The Gaming Den

In a generic setting of D&D, how likely is it for the higher-end wizards of the world to ever actually work together? Is a High Magic Council something that requires an active threat to band together against (even if that threat is management of resources that are used to make magic items)? Is it something that wizards only do until they become powerful enough to reliably leave the dimension and work/live alone (13th+)? This is largely assuming NPCs of the world, of course.

For wizards there's a huge incentive to band together and share spells (just as there is in scientific research). Just two wizards sharing spells could possibly double the powers of both. Imagine a college of 400 wizards, all of which are required to perform some baseline level of research. These wizards will easily have access to more spells than a hedge wizard can even imagine.

Plus there's the possible benefit of a communal bat cave.

It seems kind of hard to tell what would happen if higher-level wizards all got together and collaborated, because it seems awfully like the only options are "they rule the world" or "for some DM-fiat reason, powerful extraplanar beings get pissed and kill them all every so often". Personally, I think it would be cool to have some actual guidelines for that stuff (which would almost certainly have to address what goes on in the planes, too) so PC's could maybe get some politicking done.

pft, you can fairly easily have the "the Wizard Organization is dedicated to fighting the <Other Powerful Organization*>". You could even throw in a Hogwarts for research/politics that the OPO Dare Not Attack (until campaign arc 5).

* Dragons, other wizard group, Extraplanars, whatever

You could also quite readily imagine a Wizard New World Order type setup where the wizards actually are in charge, but the fact isn't obvious, just like certain crazy assholes believe happens in the Real World (TM) but with Wizard Overlords instead of Lizard Overlords. They let kings rule kingdoms and fight wars and all that jazz unless their own agenda is disrupted, at which point they'll take as much non-obvious action as is needful to get the world back on track.

Could be that within minutes of your PC Wizard casting his first 5th (or 6th, or 7th, whatever) level spell, a mysterious NPC comes sniffing around with a view to eventually offering the options of: 1) join us, 2) get the hell off the plane and stay off, or 3) die. That could be quite cool

I'm reminded of the Ask A Ninja question 'Why don't ninjas rule the world yet?' and the answer 'We already do. This is exactly how we want it!'

It would certainly explain why there hasn't been even incidental technological advance.

Heh, it might even go *some* way towards explaining the screwed-up economy of D&Dland... it doesn't make any sense because it doesn't *have* to make any sense. Everyone from the peasantry to the nobility is kept on the gold standard by the secret cabal, and magical items are available for sale purely to keep up the pretense that high-powered wizardry is accessible to all and something that anyone can aspire to. They keep a flow of gold that they neither want nor need going backwards and forwards to help maintain the Great Secret, and artificially limit the supply of gold and gems in a completely closed loop. Additionally, it's a way of keeping tabs on those who are getting powerful enough to want/be able to afford that stuff:

"Sir, we've just had a report that someone has bought a 7th-level pearl of power, shall I have them brought in?"

Nah, D&D economics are too much of a stretch even for Wizard Overlords, but it was worth a shot