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* Common in early editions of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''
** Some AD&D2 materials mentioned that this outfit rarely is the first choice of people who work outdoors rather than in an iconic tower with high ceilings. So even if they don't hide their occupation, there are less pointy hats and more pouch belts.
** From 3rd Edition onward they'vethe art shied away from pointy hats in favor of a more [[Dungeon Punk]] look. Not even [[Forgotten Realms|Elminster]] wears a pointy hat anymore! The rules however do include a "scholar's outfit" describe as "a robe, a belt, a cap, soft shoes, and possibly a cloak" but there's no requirement wizards wear or even own such an outfit.
** An issue of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' magazine explained that gnomes wear pointy hats because they symbolize the power of knowledge in [[Pyramid Power|much the same way pyramids do]]: few at the top, many at the base.
** In 3rd edition, wearing any armor worth its name entails a fixed percentage of spell failure, wasting both the spell and the time used to cast it. Not that wizards need armor, considering that they can [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards|out-tank the heaviest armor wearer]] using defensive spells.
*** The most recent editions (4th and 5th) of the game has done away with all spell failure, but require proficiency with armor to cast in it. By default most casters have no armor proficiency though they can learn it and any [[Magic Knight]] will have it.
**** Except heavy armor wearers who just buy the same spells as persistent effects on their gear?
*** The most recent edition of the game (4th, in 2008) has done away with all spell failure, but wizards are still limited to "cloth armor" at first. Afterwards, they can train to wear heavier armor (instead of training for something possibly more useful) and can go up to full plate and heavy shield over the levels if desired (and if they have the strength). Even then, most stop at leather armor.
**** Robes are encouraged, but the pointy hat is not. You can adorn your head with magical crowns, goggles, masks, helms, and skull caps, but there is a single magical hat (A hat of disguise, more suited for a trickster than a wizard) in any of the source books out so far.
**** Still, the artwork in the 4th edition books seems to be splitting evenly between flowing robes and exotic pants-and-shirt outfits that are only arguably more practical for combat. But the robes look ''awesome''.
*** There is the famous +1 Mythiral Twilight Chain Shirt armor in 3.5. The armor lacks both arcane spell failure and armor check penalty, as the penalties for not being trained in armor are based on the armor check penalty, there are no penalties for wearing the armor beyond the 5 pounds it weighs.
*** Although like most things in DnD optimizers can make good use of a pointy hat although its purpose is far from normal. You take am adamantine cone big enough for your wizard to stand in comfortably, then you use the shrink item spell on it to make it much smaller and cloth like and then wear it as a hat. Whenever your character enters an antimagic field the cone will expand and drop onto the wizard, cutting off line of sight and letting the wizard teleport away to safety.
** Speaking of [[Forgotten Realms|Elminster]], both the elves (who taught him) and the wizards of Dales (who want to learn from him) prefer practical adventuring clothes. The [[Word of God]] on this is that [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1901&whichpage=59#62283 the hat was largely a creation of the TSR Art Department]. It was also implied - and later [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15988&whichpage=21#383207 confirmed] - that "Old Mage" is an image cultivated on purpose, because "lead by example" works better when the example looks like a fellow mortal "old goat" in generic wizard garb rather than warrior-thief-priest''[[Gender Bender|ess]]''-divine agent or something.
** ''[[Spelljammer]]'' boxed set reminds that the tactical considerations tend to overrule in more aggressive settings:
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