The Wizard

The Wizard's portrait in-game.

 A master of magic blighted by chronic forgetfulness - Character description.

The Wizard is a playable character in The Consuming Shadow.

Character Traits

The main con to The Wizard is that she has no melee attack. However, she starts with knowledge of all spells, and she doesn't suffer sanity loss from casting them. This makes the Pentagram Necklace useless.

However, unlike all the other characters, using spells degrades the runes necessary to cast it.

The rune drawing visible in the Banishment Ritual chamber recharges all runes

Runes do not degrade when:

• Closing rifts
• Combating Cultists
• Encanting runes found on walls
• Combating the Ancient.

However if a rune is degraded then it can't be used in these scenarios.

Each rune can be used five times before being unusable. Runes can be renewed by analysing them drawn on walls, which will restore that rune. Finding these runes is random and can only be done in dungeons. This makes The Wizard a difficult character to play; if the player has run out of bullets and the runes needed for the Mass Death and Circle of Death spells are depleted, enemies cannot be killed. Some runes can appear very infrequently throughout a whole playthrough, i.e. once or twice, while other will appear 20-30 times.

While playing the Wizard, runes not associated with any god will appear on the walls sideways. These only appear when playing this character, and they allow her to replenish runes that are not associated with one of the three gods (though they can still be invoked for potential sanity gain, as usual).

Analysing the runes drawn in the Banishment Ritual chamber will replenish all runes, allowing the player to cast the banishment spell.

The Wizard has a unique constellation when using Birth Stars, in the form of the Alchemist. It provides bonus effect and duration to drugs. Each Birth Star placed at the exact center gives a +10% effect and duration to drugs (to a maximum of +100%). The Serpent also always appears in her night sky, each Birth Star placed at the exact center allows the player to carry an additional 25 HP worth of medical supplies in their kit. The Medkit will always cost the same amount to refill at a hospital, regardless of how high its capacity is (increases to a maximum of +100 capacity). 

Unlocking

In a "find three survivors" dungeon there is a chance for one of the survivors to be "a woman in office attire". When the dungeon is completed she will meet you outside and give you the name of a town to go to with a pentagram necklace. Go to that town and complete the dungeon that you find, and you will get all the spells for that run and unlock the Wizard, whether you win or lose the overall game.

Tips for playing

• If the player has found a rune that they still have five uses for, they should leave it for later in case they do use it and come back to renew it. If the dungeon is explored, then the player should incant it for a chance to get some sanity back.
• If the player has found and used a rune in a room (either examining it or casting it), they can respawn another rune in that room by repeatedly leaving and re-entering that room. This can be useful for both restoring runes and sanity, depending on its use.
• If closing a rift requires a rune the wizard has depleted, try leaving and re-entering the room. This re-randomizes the rift's associated runes.

History

Little is known of The Wizard before the events of The Consuming Shadow. She believes that her magical research could provide a significant breakthrough to the scientific community. The Wizard favors logic and numbers compared to the literary minded The Scholar. Her relationships with her spouse or significant other and parent seem to be strained. Messages from them will routinely drain her sanity (though sometimes result in a small monetary gain instead).

Selection screen text

All characters have introductions when selected in the character selection screen. This made up of two paragraphs, each picked from a pool of pre-written passages. These are the possible passages for the Wizard.

First paragraph

I learned a lot from my time as a captive of those lunatics. I learned their language, and I learned that the mad intelligence they worship must not be permitted to infect our dimension.

I have learned nothing about this darkness from conventional research. I had to turn instead to my 'other sources', which have definitively given the world a life expectancy of 60 hours.

The darkness that has descended upon this nation is infuriatingly unscientific. I refuse to lie down and wait for some all-powerful arcane being to rewrite the laws of physics.

My encounter with the strange man who rescued me from the cult left me curious about his mission. After extensive research, I have decided that it shall be my mission, now, also.

Second paragraph

For too long have I tolerated the inferior minds that surrounded me, assured of their concrete view of the universe, and deaf to all my experimentation with powers on a larger scale. All of them are silent now, but before I can be proved right, I must first save the world.

Sometimes the runes and their syllables are clear, and sit heavily in my memory like harsh stone slabs. At other times, I find myself unable to even hold the simplest of them in my mind. I fear I must combat these invading forces now, for my mind may soon cease to be my own.

This world stands on the brink of a great and traumatic transformation. Afterwards, human beings may or may not have a place on whatever world remains. It must therefore be prevented; there is no other rational view. If I must sacrifice myself to this end, then I will.

I find myself giddy at the thought of putting into practice my considerable research into the harnessing of extradimensional energies. And yet, I am troubled by the effect it has already had on my mind. The more I concentrate on the runes, the faster they seem to slip away.

The Descent

This Insanity Edition Challenge Mode assumes the player character has achieved Ending A. Each character has unique openings for this mode.

Introduction

For the first time since I curtailed the invasion of the Ancient, the runes have been active again. They are indicating towards Stonehenge, where the underground complex has opened up again.

My attempts to research magical applications have been utterly frustrated until now. This presents a prime opportunity for self-education, and to put my understanding of magic into practice once again.

In-between levels

After clearing one level the screen cuts away to another screen of text. The character will ask a question and you have to choose either Yes or No to proceed to the next level. Certain text prompts will initiate a status effect. Status effects will disappear by the next level.

These screens are a hazard at low Sanity.

Question

Is this all a waste of time?

Am I really learning anything?

Will I find answers to my questions?

Does magic originate from the Ancients?

Do these creatures require magic to live?

Trading Card

The Steam version of the Insanity Edition updated with Steam Trading Cards on December 29, 2015. This card has the following description when it is in the player's inventory:

A practitioner of magic with a mild case of something on the autism spectrum. She is one of the very few who can interpret the runes without them corroding her mind, if she can maintain focus for long enough.

Trivia

• The Wizard is the only main character in the game who is female.
• The Wizard is the only main character in the game who wears glasses.