a good chance of learning morespells by specializing.

1 st-Level Bonus Spell

A lst-level specialist begins with twospells, but a lst-level mage begins withonly one. This difference is inconse-quential over the course of a long cam-paign, but it can be significant ifplaying a short adventure with low-level characters.

Personality and Backgroundof the Player Character

Some aspect of the player character'spersonality might suggest whether he'sbest suited for the life of a mage or that

of a specialist. An impulsive, overeagercharacter might lack the patience forthe studious life of a specialist. Con-versely, a thoughtful, scholarly charac-ter might find the life of a mage tooconfining. A character who comes froma long line of mages might want to con-tinue the family tradition. A characterwhose brother was killed by an evil spe-cialist NPC might want to study thesame school to prepare himself for aconfrontation with the murderer.

Access to Mentors

Does the wizard character have easyaccess to a mentor of his preferredschool? Is the mentor in ill health, is hiscity under siege, or is his future otherwisein question? Although there are ways tolearn spells without a mentor (or magicacademy), the wizard may want to thinkcarefully before committing to a speciali-zation if he can't depend on the availabil-ity of his mentor (or academy) forconsultation and further training.

Party Composition

If the character's party already in-cludes one or more mages, the wizardmight choose a specialization to givethe party a wider variety of charactertypes. If the party is small, it might beless risky to become a mage so that thecharacter has access to spells of all theschools. Are there other player-character wizards with spell booksthey'd be willing to share? Would a spe-cialist or a mage have a better chance oflearning those spells? (If one PC wizardis a conjurer, his spell book probablywon't be useful to a PC wizard whowants to be a diviner.)

Player Preference

A player might want to run a wizardof a particular specialty just because

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Schools of Magic

he's never tried it before, and that's asgood a reason as any to choose a spe-cialist over a mage.

Chance to Learn Spells

Consider the opportunities thatmages and specialists have to learn newspells, perhaps the most compelling dif-ference between them. As illustration,compare a mage with an Intelligence of9 and an illusionist with an Intelligenceof 9. The mage has a 35 percent chanceof learning each new spell he encoun-ters, regardless of its school. The illu-sionist has a 50 percent chance oflearning illusionist spells, a 20 percentchance of learning alteration, divina-tion, enchantment/charm, andconjuration/summoning spells (thispercentage reflects the 15 percent pen-alty for learning spells from otherschools). The illusionist has no chanceof learning spells from the schools ofinvocation/evocation, abjuration, ornecromancy, since these schools are inopposition to the school of illusion.

Assume that in a typical adventure,the mage and the illusionist each havethe opportunity to learn 16 new spellsfrom discovered spell books, NPC wiz-ards, and other sources. Also assumethat of these 16 spells, two are fromeach of the eight schools. The mage hasa 35 percent chance of learning each ofthese spells, meaning that he is likely tolearn five or six of them. The illusionistis denied the chance to learn six of them(from the oppositional schools); he hasa 50 percent chance of learning two ofthem (meaning he is likely to learn oneof the two), and a 20 percent chance oflearning eight of them (meaning he islikely to learn two spells). In this exam-ple, the mage learns six spells, while theillusionist learns only three.

It doesn't improve for specialists withhigher Intelligence scores; at Intelli-gence 16, for instance, a mage will learn

about 12 of the 16 spells, while the illu-sionist will learn approximately eight ofthem.

Of course, the specialist receives abonus spell when he advances a level,and the differences are less severe forcertain specialties (diviners, for in-stance, are denied access to only oneschool). But over the course of a typicalcampaign, a mage will likely learn farmore spells than a specialist.

Short Adventure vs. LongCampaign

Since there is no meaningful differencebetween a mage and a specialist in theirabilities to cast the spells they know,wouldn't the wise player always chooseto play a mage? Not necessarily. In thelong run, the specialist's experience bo-nus, saving throw bonuses, and acquiredpowers (see the listings in the school de-scriptions below) make him a far moreformidable opponent than the mage. Ad-ditionally, the limits on the number ofspells a wizard can use and know meanthat the specialist will eventually catch upto the mage in these areas.

One guideline for deciding between amage and a specialist might be to con-sider a mage if playing a short adven-ture. But for a lengthy campaign, aspecialist is probably the best bet; notonly will he prove to be a more effectiveparty member, but a character with fo-cused goals and aptitudes will be moreinteresting to play.

About the SchoolsFollowing are details about special-

ists for each school of magic. Each in-cludes the following information:

Description: This section explains thegeneral effects created by spells fromthe school, along with how the magicalenergy is channelled.

Specialist Name: The common name

for a specialist of this school.Allowed Races: Only humans,

gnomes, elves, and half-elves can bespecialists, and not all races are able tospecialize in every school. This entryindicates which races are eligible to spe-cialize in a particular school.

Ability Requirements: Though allschools require a minimum Intelligenceof 9, each has an additional minimumrequirement in another ability and islisted here.

Saving Throw Modifiers: Because oftheir familiarity with the arcane arts,specialists are able to resist the effects ofcertain forms of magic. Additionally,their opponents are less able to resistcertain spells cast by specialists ratherthan non-specialists. These are listedhere.

Bonus Spells and Acquired Powers:These are the special abilities and extraspells that specialists automatically re-ceive when they reach high levels. (Theuse of acquired powers is an optiononly; at the DM's discretion, he caneliminate them from his campaign, oreven develop others for high-level spe-cialists.)

Oppositional Schools: The specialistis unable to learn spells from theseschools. He is also forbidden to usemagical items that duplicate the effectsof schools in opposition to his ownschool.

Spell Analysis: This section discussesthe spells available to the school, in-cluding their general types and theiroverall usefulness to the wizard. Forconvenience, spells are divided intothree categories: Low (lst-3rd level),Medium (4th-6th level), and High (7th-9th level). The most versatile and pow-erful spells are designated as the "MostDesirable" for each of these categories.

Ethos: This section details the wiz-ard's relationship to society, his goalsand values, his overall philosophy, howhe spends his time, and his likely role inan adventuring party. Since certain

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