Stages of Thaumaturges

A Practical Discussion (PGTS)
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What do we know about the assorted stages of thaumaturges (i.e. Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Grandmaster, and Archmage)?

In chapter 18, when Sebastian visits the library…

Books that were deemed possibly dangerous to inexperienced casters, but not illegal, resided on the higher floors. After three terms and an Apprentice certification, you could access the second floor as well as the ground floor. A Journeyman, at five terms, could access all the above-ground levels. Getting access to the archives in the basement required Master certification or special dispensation, and sometimes both.

…implying that an Apprentice certification might need three terms. I’m not certain because that phasing could also mean that even if you joined the University as an apprentice, you need 3 terms to get that level of trust, though I don’t recall us ever hearing about Apprentices joining the University. Do we have confirmation from other chapters that one usually becomes an Apprentice after 3 terms and a Journeyman after 5 terms? Do we have similar information on Masters and Grandmasters?

In chapter 230 Ana and Sebastian have the following exchange…

“Maybe he’s come up with something that will gain him Archmage status, and he wants to sway public opinion before going before the council of Grandmasters,” Ana said.

“What did Archmage Zard do to receive the title?” Sebastien asked. “I know you have to contribute something significant to a particular field of magic to be considered a Grandmaster, but what about after that?”

…implying that both Grandmastery and Archmage status aren’t just a number of terms, though I don’t recall anything mentioned about who determines if your contribution is enough to become a Grandmaster, or who the council of Grandmasters is.

Also from the same chapter, an announcer says…

Thaddeus Lacer is the youngest Master of free-casting in a century, and also a Grandmaster of sorcery.

…implying that you can be different ranks in different fields, though it should be noted that everyone always calls Thaddeus a Grandmaster, his highest rank.

In chapter 8, Siobhan thinks to herself…

The last time Siobhan had been tested, she could channel about one hundred seventy-five thaums, which was firmly Apprentice level, well below a Journeyman sorcerer.

…though I don’t know if specific ranges were ever given for these things. Do we also have similar amounts for higher stages such as Journeymen?

I’d love to aggregate this information for a wiki page, but I’m lacking references to which chapters we receive various infos. Does anyone have a better idea of where these are expounded upon and which things I’ve missed?

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Let me paste Azalea’s answer here:
To get an Apprentice certification:

Just those 4 classes, for 3 terms, plus passing the exams of course. Students also have to display a capacity of at least 250 thaums, which shouldn’t be difficult if they’ve been practicing and doing the homework. Ideally, students will significantly exceed that number, and it is one of the things they’ll be putting on job applications and such.

Apprentice certifications are meant to be easy and cheap, just enough for someone to get a job using magic–still working for someone else, as it’s not legal for Apprentices to go into business for themselves.

Here are the numbers:

Apprentice–3 terms x mandatory 4 classes, up to 7 classes without special dispensation, 250 thaums
Journeyman–5 terms, 475 thaums
Specialized Journeyman–7 terms, 700 thaums
Master–9 terms, 900 thaums

The 4 core classes are required through term 4, except for…

Introduction to Modern Magic is required for all terms, but once you get beyond the 4th term, it splits off into several specialized branches and students just choose one they prefer, and over time might take most or all of them, depending on how long they stay at the University.

After those first 4 terms, students still need to take a minimum of 4 classes per term, but can choose more or less what those classes are.

A specialized Journeyman must complete at least 2 terms/8 classes that focus on a specialized field. They’re basically a better Journeyman that has the same legal restrictions, but will get higher pay and better job opportunities.

To elaborate on this, the minimum requirements are just that the bare minimum, most people in the rank had much higher capasicity, somebody who just grudaded from the university with a masters will likely have 1-2 thousands thaums, and they will only keep growing after that.

A mastery is basically a bachelor’s degree. A Grandmaster is basically a PhD graduate. To become a Grandmaster, you need a minimum of 5 thousand thaums and publish a new paper in the field you are grandmastering.

We don’t fully know the requirements for becoming an Archmage apart from having at least 12 thousand thaums (though I think it was stated that Zard had some 80 thousand thaums) and approval from some council of grandmasters. The only Archmages we know are the Blood Emperor, who was a grandmaster in several fields and Zard. From what we have heard, Thaddeus is basically an Archmage but hasn’t officially received the title.

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And, while this isn’t Azalea’s answer, it seems like this is modeled on early European Universities. Like Oxford. A “Master” was the degree that certified you to teach.

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Wow, this is precisely what I’m looking for, thanks for finding it! Happy to have a Word of the Author for this one.

Next I think I’ll look for where Siobhan muses about how much an Apprentice or Journeyman can expect to earn in salary per year, which would be in Book 2 with Newton. Then I can aggregate this for a wiki page to help out new readers.

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There’s a grimoire page with those numbers on Patreon and the website. Called monetary system overview.

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