Magic

The Nature of Magic and Mages

Magic on Spheryl is a force of nature most closely analogous to weather in nature.  There are places and areas that are more conducive to different types of magic, and places that are relatively hard to cast spells in.  Most magic-users are taught by single teacher to use a particular style of magic, but may be taught at a school dedicated to teaching magic.  Most wizards learn a single style of magic, and seek to master it.  Those who are truly powerful sometimes master two or even three styles in their lifetimes.  There are no dabblers, however, as magic can be a cruel teacher to those who do not know what they are doing.

Power, Knowledge, and Control

In order to cast a spell, all magic users need three things. They need to power the spell, the knowledge of how to cast the spell, and they need to control the spell.

Power

Magic is fueled in two ways. Both must be available, or the spell will not function.

The first is by the power in the area. Most areas have a general, background magic that can fuel any spell. Some areas may have a specific connection to a type of magic, making it easier to cast. Some areas may only have certain magics in them at all, only allowing those types of spells or closely related spells. Some areas have no magic in them at all, meaning no spell can be cast there.

The second way is by channeling the power through the spellcaster. Everyone has some ability to fuel spells, but spellcasters specifically train their ability to fuel magic to allow them to cast more powerful spells or keep their spells operating longer. If the spellcaster runs out of energy, they can fuel their magic using their own body. This will eventually lead to exhaustion, pain, and even bring them near to death.

Knowledge

Magic is a learned skill, much like any other. Spellcasters must learn about the nature of their particular Arcanum, including how the spells work, channeling the magic, and the requirements for casting the spell. One can have all the power and control in the world, but without knowledge, the would be spellcaster would merely be waving their hands in the air.

Control

Magic is shaped into spells by using variety of techniques, such as complicated gestures, chants, words of power, items to focus the power, or a myriad of other methods. These must be used correctly or the spell may backfire, often with dire consequences. The more difficult the spell, the harder they are to control and generally the worse the consequences for failure.

Types of Magic

There are many types of magic, but they are sometimes grouped into four categories based on how the spells are taught. Each type of magic is called an Arcanum. There are 26 known Arcana of magic.

  • Tiered Arcana have three or four levels of magic. In order to learn spells of a higher tier, one must have adequate mastery of the spells in the lower tier. For example, to learn a 2nd tier spell in Divination, one must know at least half of the 1st tier spells.
  • Connected Arcana have prerequisites for each spell beyond the basic spells. For example, to learn Mage Prison in Thaumaturgy, one must first learn Mystic Bonds and then Wall of Force.
  • Circle Arcana have multiple levels within an individual spell. For example, Weather Sorcery has four circles for each spell. The basic version of Lightning Strike does a small amount of damage to a single person, while the master’s level does massive damage to multiple people in an area.
  • Path Arcana have multiple, smaller groups of spells within the Arcanum. They are fueled by a single reservoir of power, but have different spells, with different requirements for controlling the spells. An example is Elementalism, which has five paths – Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Metal. An Elementalist may be a novice in Air and a master of Fire, or may know the basic spells of all five, simply master one, or any combination they like.

The known Arcana are:

  • Abjuration – Circle Arcanum based on protection
  • Alchemy – Path Arcanum based on creation of potions, elixirs, and oils used to create effects
  • Chaos Sorcery – Connected Arcanum used to channel power from an outer plane
  • Conjuration – Circle Arcanum used to summon or create creatures and items from magic
  • Crystalism – Circle Arcanum using the power of crystals and gem stones
  • Demonology – Tiered Arcanum based on summoning demons to do your bidding
  • Divination – Tiered Arcanum based on enhancing senses
  • Druidry – Path Arcanum based on controlling the power of land, sea, and sky
  • Elementalism – Path Arcanum based on controlling the power of fire, air, water, earth, and metal
  • Empathy – Circle Arcanum based on manipulating emotions
  • Herbalism – Tiered Arcanum based on controlling the essence of plants
  • Illusion – Tiered Arcanum using the power of magic to create images of light and sound
  • Infernalism – Circle Arcanum based on using powers granted by making pacts with devils
  • Kleptomancy – Tiered Arcanum based on taking and using the power from other people
  • Lumineurgy – Circle Arcanum based on controlling the power of light
  • Mysteries of Night – Tiered Arcanum based on control the power of darkness and the moon
  • Necromancy – Path Arcanum based on controlling the power of flesh, bone, and spirit
  • Oneiromancy – Tiered Arcanum using the power of sleep and dreams
  • Psionics – Connected Arcanum based on manipulating the mind
  • Rune Magic – Tiered Arcanum based on manipulating the power of symbols and written words
  • Thaumaturgy – Connected Arcanum based on manipulating magic itself
  • Totemic Magic – Tiered Arcanum based on manipulating one’s body using animal traits
  • Transfiguration – Tiered Arcanum using magic to transform one thing into another
  • Vitancy – Circle Arcanum using magic to control life and life forces
  • Weather Sorcery – Circle Arcanum based on controlling weather
  • Witchcraft – Path Arcanum based on controlling the power of day, night, and twilight