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I am trying to create "job" for a very small, specific sect of people. These people's bodies naturally generate and store an energy capable of creating temporal and physical discontinuities. Basically, they are capable of magic. Due to a physical incongruity (their eyes are bio-luminescent and have patterns) the general populace knows that magic exists. That being said people who can wield magic are very rare, plus govern themselves very strictly, so magic (on a local scale) is heard of once, maybe twice a year. Altogether there are about 9 million mages in a world population of 4.5 billion.

Edit: Due to how the magic works (a system of symbols that given an effect and the specifics of where it is and how long it occurs for) it is all very combat oriented. So manual labor jobs or doctoring is kinda out of the question.

Edit: Temporal distortions are very similar to the Artemis Fowl time stop and would require major preparation. The physical side of their magic allows for an impossible energy fluctuations (think fireball throwing) or introduction of objects stored in purely informational form (think summoning).

Edit: Mages police themselves because something like a sniper, etc. would kill them easily (when they aren't expecting the shot), and if people feared them, the government would take measures to eliminate them.

The entire story (I hope) will be based on a singular group of islands about the size of Japan (the entire world is islands so wherever they go it will be island-y feel). The world has had enough time to advance to 21st century technology (of course aquatic tech is much further ahead while land-based travel is slightly behind). There are also monsters that can interact with mages, people that deal with magic on a regular basis, and inanimate objects. Mundanes can't see, feel, smell, hear, or taste these creatures.

The Question:

What are conceivable jobs for a mage to hold? (For the sake of convenience money is no issue.) I am simply looking for a way for the main character to "play" with other mages.

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  • $\begingroup$ Is there a reason they need a job? Cant they just make what they want or need? Doesn't seem they need to try to hide in society since magic is known. $\endgroup$
    – feas
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 18:59
  • $\begingroup$ This is a three part answer of which this is part 1. Reason for getting a job: Plot point. Long story short the Main Character gets bored easily, so if there is something where he can "play" with other magicians it would be handy. Actual in world explanation: if you don't use magic, you'll lose energy capacity over time. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:02
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    $\begingroup$ Perhaps this question needs to be closed and a new more specific one asked with details. Scenario seems to be changing too frequently. $\endgroup$
    – feas
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:50
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    $\begingroup$ 150 million mages in a population of 4.5 billion means that 1 out of every 30 people is a mage. It's a minor point but you might want to rework those numbers if you want it to be "very rare". $\endgroup$
    – Mike Nichols
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 20:42
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    $\begingroup$ @feas "IKEA furniture assembler"? You know that's an IKEA customer, right? That's how they keep prices down. $\endgroup$
    – KSmarts
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 15:54

18 Answers 18

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Celebrity chef

Mages are fairly rare, so rich folks looking for the ultimate "Unique" experience would flock to mage-prepared food (and the mage could charge quite a bit for the experience). That being said, most of the food could be prepared as normal, with a few fireball-charbroiled steaks to add that "magic" flair.

Imagine yourself seated at the fanciest of fancy restaurants, waiters flitting about with black bowties adorning their glowing robes. A hush comes over the chittering crowd as a handsome 30-something chef carts a large covered dish to the center of the room. Your dining acquaintances murmur "He doesn't look like a real wizard."

Suddenly, fireworks erupt from the cart as the chef opens his eyes to reveal the glow that dispels all question of their wizardly status. The cover is pulled off to reveal a pile of blood-raw steaks. Audible gasps come from the audience as they begin to float up of their own accord. All lights are cut, save for a single spotlight on the wizard. He stands tall, and with a shout of "ABRACARUMBA!" bolts of fire flash from his hands, flying through the steaks and searing them to a perfect Pittsburg Rare.

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    $\begingroup$ In other news, I would totally go to this restaurant (with stage wizardry, obviously, taking the place of real magic.) $\endgroup$
    – neminem
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 15:42
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    $\begingroup$ I have always wanted to watch a cooking show where all of the ingredients were obtained through close up magic. "Now bake at 350 for 30 minutes and poof tada!" $\endgroup$
    – Fungo
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 16:24
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    $\begingroup$ @Fungo Pick a carrot, any carrot $\endgroup$
    – Mac Cooper
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 18:05
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Power generation, in secret, would be a reliable cost-effective, source of income for the "mages' guild".

"You want to stop being stared or laughed at outside? Staying here in our protected family is easy. Every month you have a shift. Just cast fire on that boiler for a while, if you can cast second level, lightning on the anode over there. What you do in the rest of your month is up to you. Someone will come relive you in a half hour."

It would have a low risk of death and almost no exposure to mundanes, which makes it perfect for caring for the financial needs a possibly unpopular class of people. It is also decentralized and eventually, indispensable.

"I agree, Mr President, they are exceedingly dangerous, they can't be unarmed, they don't follow our rules, but if we want to keep the lights on..."

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  • $\begingroup$ Ooo, I like it, but as the skills vary (My specific character is brutally focused on a magic form meant for killing people that basically flat-lines energy, rather than making it. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:25
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    $\begingroup$ Well, it worked in The Legend of Korra... $\endgroup$
    – Mason Wheeler
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 14:00
  • $\begingroup$ There (about) 1/4 of the benders were fire or lightning users. Here there are a possibility of like 14 spell classes. Most of which don't fall into useful power generation magics $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 14:24
  • $\begingroup$ Someone who can channel energy through their fingers has a great career in energy production :) $\endgroup$
    – Muz
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 4:37
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    $\begingroup$ @HadesHerald Are you taking into account the people that can produce/move water/wind/light? $\endgroup$
    – Doval
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 15:37
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Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Fighter

Think about how popular boxing and now MMA have become - they're incredibly popular sports. Fighting is a big business.

Now we're adding magic on top of that. Mages are faster, stronger, more resilient and flashier. They can fight longer and realistically do crazy things that bring in the ratings. A mage-only MMA federation could be a huge business, with the top performers being megastars.

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  • $\begingroup$ The most glaring problem with this answer is the pure destructive capability of magic. The second being mages tend to be mind oriented people, rather than body, meaning we would see some really cool spell-slinging, but little actual fighting. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:49
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    $\begingroup$ @HadesHerald Any job that is "combat-oriented" tends to be benefited by physical training. Assuming mages can run out of magic, or just don't want to use it all the time, it means they will benefit from being physically fit. If mages don't engage in close combat usually than that makes it a bigger weakness against mages who do. $\endgroup$
    – DoubleDouble
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 20:40
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    $\begingroup$ Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra come to mind. $\endgroup$
    – Doval
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 1:03
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    $\begingroup$ @Doval: yeah, I almost suggested Pro Bending as a reference. $\endgroup$
    – Dan Smolinske
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 1:07
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So they self police, which means there is something of a Mages Guild. The main point of a mages guild is to make sure that only people inside of the guild do magic, and only when they are supposed to; or you could say the point of the mages guild is to make sure that magic doesn't happen without reason. So why not make that reason money? This is especially true with the magic being combat oriented.

It could go a few ways.
Mercenary Work: "Give us money and we'll do a job for you, make a problem go away."
Protection: "Give us money and we'll keep you safe."
Protection: "This is a nice city you have here. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it."
Protection: "That rogue mage that has been bugging you is no longer a problem, here's our bill."

So a really good job for a mage in a mages guild that wants to "play" with other mages is elite mage police. He wouldn't bother with anything so common as crime, or murder. His job would be investigating and apprehending anyone that does magic outside the guild. First to try to recrute them into the guild, and if that failed then to make sure they never do magic again.

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  • $\begingroup$ That would create strife right away. You'd either have to be very efficient at finding mages that aren't in the guild yet and silencing them super fast or truly convincing them to join, or have a media storm on your hands AND a rival unofficial "guild" formed of those that want nothing to do with it. Let's not forget, 21st century here, we can guess people are educated and morals do exist. $\endgroup$
    – Spacemonkey
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:14
  • $\begingroup$ This seems like it might work, especially considering the main character has a high socio-economic standing, despite being isolated from mundane people generally $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:16
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    $\begingroup$ The government having a law (or a treaty with major magic guilds) that basically regulated the use of large-scale magic, but in return kept the governments from using mages to fight their wars, would that be conceivable? $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:36
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    $\begingroup$ @Spacemonkey These aren't random people who decide to do magic on a whim. They were born as living weapons. Not many people want guns completely unregulated. Even the gun owners see the wisdom of background checks. You're example is silly. These aren't people who can talk or knit waterproof underwear when others can't, these are people who can throw fireballs or command dead flesh to obey. "very combat oriented". The lost lady who magics a fire is going to be asked to swear not to ignite the dog next door, not hunted and killed. And to know a magic user you only have to see their eyes. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 22:46
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    $\begingroup$ @AndyD273 Your point actually really valid. I think I have settled on a guild (or multiple) that work kinda like the church of the dark ages did (though on a considerably smaller scale). So in conjunction with the government to keep a race of super destructive humans in line. This means that someone using magic on a camping trip to make a fire is fine, but setting the entire forest aflame (on purpose) would get them "hunted" status. Neil is one of the "hunters" of this particular section of islands. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 23:02
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9 million mages in a world with a population of 4.5 billion means that 1 in 500 people is a wizard. The greater Los Angeles area would have somewhere around 32,000. Even my modest home town of Wichita, KS would have over 700.

That would make the community of mages a fairly major force, with their numbers rivaling those of doctors and police officers. Most people are probably acquainted with at least one, and many people know several.

Given the numbers and the assumption that the magic is largely combat-oriented, I would expect that the vast majority of mages are employed as peace officers or soldiers.

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  • $\begingroup$ That would make the community of mages a fairly major force, with their numbers rivaling those of doctors and police officers. Most people are probably acquainted with at least one, and many people know several. How many cops and doctors do you personally know, aside from your personal physician(s) or those who your family see? $\endgroup$
    – Mason Wheeler
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 15:21
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    $\begingroup$ @MasonWheeler A typical small town has a cop for about every 500 people. According to the NYT, the average American knows about 600 people. That's like rolling a 500 sided die 600 times to see if you know a cop. Mathematically, that gives you roughly an 80% chance to know at least one cop, and roughly 60% chance to know two. (Although, I would assume that once you know one cop, you would be biased to know a second cop because you have a chance to randomly know a cop, as well as a chance to meet another cop by meeting him through the first one. But that's beside the point.) $\endgroup$
    – corsiKa
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 16:25
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    $\begingroup$ A man recently collapsed at a church service I was at. Within 10 seconds, there were 4 GPs at his side. 2 of them lived in my street. $\endgroup$
    – Bill Michell
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 17:18
  • $\begingroup$ Bill, that might be biased depending on where you live and where you go to church. $\endgroup$
    – corsiKa
    Commented Jun 24, 2015 at 16:07
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"Live, Die, Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow" - this movie made science-fiction use of limited time travel.

Even in a "freakishly combat-oriented" world, there are other jobs.

Pit boss at casino. When mages can see the future, roulette is a losing game for the house, so mages have to work for the casinos to keep out fortune tellers. The same goes for pro sports.

Security. When mages can teleport or walk through walls or watever you mean by "physical discontinuities", you need bank guards, military guards, science lab guards, etc. who can anticipate and counter these types of assault.

Gunners and spotters. In the "Lie, Die, Repeat" fashion, you don't need computers to guide your munitions. The gunner fires, the spotter "sees" if the artillery shell hit its target, if it misses, he calls a correction to the gunner who backs up time a few seconds, adjusts the sights and fires the same shell again. Of course the defenders can fire their interceptors and hit a bullet with a bullet. The limit is how much magic food they have on hand - because time travel makes you hungry. The frequent bathroom breaks that time-shifters have to take is also a logistics problem.

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  • $\begingroup$ By temporal discontinuity I mean something like an Artemis Fowl time bubble, rather than legitimate time travel. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:22
  • $\begingroup$ Have no idea what Artemis Fowl is & I'll bet neither does Chernoch. $\endgroup$
    – Zither13
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 9:57
  • $\begingroup$ i have seen the Artemis Fowl Books at B&N, but apart from glancing at the back covers, know nothing about the series. $\endgroup$
    – Paul Chernoch
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 13:35
  • $\begingroup$ Think of a time stop as an indestructible bubble, inside which the time doesn't change, but once it is released, everything "snaps" back to the correct time. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 15:16
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I think there would be a role around gambling- minor physical discontinuities are precisely the kind of thing that would allow one to bias the game in favour of the house or in favour of the gambler, so this would be an area where an arms-race could easily arise. Alternately perhaps gambling becomes unpopular in this setting or the casinos employ others of the ephemeral creatures mentioned to keep an eye out for magical intervention.

The ability to hold time and move through the held moment would have all kinds of useful effects particularly in rescue or security situations - a policeman who can pause time and move through moving environmental factors or a fireman who can walk through fire ( assuming that flames are energetically "paused" by the time freeze ) would be able to potentially be able to help a lot of people. Likewise a doctor who could pause time for a patient during surgery and effectively sew up wounds instantaneously would be able to save many lives. Even if their abilities are destructive in nature, this could still be very surgically valuable.

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  • $\begingroup$ A physical discontinuity of that delicacy would be almost impossible with their magic type. A time-stop like the one specified is closer to a bubble that traps occupants inside, while letting the rest the world pass by at normal speed... $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 17:44
  • $\begingroup$ @HadesHerald The bubble sounds like it could still be good for policemen, firemen, and EMTs. Policemen would freeze suspects if they need backup, firemen could freeze an area while the rest of a building burned down around it, and EMTs could stop people from bleeding to death. $\endgroup$
    – Rob Watts
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 19:17
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, for hostage situations and the like (even freaking wars) the time stop is used to contain the damage. In a fire-fighting situation, this would also keep buildings around the effected area from getting burnt. However, in a time stop things continue as normal, so in medicine it would be rather useless $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 19:31
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The only possible answer is actually quite simple and completely contrary to your line of thinking and the other existing answers.

First, let's really think about this situation. If the mages are seen to be powerful and dangerous, the numerically overwhelming rest of the population would rise against the mages in a witch hunt and exterminate them. History has shown us what happens to those with purported magical powers. And if the mages fought back, they would simply prove their dangerousness and be hunted even more vigorously.

If the powers of the mages would be useful, governments and criminal organizations would force them into their service (or exterminate them).

The only possible path of survival and freedom for the mages is to keep their powers secret, live inconspicuously, and work in random common jobs.

That their eye color differs from that of other people is no more relevant than that the eye color of green eyed persons differs from that of others. For all we know, the green eyed persons of our world could secretly be mages. (And of course you know that at times green eyed persons were in fact believed to be witches.) If the mages keep their magic secret, their bioluminescent eyes will be thought to be no more than a strange evolutionary coincidence.

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  • $\begingroup$ It's less of a question of eye color, closer to "Holy crap? Why does that guy have fully red eyes with little black rings in them?" Beyond that, if say, ten or more mages came together they could wreak serious havoc on these island-nations, meaning that if they should so choose, magicians working against the government have a chance to free those that work for them. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 20:46
  • $\begingroup$ Also, for plot convenience I am looking for a way where magicians could get together or even compete, and so practice magic together. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 20:53
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    $\begingroup$ If they are so powerful, they would rule the word with terror. Being human, there would be the same percentage of power hungry, greedy and ruthless individuals among them, who would use their power for their personal gain. Think of rich people today: they are few, but powerful, and some of them chose to use their wealth to rule or exploit the rest of us. Why should those rich in magical powers behave any different than other men and women? $\endgroup$
    – user8976
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 20:55
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    $\begingroup$ Actually, there is no difference between magical powers and physical strength. Just as the strongest warriors ruled their tribes, the mages would rule their communities. And fight those other mages that would oppose them. This would give you ample opportunity for communal practice of magic (think combat training of knights), friendly (tournament) and earnest (war) competition, and answer your job question: ruling class and soldriers. $\endgroup$
    – user8976
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 21:02
  • $\begingroup$ The problem with learning magic is that it takes time, so I have a feeling magicians would avoid having to do something as arduous as rule. That being said, they might be something like a dragon. The actual ruling of their given area is left to the people, they simply provide resources to the guild or whatever, and guilds fight, but only mage to mage, and often in a "jousting"-like manner. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 21:12
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Perhaps the mages can hold various jobs throughout society. (high level government, military, science, local law, etc) They would monitor and or interact with the monsters providing a buffer/protection for the mundanes or monsters as deemed. An example would the watchers in the highlander series but could influence outcomes if that is what you want to do.

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Diving

Combat skills become useful to dive to pretty crazy depths without any need for huge submarines and bulky suits that protect from pressure and dangers alike.

Flying

Where aerial development might be lagging slightly behind (in a world with no land to incitate development like it has in ours, there is no real reason to develop travel in the air when water makes up for open trade routes etc...). Monsters may also be airborne, again, combat skills useful. Or they might all be air pirates, holding the monopoly on air travel, and keeping the lowly non magic users to the waters and land below.

Notes

  • I'd basically see them mostly as explorers. Exploration (especially at sea) is dangerous and in a world where there are only islands and sea, there is a LOT to explore.
  • Let's not forget space. If tech has reached our current stage, and that magic exists, what would be the implications there. Would it make it easier?
  • Conflicts/Wars
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  • $\begingroup$ Nice answer, but I am thinking aerial development could be advanced - people still need to travel long distances, no? Just a thought. I really like the "explorer" idea. $\endgroup$
    – Mikey
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:23
  • $\begingroup$ I've edited the question to make the purpose of the "job" more clear. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 19:50
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah I mostly answered assuming magic wielders were normal but extremely rare. (no need for control or hiding or any of that typical stuff). $\endgroup$
    – Spacemonkey
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 21:20
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Manual labor work is certainly not out of the question. If you can apply a lot of work (where work is force times distance) to a dragon in combat, you can also apply work to a mine. Many manual labor jobs that involve breaking things up or moving things are certainly in question.

If you have a spell that would forceably knock back a dragon, you could also use that force to push a mine cart. If you can knock off a dragon scale, you can knock off a piece of ore. It might take time to train your skills to be utilized in a manufacturing capacity instead of combative, but the mechanics are very much the same.

But this would be for low level mages who simply need to hone their skills or perhaps who have given up war. Most mages would definitely be in security of some kind. The most powerful mages, having led battles and such, would probably be in consulting (more affectionately known as Royal Wizard or Court Sorcerer, usually).

There also would need to be a very steady supply of magical reagents, meaning experts in logistics would be necessary. It's likely these wizards would get jobs in the procurement and distribution of these reagents.

Lastly, as the old saying goes, those who can't do, teach. To keep the influx of wizards there would need to be a place to train these wizards. I'm thinking a bit older than something like Hogwarts (which would only be for the incredibly gifted to train them from near birth in the wizarding ways), such that going into magic would be little different than going into any other profession.

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  • $\begingroup$ I am looking for a reasonable sounding way for mages to group up and compete within themselves, without endangering the general populace. Please read the whole question. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 15:44
  • $\begingroup$ Ummm, I did. And this is still a perfectly reasonable answer. These are all jobs that can be done with or without mundanes around. Some of them (like the mining) might even be better without them around. That being said, if mages are as rare as you say, you will need -some- mundanes to do the, well, mundane work that is beneath that of the learned mage. $\endgroup$
    – corsiKa
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 15:54
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They would be technical specialists in "normal" fields.

Realistically, society would evolve to use these mages in more-or-less everyday life. If it's a world full of islands, fishing would be important. Perhaps a trawler fleet would leave port with a one or more mages. They travel to their fishing grounds, chum the sea to attract the fish, and the mage(s) create large pressure waves in the water - for examples they create a void which then suddenly closes.

This is, in effect, what an explosion does: it creates an over-pressure wave that expands spherically around it. Now you have dynamite fishing, powered by magic. The trawler fleet collects the fish, and everyone profits.

Similarly, if there are whaling fleets, one of your mages could freeze time, take a careful shot, and ensure that the fleet harpoons its targets on the first time, every shot.

Trauma doctor is probably a perfect job for someone with the powers you mention: the mage could stop time to prevent someone from bleeding out. If it can only be done rarely, perhaps this mage does not practice as a doctor, but instead assists only with tricky surgeries or acts as an on-call EMS tech for a group of powerful people.

Perhaps defensive abilities enable a mage to protect others from high heat - they assist in emergency repairs on critical industrial infrastructure - blast furnaces, boilers, high power lines, etc. (shipbuilding will be critical to your island-world.)

These people are going to have to work for a living - if they are all so rich that working is optional, their parasitic drag is might wreck the world economy. At the very least, it would be a source of powerful aggravation to the 'normal' folk. So give them jobs that play to their strengths. They are the key players at specific points in critical operations. The rest of the time they prepare, practice, store up power, or whatever your story dictates.

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Hot-Air Balloon Pilots and Locomotive Engineers Their powers of combustion could thep the hot-air balloon game up to a while new level. Also it would eliminate the need for coal in steam-engine locomotives.

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  • $\begingroup$ We are looking at 21st century tech, similar to our own, but more adapted for a watery world, please read the whole question. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 15:41
  • $\begingroup$ Welcome to the site! This posts demonstrates a good idea, but needs expanding on. You can improve it by adding some explanation. See Why was my post downvoted? for more explanation. It would also help if you did a quick spell and grammar check with MS word or any other word processing program as demonstrating correct use of grammar and spelling might get an up vote or two. $\endgroup$
    – Jax
    Commented Apr 15, 2015 at 16:05
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How does your society see magicians? Are ordinary people scared of them? As magic is mainly combat orientated, are they seen as weapons? You should consider that there could be some sort of social divide between magicians and non-magicians. If so then can they easily fit into society? I would read some material that is based on these types of issues, like the light novel 'Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei'.

How do your magicians wish to be seen by society? Do they wish to fritter they lives away performing magic as entertainment? Do they wish to give back to society in some way? Do they wish to be respected?

Magicians are just people. The jobs that they choose should just align up with their ambitions. Unless society only allows them to have certain jobs. People are foolish are scared easily after all.

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  • $\begingroup$ Is the anime of this anything like the book? If so, they are seen as a much smaller threat (mainly due to a incident where a concealed carry citizen shoot and killed a rouge mage 23 years ago) but considering their weird eyes, they will always be slightly isolated from mundane society. If they decide to do anything outside of magic, they are going to be really good at it (they can memorize patterns with 38+ symbols and moving parts) but there is a pressure from they magic community to stay in magic. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 15:08
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First of all, I refer you to the thoughts of prolific magic system maker and author Brandon Sanderson.

For my own part, I would strongly disagree with any magic system that "how the magic works it is all very combat oriented". Any violence comes from some kind of force or energy. If force and/or energy can be controlled, it can be bent to any imaginable purpose.

In my experience, the more rule-oriented you make your magic, the more clever things you can make it do (Dresden Files). But the more mystical and handwavy your magic is, the rarer and more deus ex machina-ish it has to be. A society with advanced technology would have science, more specifically, the scientific method. Eventually someone would come along and experiment with it and try to beat his magic sword into a magic plowshare.

As for jobs, most similar societies I have read in other works will usually have the mage just, doing magic on request.

Hey mage, send wind to fill my sails.
Hey mage, put an illusion on my scarecrow making it terrifying to wolves, deer, etc.
Hey mage, will you make an enchanted thing that does x?

I am usually very happy to see enchanting in any magic system I read, it turns magic into an almost limitlessly useful commodity.

Honestly you can make it do whatever you want as long as you are consistent. But I cannot stress enough, making ALL MAGIC "mostly combat oriented" is a bad idea, and when thought about logically, almost always not true. You've seen that already in that (ridiculously awesome) answer about magic chefs.

If you want more specific solutions, you need to invent and post a more detailed magic system.

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  • $\begingroup$ Where would I post the 15 + laws of magic and other bits and explainations, in addition to known symbol types? I feel like the 3-4 page ramble I currently have would not quite work here. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 21:56
  • $\begingroup$ If you have a list of rules, then I would say that you should look it over and choose 10 of the broadest, most important, most informative of them. leave out the more arcane and minutia oriented rules. are their elemental powers? how is energy generated, how is it controlled. to what degree can it be controlled? the important stuff $\endgroup$
    – jokeSlayer94
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 21:58
  • $\begingroup$ or even better, a reference to another system that is similar to it / the one you based it on (if such a system exists) $\endgroup$
    – jokeSlayer94
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 22:03
  • $\begingroup$ I have yet to encounter such a system, but I'm working on a summary $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 22:43
  • $\begingroup$ Can you please explain exactly what you mean by "Combat Oriented Magic"? As I said, no matter what kind of magic system you create, that does not have to be true. But if your going to say that it is "combat oriented" please explain why and how $\endgroup$
    – jokeSlayer94
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 21:53
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I think there would be people who would pay a lot of money for the service of a magician. Not only for protection, but also a symbol of status. So I think they would serve the wealthy people a some sort of personal assistent using their magic not only tot protect, but also to advice their employer. Maybe even use their magic as a means of amusement for their employer and his entourage.

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  • $\begingroup$ I could see this, but again, the combat oriented magic type makes it hard to use for "entertainment" without breaking stuff. $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 20:06
  • $\begingroup$ Breaking stuff for entertainment serves a double purpose. On the one hand it leaves people in awe, on the other hand the employer can show: 'Look at that power, that power is protecting me. So don't try to hurt me.' $\endgroup$
    – Len Wolff
    Commented Apr 14, 2015 at 20:10
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I would expect that most of your mages would hold jobs that have little or nothing to do with their magic, but which interest them. They would use their magic in their off-hours, for recreation.

You might compare it to someone who does bleeding-edge technology for a living, but outside working hours goes in for rather intense physical stuff like martial arts.

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You really need to provide more details as to what a mage can do.

Assuming teleportation that's not subject to conservation laws: NASA would love them. You're looking at a few thousand dollars a pound to LEO. Lacking any idea of how (or if) your teleportation works I'll take Greater Teleportation from the Pathfinder RPG to work with: A caster barely able to do this and of average strength can port close to a ton to orbit (I'm assuming some weightlifters as assistants and Bull's Strength for everybody) split between 5 packages. While that won't be enough to lift any substantial satellite it certainly can lift the fuel for the satellite--use a rocket to bring the satellite up with empty tanks, fill the tanks at a space station and then it heads off into deep space.

If he charged a million dollars for this service he would have the orbital industry clamoring to hand him money and would have no problem clearing over $100 million/year.

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  • $\begingroup$ Teleportation is limited to a set of linked places with pre-written circles etc. and takes a huge toll on the mage's body (coma for 4-5 days plus unable to use magic for a week or more afterwards). $\endgroup$
    – HadesHerald
    Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 23:56
  • $\begingroup$ @HadesHerald Even with those limits it still might be worthwhile to port stuff to orbit. $\endgroup$
    – Loren Pechtel
    Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 23:58

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