Twenty Spell Caster Ranks

[LordFalco]

Ever had a story delayed because some facet wasn't fleshed out? Creating these plug-and-play guides is half the fun; you can't wait to use them. For your approval:

The Standard Academy Rating System is a means for comparing strength of magic users--human or not. Applicants must cast a representative spell to be awarded the rank. Some advance slowly through the curriculum, acquiring numerous spells in that rank, though rarely all ten. Others choose quick advance, opting for the prestige of higher rate at the expense of flexibility. Each rank doubles in power and endurance. Legend: the rank, its academy pin, symbolism, average student age, and factor greater than tier one. Pins 1-5 are bronze; 6-10 are silver; 11-15 are gold; 16-20 are platinum.

1 Initiate Blood drop: a spark of life. (16) 1
2 Acolyte Pendulum: begin psychokinetic trials. (16) 2
3 Novice Child: first halting steps. (16) 4
4 Apprentice Apron: learning a trade. (18) 8
5 Journeyman Saw: mastering the craft. (20) 16

6 Lumiary Eye: dawn of awareness. (22) 32
7 Thaumaturge Star: expanded perception. (25) 64
8 Adept Hand: hard-won experience. (28) 128
9 High Cloud: broadening horizons. (31) 256
10 Master Beard: matured vision. (34) 512

11 Preceptor Scroll: the philosopher. (37) 1024
12 Mystic Cowl: priest of a new age. (41) 2048
13 Exalted Wing: beyond the physical. (46) 4096
14 Ultra Sun: into the light. (52) 8192
15 Zeno Gateway: crossing over. (58) 16384

16 Sublimator Robe: altered states. (65) 32768
17 Elemental Beaker: all is one. (73) 65536
18 Transcendental Radiance: moving on. (81) 131072
19 Celestial Spiral: passing through. (90) 262144
20 Demigod Chalice: communion. (100) 524288

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

The only problem I see is that these spells don't seem particularly well related to one another. I get it that one spell may be more powerful than another, but not that a sublimator for example must be able to cast all the lessor fifteen spells. What if our sublimator has no healing magic? So can cast robe etc but not blood drop?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[thecoldembrace]

While it is good to have a fleshed out ranking system, you might want to cut it down to size. Many readers will be interested in your magic but can easily become lost in your lengthy hierarchy. For the systems I usually use low numbers as a rule, rarely more than 10, unless there is a number significant to symbolizing something at a higher rank, like 13 or something. It is great that you have so many, but if you are going to use these in your writing it might call for explanations of each, which can become tedious, taxing and too informative for some people.

Just my thoughts

-Cold

 

[WooHooMan]

Cold, did you just sign a forum post? That's weird.

Anyways, I really dig the symbol thing but I have two dislikes...
1) I think 20 might be a few too many ranks. I can't really explain why I think that it just feels like 20 is kind of excessive.
2) I feel like putting a number value to supernatural power is kind of ridiculous. Magic looses a lot of, for lack of a better term, magic when you try to quantify it. Unless this is for an rpg. In which case, I guess there's no getting around that.

 

[LordFalco]

For Greg: Those are the pins, not the spells. But yes--you retain all lesser spells, like having the option of how far to throw a football. Thus a wizard sublimator can heal a paper cut with a tiny spell.

True, it's complex. I wanted a faster advancement to avoid the stereotyped white-beard wizard. When time is the determinant, like the system here at the website, advancement slows with each rank. If you make intellect the determinant, then gifted users can advance as fast as work ethic allows. For example, I have a tier 12 caster somewhere in her twenties (gallery portrait).

As far as quantifying, I always thought ethereal magic was sort of capricious. This system is the one-shot scheme used by video games, which I use as the elemental class. Without nailing down the specifics, things can get away from you. I think that's the problem grappled with by the member who did the treatise on psionics.

It also presents a theory as to where fictional gods come from. Studying your way to godhood is blasphemy, of course, but it would be interesting to see other theories about it. I'll need to be careful not to dump too much on the reader, thanks to the input. Hadn't considered that.

 

[LordFalco]

I just dusted off and reread the story [head smack]. It was an outgrowth of the story world. There are a few reasons to quantify: an empire needs an accurate estimate as to how a threat rates; a magic school uses it to put history lessons in perspective; students debate their legendary icons, and so on. In practical use, only the first five or six are referred to.

What keeps the world from being crowded by homicidal godlings is that most top out at the fifth level. But there might be a freakishly gifted type who rapidly climbs the latter, becoming a villain along the way. Depending on where the story goes, any one of the titles might come in handy.

 

[Ky2015]

Check out The Seventh Tower Series by Award-Winning, Children's Fantasy Author Garth Nix

The Seventh Tower series has a little bit of this "academy" feel and spells and such. Do you have a good reason why there are so many ranks?

Don't let it be arbitrary... write out the scenes where the council or whatever thought it would be a good idea. If you can't come up with one... maybe think about consolidating? I see your "author" reasoning.. but, there also needs to be an in-world reason.