Specialist Wizards

So originally there were no specialist wizards on Athas but as I have looked around I have seen mentions of necromancers in the Deadlands. So which is it and are there other specialist wizards?

And where are these necromancers getting their power? Not like there is anything to draw on in the Deadlands… Are they the ones who draw on the gray?

I always assumed necromancers were what became the Necromant prestige class in 3.X, drawing on the Gray to power spells rather than being a classic Specialist Wizard.

I always believed the reason that there were no specialists wizards was due to how hard it was to find any spell, let alone trying to focus on a single school of magic. I allow specialist wizards who were trained in the Green Age and during the Cleansing Wars, but not those who were trained after that with the exception of those born in Kurn. Oronis open allows preserver magic and has kept a library available to students of wizardry but beyond that even defilers in service to a Sorcerer-Monarch don’t start their training as a sanctioned defiler, instead they learn the basics then get drafted into service (enlist or die).

References to Necromancers and such are down to prestige classes such as Necromants and those who were trained in Kurn although I would allow necromancer specialists who were trained in the Dead Lands, a living person being trained there from the beginning would be rather unlikely.

Ah, the contradictions are unfortunately many. However, I have alwayd assumed Necromancers in DS were defilers who focused on Necromancy and drew power from the Gray.

Specialist wizards were allowed in the original boxed set. I believe the revised boxed set was the first place where it mentioned they were not allowed. I’ve always used the original.

The defilers and preservers of athas book had kits for wizards. Three of which drew spell power from new power sources. You had the cerulean who could power their spells using Tyr storms and the Cerulean storm. The necromancer who pulled energy from the Gray and finally you had the shadow wizards who drew energy from the black.

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