My DM is currently facing a conundrum where he can't make his setting work with magic, as he feels that given the power of spells, wizards at some point would take over the whole world and kill all other users of magic to solidify their rule. Or even if not that far, they would run all the industry in the world. How do we deal with this?
Well, how many wizards are in the population?
Check the dmg. You'll see that there Aren't that many in the first place.
I suggest your dm also look at the eberron setting for a different view, where magic is incorporated in the setting, there are few high-level casters and the PCs are the exception, not the rule
Ask a more specific question, please, to clarify what it is you want. Do you want a mechanical fix or plot fix?
As for plot, LET THEM "run industry". It's a great setup for a mundane rebellion hook against The Man.
As for mechanical, I'll wait for your response before addressing that, as it is much, much more involved.
One possibility is to go with it. The world is ruled by one supremely powerful wizard. Other spell casters are trained in schools he has established, and then employed by the Empire in various capacities suitable to their talents. They are also watched, to keep them from becoming too powerful. The unlicensed use of magic is a crime.
The PCs can be freedom fighters, trying to overthrow an oppressive regime, or you can go the other direction and have the ruler be mostly benevolent. The PCs in that case might work as agents of the Empire, tracking down criminals and dealing with threats before they get big enough that the emperor himself has to step in (Even the most powerful caster can only handle so many emergencies at a time, after all. Especially if the GM puts some reasonable limits on spells like Simulacrum.)
Asking for a plot fix
We were actually thinking of a rebellion against wizard rulers, but we can't see how the wizards in charge wouldn't just take everyone down and turn them all into obedient skeletons
Basically, we don't know how to deal with magic in a world, as logically we feel at some point an evil wizard will just cause mass chaos in the world very quickly.
The easiest way to deal with this is to establish within the campaign lore an era where spellcasters did run everything, but their techno-magical utopia went sour and nearly obliterated the world. Magic in the current era could have all sorts of stop-gaps that prevent a return to those apocalyptic times, among them:
1. Self policing wizard societies/academies that cull or hobble apprentices that want to use magic to affect widespread changes.
2. State sanctioned inquisitorial orders who practice the burning of any spellbooks that don't carry their official seal of approval.
3. A boogey-man lich god who literally swoops down and consumes the hearts of the world's most powerful spellcasters.
4. A widespread fear and condemnation of spellcasters that makes it social suicide to become one.
There's also the question of who has the potential to become a spell caster. If there are 3,000,000 spellcasters of level 10+ in the world, then magic will most likely be the dominant force. If there are 3, then maybe not so much.
Divine casters of any kind are easy to keep from getting out of hand, since they only keep their abilities as long as the deities they serve are happy with the way they're using them. Sorcerers have bloodlines, so it's reasonable that only a few people have inherited the ability - perhaps very few. Wizards need a GM ruling: is it something that anybody of above average INT can learn to do if they try, or does it require some special talent?
Well, a number of things...
First of all, wizards probably aren't really a monolithic organization, they're a group of individuals with their own goals, ideals, and personalities. Maybe some wizards have tried that sort of thing, but failed because they couldn't get other wizards on board, generally, so you have a few organizations floating around, but nothing like the crushing monopoly you seem to be describing, and plenty of them are interfering in each other's plans because they conflict with their own plans...or they're just petty and hold grudges against each other for their magical discovery trumping their own back in the Great Magic Fair of 5431. Bastards.
Second, in most settings, very few characters tend to be that high level...and those that are are usually important characters who often already have their own positions of power, whether as wizard kings, headmasters or teachers in magical academies, performing research on other planes, or whatever their particular ambition is. Not everyone is interested in taking over the world, or even the world's economy, again moving back to them being their own individuals, especially at that level of power. And most of them would probably resist what they would perceive as other people's attempts to rock their comfortable boats.
Third, wizards do not operate in a vacuum. While wizards may, being based around knowledge, be a part of an organization of some sort (though master-apprentice relationships may be more common, depending on setting), there is no guarantee they will operate as a united whole on anything. Conversely, clerics, for example, while perhaps not as powerful as wizards, are probably more likely to operate in groups, especially ones who follow a tradition of an established hierarchy, which is fairly common. They operate on faith, following a common creed, gaining power from it, and are thus quite likely to be a part of an organization of fellow believers with their own strong dedication to whatever their deities stand for. This, along with the fact that religion is often quite predominant in many settings, often gives them quite a bit of power. And, of course, wizards themselves may be religious and devoted to a set of ideals, rather than necessarily opposed to clerics, albeit more intellectual than most of them. And leaving aside clerics, there are countless other factions in the world, as well as off it, such as angels, demons, devils, and potentially the gods themselves.
Fourth, though this is mostly a reiteration of the first, wizards are human beings. Being a wizard does not inherently make you chaotic evil or prone to murder, randomly killing those who oppose you and turning them into obedient skeletons. Even if we did have an organization of wizards who, somehow, managed to take over the world against all odds, including probably every other wizard, I doubt they would all stomach those kinds of measures...or even most! Eeesh!
Whoop, wrong button...
Anyways, quite a few reasons I can think of...
1) The presence of some sort of organization that keeps wizards in check. In my DM's campaign, this is a division from the God of Magic's church meant to prevent such abuses of arcane power. Clerics, Inquisitors, and even Mystic Theurges. As mentioned by Luthorne, churches tend to be much better organized, and thus can likely challenge upstart mages quite well.
2) Let's say a group of wizards band together to take over the kingdom/continent/world/plane/etc. What are the odds that, sooner or later, one of them is going to get the idea that he deserves a bigger piece of the pie than his associates? Whether he succeeds (And hey, BBEG!) or fails will cause a lot of chaos among the magocracy, ruining their attempt at leadership.
3) Individual wizard decides to take power for himself, killing anybody who could challenge him? Running even a kingdom takes people to work under him. People he has to appoint. Does he have a good Sense Motive? (Not exactly a top skill pick for most wizards.) Well, there's a good chance his staff could be manipulative and self-serving. Failing that, they also could be completely incompetent, and manage his kingdom straight into the ground.
4) Tying into the above, running even a small kingdom takes a lot of work. He'll be expected to manage taxes, treaties, royal charters, trade agreements, hold audience with whatever guild or noble wants something... Just blasting people who disagree with him places his rulership at about the same level as the Dread Emperor from the Book of Vile Darkness. (He says he rules the world, but all he does is come into town and buy/sell magic stuff. But anybody who questions his 'rule' is summarily blasted. But he has no real power, as things just go on once he leaves.) In light of all that, why does a wizard want to run a kingdom?
5) A more poetic version of the above, why does a wizard want to be king? Sure, maybe as an apprentice, he had dreams of great power, of being king. Maybe he even started making plans as he gained in levels. But soon, he's reworking reality to his whim, travelling the astral plane to other universes, and understanding the true nature of the multiverse. In light of all that, what's the point of a shiny bauble on his head and owning the dirt under his feet, when he can have REAL power, the power of magical mastery? And such power requires diligent study, something he wouldn't have time for if he went out and tried to conquer things.
Being a royal wizard is a much better gig. You just have to cast a few defensive spells on the castle, give a little advice on matters arcane, and then spend the rest of your day in study with royal backing. Hence why the royal wizard may be powerful enough to wipe out the entire ruling family, but has no interest in it. (Aside from no actual desire to kill people who aren't a threat to him.)
Step 1: Don't have wizards exist.
Step 2: Repeat step 1 until there are no more objections.
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