The arcane arts are not an easy path to tread. The study of magic requires a vast intellect, a great deal of patience, endless study and a serious commitment of time and money. Few people possess the mental faculties to grasp even the most fundamental arcane concepts. Fewer still go on to become successful mages. Finally, only a handful will ever become truly great wizards.
With this in mind, we can take a close look at the demographic breakdown of the world's population with regards to magic. For most races, the following statistics are valid:
| 1 in 100 | Have the necessary traits to even begin the study of magic. It requires a keen intellect, raw talent, abundant patience, attention to detail and sufficient funds. | |
| 1 in 1,000 | Perhaps 1 in 10 of those who have the necessary traits to study magic actually do so. This group consists of apprentices, students of magic, nobles who dabble in the arcane as a hobby, poor hedge wizards, etc. | |
| 1 in 10,000 | Only 1 in 10 of those who study become spell casters of any appreciable skill. They often teach students, run small shops, serve as members of wizards' guilds and serve governments in minor roles. | |
| 1 in 1,000,000 | Become truly great wizards. These individuals are well known arch-mages whose names are known far and wide. They often have spells named after them, serve kings and churches, found major groups and create legendary magic items. |
Example: For the nation of Arkalia, which has about 15 million citizens, there would be thousands of people who have the necessary intellect and talent to pursue the study of magic, but not all of them do. Throughout all the lands of Arkalia, some 15,000 might begin the study of magic - apprenticing to a local wizard or enrolling in a small wizard's school or perusing dusty tomes on their own. Many find the study too arduous and eventually give up. In all of Arkalia, only about 1500 or so continue their studies and achieve any significant skill in the arcane arts. Most of these would be found in Strathon and the local towns. Probably less than a dozen truly powerful arch-mages would be found in the entire kingdom. These gifted individuals would be the only truly powerful spell casters for that century.
Magic is a diverse subject and so are the people who study it and they go by many names... wizards and mages, sorcerers and shamans. They vary by culture, geography, talent and the type of magic they choose to study. Below are a few of the more specialized types of wizards that live and work across the face of Khoras.
A type of wizard that specializes in the functioning of arcane items and the fabric of magic.
A rare breed of spell caster that wields "wild magic", a type of magic formed from the dark essence of the blue star rather than the magic field used by traditional mages.
This page last updated Wednesday, December 24, 2008. Copyright 1990-2009 David M. Roomes.