So, what are Wizard's studying anyways...

[Koujow]

This isn't so much a Pathfinder discussion (although, they obviously are included) but a fantasy trope in general. In pretty much all fantasy settings, Wizards spend all of their non-adventuring time (AKA- time between sessions, movies, books or whatever) studying and experimenting. From the weakest apprentice to the wisest Archmage, that is all wizards do (or what sources say they are suppose to be doing). But I propose the question, what exactly are they studying and/or experimenting on?

Its not necessarily just spell research, since in pretty much every setting and/or game, (including books) it is fairly easy for wizards to learn new spells. Maybe a few days (sometimes even a hard night of studying!) and they usually got the words and motions down. The more difficult portion of learning spells is finding the spellbook/ancient artifact/teacher to learn it (something which the wizard often does in his 'adventures'). And I feel like the majority of the time, wizards can probably find said spellbook or teacher (maybe not ancient artifact) rather than starting from scratch, especially in most fantasy settings (like Pathfinder, where pretty much every town has at least one magic shop).

As I played Skyrim earlier today, I joined the College of Mages and the Master Wizard said that the Archmage of the college was so busy in his research and experiments that he was unable to run the college and that duty had fallen to her (which makes me think she is a slacker in the wizard world, since she has so much time then!) I guess it does make sense for someone like the Archmage (or Tolfdir, whom they say might be one of the most skilled Alteration wizards in the world) might be experimenting, because they would be pushing the boundaries of what is possible and creating new spells. (In general, the game and its version of magic got me thinking on this whole long speel... XD )

I know its a weird (and laaaaaame) question, but meh, it bothered me. XD

[GeneticDrift]

New (ancient) languages to read older and more powerful spells

Codes and ciphers to hide their secret knowledge

Science

Knowledge skills

Research for the next song of fire and ice book

[FallofCamelot]

Wizard things.

[Green Left Eye]

• The feasibility of crossbreeding owls and bears.
• Ribald Poetry of the Age of Fallen Kings.
• The Circles of Hell: Concise Traveller's Edition
• The Joy of Cooking Potions
• How to Animate Friends and Influence Zombies
• Fifty Shades of the Gray Wastes of Hades

[BigDTBone]

Green Left Eye wrote:

• The feasibility of crossbreeding owls and bears.
• Ribald Poetry of the Age of Fallen Kings.
• The Circles of Hell: Concise Traveller's Edition
• The Joy of Cooking Potions
• How to Animate Friends and Influence Zombies
• Fifty Shades of the Gray Wastes of Hades

Win

</thread>

[Kimera757]

In D&D and Pathfinder, every wizard gets two free new spells per level, at no cost except spellbook space. This is in addition to whatever you find in terms of scrolls, captured spellbooks, or just mentoring.

Those free spells presumably are being studied, essentially from scratch, and replicating older spells.

Presumably in non-D&D settings, wizards are also making new but rarely-used spells, researching ancient lore (how do you bypass the traps of Castle Black), etc.

[Ascalaphus]

That +1 Int you keep getting every 4 levels.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

Basically it's the magic version of the scientific method.

[Cheeseweasel]

"The thaumaturgic method" and/or "the alchemic method."

[Rynjin]

I just think it's funny Tolfdir needs years of research and special materials to come up with a slightly better Shield spell whereas the Champion of Cyrodiil just needed a quiet space to work, 5 minutes, and a little gold to create a 40 foot ball of paralyzing (literally) cold that could kill crowds of people with no failure. Even had time to spare to slap an invisibility effect onto it just for funsies.

[Kimera757]

Who are those guys? I don't get the reference. It's pretty hard to have a debate with off-the-cuff stuff like that.

[Rynjin]

Tolfdir's from Skyrim, as he said in the OP.

The Champion of Cyrodiil is the generic title the protagonist of Oblivion has.

[osinbar49]

In addition to spell research, wizards get all knowledge skills as class skills. My wizard is always reading about engineering, the planes, etc.

[Evil Lincoln]

They're studying grammar.

Specifically, the use of apostrophes in thread titles. :)

[Fergie]

I think they are just hiding in their books so they don't have to pretend to know something about all the sex the charismatic characters are having, or listening to the barbarian talk on and on about his ax.

[Aelryinth]

Wizards study everything.

Note that while copying standard spells only costs gold, getting non-standard spells requires spell research, and such research is neither quick nor cheap.

Especially if you start researching some of the magical effects of the ancients which allowed cities to fly, city-wide magical effects the Azlanti and Serpent Folk have, or the ability to call down cataclysms from the Heavens. Such powers take years to learn and master.

Even if you've got a 30 Int.

Wizards are the people most likely to figure out the superscience that stalkes Numeria. To arrange the intricacies of clockwork creatures that can actually function. To decipher the secrets of reality, so that more and more of reality can be bent to their will.

To learn things Man was Not Meant To Know.

As for the whole 'research vs running a school'...keep in mind there's a whole AP about this! Xin of the Shattered Star basically formed an Empire, got sick of running it because he wanted to perform more research, and then handed off his empire to the very wrong people who became the Runelords.

What happens if you give up control of the school tends to be...really bad, in the long run.

The correct way to handle running an Academy is to direct the research of those beneath you, and get multiple brilliant intellects working on a problem, smoothing out the bumps, and then taking the fruits of their labor for your own. They will consistently challenge your intellect and power and force you to improve yourself to stay ahead of them...but you don't have to waste those mindless hours pursuing the scientific methods, you just get to take advantage of what they find out.

Doing it yourself is a fool's game...it leverages neither your time nor your money.

==Aelryinth

[GeneticDrift]

Also thei caster level bump for all spells, that takes practice.