Editing Wizard (section)

===In 2nd Edition===
In this edition, wizards are king, plain and simple. Although they suffer immense difficulties at getting to higher levels, if they pull it off, they can curb-stomp just about anything. This was the edition that created the now-iconic schools of magic, detailed above, and it drastically expanded the spells available and what spells a wizard could cast; whilst prohibited schools were a thing, they were a far cry from AD&D 1e's "An Illusionist cannot learn standard Magic-User spells, '''period'''" approach.

Popular "cheats" for aspiring wizards in this edition include the use of [[kits]] and [[multiclassing]] to get around certain weaknesses; for example, the right kit could make your wizard drastically more powerful (such as the Undead Master kit, which gave your [[Necromancer]] access to Enchantment spells, the ability to Command Undead like an evil [[Cleric]] of equal level, and the ability to Command Outsiders as if they were undead of equivalent hitdice), whilst the [[gish]] technique could compensate for the wizard's squishiness. A fighter/mage multiclassed character advanced more slowly, but would retain equally potent magical and martial abilities, whilst a fighter who then dual-classed to wizard would start with a much beefier pool of hit points to work with.

In addition to introducing the iconic Specialist Wizard "subclass" in the PHB, [[TSR]] realized that they had a gold mine here which could be milked further. So, various splatbooks offered up a number of different specializations, most of which haven't been remembered so well.

* [[Wild Magic|Wild Mage]]: A wizard specialised in tapping into magic's wildest, rawest form and exploiting that potentially dangerous power. First debuted in Tome of Magic, then was reprinted in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Elementalist]]: A wizard specialized in controlling one of the four [[element]]s. Appearing alongside the Wild Mage on two occasions, this one also appeared in [[Al-Qadim]], where Arabian Adventures featured two different styles; the Elemental Mage (basically a reskin/tweak of the original Elementalist), and the Sorcerer, an elementalist who drew on two elements simultaneously.
* [[Shadow Magic|Shadow Mage]]: A wizard specialized in manipulating umbral matter and drawing power from the [[Plane of Shadow]]. This guy first appeared in Player's Option: Skills and Powers, and then reappeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Dimensionalist]]: A kind of specialized [[Conjurer]] focusing on magic that manipulates the boundaries between different [[plane]]s. This guy appeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Force Mage]]: A specialist [[elementalist]] hyper-focused on manipulating raw force energy, such as that seen in the iconic [[Magic Missile]] spell. This guy appeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Mentalist]]: Sitting somewhere between an arcane emulation of [[psionics]] and a specialist [[enchanter]], Mentalists focus exclusively on spells that affect and control the minds of others. This guy appeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Alchemist]]: A wizard that specializes in creating potions and using magic to analyze and alter material - a more focused version of the [[transmuter]]. This guy first appeared in Player's Option: Skills and Powers, and then reappeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Artificer]]: A wizard specialized in creating physical tools to create, contain, channel and control magical energy. This guy appeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Geometer]]: A wizard specialized in the use of runes, symbols, diagrams and other such mediums to channel and contain magical energy. Basically a [[rune]] wizard. This guy first appeared in Player's Option: Skills and Powers, and then reappeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Song Mage]]: A wizard specialized in the way that music and song can be used to channel and manipulate magical energy; basically a [[bard]] that focuses on magic instead of trying to be a jack of all trades. This guy first appeared in Player's Option: Skills and Powers, and then reappeared in Player's Option: Spells & Magic.
* [[Sha'ir]]: A wizard who forms a unique pact with a [[genie]] [[familiar]], trading favors in exchange for magical energy drawn from this familiar. The iconic [[Al-Qadim]] wizard, this specialization debuted in Arabian Adventures.
* [[Arcanist]]: A wizard who studies the darkest arts for knowledge and power - essentially a [[diviner]]/[[necromancer]] cross. This specialization appeared in the Domains of Dread boxed set for [[Ravenloft]].
* [[Runecaster]]: An arcane spellcaster who uses [[rune]]s to invoke and channel magical energy for a specific purpose; most popular with [[giant]]s and [[dwarves]]. Appeared in the [[Giantcraft]] splatbook for the [[Forgotten Realms]].
* [[Abjurer|Metamage]]: A wizard specialized in directly manipulating the casting of spells itself - essentially an [[abjurer]] with a further focus in [[metamagic]]. Also called an Incantatrix (for females) or Incantatar (for males), this [[Forgotten Realms]] specialization appeared in the Cult of the Dragon.
* [[Dualist]]: An [[elf]]-created specialist wizard who focuses exclusively on two schools of magic that are normally considered to be opposed to each other. Appeared in Cormanthyr: Empire of Elves for the [[Forgotten Realms]].