The idea of being a wizard.

[Grand Unified Theory]

I've been contemplating lately about how compatible the idea of a scientist and a wizard are. While I really enjoy the roleplay, I'm not entirely sure if the theme is consistent with the FR game setting.

My justification for how this could be so comes from British writer, Arthur C. Clarke. One of Clark's Three Laws states:

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

While I don't normally consider mathematics or science-based knowledge to be considered "technology", could it be legitimately roleplayed game-wise that magic is just merely a form of those two?

I think back to moments when I first became an undergraduate and watched my fellow colleagues doing mathematical deductions involving relativistic pertubations of electrons along a moving magnetic field. The entire whiteboard could have been covered in magical incantations for all I knew.

[Doubtful]

I've always seen the idea of wizard and scientist as very compatible, FR is very forgiving in terms of interpretation of almost any class.

The wizard scientist is as acceptable as the wizard mystic, the wizard artist, wizard politician or pretty much any other interpretation you fancy. There are so many cultural, racial and religious elements to every character that you can ultimately shape it how you fancy.

[Valhalla]

It's a shame that implementing pathfinder Alchemists would be hideously difficult. They were always one of my favorite classes as far as sciencey-RP goes.

[Grand Unified Theory]

Awesome! The server has such refined and well-played characters on it, I figured the rules were rather strict to keep the RP quality high.. so awesome that there's that kind of flexibility!

It's a shame that implementing pathfinder Alchemists would be hideously difficult. They were always one of my favorite classes as far as sciencey-RP goes.

Why is that so? I actually chose alchemy myself..

[Satoshi]

He's talking about the Alchemist class. I see wizards as the engineers of the fantasy world, filled with the drive and ambition required to tinker with, understand, alter, create, and destroy the fabric of reality itself. I also see them as prone to madness and power corruption, but that's the risk associated with delving headlong into absolute power.

[GodBeastX]

All scientists are not wizards. All wizards are not scientists. But essentially alchemists are the scientists of the world, so most wizards tend to be scientists.

Magic also has a great deal of laws and properties. Wizards are essentially programmers of reality.

[Doubtful]

The greatness of player quality comes from allowing interpretation and flexibility wherever possible (there are admittedly some restrictions on certain things).

Its great when you come across a character that demonstrates a new way of doing things or breathes fresh life into tired concepts.

There is no single way to play any of the classes, from paladins to wizards and everything else on offer there's a whole myriad of different play styles and traits to play with. Anyone who tries to insist there's only a single way to play any class deserves only pity (and maybe a slap).

[Jhickey]

Grand, keep playing your wizard the way you see fit. I have loved the RP notes you have sent Datton, it's just hard to make good replies because Datton's basic understanding of the topic is limited.

Just keep going you are doing great.

[Lugwy]

If you know the class you're going to play enough to make liberties for a more interesting character, then by all means do it.

[Kitsunestume]

I just have a few words on this topic:

"import Fire semicolon
fire dot burning sword open-brace jFrazer dot adamantaineHammer comma jFrazer comma maximised close-brace"

James Frazer casts Burning Sword

I personally love the idea of . . .ya know, logically based spellcasting, like another coding language, but thats just me. If the aboce dosen't sound like mumbo-jumbo to an unpracticed ear, clearly it's been optimized

Cheers,
Kit

[Doubtful]

Charles Stross's Laundry series does a great job at bringing the whole magic as a branch of science/maths (computational demonology anyone?) to life.

You can read a few of his novella's online for free if you want to dip a toe in before buying the books.

It does make me want the Occult Countermeasures app for the iphone though.

[Kitsunestume]

Oh, Heh, I'm apparently tired, because I only just remembered that James has an established theory of Arcon-Field-Effects, an arcon being a quanta of arcane energy. And I agree with Doubt, sufficiently analysed magic becones the arcane sciences. Also magitech.

[Grand Unified Theory]

What about roleplaying a non-combat character? One who assists from behind the curtains, pulling strings rather than drawing swords? I would imagine this would be the case for many a scholarly/government role.

[cmosier]

What about roleplaying a non-combat character? One who assists from behind the curtains, pulling strings rather than drawing swords? I would imagine this would be the case for many a scholarly/government role.

See Evelyn Meriadoc.

[Doubtful]

Plenty of folk have played non combat based characters. It's perfectly doable but can be a tough road, the prime exp gathering mechanic is combat, relying on the ticker and DM xp is a slow route.