(Shaun Hately)

To create scrolls, a Sorcerer must be Rank 4. To create potions, they must be of at least Rank 6 while some potions require them to have reached Rank 10. And there are magic items that require even greater levels of power. In most Dragon Warriors games, magic items are reasonably rare, but the question arises as to who is manufacturing these items. How many adventuring Sorcerers can take months or years off to create these wonders and still continue adventuring in order to gain the experience points they need to gain the rank they need to have the skills they need to create more items?

This article lays out a set of rules as to how non-adventuring Sorcerers can gain experience through research and study. The archetype of the elderly wizard working away in his library or laboratory is a common one in fantasy.

Of course, this could all just be abstracted and many times that will be the sensible way to handle things⁠ – but these rules may still be useful for those occasions when a sorcerer who does normally lead the adventuring life finds themselves with some protracted downtime.

Two things are needed for the sorcerer to gain experience through study and research: the first is time, the second is access to the environment needed for study.

Time is simple enough⁠ – for each lunar month (28 days) spent in dedicated study, a sorcerer has a chance of earning experience points according to the table below.

Progress is slow by this method⁠ – a Sorcerer who truly wishes to gain power is much better off leaving their library and laboratory, as only the most intelligent sorcerers are ever even likely to become close to powerful by research and study alone⁠ – one who was only just intelligent enough to master the basics of the Art could easily spend decades in study before they even reached Rank 2.

The studious Sorcerer also needs access to a place where they can study and research⁠ – a combination of a laboratory and a library. This takes a considerable amount of money, a number of crowns equal to the number of experience points required for the Rank of the Sorcerer. For example, a Rank 6 Sorcerer who wishes to gain further experience through study and research will require access to a library and laboratory costing at least 200 crowns. It is no coincidence that this is also what is needed for a Sorcerer's alchemical laboratory (Dragon Warriors p. 30) because these two areas overlap. If these rules are being used, it is suggested that time spent creating scrolls, potions, and other magical devices should be considered study time as well for the purposes of gaining experience.

At the GM's discretion, a sorcerer may not necessarily need to own all of their own laboratory equipment and library⁠ – up to half the necessary cost may be offset by regular access to a library owned by another – perhaps a noble patron of scholarly bent or something like the City and Guild Library of Ongus⁠ – it will be up to the GM to decide what value can be placed on access to such a library – the special collection in the cellar of the City and Guild would likely be worth 1000 crowns in its own right for these purposes, but such libraries are few and far between.

These rules could be adapted for other professions. If this is done, then the table for 'Amount of Experience Gained' should be modified to be based on other statistics besides Intelligence where appropriate. Rather than access to a laboratory and library being required, something more appropriate to those other professions would be suitable.

This article first appeared in Casket of Fays Issue 5.