Not every entrepreneur has a storefront. There are Magewrights among both the Mourners and the Grizzlies who are practicing their trades as best as they can in the Tents while they work to obtain more permanent housing. The gnome Sheets is a Grizzly launderer who keeps the blue tents as blue as can be, but as time permits, he cleans for others in the Tents. Yenna Lane is a healer who takes care of the Mourners, but she’ll sell her services to those who can’t afford Jorasco prices at the Patchery. It’s also the case that many of the most notable artisans in town are magewrights, even if it’s not mentioned. Bel Thiel uses Magecraft (from Exploring Eberron) and Mending to help with her smithcraft. Noon Tuuva uses Prestidigitation and Magecraft in his baking. The Magewrights in Quickstone table provides a few specific examples of magewrights in town, but this isn’t a complete list; it’s intended to be a source of inspiration, examples of what magewrights on the frontier might be like.
When dealing with magewrights, it’s important to remember that they don’t just cast spells as player characters do. Magewrights can cast cantrips freely and there’s usually no additional cost for a service that employs a cantrip. A chef may use Prestidigitation to heat their food instead of a stove, but that’s just a tool they use to do their job; as there’s no extra cost to them, they don’t have to pass that cost along to the customer. The restriction is that most magewrights only have access to limited versions of cantrips. Bel Thiel knows a version of Mending that works on metal, but she can’t mend cloth; the reverse is true of Deven the tailor. Player characters are exceptional, and their versatile cantrips are one example of this.
Other magewrights services are more costly. As described in Eberron: Rising from the Last War, when a magewright casts a spell, they do so using a ritual that takes between 10 minutes to an hour (at the DM’s discretion based on the service and the spell). It requires components with a minimum cost of 20 GP multiplied by the level of the spell. That’s just the cost to perform the ritual, with no profit for the magewright; per Eberron: Rising from the Last War, most magewrights charge 25 GP for a level 1 spell, 50 GP for a level 2 spell, and up to 100 GP to perform a level 3 Ritual. However, even if you have gold in hand and a magewright who can cast a spell, the fact that you’re on the frontier means that they may not have the components they need to perform their ritual. Regardless of what’s normally used, all magewright rituals can be performed using Residuum (refined dragonshard powder); Tuuva Mercantile carries Residuum, but generally has a limited supply. This sense of shortage is an element of frontier adventuring. Yenna Lane knows how to perform Lesser Restoration, but if a plague is spreading among the Mourners, odds are good that she simply can’t contain it magically. It’s not just about the cost in gold; the town just doesn’t have enough Residuum for her to cure every victim.
With that said, not all magewrights are magewrights. What defines the magewrights is that they cast leveled spells as Rituals, meaning they can cast them over and over as long as they have the components. But there are also arcane initiates, who effectively have the same ability as a player character who takes the Magic Initiate feat—the ability to cast a few cantrips, and to cast a single leveled spell once per Long Rest without any expensive components. It’s essentially a less dedicated form of training, reflecting the ability to produce a single burst of energy. It’s rare to find an arcane initiate who can cast a 2nd or 3rd-level spell in this way, but it means that you might find a duelist who can surprise you with a quick Shield or a firefighter who can cast Burning Hands. They don’t need gold to do it, but they only get to do it once a day.
| d8 | Magewright |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lali Tuuva (female goblin laundress) works out of Tuuva Mercantile and performs dry cleaning—dry because she uses a form of Prestidigitation instead of soap and water. |
| 2 | Noli Graybridge (male human firefighter) is a Brelish veteran and specialized wandslinger. As a sheriff’s deputy, he primarily uses Control Flames to put out fires, but with his wand in hand he can cast Fire Bolt, and once per Long Rest he can cast Burning Hands. |
| 3 | Tyraen (female elf entertainer) is an illusionist who works at the Crown. While she specializes in Minor Illusion and the occasional Vicious Mockery, she has the Mark of Shadow and may have greater powers she holds in reserve. |
| 4 | Gareth Stone (male dwarf stone chanter) is a foreman at the quickstone quarry and a town councilor, but he’s also a stone chanter; he can cast Mold Earth (from Xanathar's Guide to Everything), and knows the specialized rituals used to shape quickstone. |
| 5 | Keys (female halfling locksmith) can cast Arcane Lock and Knock as Rituals. She generally sells her services out of the common room of the Crown. She’s a member of the Coins and may work with the Pennyroyals; rumor has it she used to be a member of the Boromar Clan in Sharn. |
| 6 | Jon Bright (male gnome lamplighter) is a Cyran lamplighter who came to town with the Mourners. Count ir’Blis is employing him to create and maintain Everbright Lanterns for Quickstone, but he can also cast Light. |
| 7 | Uula (female kobold performer) is a Khaar’paal kobold and expert acrobat, displaying her tumbling skills in the Tents, and occasionally in the Rose Theater. More sorcerer than magewright, she uses Guidance to enhance her skills and has two spell slots she can use to cast Jump, Expeditious Retreat, or Feather Fall. |
| 8 | The Magistrate (nonbinary warforged administrator) can cast Zone of Truth as a Ritual, which they employ in the pursuit of justice. |