Thursday, October 18, 2018

Discovery at Any Cost in the Izzet League - Class Options in Ravnica

There are, admittedly, two guilds for mad scientists in Ravnica. The Simic Combine produces strange creatures with its biomancy. But the Izzet League is less about gradual (even if it's accelerated) evolution and more about big, exploding catastrophes from which knowledge can be gleaned.

This is the guild that likes explosions and crazy magical experiments, and has a magical steam-punk aesthetic to it. If you like Gnomes or Goblins in World of Warcraft, this guild will probably appeal to you. It might be the silliest guild, but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.

At its center is Niv-Mizzet, the guild's Parun (its original founder and guildmaster,) who is a dragon wizard who is so brilliant that he basically has the biggest ego on the plane. The guild maintains the city's infrastructure and its buildings, including the maintenance of steam pipes that provide Ravnica with heating and power.

Alignment:

I might call the Izzet Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Good, but I'd want to make it clear that chaos is not their intent - it's more that they use chaos as a tool, and that they are somewhat indifferent to the dangers that their experimentation might unleash. Their ethos is really based around discovery.

In Magic, the Izzet colors are Red and Blue, which are both classic spellcaster colors. From Blue, it gets its intellectual curiosity and abstract thinking abilities. From Red, the Izzet get their reckless passion and outside-the-box thinking. Both colors are capable of doing weird stuff, which in this case includes the creation of quasi-elemental beings called Weirds.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

The only Barbarian option I can think would fit for the Izzet is Storm Herald, perhaps gaining one's powers through an experiment gone wrong (or right!)

Bard:

There's no really obvious place for Bards within the Izzet League, but I could imagine maybe a College of Lore Bard getting their start as some kind of note-taking assistant.

Cleric:

While not religious generally, Tempest clerics might be a decent fit given the guild's obsession with electricity and storms. Knowledge and Arcana clerics (the latter from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) might also fit, as less spiritual and more intellectual clerics.

Druid:

The more scientifically-oriented druids are probably going to fit better with the Simic guild, but on the other hand, if you want to focus less on beasts and fey creatures and more on a Druid's elemental magic, I'm sure the Izzet wouldn't mind having some druids to call on storms when they needed a big source of electricity.

Fighter:

Eldritch Knights I think fit really well with the Izzet League as guards who actually know some magic. A full-on battlemage would probably be a great opportunity for the Izzet to test experimental armor. Arcane Archers could also fit here for similar reasons.

Monk:

The main Monk way I could see working here is Four Elements. The other types aren't really flashy enough for the Izzet.

Paladin:

The Izzet League is probably not going to draw many Paladins to it, to be frank.

Ranger:

Less concerned with the wilds (such as they are in Ravnica,) I could maybe see a Monster Slayer or Horizon Walker, but again, I think you're probably better going elsewhere.

Rogue:

While subtlety is not something that the Izzet are known for, simply having magic might make an Arcane Trickster work for them. Swashbucklers might also be a fun option if you imagine them swinging from the rigging of airships as lightning crashes around them.

Sorcerer:

The Izzet do tons of experiments, many of which I'm sure imbue their subjects with magical power. Wild Magic and Storm Sorcery work great here, and I think that Dragon Ancestry could potentially be imbued in people by experimenting directly with Niv-Mizzet (I'm certain that he's tried replicating his own essence.)

Warlock:

Most of the options for patrons here aren't going to work terribly well for the Izzet, though I could see one of their experiments accidentally opening a portal to a Great Old One. I don't think the Izzet would actively recruit those who already have made a pact.

Wizard:

There is a new Wizard school that is coming in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica that I believe is explicitly designed for the Izzet - the School of Invention, which allows you to cast random spells and wear cool steampunk armor. This is the obvious choice here, but I think Evocation, Transmutation, and possibly Conjuration are all good choices for the guild as well.

Living in Up in the League:

Playing an Izzet character is a great opportunity to be an absent-minded professor type. You're probably going to be either easily distracted by new discoveries or laser-focused on something and thus missing everything that's going on around you (seems a low Wisdom score works pretty well here.)

The Izzet don't really have a moral stance, but I think you could play them as good or neutral. Good Izzet characters are optimistic about the progress of science and are trying to solve the city's problems. Neutral ones don't really care about the end benefits so much as just the information gained. Izzet generally aren't going to be malevolent, but you could play a jealous and secretive Izzet researcher who wants to hog the glory of their discoveries for themselves and maybe looks down on everyone else as idiots.

As instigators to plots, the Izzet are great, as their constant experiments can easily unleash horrors and monsters and maybe open up gateways to other planes. A particularly bad disaster might prompt them to cover it up, or perhaps you might see the Izzet getting framed for some catastrophe that was really the work of some more sinister guild like the Dimir or the Rakdos.

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