Thoughts, critiques, likes, not likes (and preferably why) are all welcome.
Keep in mind, I'm looking to have a system neutral world here. So for you experienced DMs from the past...20 years or so, let me know how it sounds. I'm giving the "esotera", the philosophy of how things work. Mechanics, for the most part, are left to whatever system you use...but this is how things "work" on Orea.
Thanks.
--SD
The Magelords of R’Hath hoard it. The Witch-priests of Manat cherish it. In the Island kingdoms of Tanku its practice is outlawed. Priests in the white-walled city of Sanctum use it to heal and protect. Druids use it to meld with nature. The Shamans of "less civilized" races commune with their spirit world. While those in the Order of the Emerald Tear expand their amazing mental gifts.
For some magic is a source of pride. Others fear it. For many it is a source of cautious wonder. Whether a secret spell from a dusty tome, favors of the gods, a lost knowledge, forgotten item, or innate gift, all of its wide variety of practitioners can agree: Magic is Power.
Magic on the world of Orea is a form of all pervading energy that is able to be harnessed and controlled to various effect in any number of ways. The sources of magic on Orea are classified by the sages of Flin into: Arcane -the magic of wizards gained through study, practice and research, Divine -the magic of priests and paladins gained through meditation, prayer and the divine favor of their respective deity, and Natural (also called "Primal") -the magic of the druids and other classes and creatures (like shamans, the Sorarynae, and the natural abilities of the zepharim) gained through ancient teaching/practices, innate ability and/or communion with the ambient energies of the cosmos.
Psionics do not fall into any of these categories, being the expansion and exercising of a being's own mental energy. Still, psionics are generally (wrongfully) considered to be a form of "personal magic" that is contained in (or gifted to) the mind of the individual. This view is especially believed by most arcane magic-users, many of them seeking to unlock and master these formidable "personal magics" within themselves to add to their own power.
Though there are various sources for the unseen energies that ebb and flow throughout the realms, the practice of harnessing them is generally the same, the use of ritual and/or spell (sometimes called "prayers" by the more religious, in the case of divine energies) involving various spoken, somatic and/or possibly material components. Magic is also usable by non-spellcasters through the use of items or weapons that harbor, are charged with or channel magical energy to a specific effect.
[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Arcane Magic[/SIZE], also call Arcanum, is the magic of study. The magic of wizards and sorcerers. The energy of Arcane magic flows through the whole of the realm, like air. It is self-perpetuating and replenishing, the energy is "built in" to the world of Orea itself. These energies are capable of being harnessed through spells and rituals. The spells of Arcane magic are most often recorded in written form (spellbooks, scrolls, tomes, grimoires and the like). They are studied and memorized by the practitioner, harnessing and "locking up" the required energy. The casting of the spell releases the energy and wipes the specific formulae from the caster's mind, requiring them to study and memorize the spell again.
Arcane magic (in the past few hundred years) has been further broken down and classified by the mages of R'Hath into 9 "schools" (8 specialists and the "generalist" mage). Each of these schools deals with a specific type of spell and mages in R'Hath often become "specialists" in one school or another. In fact certain families in R'Hath now have generational legacies in various of the specialist schools. Each school has their own strengths and weaknesses which collectively balance themselves out. As as specialist, a mage receives an additional spell per level in their school.
Three "schools" continued to be practiced during the years following the Godswar and the Mage Wars (before formal Academies or even R'Hath itself had been founded). To this day, these "specialist mages" (who were simply referred to by their individual titles prior to the Schools' creation) may be found, trained in the traditional master/apprentice way, originating from anywhere in Orea and not required to be from or go to R'Hath for their study (though many if not most still will to further their power). These "special" specialists are:
While all Arcane spells may be classified in these schools, there are multiple traditions, which comprise the practice of Arcanum magic in Orea.
The divine energies of the deities of Orea are such that clerics' 1st and 2nd level spells need not be "prayed for" individually. The cleric's communion with their deity is so strong that spells within the god's spheres of influence may be called upon as needed. Due to the added power required of the deity for higher level spells, 3rd level or higher must be specifically chosen each day (unless unused from the previous day).
While some divine magic is available to any religious order, most gods grant their spells and powers for those spheres of influence which most closely relate to the deity's domain over which he/she/it holds sway. The goddess of healing offers more frequent and powerful healing spells to her followers than the god of war. While the god of war would be likely to have more or greater damage-dealing spells. The god of fire is not likely to offer much control over water. The goddess of the moon will not have spells utilizing sun-type effects, etc.
For the realms and deities of Orea the spheres of influence of Divine Magic include: All (those magics available to all clerics of any faith), Animal (spells effecting, creating or controlling various natural creatures or duplicating their abilities), Charm (as the Enchantment school of arcane magic, influencing/controlling the minds and emotions), Combat (self explanatory), Creation (manifesting objects, energies or beings), Divination (as the arcane school, deals with the gathering of information), Elemental (spells that create or effect the cardinal elements: air, earth, fire and water, often at the exclusion of others), Healing (self explanatory), Necromancy (like the arcane school, spells involving death and the undead), Plant (spells that create or effect all manner of vegetation), Protection (self-explanatory) and Sky (spells involving effects from the sun, the moons, stars and weather).
All divinities offer spells from more than one sphere, though may only offer the lesser (3rd level or below) spells from spheres peripheral to the god's realm of control. Spheres which are against the tenets or dogma of a particular deity, in most cases, will not be accessible to the cleric. For specific lists of the spheres allowed by each divinity of the realms, see their entry on the Gods of Orea page.
Another facet of divine magic is the priest/preiestess' power over the undead. Clerics of Good-aligned divinities channel the positive energies of their god allowing them to Turn ("force to flee") and eventually Destroy (at higher levels) certain undead and denizens of the lower planes: demons, devils, etc. collectively referred to as "negative energy" creatures. Clerics worshipping Evil-aligned deities channel the negative energies of their god allowing them to either Rebuke ("force to cower") or Control negative energy creatures in addition to Turning or Destroying beings of the higher planes: devas, angels, etc., collectively referred to as "positive energy" creatures. Clerics worshipping Neutral deities may chose to turn or rebuke undead but are unable to exert any influence over beings from the higher or lower planes. Neutral deities MAY, however, be able to Turn/Destroy creatures of the Elemental planes which good and evil clerics (generally) cannot effect at all. The types of creatures (amount of Hit Dice) and how they are effected are subject to and increase with the cleric's level. In the cases of certain deities, the flow of these positive or negative energies also allow the clerics other powers specific to their faith. These special powers are also detailed on the Gods of Orea page.
A final note of Divine magic is that it is dependant on the cleric's (or paladin's) good graces with their deity. Actions contrary to the dogma or alignment of the god (usually also contrary to the tenets of the religious order of that god) will, in short order, find the spellcaster's calls unanswered.
[SIZE=+1]Natural (or Cosmic or Universal or Primal) Magic[/SIZE] is the primordial power of the world of Orea itself. The residual energies of the entities Ahl and Zho (who created the world and heavens and then departed them and their creations (dragons and titans). If arcane magic is an energy that flows throughout Orea like air, and divine magic is bits of essence of the gods, then Natural or Cosmic magic is more like a radiation that eminates from, with and through everything, everyone, everywhere.
This is the magic of the Druids of Mistwood, the shamans of the Centaurs and Gorunduun, the magic power first tapped by the Shi'Staliiri elves so long ago and used by Kantiiri mystics to this day. Even the savage witch-doctors of the goblinoid races are able to harness the powers of natural magic to a greater or lesser degree.
Keep in mind, I'm looking to have a system neutral world here. So for you experienced DMs from the past...20 years or so, let me know how it sounds. I'm giving the "esotera", the philosophy of how things work. Mechanics, for the most part, are left to whatever system you use...but this is how things "work" on Orea.
Thanks.
--SD
The Magelords of R’Hath hoard it. The Witch-priests of Manat cherish it. In the Island kingdoms of Tanku its practice is outlawed. Priests in the white-walled city of Sanctum use it to heal and protect. Druids use it to meld with nature. The Shamans of "less civilized" races commune with their spirit world. While those in the Order of the Emerald Tear expand their amazing mental gifts.
For some magic is a source of pride. Others fear it. For many it is a source of cautious wonder. Whether a secret spell from a dusty tome, favors of the gods, a lost knowledge, forgotten item, or innate gift, all of its wide variety of practitioners can agree: Magic is Power.
Magic on the world of Orea is a form of all pervading energy that is able to be harnessed and controlled to various effect in any number of ways. The sources of magic on Orea are classified by the sages of Flin into: Arcane -the magic of wizards gained through study, practice and research, Divine -the magic of priests and paladins gained through meditation, prayer and the divine favor of their respective deity, and Natural (also called "Primal") -the magic of the druids and other classes and creatures (like shamans, the Sorarynae, and the natural abilities of the zepharim) gained through ancient teaching/practices, innate ability and/or communion with the ambient energies of the cosmos.
Psionics do not fall into any of these categories, being the expansion and exercising of a being's own mental energy. Still, psionics are generally (wrongfully) considered to be a form of "personal magic" that is contained in (or gifted to) the mind of the individual. This view is especially believed by most arcane magic-users, many of them seeking to unlock and master these formidable "personal magics" within themselves to add to their own power.
Though there are various sources for the unseen energies that ebb and flow throughout the realms, the practice of harnessing them is generally the same, the use of ritual and/or spell (sometimes called "prayers" by the more religious, in the case of divine energies) involving various spoken, somatic and/or possibly material components. Magic is also usable by non-spellcasters through the use of items or weapons that harbor, are charged with or channel magical energy to a specific effect.
[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Arcane Magic[/SIZE], also call Arcanum, is the magic of study. The magic of wizards and sorcerers. The energy of Arcane magic flows through the whole of the realm, like air. It is self-perpetuating and replenishing, the energy is "built in" to the world of Orea itself. These energies are capable of being harnessed through spells and rituals. The spells of Arcane magic are most often recorded in written form (spellbooks, scrolls, tomes, grimoires and the like). They are studied and memorized by the practitioner, harnessing and "locking up" the required energy. The casting of the spell releases the energy and wipes the specific formulae from the caster's mind, requiring them to study and memorize the spell again.
Arcane magic (in the past few hundred years) has been further broken down and classified by the mages of R'Hath into 9 "schools" (8 specialists and the "generalist" mage). Each of these schools deals with a specific type of spell and mages in R'Hath often become "specialists" in one school or another. In fact certain families in R'Hath now have generational legacies in various of the specialist schools. Each school has their own strengths and weaknesses which collectively balance themselves out. As as specialist, a mage receives an additional spell per level in their school.
- Example: A 5th level "generalist" or "universal" mage can memorize per day 4 First level, 2 Second level and 1 Third level spells. A 5th level "Enchanter" specialist can memorize 5 First level, 3 second level and 2 third level spells provided the "extra" spells are from the Enchantment school spell list.
Three "schools" continued to be practiced during the years following the Godswar and the Mage Wars (before formal Academies or even R'Hath itself had been founded). To this day, these "specialist mages" (who were simply referred to by their individual titles prior to the Schools' creation) may be found, trained in the traditional master/apprentice way, originating from anywhere in Orea and not required to be from or go to R'Hath for their study (though many if not most still will to further their power). These "special" specialists are:
- Illusionists: Illusionists in Orea were able to avoid some of the persecution of other mages due to their entetainment value. Many wizards chose to focus on the phantasmal arts in carnivals, travelling circuses or as entertainers for various nobility and royal houses. Still one had to be cautious around the members of the Zealotry. For a time following the Mage Wars and prior to the "outreach" of the R'Hathi mage's guild, Illusionists were the predominantly encountered "wizard" in many realms. Illusionists in Orea may use any spell from the Illusion and Enchantment schools and "minor" spells (3rd level or lower) from the Divination and Abjuration spell lists.
- Diviners: Sometimes diviners were able to follow the illusionists' way and keep safe in carnivals, reading bones or cards as fortunetellers or seers. But the use of diviners by power hungry individuals has been a tradition since the birth of magic. Those able to glean information from the ether are exceptionally useful to those in (or seeking) power. This included, at the time, the Zealotry who somtimes "kept" (and eventually killed) mages with divining spells to use for their ends against other spellworking-kind. Orean Diviners may cast all spells from Divination (obviously) and Abjuration with "minor" (3rd level or lower) spells in Illusion and Conjuration.
- Necromancers: Those individuals focusing on the darker side of the Art were not about to let the Zealotry or mindless barbarian hordes scare them or go quietly away to hide in the realms of R'Hath (at first). Necromancers across Orea did what they could to survive and impede the progress of the new gods' clerics or raging Gorunduun, usually quite effectively to the disaster of their enemies. Necromancers may cast any spell from the Necromancy and Evocation schools. They are also permitted minor spells (3rd level or lower) in Abjuration, Divination and Conjuration.
Other specialist allowances are as follows: - Abjurers: Any spell from Abjuration. Minor spells (3rd level or lower) in Divination, Enchantment and Transmutation.
- Conjurers: Any spell from Conjuration. Minor spells (3rd level or lower) in Abjuration, Evocation and Necromancy.
- Enchanters: Any spell from Enchantment. Minor spells (3rd level or lower) in Abjuration, Divination, and Illusion
- Evokers: Any spell from Evocation. Minor spells (3rd level or lower) in Conjuration, Enchantment and Transmutation
- Transmuters: Any spell from Transmutation. Minor spells (3rd level or lower) in Conjuration, Evocation, and Illusion
While all Arcane spells may be classified in these schools, there are multiple traditions, which comprise the practice of Arcanum magic in Orea.
- There are the traditional Mages, called wizards, witches, sorcerers and many other things by normal men, "Western Wizards" by the R'Hathi or "Universalists" by specialists. These magic-users can use spells from any school. They are the mages of most of the realms outside of R'Hath. Though there are plenty of universalists to be found within R'Hath as well and coversely, with the spread of the R'Hathi mage guild, The Fellowship of Alkari, specialist mages of any school may now be found almost anywhere.
- R'Hathi Battlemages have trained specifically to use their spells with weaponry and armor and can be particularly deadly using spells from the Abjuration, Evocation and Conjuration schools, plus some (1st-3rd level) Illusion spells as well.
- The magics of the Thelitian desert are sometimes erratic, only native Thelitian Sorcerers, their own caste among the nobility of the empire, are able to work their spells within the dessert with absolute effectiveness.
- Across the realms, few magic-users are as feared as the whisper of a Shadowmage. As their name implies these workers of arcane magic delve deep into the darkest of their arts weilding a combination of Conjuration, Transmutation, Illusory and Necromantic spells. It is believed they have a secret "Shadowmagic School" in the forbidden wastes of the northeastern R'Hath penninsula and in Thole, as well as agents or hidden sects in several major cities on the continent.
- The Witch-Priests of the goddess of magic, Manat use the arcane arts of study in concert with the divine magics of their goddess. While a witch-priest of Manat can collect spells of any certain school they may prefer, they cannot be an actual "specialist." The doctrines of the witch-priests espouse the full understanding and achievement of all magic, making the desire to specialize almost unheard of in the first place.
- The magic of Bards, sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Bardic Magic" is also considered to be Arcane in origin. Through the use of voice and/or instrument Bards weave their magic, called "spellsongs." Bards are capable of casting a variety of arcane effects, including many Illusion and Abjuration, but also have songs that replicate divine magic bolstering and healing their comrades.
The divine energies of the deities of Orea are such that clerics' 1st and 2nd level spells need not be "prayed for" individually. The cleric's communion with their deity is so strong that spells within the god's spheres of influence may be called upon as needed. Due to the added power required of the deity for higher level spells, 3rd level or higher must be specifically chosen each day (unless unused from the previous day).
While some divine magic is available to any religious order, most gods grant their spells and powers for those spheres of influence which most closely relate to the deity's domain over which he/she/it holds sway. The goddess of healing offers more frequent and powerful healing spells to her followers than the god of war. While the god of war would be likely to have more or greater damage-dealing spells. The god of fire is not likely to offer much control over water. The goddess of the moon will not have spells utilizing sun-type effects, etc.
For the realms and deities of Orea the spheres of influence of Divine Magic include: All (those magics available to all clerics of any faith), Animal (spells effecting, creating or controlling various natural creatures or duplicating their abilities), Charm (as the Enchantment school of arcane magic, influencing/controlling the minds and emotions), Combat (self explanatory), Creation (manifesting objects, energies or beings), Divination (as the arcane school, deals with the gathering of information), Elemental (spells that create or effect the cardinal elements: air, earth, fire and water, often at the exclusion of others), Healing (self explanatory), Necromancy (like the arcane school, spells involving death and the undead), Plant (spells that create or effect all manner of vegetation), Protection (self-explanatory) and Sky (spells involving effects from the sun, the moons, stars and weather).
All divinities offer spells from more than one sphere, though may only offer the lesser (3rd level or below) spells from spheres peripheral to the god's realm of control. Spheres which are against the tenets or dogma of a particular deity, in most cases, will not be accessible to the cleric. For specific lists of the spheres allowed by each divinity of the realms, see their entry on the Gods of Orea page.
Another facet of divine magic is the priest/preiestess' power over the undead. Clerics of Good-aligned divinities channel the positive energies of their god allowing them to Turn ("force to flee") and eventually Destroy (at higher levels) certain undead and denizens of the lower planes: demons, devils, etc. collectively referred to as "negative energy" creatures. Clerics worshipping Evil-aligned deities channel the negative energies of their god allowing them to either Rebuke ("force to cower") or Control negative energy creatures in addition to Turning or Destroying beings of the higher planes: devas, angels, etc., collectively referred to as "positive energy" creatures. Clerics worshipping Neutral deities may chose to turn or rebuke undead but are unable to exert any influence over beings from the higher or lower planes. Neutral deities MAY, however, be able to Turn/Destroy creatures of the Elemental planes which good and evil clerics (generally) cannot effect at all. The types of creatures (amount of Hit Dice) and how they are effected are subject to and increase with the cleric's level. In the cases of certain deities, the flow of these positive or negative energies also allow the clerics other powers specific to their faith. These special powers are also detailed on the Gods of Orea page.
A final note of Divine magic is that it is dependant on the cleric's (or paladin's) good graces with their deity. Actions contrary to the dogma or alignment of the god (usually also contrary to the tenets of the religious order of that god) will, in short order, find the spellcaster's calls unanswered.
[SIZE=+1]Natural (or Cosmic or Universal or Primal) Magic[/SIZE] is the primordial power of the world of Orea itself. The residual energies of the entities Ahl and Zho (who created the world and heavens and then departed them and their creations (dragons and titans). If arcane magic is an energy that flows throughout Orea like air, and divine magic is bits of essence of the gods, then Natural or Cosmic magic is more like a radiation that eminates from, with and through everything, everyone, everywhere.
This is the magic of the Druids of Mistwood, the shamans of the Centaurs and Gorunduun, the magic power first tapped by the Shi'Staliiri elves so long ago and used by Kantiiri mystics to this day. Even the savage witch-doctors of the goblinoid races are able to harness the powers of natural magic to a greater or lesser degree.
