In _Warhammer Quest_, there is a single type of Wizard available, whose spell repertoire includes spells that span the entire spectrum of purposes -- He can heal wounds, he can protect against them, or he can cause them equally effectively. He is a jack-of-all-trades. However, what of someone who would prefer to specialize in a particular field? Perhaps someone has more in mind a priestly type who can heal wounds but wouldn't necessarily be at home lobbing fireballs about. Perhaps another is perfectly happy with being a walking artillery unit, but would prefer to be more effective in that role than spreading himself out as a healer as well. Still yet another might prefer to see magic as not just a means of curing and inflicting wounds, but is more interested in performing various deeds that have use both in combat and out of it, via subtle and diverse means.
It has already been made clear that Battle Wizards (as portrayed in WFB) have no real place in the dungeons. Their destructive spells could well doom all of the adventurers in such cramped quarters. Furthermore, there is no such thing as "healing magic" per se (aside from perhaps the Jade Casket or Apotheosis) among Battle Wizards. However, I liked how _Advanced HeroQuest_ took a step toward diversifying the colleges (though it failed in this regard by making the Bright College -- the best candidate for a raw firepower college -- into a jack-of-all-trades healer/combat wizard College unto itself). I miss that diversity in _Warhammer Quest_.
However, I received some inspiration from _Talisman_. There, in the basic set, sure, there was just a Wizard, who looked like a member of the Grey College. However, later came the High Priest (a spitting image of a Light Wizard), more recently the Astronomer (Celestial) and Alchemist (Gold). Basically, these were just spellcasters, but with some special abilities and restrictions to make them special. Tying that with a half-baked attempt I made at an article providing conversions for _Talisman_ characters over to _Warhammer Quest_, I decided to try making _Warhammer Quest_ colleges -- not as a direct conversion from AHQ, but borrowing elements from _Talisman_ and WFB in the process.
In a number of other articles, I've presented my conversions for the different Colleges as "Warrior-Wizards" that just happen to lean more toward one particular College or another, rather than being complete jacks-of-all- trades. This article is meant to be a bit of an overview of those professions, summing up what little I've gleaned about the Magic Colleges and their place in the grand scheme of things, based upon various (and often contradicting) depictions in the range of Warhammer Fantasy games.
I've filled in a lot of blanks and made a lot of assumptions. When you find something officially printed that contradicts with what I have to say, by all means, go with what's official ... or whatever would work best for you. _Warhammer Quest_ has offered me a new opportunity to be /creative/ for once. In wargames, creating your own races, armies, spells, and such is pointless, unless I do it in cooperation with my opponents. In a role-playing game (or one that purports to be), there is far more freedom to come up with new adventures, new magic items ... and, of course, new character types. Much of the rules I've written are not playtested, and even those that are haven't been played to such an extent that I can claim no errors (or misguided decisions) whatsoever. What I have to offer are /ideas/, and I sincerely hope that some of them (if not all) might be of use to you in your own games.
-*-*-*-
In the Old World, the Wizards of mankind divide up the powerful magicks taught to them by the High Elves into eight primary Colleges, focusing on a subset of the entirety of magic. There are also those who practice magic based upon other elements, such as the Ice Magic of Kislev. Mighty Wizards of each College practice Battle Magic on the fields of combat against the armies of Chaos, and even against each other. However, the Wizards who are best known as adventurers, venturing into ancient Dwarven ruins in search of monsters to slay and treasure to claim, have largely abandoned the Colleges and practiced a sort of "jack-of-all-trades" magic instead.
Indeed, the Colleges have long been associated with different professions known to Men as practitioners of magic. For instance, Light Wizards are closely associated with the Priesthood, since their powers are especially focused upon combatting the Undead and Daemons, as well as healing and on defensive measures. Jade Wizards are associated with the Druids, as their powers deal with nature and the raw forces of life and death. The Celestial College is full of Astronomers, and the Gold College is home to Alchemists.
Now, there are Druids, Astronomers and Alchemists who have no magical powers per se. Certainly there are Warrior-Priests who can't do much without a Book of Blessings. However, there are some out there who stand somewhere on the spectrum between Warrior-Wizard and full-fledged College Wizard. These are adventuring Wizards who may diversify somewhat for the sake of survival, but who still hold mainly to a particular College, as reflected in their spell selection and particular skills and restrictions.
-*-*-*-
In the city of Altdorf are several buildings that serve as central meeting places for the various Colleges at least in name if not always in function. There are eight Colleges, each corresponding to a different direction on the Wheel of Magic, which relates to the notion that the "Winds of Magic" can be divided up into different realms. Given the lack of any sort of symmetry to this arrangement, and that the High Elves don't even recognize "elements" of magic in the same way humans do, the significance of these divisions is questionable. That spell-casters such as the Warrior-Wizards exist, and that there are some who have no relation whatsoever to the Colleges (such as the Ice Queen of Kislev), the "Wheel of Magic" probably has no meaning other than that which mankind gives it. However, if one wishes to be more than a mere hedge wizard (if even that), one has to find a teacher, and the best teachers of magic are to be found in the Colleges. They set the curriculum, and therefore they set the rules.
The following table lists the eight Color Colleges, as they would appear on the Wheel of Magic starting with Light at the north, and going clockwise to end with Amber at the northwest.
| College | Color | Description |
| Light | White | Priests -- Fighting Undead, Healing, Defense |
| Gold | Yellow | Alchemists -- Metals, Transmutation, Potions |
| Jade | Green | Druids -- Nature, Life and Death |
| Celestial | Blue | Astronomers -- Fate, Premonition, the Heavens |
| Grey | Grey | Grey Wizards -- Weather, Wisdom, Travel |
| Amethyst | Purple | Mentalists -- Emotion, the Mind |
| Bright | Red | Fire Wizards -- Fire, Destruction |
| Amber | Orange | Shamans -- Beasts, the Wilderness |
The symbol for the Light College resembles an eight-spoked wheel, with the upper spoke surpassing the wheel to become an upward-pointing arrow. This is Hysh, the Serpent of Light. Light Wizards are Priest-Wizards, specializing in warfare against the foul "unholy" creatures that are animated solely by Chaos Magic: the Undead and the various Daemons of the Warp. They are also specialists in healing and defensive measures.
The Light College is strongly influenced by the ancient practitioners of magic in the far off lands of Araby. Their central building in Altdorf is a great pyramid, and many members of their College are dressed in motifs that suggest the middle east, and in particular the region of Aegypt.
The rune of the Gold College is Chamon, the Soaring Eagle. It is represented by a circle with an arrow that goes from the circle's center out through its perimeter, pointing to the up and right (northeast on the Wheel of Magic). The Gold College is home to Alchemists, those masters of potions, transmutation and of spells that involve metals -- particularly precious ones such as silver and obviously gold.
The Gold College receives the most respect outside of wizardly circles, as their power is manifested in a form that material-minded man can easily appreciate. Members of this College are typically wealthy and find no trouble finding their way into royal courts. They are far more likely to be found having set up shop in a Settlement than to go adventuring for yet more gold in the Dungeons.
The symbol of the Jade College is Ghyran, the Coil of Life. It appears as three concentric circles, with a single line reaching from the rightmost edge of the inner circle out past the perimeter of the outermost one, and continuing toward the right (or east).
The Jade College is closely associated with water and with living plants, and with the forces of life and death that exemplify nature. It is home to the Druids, who build their stone circles in the woodlands, and whose actual College in Altdorf is a living structure, with entire halls and towers made from magically-warped trees. The sickle is their weapon of choice and hallmark, and they wear no shoes so that they will not break contact with the life-giving earth.
The Celestial College is represented by Azyr, the Comet of Power. This rune looks much like a capital letter "A" turned partially upside-down so that its top points to the lower right (or southeast on the Wheel of Magic), with a circle between its "legs". This College, its central building the tallest tower in Altdorf, is home to Astronomers, who specialize in predicting the future. Their magic also involves the power of the heavens, in the form of lightning, as well as twisting the powers of fate to bring ill fortune upon their foes, or luck for their allies.
Celestial Wizards are most often adorned in the way that we might think of "stereotypical" wizards to look, mostly robed in blue, with symbols of the stars, comets, crescent moons and the like, though they typically prefer skullcaps to pointy gnomish hats.
The Grey Wizards have Ulgu, the Sword of Judgement, as their symbol. It resembles a stylized arrow pointing downward, but simultaneously resembles an exotic sword as well. The Grey College is an ancient, ill-kept building, where particular Grey Wizards might visit on occasion -- but just as often they'll be elsewhere for years at a time. Grey Wizards are wanderers and weather wizards, bringers of rain and dispensers of wisdom. They are stubbornly independent, and perhaps the most likely of the Colleges to produce adventurers, though they are not particularly adept at defense, offense or healing. Their element is that of the sky and weather (shared somewhat with the Celestial College), but their magic most often deals with travel, as would be appropriate considering the lifestyle of the Grey Wizards. While many College professions can be easily labelled and stereotyped, the Grey College is one that escapes labelling save as just "Wizards", though that is too broad a term. Still, to the common man, when one mentions a "Wizard", a member of the Grey College is most likely the sort he would first think of.
The rune of the Amethyst College is Shyish, the Scythe. It resembles a wedge pointing toward the lower left (southwest), with a small curl near the upper side of the tip.
The Amethyst College in Altdorf is a dark, gloomy place, situated next to the Haunted Cemetary, where thousands were buried in mass graves during the time of the Red Plague. Their halls are forever silent, for Amethyst Wizards never speak, but communicate only by means of thought. Amethysts are Mentalists, masters of the mind and of emotion, and the Battle Wizards of their number seem to gravitate toward the darker sides thereof. Instead of a staff they carry a great scythe, which they use with devastating skill. They dress in cloaks of dark purple and midnight blue, and carry a great tome that contains secrets unknown by anyone outside their order.
The symbol of the Bright College is Aqshy, the Key of Secrets. It roughly resembles a key with the ring to the right, and the bar pointing left (west), with a large curl in place of the teeth.
Bright Wizards are Fire Wizards, specializing in raw, destructive forces, and perfect for the battlefield. Their robes are in red, trimmed with orange, yellow and often with "flames" along the edges. They often have red hair, and are known for fiery dispositions. They also often have red tattoos on their arms and sometimes faces. As a Bright Wizard progresses in power, he earns symbolic keys which he hangs from a chain around his belt. The more keys, the more powerful the Wizard.
Fire Wizards may not necessarily be quite as useful in the confines of the dungeon as on the battlefield, but there are times when destructive firepower can succeed where the sword cannot. Some of their number who focus upon adventuring are somewhat diverse, as some of their more potent spells are actually capable of healing (though not as well as some of the other Colleges that specialize in that field).
The rune of the Amber College is Ghur, the Arrow, and it resembles a shortish arrow indeed, pointing toward the upper left (northwest). Amber magic is the wildest of all the Color magicks, and it thrives most in the wilderness -- not the civilized lands of men, and not entirely at home in the ruins thereof, either. The Amber College itself in Altdorf is primarily just a symbol -- a solid tower in an overgrown courtyard, where Amber Wizards rarely gather except in times when the Winds of Magic blow so strongly that Amber can be found even within the cities.
The Amber College is home to Shamans, and their element is that of the wild and of beasts. They live far from men, and rarely associate with them, preferring the depths of the forests. They are excellent hunters and archers, and carry a huge spear rather than a magical staff.
Perhaps even more so than Druids (which they are often compared to, yet rarely associate with) Amber Wizards are ill at ease in the dungeons of the fallen empire of the Dwarves. If they adventure at all, they are far more likely to only show up where adventure is to be found in the wild, and they have no business following Warriors into the Settlements afterward. However, if they should venture into the dungeons, while their magic ebbs somewhat in the stoney depths, their physical prowess is markedly greater than for any other wizardly College. Shamans also exercise some powers of prophesy, though not necessarily as potent as those exhibited by the Astronomers of the Celestial College.
_Warhammer Quest_ (WQ), _Advanced HeroQuest_ (AHQ), _Warhammer Fantasy Battles_ (WFB) and _Talisman_ are trademarks of Games Workshop. Their use here does not constitute a challenge to that legal status.