User blog comment:Safnar/Apprentice Magic user/@comment-76.183.153.169-20160221191656

"Hi Jay!

Long time reader, first time writer. Guess there's a first time for everything ~❤

I read this article and wanted to point out that there are a few flaws with it. Mainly, it doesn't encapsulate the full range of magic users that your readers are likely to encounter in the wild. Here are a few improvements I wanted to suggest:

1. Be wary that just because a mage might be an apprentice doesn't mean that they're necessarily an easy catch. Quite the opposite, in fact. It really depends on who their master is. The apprentice of a local hedge wizard? Adorable. The apprentice of the king's court mage? He's most likely a full-fledged wizard in his own right, and can ruin your day with a single word. Be careful!

2. For wizards (magic users who learn how to harness their inner mana reserves through intense training rather than innate ability), it really depends on what school of magic they are trained in. Here's a brief rundown:

3. Be warned of other hazards that can come from trying to hunt down that one lil' mana generator who's never felt your soft touch yet.
 * Abjuration:
 * These guys can project an aura that shakes you to your core. Also, that charming spell you worked so hard on getting it right? They probably have a counterspell for it. They don't call Abjuration "warding magic" for nothing.
 * Conjuration
 * Gotta love these guys (that was being sarcastic). They can summon things out of thin air, pull extradimensional allies to their aid, and if things really poorly for them i.e. well for you, they're the most likely of the different schools to teleport away! Infuriating to confront, but oh so satisfying when you do catch them. Those allies can go a long way into... convincing them as to the merits of your sexy argument~❤
 * Divination
 * He most likely saw you coming long before you did, either from scrying on you (or himelf), or from some prophetic vision. If he's still there and didn't bring friends along, he's practically throwing himself at you.
 * Enchantment
 * "My my, what are you doing out here, sweetie?~❤" Be warned that they can cast spells to augment their already amazing charisma to effectively charm you into doing their bidding, so don't let him outsmart you~❤
 * Evocation
 * The ones we're most expecting when we think "wizard." If you can break their concentration, they're effectively yours. If not, then you're about to have a very bad day. "I speak, and the universe obeys," as one I know would put it. Say what you will about magic missile or force wall, getting hit by either still hurts!
 * Illusion
 * Now you see 'em, now you don't. They can disappear from right in front of you. I can say "don't fall for it" until I'm blue in the face, but sometimes the illusion is just too convincing. One minute you could be facing a wizard, the next you're staring at your own worse nightmare.
 * Necromancy
 * These guys smell funny and often have an undead companion already. If you are an undead, by all means.
 * Transmutation
 * These guys can transform themselves into animals, other people, and even inanimate objects. You might be walking through a field and the one rock you step over may be a transmutation wizard who saw you coming. An... interesting experience in the bedroom, but may not be worth the effort.
 * Universalist
 * Experience in all schools of magic comes with the price of mastery in none. Any of the above can hold for these guys, but don't expect any high-level stuff.


 * Most of the time, mages can only use a quarterstaff. A particularly fooh-hardy one will use a dagger, but the more savvy ones will be packing a crossbow. One wizard I have met would open his first move with a well-aimed crossbow bolt, only breaking out his spells when the first option doesn't work.
 * If a wizard opens a book in the middle of combat, he's not about to recite poetry. That's a spellbook! Pay attention to how he's handling himself as he's reading it. If he's frantic and shaking, you're winning and a simple distraction will take care of him. Don't go too far, though, because you may break his spirit and run away in a panic. If he's not panicking, the battle hasn't even begun and he's only looking for that one spell that can wreck your later plans with him. In any case, removing that spell book from his possession should be your first priority. Be warned that any wizard worth his training will also be carrying a few scrolls with him too, so don't assume he's done casting just because you reduced his spell book to a smoldering heap of ash. If anything, he's most dangerous at this state; he's got nothing left to lose, so he'll throw everything he has in your direction to slow you down.
 * If a wizard reaches into his robes, pulls out a wooden rod of some kind, and he's not at a birthday party, he's not about to pull a bunny out of his hat. We always think that wizards need to use wands, and that is especially true with apprentice wizards, if only that they're not strong enough to cast magic by themselves yet. In truth, a wand holds multiple charges of one spell, that can be cast with minimal effort on the part of the caster. Break the wand of an apprentice wizard, and you'll have an adorable, shaking little caster who's ready for "training"~❤ Break the wand of a full-fledged wizard, and it will only anger him and provoke him to use more powerful spells. In fact, a wizard (or really advanced wizard's apprentice) is more than capable of crafting his own wands, so it's just as likely that he'll just pull out another wand and start casting as though nothing had happened.
 * Three words: Protection from Corruption. If you're a succubus like me, you're likely to learn to hate that spell after your first brushes with it. It makes you unable to touch the wizard or anything he's protecting, at the cost of being able to attack you himself. It even follows him as he moves! Worse yet? He can use it to contain you in what is effectively a bubble that burns you if you touch it. The more advanced apprentices (or anyone who uses it often enough, really) can cast it in their sleep! If your hubby has this spell in his spellbook, please consider finding a more "user-friendly" one in its place.
 * Be very careful with adventurers and Order-sanctioned wizards. Neither one is likely to be alone, and the latter are likely to be in the company of paladins and clerics. In addition, you may have the misfortune of encountering a "gold-robed wizard," which is essentially a wizard that took an oath similar to a paladin, except with magic instead of swords or what have you. These guys combine the best of wizards, paladins, and clerics. They can call upon the False God's aid in times of peril, are exceptionally good at using banishment spells, and can call upon angels of the False God herself to aid him in battle.
 * Pay attention to how he reacts when you reveal yourself. If his first reaction is to take a step back as he frantically flips through his spell book for some spoken phrase to remedy the situation, he's only a few steps from being yours. If he lets out an exasperated sigh and pulls out a wand, he's about to violently reject your advances, so be ready to retreat if the assault proves too much for you.
 * One last reminder: Do not make any assumptions! Wizards rarely dress like the stereotypical old man in robes we're expecting. They will often times be dressed like normal people. The few that do dress in bulky robes are either hopelessly lost, have something to prove, or are so skilled that their choice of attire doesn't impact their performance.

Hope my input helped! ~❤ Looking forward to your next article!

XOXOXO

Gwynrir"