Arcanist Arcanists were Netherese individuals who wielded arcane magic in the days of the first Netherese Empire . The title " arcanist " was synonymous with the more modern word " wizard . " Culture . The Netherese culture was extravagant , wasteful , and decadent . Magic was plentiful and nearly everyone could wield it to some extent . Arcanists were the elite spellcasters in society and were looked to for the defense , prowess , and prosperity of Netheril . The most powerful arcanists were known as archwizards . Arcanists were arrogant in general and looked upon divine magic with utter disdain because they felt they were on a path to godhood and to accept healing or aid from a priest was to forfeit their chance at becoming a deity themselves . Thus , arcanists of this stripe relied heavily on " potions of healing " and other arcane forms of healing and life preservation . Abilities . The Netherese arcanists achieved the highest level of magical ability ever wielded by mortals . Indeed , one archwizard , Karsus , actually promoted himself to godhood for a very brief moment by stealing the power of Mystryl , the Mother of All Magic , in the Year of Sundered Webs , – 339 DR . While this extreme act of hubris resulted in the death of the goddess , the destruction of Netheril , and the eternal prohibition of the greatest magics from mortal minds , it is nevertheless a testimony to the incredible abilities achieved by the Netherese arcanists and archwizards . The study of magic was divided up into three specializations . Every arcanist chose a major and a minor specialization and was barred from the third . The three specialized forms were Inventive , Mentalism , and Variation . An Inventor created or destroyed matter and material things ; a Mentalist operated in the arena of the mind ; a Variator altered existing objects , materials , and even magic itself . Possessions . Arcanists created many quasimagical items that only functioned while in the vicinity of a mythallar , the magical engine that powered their floating cities . Few arcanists desired to leave the safety and comfort of their enclaves ; nevertheless , some magic items were created either before the mythallar was invented or by " eccentric " individuals that were brave enough to venture out of the nest . Some of these rare items were : Relationships . The Netherese thought they were the chosen race among humans and this tainted their view of all other races . In general , the Netherese had a good relationship with the dwarves of Delzoun , trading magic items and inventions for gem s , precious metals , weapons , and crafted stonework . Relations with the elves of Cormanthyr started out cordial when they befriended the early Netherese settlers and taught them about magic . As the power and arrogance of the arcanists grew , the elves began to distance themselves from what they saw as an ostentatious , oafish , and reckless group of spellcasters . Gnomes were used as slave labor by the early Netherese but eventually won their independence by going on strike and refusing to work . After their release , many of the former slaves fled south , migrating far away from their insensitive former masters . Half - elves were treated as second class citizens by the Netherese , reinforcing the notion that they didn ' t belong with either humans or elves . They were allowed to mingle if they had magical ability , but were relegated to the less wealthy districts and earned less than humans doing the same jobs . Halfling s had much the same relationship to the Netherese as the half - elves . Humanoid s such as orcs were usually killed on sight .