Faerûnian Wizard Kits (WRR)

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: I've traveled throughout more of the Realms than I care to remember. I've sat and listened to the singing of the valantra, looked out on the splendid harbor of Waterdeep in the company of Elminster himself, and spent more than one unnerving night wishing I were anywhere but in the dreadful expanses of the Battle of Bones. I've even spent time among the strange cultures one will find in the Jungles of Chult or the eastern cities of Kara-Tur.
: I suppose I'll probably die somewhere on a road that is as far from where I was born as it is possible to get. Of course, since I don't know exactly where it was that I did come into this world, I don't really know where that road is. I guess I'll figure it out when I get there.
: Well, with all these miles at my back, there are some who'd say that I must have seen it all. As it happens, there's been a time or two when I'd have said such a thing myself. One of the first things that I learned in my travels, though, is that I'm not likely to live long enough to see even half of what there is on old Toril. Everywhere I go I see things that I would have called anyone else a liar for describing. As you might expect, I'm slow to accuse anyone of prevarication these days.
: I guess the greatest diversity I've encountered occurs among the spellcasters of the world. To some, a wizard is a wizard is a wizard. I'm afraid, however, that it just isn't that simple.
: The workers of magic run the gamut of personalities. On the one hand, you have old book worms who can't be coaxed out of their libraries and demented warlocks who wouldn't dream of leaving their often ill-fated experiments behind. On the other, you have nomadic researchers born with wanderlust in their hearts, and well-traveled adventurers who spend so much time out and about that they don't have much opportunity for research at all.
: This is true, even among already specialized practitioners of the art. I know of at least one necromancer who gets faint at the sight of blood and dead bodies. He insists that the true magic of necromancy involves the incorporeal undead—spirits and ghosts and the like—and not messy things such as graveyards and corpses. He's even a pretty good dinner companion, although his conversations tend to be a bit depressing.
: Well, let's get on with our examination of the diversity found among wizards. After all, even the most educated and experienced of folk have been known to generalize and stereotype.
: I should know: I've done it myself on occasion and almost found out exactly where that oh-so-distant road I mentioned earlier might have run.
:: —An excerpt from the journals of Athanial the Wind
A number of kits have been presented in other products that enable players to create specific types of wizard characters. The most frequently encountered of these were printed in the Complete Wizard's Handbook. While these are fine additions to any AD&D campaign, they are fairly general in character and don't have the unique flavor that players and DMs expect of a FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign. Here we'll examine many kits created especially for the world of Faerûn and its most wondrous citizens.
All the wizard character kits provided in this book are presented in a similar format. Much like the standard MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® layout, this structure places the most important information about the kit first, in the form of an easy-to-read table. Following that is a brief description of the special abilities of the kit, its most interesting role-playing features, and the special abilities or restrictions that set this type of wizard apart from his peers.
==Class Information==
Once again, each entry begins with a description of the variations made to the normal abilities of the wizard class. While a kit resembles its parent class in most ways, it is the variations on the theme that give a kit its character and make role-playing it a challenging experience.
===Racial Requirements===
Not every kit is available to characters of every race. This is especially true in cases where a kit is intended to reflect the nature of adventurers from a specific region. After all, a wizard from Menzoberranzan isn't likely to be a dwarf or a halfling! If any restrictions of this type apply, they'll be listed here.
===Ability Requirements===
Just as some kits aren't open to all races, others require characters to be especially gifted in some mental or physical ability. Any minimum (or, rarely, maximum) ability score requirement is listed in this part of the table.
===Prime Requisite===
The most important ability score for characters using a given kit is listed here. It is this score that determines if the character is eligible for bonus experience point awards, described in the Player's Handbook.
===Advancement Table===
This entry indicates which of the various experience advancement tables characters use when they are designed with the kit. Players are encouraged to pay careful attention to this when selecting a kit, as some kits advance in levels much more quickly than others.
===Hit Die Type===
In most cases, a character designed with these kits uses four-sided Hit Dice, just like traditional wizards. Exceptions exist, however, and these are noted here.
===Attack Table===
As with the "Hit Die Type" entry, most character kits will use the same attack tables as members of their parent class. In rare cases, however, the nature of a kit might result in the character receiving more or less martial training than his peers. When this happens, the effect is listed here.
===Saving Throw Table===
When kit-based characters are called upon to make saving throws, they almost always do so as their parent class. In some instances, however, a kit might be different enough to require that characters use the saving throw table of another class.
In very rare cases, a kit might indicate that some of the character's saving throws are made as one class while others are made as if the character belonged to a different class. This is the case with the shadow walker kit (described in the second part of this book).
===Exceptional Strength?===
The ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® core rules indicate that only members of the fighter class are entitled to exceptional Strength scores. In some cases, though, a nonfighter kit might indicate that characters designed with it are entitled to roll for exceptional Strength bonuses if they have a Strength score of 18.
===Exceptional Constitution?===
As a rule, most characters are limited to a maximum of +2 bonus hit points per Hit Die, regardless of their Constitution score. Warrior characters, of course, can have higher bonuses if their Constitution score exceeds 16. In rare cases, members of other classes might be eligible to receive this benefit as well. If this is the case, it is noted here.
===Spell Ability===
If a kit allows its character to use spells, this is indicated here. Additional information is presented in the body of the information.
===Starting Cash (x10 gp)===
The starting wealth available to various characters varies according to the kit with which they are created. The entry here indicates the number and type of dice rolled to determine how much money a player has with which to equip his character when starting a campaign. The number rolled on the dice is multiplied by 10 to obtain an exact value in gold pieces.
==Proficiency Information==
If players are using the optional rules for proficiencies in the campaign, this section of the entry provides information about the number of slots that characters designed with a specific kit receive, the types of skills available to them, and the frequency with which additional proficiencies are attained.
===Weapon Slots===
This number indicates the initial weapon proficiency slots available to a character designed with the kit.
===Additional Slot===
As characters advance in level, they become more skilled in combat and experienced in the use of various weapons. This number indicates the number of levels that a character must advance in order to earn an additional weapon proficiency slot.
===Nonproficiency Penalty===
If a character is forced to use a weapon that he is not trained with, his attack rolls suffer. This entry indicates the exact penalty applied to the adventurer's attack roll.
===Nonweapon Slots===
This number indicates the initial nonweapon proficiency slots available to a character designed with a given kit.
===Additional Slot===
As characters advance in level, they become more skilled in combat and experienced in the use of various weapons. This number indicates the number of levels a character must advance in order to earn an additional weapon proficiency slot.
===Available Categories===
All of the nonweapon proficiencies in the AD&D game are divided into categories that reflect the skills generally available to members of a specific class.
===Bonus Proficiencies===
To reflect the experiences that characters designed with a given kit are assumed to have, many kits indicate bonus nonweapon proficiencies. Characters need not al locate slots to receive bonus proficiencies, although they can do so to raise the basic chance for success. For example, a wizard from Archendale receives the herbalist proficiency automatically. The skill is recorded on his character sheet and it is noted that it fills "0" slots. If the character wishes to have a better knowledge of herbalism, he may allocate an additional slot for each +1 increase to his roll.
===Recommended Proficiencies===
These are similar to bonus proficiencies because they reflect the skills common to characters designed with a specific kit. To acquire recommended proficiencies, however, the character must allocate slots normally.
==Overview==
Following the table of information are a number of brief entries that further describe the character kit. The first of these simply provides a general definition of the kit, its abilities, and its place in the campaign. This summary isn't meant to provide detailed information, only to give players a capsule description they can read when selecting a kit.
==Description==
Almost every type of character kit has a certain "look" associated with it. This might include favored types of armor, traditional garb, or unique ornamentation. Whenever such information is applicable, it is listed here.
Players and Dungeon Masters should be aware that there are exceptions to these guidelines. Of course, anyone who deviates too far from the established norm is going to stand out in a crowd and probably be shunned by his peers.
==Role-playing==
This entry presents the information that a player needs to make his portrayal of a given character seem realistic. As with the "Description" entry, it is important to remember there are exceptions. For the most part, how ever, players should follow these recommendations.
==Special Abilities==
Every kit lists some special ability that sets its characters apart from those designed with other kits. This might be a bonus to the character's proficiency checks, saving throws under certain conditions, or special talents like a ranger's tracking ability and a paladin's natural immunity to disease. Also, any of the advantageous entries on the table that need clarification are given here.
==Special Disadvantages==
Just as every kit bestows upon its characters some bonus, each one includes some drawback that makes characters of that type more challenging. This might be increased damage from some types of attack, penalties to saving throws, or even some action that the character must take before entering combat or casting a spell.