A master wizard of the Colleges of Magic
A master wizard, also known as a Magister and addressed as "Sir" or "Lady," are Human wizards who have mastered the means to channel the energies required to cast most if not all of the spells in their chosen lore of magic.
A master wizard is one who wields magic with surety and finesse. Elf wizards find this level of spell-casting easy to attain, but for a Human, it is a life's work. By the time they reach this level of mastery, most wizards begin to exhibit eccentricities and physical changes wrought by close association with the Winds of Magic. Master wizards usually prefer to spend their time researching or politicking with their fellow Magisters.[2a]
However, in the case of Human wizards, their Order of Magic usually requires them to adventure in the mortal world at large, furthering the cause of their art, and seeking out young folk to apprentice.[2a]
A prospective master wizard will sometimes embark on a grand tour of the southern Old World. The wizard will travel to Nuln, Miragliano, Remas and Luccini to learn from the finest minds amidst the Classical grandeur of Tilea. This opens a wizard's mind to new techniques and perspectives and helps to round out their experiences. These tours are very fashionable for the wealthiest wizards who hold them in good stead when they return to take up a more prominent role in the running of the Colleges of Magic.[4a]
Whereas a Battle Wizard will earn their ascension to the rank of Wizard Lord by great feats and stirring victories upon the battlefield, a master wizard will usually achieve such a status by advances in spellcraft or political machinations.[4a]
Becoming an Imperial Magister[]
At the end of their travels, decided at their master's discretion, a Journeyman Wizard returns to their studies with their master. During this period, the master discerns the level of arcane mastery and control their apprentice now possesses, as well as whether they have become tainted in any way by Dark Magic.
This process is long, but once the master is satisfied with their protégé's skill and purity, the Journeyman Wizard will be expected to travel (sometimes with the master, but more often without) to the master's home College (if they are not already situated there), to study the deeper secrets and more dangerous magic of their chosen Order of Magic. The College is also the only place where an apprentice may be accepted as a full Magister and given all the rights, privileges, and duties of their order.
If unaccompanied, Journeyman Wizards take an introductory letter and a full report from their master with them to their College, and they will be questioned at great length by the highest-ranking Magister present. Once the interviewer is satisfied, the Journeyman Wizard is given a bunk in a dormitory or even their own cell, and they begin an extensive study of their chosen order and lore of magic. How long this period lasts is entirely up to the journeyman. Once they feel ready, they may ask to be considered for acceptance as a full Magister of their order.
If their request is accepted, the journeyman will have their arcane skills pushed and tested like never before. The clarity of their arcane senses will be tested, as will their control, speed, and ability to channel the order's distinct lore of magic. Finally, their spellcraft will be tested through a series of trials, ranging from relatively easy tasks to a magical duel between themselves and an examining Magister. This duel is never fatal, and the apprentice will not have to win to pass, though they will be highly esteemed if they do. All the journeyman must do is fight to the very best of their ability with determination, skill, and a will to win.
The Colleges of Magic are scrupulous about who they admit to join their orders, and they will reject anyone who does not match up to their standards of excellence. Such rejects must return to their studies with good grace until they are deemed ready to retry for full Magisterial status. This scenario is unusual because anyone good enough to have survived the training for so long without becoming corrupted or insane is invariably powerful.
An interesting point about Human Magisters is that the longer they embrace and use the one Wind of Magic that directs their chosen lore, the less able they become to draw on the other Winds of Magic. So although a Magister will still be able to see all the colours of magic (the colour of their own strand of magic will always seems the most vivid and dynamic to them), they will only be able to grasp the colour or Wind that their being has become psychically attuned to.
By the time a journeyman is accepted as a full Magister, this process will already have had a profound effect upon them, meaning that they will be unable to utilise another Wind of Magic even if they wished to. This is perhaps related to the reason why Magisters begin to reflect the attributes of the Wind they use over time. For example, the pyromancers of the Bright Order become ever more passionate and impatient, and Magisters of the Amber Order prefer to avoid contact with Humanity and feel at home only in the wilds.
This state of affairs might also explain why so many fallen Magisters have turned to Chaos worship or Daemonology, as they would probably need divine or Daemonic assistance to be able to grasp to any great degree a strand of magic other than their order's own. There are, perhaps, a few Magisters who never lost the ability to grasp other Winds of Magic, but they would be rare individuals indeed among the race of Men.
Records of all apprentices, Journeyman Wizards, and full Magisters of the Orders of Magic are kept in each College, and they are open to inspection by the Magister Patriarch and the emperor himself, and theoretically the Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar. But it is rare that an inspection is called for, since Imperial Magisters rarely go rogue -- or, at least, that's what the Colleges of Magic want people to think. If an inspection is called for, it is usually at the request of the Grand Theogonist; although, this was exceedingly rare under the current Grand Theogonist, Volkmar. But such a request is almost always to make a political point and is rarely carried through, such are the wranglings and dealings of the Imperial Court.
Once a Journeyman Wizard is accepted as a full Magister, they have reached the end of their formal studentship and are no longer bound to their master's rule.
Call to Power[]
While the motives and backgrounds of master wizards are as varied as the nature of magic itself, they do share a constant goal -- the pursuit of knowledge and power. A master wizard is driven constantly by a thirst to discover the secrets of creation.[3a]
This undeniable compulsion is not in itself evil. However it is a constant call to power that all who tread the path of the wizard experience. By the time a person has advanced to the rank of master wizard this hunger for knowledge and power has become a siren song within their heads, driving them ever onward, for good or ill.[3a]
Wizardly Quirks[]
The effects of long-term exposure to magical energy can make subtle changes to a Human wizard as their power grows. The following examples are but a few possible manifestations. Note that Elves are immune to all such wizardly quirks and physical changes.[3a]
- Unnatural Heat - The wizard's hands and skin are hot to the touch as if they had a fever. Though others may warm themselves by the wizard's flesh, the wizard themselves gains no benefit from this unnatural heat.[3a]
- Through the Looking Glass - The wizard's reflection is slightly out of sync with their physical position, lingering for a moment after they turn away from mirrors or other reflective surfaces.[3a]
- Spectral Voices - The wizard constantly hears whispered voices in their head, though they can never quite make out what they say. However, the wizard can occasionally catch a word or two like "kill" and "kitten."[3a]
- Feline Affinity - Cats are the wizard's good friends and flock to wherever they are. Whenever the wizard stands still the cats, and especially the mangy ones, like to rub themselves against their legs.[3a]
- The Slow Rot - Cloth formed from plant or animal fibers slowly rots while touching the wizard's skin. Over a few days clothes will moulder and begin to disintegrate, forcing the wizard to consider wearing garments manufactured from metal or bone.[3a]
- Wizened Claws - The wizard's fingernails and toenails constantly grow and must be clipped daily lest they become a tangled mess. Wearing gloves is difficult.[3a]
- Icy Breath - The wizard's breath is cold like an icy breeze and leaves a thin layer of frost on glass and metal. Those talking to the wizard face-to-face often shiver.[3a]
- Light Sleeper - When asleep, the wizard hovers a few inches above the ground. However, when the wizard wakes, they inevitably come crashing down.[3a]
- Stale Touch - Beer goes flat and wine sours in the wizard's presence. Taverns are best avoided, as are breweries and vineyards.[3a]
- Ghostly Breeze - The wizard's hair and clothes are constantly ruffled by an invisible breeze that nobody else notices. This can make the wizard feel either heroic or annoyed, depending on their mood.[3a]
Canon Conflict[]
It is unclear if the wizardly quirks described above for Human wizards are a form of Arcane Mark, or something similar in effect but different in origin.
Sources[]
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realms of Sorcery (RPG), pp. 78-79
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Core Rules (RPG)
- 2a: pg. 76
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Career Compendium (RPG)
- 3a: pg. 139
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay - The Winds of Magic: Advanced Magic & Wizardry (RPG)
- 4a: pp. 16-17