Pointy Hats

[Lephys]

I don't hope they specifically don't have them. I kinda hope they do have them. I just don't like the fact that they're established as the Wizard's uniform, instead of a Wizard's uniform style.

[khalil]

Well then there's my point: 'pointy' hats are very suggestive of a specific culture. This is a different world with different cultures and history; introducing something that clearly doesn't fit the theme may break the forth plane--much as would a lab coat in an ancient roman setting, for example.

No, pointy hats are not indicative of a specific culture. Here, allow me to go into the history of the pointy hat.

First, we have the association with wizards.

The pointy hat's association with wizards originated in Norse Mythology, via Odin's guise as the wanderer, in which he wore a wide brimmed hat that hid his missing eye. He also wore a blue robe, and leaned on a staff. Odin was the norse god of magic (among other things), so the connection to wizards should be fairly obvious.

Later on, European woodcuts would portray wizards, dwarfs, and witches as having pointy hats, thus leading to the modern association.

Thus, while it does fall into modern culture's portrayal of wizards, it also falls into that of the norsemen, as well as 17th century fairy tales.

As far as the hat itself, conical hats appear in a number of cultures due to the ease of manufacture. It's like saying pants are associated with a particular culture.

Edited March 18, 2014 by khalil

[Carados]

Would be kind of funny easter egg if Obsidian had designed a secret high level spell which allows wizzard to pull the Killer Rabbit out of his hat Obviously using such spell would require wearing a pointy hat.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Carados

[Jarrakul]

You're kind of missing the point.

I was trying to say that pointy hats are like a uniform or something in that they inform everyone who looks at you that you're a mage, akin to how a lab coat informs everyone that the person wearing it is a scientist.

 

I was being tongue-in-cheek. But if you want to actually argue about it, I'm a scientist and I have only ever worn a lab coat for one specific lab in college and the occasional Halloween costume. About half my friends are scientists, and only about half of them wear lab coats in the course of their jobs. None of them wear lab coats when they're outside the lab, even when they're actively doing outside-the-lab science. In my personal experience, the most common sign of a scientist is a sweater, and even that's only maybe 30% of the population. Yes, the lab coat is iconic, but that hardly means the average scientist wears one at all, much less when doing field work. Pointy hats are the same, except there's no practical reason to wear them in the first place, so even fewer mages will bother with them. If a mage wants people to know he's a mage, he can carry multiple large books and shoot fire from his fingertips.

 

My point is not, of course, that no wizard will ever wear a pointy hat. My point is that it'll be a matter of fashion. Much like crowns and circlets, which are just fancy jewelry until someone decides that this one makes you king. And, for that matter, like most other hats unless it's raining. If you're going to enchant something, circlets seem less cumbersome and less likely to get knocked off than most other headware (especially tall pointy hats), so as an adventurer I'd favor circlets and other compact hats pretty strongly. Crowns, admittedly, are for when you want to go all mage-king.

[LadyCrimson]

<---- points to her avatar.

 

I think mages should wear cats. The cat being their familiar, of course ... and who being a smart feline, realizes the laziest easiest way to travel and keep up with "their" magician is to perch atop their head.

 

 

... a wizard is not a wizard simply because of their hat. There are some stories where magicians may form "schools" and thus have some kind of uniform at times, so others can recognize their place of study etc, or a wizard may simply like the way a pointy hat looks ... so as I said before, while I hope there are some (or at least a few) pointy hats in the game for fun and roleplay reasons, I would also hope that 1-there will be other types of hats as well and 2-pointy hats aren't mage-only wear. I mean, what if my Monk or Ranger or whoever wants to wear a pointy hat, too?

[Lycana]

... a wizard is not a wizard simply because of their hat.

 

"Hats were important. They weren't just clothing. Hats defined the head. They defined who you were. No one had ever heard of a wizard without a pointy hat - at least no wizard worth speaking of. And you certainly never heard of a witch without one...It wasn't the wearing of the hats that counted so much as having one to wear. Every trade, every craft had its hat. That's why kings had hats. Take a crown off a king and all you had was someone good at having a weak chin and waving to people". - Terry Pratchett "Witches Abroard".

 

As for a cat on the head, unless said wizard has a head like Herman Munster, I dont think said cat will be balanced there for long. Unless claws are involved in which case said cat may have a short lifespan.

[Tuckey]

Give me mage headwear like this

[LilaQ]

I also hope there will be pointy hats, but just the ones with a brim. If wearing a brimless hat, people may mistake your wizard for a pencil.

[Rosenkrantz]

Pointy hats are a given. Otherwise, how will I make my character look like this?

 

[Tuckey]

The wizard of christchurch if I'm not mistaken, nice!

[cornishr]

I have but one question about PoE, about an issue very dear to me.

Do wizards get to wear pointy hats? I wanted to do that in the IE games, but there weren't any.

Obsidian, please fix this glaring omission.

Spot on! I was always devastated i couldn't get a decent wizard hat. I've been fretting about it myself.

[Hassat Hunter]

I'm pretty sure that if I can reduce everyone around me to a pair of smoking boots, I won't have to wait long for mortal authority. I'm also pretty sure that being an actual mage would enable you to pull a rabbit out of a crown.

 

Pssh, why a rabbit, when you can pull out a demon and smite your foes.

 

But seeing as the discussion is very diverse... the correct answer is (still) allow a wide variety of hats. And not bind certain bonusses to just one look.

[khalil]

And not bind certain bonusses to just one look.

YES.

I hate having to choose between a good looking but underpowered hat or an op hat made out of clipping errors.

[rjshae]

 

Well then there's my point: 'pointy' hats are very suggestive of a specific culture. This is a different world with different cultures and history; introducing something that clearly doesn't fit the theme may break the forth plane--much as would a lab coat in an ancient roman setting, for example.

No, pointy hats are not indicative of a specific culture. Here, allow me to go into the history of the pointy hat.

First, we have the association with wizards.

The pointy hat's association with wizards originated in Norse Mythology, via Odin's guise as the wanderer, in which he wore a wide brimmed hat that hid his missing eye. He also wore a blue robe, and leaned on a staff. Odin was the norse god of magic (among other things), so the connection to wizards should be fairly obvious.

Later on, European woodcuts would portray wizards, dwarfs, and witches as having pointy hats, thus leading to the modern association.

Thus, while it does fall into modern culture's portrayal of wizards, it also falls into that of the norsemen, as well as 17th century fairy tales.

As far as the hat itself, conical hats appear in a number of cultures due to the ease of manufacture. It's like saying pants are associated with a particular culture.

 

You just made my point--according to you, 'pointy' hats with floppy rims are associated with a specific European culture, which was then borrowed by some other northern European cultures. They were not universal, at least not in that form. If you look at those woodcuts, you'll also find other forms of pointy hats for wizards, including so-called 'dunce' caps. They had very distinctive cultural influences. Hat styles are often culturally iconic.

Edited March 19, 2014 by rjshae

[khalil]

You did notice how I mentioned pointy hats appearing in almost every culture, right?
Because they do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointed_hat

[rjshae]

You did notice how I mentioned pointy hats appearing in almost every culture, right?

Because they do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointed_hat

Yes, I know. Notice I said pointy hats with floppy rims? I guess not. Whatever.

[khalil]

There's the jewish hat, the sedge hat, the kalpak, and probably some others that A: have floppy brims and B: aren't from europe. Also, if we're going to get like this about cosmetic items, why don't we look at the armor in the game we've been shown so far, which has a distinctly western feel.

EDIT:

Also, I found another pointy hat associated with wizards: the Capirote. It's european, but comes from spain instead of the north.

Edited March 19, 2014 by khalil

[Lephys]

In my personal experience, the most common sign of a scientist is a sweater, and even that's only maybe 30% of the population.

Pish posh. Everyone knows the mark of a scientist is a clipboard. u_u

 

You did notice how I mentioned pointy hats appearing in almost every culture, right?

Because they do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointed_hat

Great, so we should be forced to look ridiculous because all the cool kids are doing it?

 

[khalil]

You shoudn't be forced to wear a pointy hat, but they should be an option if you want to wear them.
...

I'm dissapointed no-ones called me on the Capirote being associated with wizards joke.

[Raeya]

I dislike pointy wizard hats, but then I dislike most hats. Give me a good circlet or crown any day. That said, since we're almost certainly going to get hats, I'd much prefer pointy hats to most other varieties. Especially if the other variety in question comes from DA1.

Those hats in dragon age which I assume you are referring to were horrendous.

 

I hardly ever have my character wear hats in RPGs because most of the time they just look plain stupid. Simplicity is the key in my opinion, developers shouldn't try weird, odd-shaped hats. Simple hats like a pointy hat is good enough.

[LadyCrimson]

I hardly ever have my character wear hats in RPGs because most of the time they just look plain stupid.

I feel that way about armor-helms in most games. Plus with those I can't see the faces, which in some games I may have spent a lot of time in the editor "creating." Or in 3D, they have hair-clipping issues.

 

Hats - I like funny hats, or elegant hats. And at least I can usually still see their face.

 

Of course, less important (graphically) in a game like PoE. But still, I want to rock those feathered hats....

[Tauron]

It is not about the hat as the one that wears it :