Being a mage is a profession, what exactly could a mage do exactly?

The Chatters
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In my story, being a mage is just a job profession. The same applies to witches, wizards, sorcerers, etc. But mages work for a global organization called the Crimson Tower which is run by a council of elite wealthy mages who value traditions (whatever those are) within the mage society. My issue is what can a mage do as a job profession. I’m trying to figure it out, but I’m drawing blanks. This story’s genre is science-fantasy if that means anything to you. What could mages do for the Crimson Tower?

Those on the council of the Crimson Tower hail from famous yet wealthy clans that dabble in different magical powers along with business endeavors too.

Still, the problem is what can a mage do as a job.

I’m trying to figure that out myself, but it is hard to come up with something. I made this thread because being a mage is the most important to the plot.

What are your thoughts?

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I got around it as combing backrooms wanderers with basic fantasy. Adventurer’s guild for a more liminal age.

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There’s world physics limits:

If they can’t teleport long distances, mages can’t be used to get around that.

There’s world morality limits:

If your world is against partially resurrecting the dead, necromancy is banned.

There’s types and classes limits:

If you use “earth mage” they can’t do “fire related magic”, at least not as widely.

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The thing is magic exists in the air and everyone can breathe it on a daily basis.

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Well they could be anything. Depends on the world and story.

Maybe the Crimson Tower has a monopoly on infrastructure. And mages are responsible for surveying land and building cities and roads.

Or maybe they’re working new magical technology or maybe they’re trying to create a new creature.

Maybe the Crimson Tower is really an entertainment company which has an ancient covenant with some God of Parties. They recruit mages to do performances and party tricks for audiences.

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Make some people allergic to it, like breathing smog in a city.
Do something with the availability, is all.

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In my magical society, mages tend to have specialized jobs that are oriented around their magic, and ofc research towards magic/myth/lore about the world they live in, with the aid of magic.

Considering your world is SciFi there’s a lot of cool specializations you could implement that naturally aid in technology/environment.

You could have some mages: Head research departments, others who do labor work (perhaps they help power certain technology), some might be doctors, some might be part of an agricultural department, transportation services, etc. etc.

I’d recommend looking at jobs that our world covers, and then finding ways to convert that into some type of magical position, that’s really helped me because (logically) people in your story would want/need things that people in our world also want/need.

Ask yourself: If you had magic, how would this amplify your daily life/hobbies?

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My first thought is more what kind of magic can the mage use? I think that’ll shape their job to more specific tasks, similar to real-world jobs.

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Hmm…

What’s the situation with magic-based tech like in your world? Maybe they invent magic-based tech things, do research, and also provide maintenance services?

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