Patrica C. Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions

Wizards

• What do you need to do to cast a spell--design an elaborate ritual, recite poetry, mix the right ingredients in a pot, speak the right words in an ancient language, etc.? Are there things like a staff, a wand, a familiar, a crystal ball, that are necessary to have before casting any spells? Certain specific spells? If so, where and how do new wizards get these things? Do they make them, buy them from craftsmen, inherit them from their teachers, order them from Wizard Supply, Inc.?
• Is there a numerical limit to the number of wizards in the world? Why?
• Where does magic power come from: the gods, the "mana" of the world, the personal will-power of the magician? Do different races/species have different sources for their magic, or does everybody use the same one?
• Are different races/intelligent species good at different kinds of magic? If so, what types are associated with what species? Are there species that use magic more or less unconsciously--for instance, dragons using magic to fly without consciously being aware of it, or werewolves using magic to change?
• How does a magician tap his/her magic power? Does becoming a magician require some rite of passage (investing one's power in an object, being chosen by the gods, constructing or being given a permanent link to a source of power, etc.) or does it just happen naturally as a part of growing up?
• Does a magician's magical ability or power change over time --e.g., growing stronger or weaker during puberty, or with increasing age? Can a magician "use up" all of his/her magic, thus ceasing to be a magician? What do such magicians do then--retire to teach, commit suicide, get a normal day job, go into consulting?
• Is a magician's lifetime normally longer or shorter than average? Why? Does this vary for different races/species? Are there races/species all of whose members are magicians?
• Are certain spells illegal (as opposed to magic generally)? Why--because of the effect of the spell, or because of the ingredients or procedures needed to cast it, or what? How are violations of this law detected?
• How are illegal magicians apprehended? Punished? Is this the responsibility of the magician's guild, or do ordinary law enforcement agencies have to deal with it?

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