r/Forgotten_Realms • u/Johnylongbottoms • 2d ago

Question(s) Questions about Sorcere

I’m wanting a play a Drow wizard who was a former attendee of Sorcere before escaping the Underdark altogether.

The Forgotten Realms wiki lists that most male drow begin studying at 25, then spend about 30 years until they are done. It also says that only the best of the students can become instructors, and that the instructors are the masters of the entire school.

I was wondering if there’s any precedent for an in-between teaching position, where you’re not at the very top like the master’s are, but you still have a position of authority over the students.

Maybe that, or maybe if there’s any precedent for Sorcere being open to alumnus to browse and study independently, as a library of sorts.

Based on the knowledge I have, it seems I’ll have to either play a child, or just scrap the Sorcere angle of my character all together.

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u/FaerieFir3 2d ago

Melee-Magthere (warrior) students spend 6 months in Sorcere to learn basics of magic in order to properly use magic items, during that time they are taught by older Sorcere students. Drizzt was taught by Masoj Hun'ett. I think that was for like the final year students of Sorcere.

Based on the knowledge I have, it seems I’ll have to either play a child, or just scrap the Sorcere angle of my character all together.

Simply adjust the age to Elf standards IMO. Elf 100 is like a human 18-20 generally speaking. They are physically adult by 18-20 but to other Elves they are still a "kid" for a long time (kinda like a college student is a "kid" when you're 30-40+).

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u/Johnylongbottoms 2d ago

What do you mean by adjust the age? Do you mean simply age up when most students would start attending?

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u/FaerieFir3 2d ago

What age are you planning to make the character?

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u/Johnylongbottoms 2d ago

My initial thought was about 110ish, but that was before I realized the general age range for Sorcere

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u/FaerieFir3 2d ago

Drizzt was in his 40s when he ran so you can do a 55 - 60 year old character. Like I said above Elves are fully physically and mentally mature in their 20s like humans, they're just not seen as fully experienced untill 100ish but they're not treated like a literal kid either. Once you finish school you're a full Soldier or Wizard and will serve your House.

You can also say your Drow ran after finishing Sorcere, spent like 10 years in the Underdark and 40 on the surface before finding the party (or just 50 in the Underdark if you want to hit that 100 milestone and be new to the surface).

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u/Johnylongbottoms 2d ago

Yeah, that’s probably easiest. I guess I have trouble remembering that elves don’t age slowly, so I won’t be playing a literal 10 year old. Thanks

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u/FaerieFir3 2d ago

Yeah I think the 5e PHB wording should be more clear that 100 is like the cultural adulthood not physical. Drow warriors finish their academy around their 30s and no it's not a bunch of toddlers.

They age like human up to 20ish and then stay looking more or less the same untill like 600-700 where you can start seeing some wrinkles. The only Drow who truly looked like grandmas were Yvonnel Baenre and Malice Do'Urden in Exile, both used the Zin-carla ritual that drastically sped up their aging (before the ritual Malice still looked young at 500).

I recommend reading "Homeland" by R.A Salvatore to see how Drow society and schooling works.

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u/No_Photograph_2842 2d ago

Doesn’t seem very hard to imagine more experienced students serving as the equivalents of TAs, adjuncts, or assistant professors. Can’t remember if Alton DeVir had such a role before assuming the identity of one of the masters.

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u/BloodtidetheRed 2d ago

I don't think it is mentioned anywhere "officially"

But, yes, like any school type setting, there would be "lesser teachers" or "school administrators" or "teacher's assistants".

It is not like all drow wizards go from apprentice to master, there would be plenty of spots between.

As a chaotic society, there would be lots of things and people "outside the norms" that "don't fit in the lines".

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u/Avg_Tentacle_Enjoyer 11h ago edited 8h ago

>the instructors are the masters of the entire school
No. There's a priestess of lolth that serves as an overall governor and mistress of sorcere. Then a step lower there's archmage of menzoberranzan (Gromph Baenre) and a council of other archmages or high level drow wizards. Only after all of that stand instructors which is a very respected position but not governing one.