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Inheritors of Volans: A Warhammer Fantasy Wizard Quest

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Alectai said:
Honestly, my main dislike of Amber Wizards usually is that it's the one Wind that seems to universally pigeonhole you in a way none of the other ones were, because apparently the only Beasts that matter are apex predators.

Most of the other Winds have a number of interpretations even if you can drift one way or another, and the Arcane Marks are "Some are good, some are bad", the Amber College meanwhile is dealing with virtually every one of their Arcane Marks being a Problem (Even if they don't see it as such.) Even the 4th edition lore straight up goes "Yeah, Amber Colleges aren't plugged into the same patronage network the others are, they're hobos who live out in the woods and sometimes kidnap random children with magical potential to raise them as new Amber Wizards., they don't even have a formal College like the others do.")

I'm really hoping this story ends up being a redemption story for that, rather than just "Yes, all the stereotypes are objectively right for the Amber Order, and they have no interest in changing that, every single one of them is a half feral hermit and there are no exceptions because Ghur does exactly one thing, and that's Apex Predator Predation."
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But amber is like the one that lets you tern into a dragon
 
I just don't like actual magic being pigeonholed that hard, you know?

Having a bias is fine, but having an entire school of magic that's propped up to be peer to all the others, but it only does one or two things, is boring (It lets you command some animals and transform into others alongside the universal magic bomb stuff, that's basically it.) Ghyran does healing, but it also does water, floramancy, and soil manipulation stuff. Aqshy--the fucking El-Single Minded Magic itself, creates fire yeah, but it also controls emotions, and eases things along so that runaway reactions are more likely to happen (Fire burns hotter, emotions run hotter, that kind of thing.).

Amber Magic exclusively does "Turn into apex predator--not even universal shapeshifting, just specifically into a wolf or a bear or an eagle--and the very best ones alive can also turn into a kind of dragon." and "Control a small subset of animals, not even all of them, just some." And all of the Arcane Marks exist to make your life miserable unless you're a hobo out in the woods (And even then, only a bare handful of them actually help instead of just not hurt you if you're the only one you ever have to deal with)

For all fourth edition seems to do a lot to making the Colleges a lot less straitjacketed, there wasn't really any of that attention put to the Amber College.
 
Alectai said:
(It lets you command some animals and transform into others alongside the universal magic bomb stuff, that's basically it.) Ghyran does healing, but it also does water, floramancy, and soil manipulation stuff. Aqshy--the fucking El-Single Minded Magic itself, creates fire yeah, but it also controls emotions, and eases things along so that runaway reactions are more likely to happen (Fire burns hotter, emotions run hotter, that kind of thing.).

Amber Magic exclusively does "Turn into apex predator--not even universal shapeshifting, just specifically into a wolf or a bear or an eagle--and the very best ones alive can also turn into a kind of dragon." and "Control a small subset of animals, not even all of them, just some."
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These complaints are only valid when talking about WFRP 2e's magic spells. Since you're intentionally invoking WFRP 4e, please be more correct about things.
 
I can say that no matter the vote outcome I'm absolutely looking at modifying some spells for any Wind or even adding ones I feel would fit but aren't explicitly stated. For example, I could find D&D or Pathfinder spells appropriate for a particular College and modify them to fit the Warhammer Fantasy magic system.

I'm open to suggestions, though I reserve the right to veto any spell ideas that I feel would be unbalancing or not interesting.
 
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by Miriam on Mar 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM, finished with 53 posts and 34 votes.
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Andres said:
I think Amber Spark won? Five of its votes seem to have been aplit off of the main vote.
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Amber Spark did win, though the patron deity is divided between Taal and Ulric. I think a lot of people didn't notice the Taal option, so I'm not sure which plan should win. Maybe another vote on god in the second character creation post? Or let it stand as is?
 
Alectai said:
I just don't like actual magic being pigeonholed that hard, you know?

Having a bias is fine, but having an entire school of magic that's propped up to be peer to all the others, but it only does one or two things, is boring (It lets you command some animals and transform into others alongside the universal magic bomb stuff, that's basically it.) Ghyran does healing, but it also does water, floramancy, and soil manipulation stuff. Aqshy--the fucking El-Single Minded Magic itself, creates fire yeah, but it also controls emotions, and eases things along so that runaway reactions are more likely to happen (Fire burns hotter, emotions run hotter, that kind of thing.).

Amber Magic exclusively does "Turn into apex predator--not even universal shapeshifting, just specifically into a wolf or a bear or an eagle--and the very best ones alive can also turn into a kind of dragon." and "Control a small subset of animals, not even all of them, just some." And all of the Arcane Marks exist to make your life miserable unless you're a hobo out in the woods (And even then, only a bare handful of them actually help instead of just not hurt you if you're the only one you ever have to deal with)

For all fourth edition seems to do a lot to making the Colleges a lot less straitjacketed, there wasn't really any of that attention put to the Amber College.
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I'm not the biggest fan of Ghur myself, but that's not accurate. Amber Wizards can turn into ravens, earthworms, and other non-apex predator species, and it's the Lore which provides the most direct buffs to allies, in the sense of enhancing their physical characteristics, rather than modifying their weapons or armor.

Ironically, your opinion on Ghur is precisely why I wanted Aqshy: to see how creative we can get with a Lore known almost entirely for a single thing, that being destructive power, and putting its lesser known aspects to use.
Miriam said:
Amber Spark did win, though the patron deity is divided between Taal and Ulric. I think a lot of people didn't notice the Taal option, so I'm not sure which plan should win. Maybe another vote on god in the second character creation post? Or let it stand as is?
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I'd say do a vote on the god personally.
 
Speaking of Amber noblemen, WFRP 4e: Death on the Reik Companion page 48 has one called Eusapia Balacañon.
Eusapia Balacañon
The combination of the grace and sophistication of the Estalian aristocracy, with the presence, and stature of the nobility of the Empire, makes Balacañon a respected member of society's upper crust. That she is also a wizard makes her rightly feared, as well. A true battle axe, Balacañon combines her upbringing with the primal energies of Ghur to make herself a sight to behold.
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Miriam said:
Amber Spark did win, though the patron deity is divided between Taal and Ulric. I think a lot of people didn't notice the Taal option, so I'm not sure which plan should win. Maybe another vote on god in the second character creation post? Or let it stand as is?
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As the one who made the Taal plan, let it stand as is. It lost by a large margin and better to keep the game rolling.
 
Alectai said:
I just don't like actual magic being pigeonholed that hard, you know?

Having a bias is fine, but having an entire school of magic that's propped up to be peer to all the others, but it only does one or two things, is boring (It lets you command some animals and transform into others alongside the universal magic bomb stuff, that's basically it.) Ghyran does healing, but it also does water, floramancy, and soil manipulation stuff. Aqshy--the fucking El-Single Minded Magic itself, creates fire yeah, but it also controls emotions, and eases things along so that runaway reactions are more likely to happen (Fire burns hotter, emotions run hotter, that kind of thing.).

Amber Magic exclusively does "Turn into apex predator--not even universal shapeshifting, just specifically into a wolf or a bear or an eagle--and the very best ones alive can also turn into a kind of dragon." and "Control a small subset of animals, not even all of them, just some." And all of the Arcane Marks exist to make your life miserable unless you're a hobo out in the woods (And even then, only a bare handful of them actually help instead of just not hurt you if you're the only one you ever have to deal with)

For all fourth edition seems to do a lot to making the Colleges a lot less straitjacketed, there wasn't really any of that attention put to the Amber College.
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Vision Quests, Diviniation (of a sort), trickery through shapeshifting into non-apex animals are all at least gestured at enough in various Ghur sources, believe me I would know. Enough to do a pretty damn good imitation of Loki, even, if you're half creative.
 
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Voikirium said:
Vision Quests, Diviniation (of a sort), trickery through shapeshifting into non-apex animals are all at least gestured at enough in various Ghur sources, believe me I would know. Enough to do a pretty damn good imitation of Loki, even, if you're half creative.
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Weirdly enough there's a couple of spells which involve causing thorns and plants to sprout too. I know its main thing is animals but it also covers to some extent the habitats which animals live in. It's the Wind which represents wilderness vibes overall.

I have a theory that despite being called the "Lore of Life" Ghyran doesn't actually require any living things to function, though it obviously works well with them. Rocks and mist are just as much part of Ghyran as trees. Ghyran is more like "nature" so to speak, from the seasons to the flow of water and is generally a harmonious thing. Ghur is more the struggle for survival.
 
Nicholas Brooks said:
I have a theory that despite being called the "Lore of Life" Ghyran doesn't actually require any living things to function, though it obviously works well with them. Rocks and mist are just as much part of Ghyran as trees. Ghyran is more like "nature" so to speak, from the seasons to the flow of water and is generally a harmonious thing. Ghur is more the struggle for survival.
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I see Ghyran more as the Wind that is attracted by what allows life to flourish in any given environment. Water, plants, fertile earth and such.
 
K von Carstein said:
I see Ghyran more as the Wind that is attracted by what allows life to flourish in any given environment. Water, plants, fertile earth and such.
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Plants are alive but i understand what you mean. Cathay calls it the "Elemental Wind of Water" for example. Though I feel like that still lacks something personally. It's like how Azyr doesn't need rain or lightning or tall mountains to find something to latch onto, there just needs to be a sky.
 
Nicholas Brooks said:
Plants are alive but i understand what you mean. Cathay calls it the "Elemental Wind of Water" for example. Though I feel like that still lacks something personally. It's like how Azyr doesn't need rain or lightning or tall mountains to find something to latch onto, there just needs to be a sky.
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What does Cathay call Ghur, by the way?
 
Nicholas Brooks said:
Plants are alive but i understand what you mean. Cathay calls it the "Elemental Wind of Water" for example. Though I feel like that still lacks something personally. It's like how Azyr doesn't need rain or lightning or tall mountains to find something to latch onto, there just needs to be a sky.
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Yeah, and plants need water and fertile soil to grow.

NutMaster said:
I think they call Elemental Wind of Wood but I may remember it wrong.
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They associate Azyr with stone, which makes as less sense so it wouldn't surprise me.
 
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Anyway, I can't wait to see our wolfgirl and her little pack of furry friends chewing through Chaos scum in the name of Ulric. :V
 
Warmachine375 said:
Would it like how Matilda Wilde, a Garou, rampage in the Arcanum when Big D and his allies try to stop her?
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WFRP 4e page 246, Lore of Beasts, Wyssan's Wildform spell
Wyssan's Wildform
CN: 8
Range: You
Target: You
Duration: Willpower Bonus Rounds
You call on the wild power of Ghur to infuse you, surrendering to its savage delights. Gain the following Creature Traits (see page 338): Arboreal, Armour (2), Belligerent, Big, Bite (Strength Bonus +1), Fear (1), Fury, Magical, Weapon (Strength Bonus +2). While the spell is in place you are incapable of using any Language or Lore skills.
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[X] Plan: Wielder of Steel, Harbinger of War
-[x] Name: Orobella Sabbatini
-[x] The Gold Order, wielders of Chamon, the Yellow Wind.
-[x] One of the squabbling cities of Tilea
-[x] Myrmidia: Goddess of War, Strategy, and Civilization, rarely worshipped in the Empire due to the primacy of Ulric and Sigmar. Daughter of Morr and Verena.
 
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