There are
two kinds of powerful mage: The
dedicated kind and the
talented kind.
To spot the
dedicated mage, look for
intense and
constant concentration, lots of
trappings and
books, a
devout seriousness, and probably an
older person. It takes a while to
become a powerful mage this way. You can always
believe a dedicated mage, but they
talk like
Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The
talented mage is often
younger. Look for
amazing luck,
impossibly fortunate "coincidences", and
piercing eyes. Very often, a talented mage doesn't
know that they're a
mage, so beware of
folks who can
walk around raindrops and
laugh at
the "Occult". This
talent often manifests in
more ways than one, so look for another,
corresponding talent to be present as well. Oh, and you can't always
trust the talented mages; they didn't
hone themselves to that
condition, and they may be
jaded with everyone else's
lack of common sense, as well.
Happy hunting!