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<blockquote data-quote="Estlor" data-source="post: 2707957" data-attributes="member: 7261"><p>Recently I was working on a bit of fiction which, I'll admit, was partially inspired by D&D with a little bit of Arcana Evolved to spice things up. So I'm creating this world and it occurs to me, "How do you reconcile the hard-coded, D&D Vancian magic system with the more traditional, free-flowing system of high fantasy fiction?" I wanted to keep some sort of Vancian-inspired system that spell slots and daily usage because for this project I craved rules and balance that would give the story world some internal consistency. Of course, I also had to tackle the whole, "How does magic alter society as we know it," question, but I'll keep some focus and not get into that.</p><p></p><p>My first question was, "What is the origin of magic?" (Or in other words, from whence does this power spring?) For some background, my D&D history includes a lot of time spent in the Known World, as well as the DA series of Blackmoor modules. As such, I'm a fan of the idea that magic is a naturally occuring "force" that most people can't feel or touch, but mages can manipulate into great things. I was also using a lot of Anglo-Saxon things in my world and I wanted the race of original mages to be starkly different. To accomplish that, I tossed in a little classical greek and eastern elemental thinking. The world, in this case, is made up of six elements - Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, and Wood. Everything has a physical and a spiritual manifestation. The physical aspects of the elements are the things we see in the world around us - trees, rocks, rivers. The spiritual aspect of the elements are the elemental energies (electricity, fire, cold, sonic, force, acid - that kind of stuff). Because the world is a mingling of the elements, the elemental energies mix and flow, forming a field of energy around the planet.</p><p></p><p>Okay, enough spiritual stuff. Let's talk about mages. In this world there aren't representations for clerics and that sort. We're talking about hard-core arcane casters that throw around elemental energy and <em>make stuff happen</em>. But in a world where magic is drawn from the natural energy of the planet, what separates a mage from a moblin (what mages call non-caster)? The answer is CONTACT.</p><p></p><p>Think about it like this. Take a piece of paper and draw a circle in the middle of it. This is the energy of the planet, the energy of magic. Now draw a bunch of straight lines around the circle that do not touch it at any point. This is a normal lifeline, the lifeline a moblin experiences every day of their life. But suppose there was a way to alter the flow of your lifeline so that, just for a moment, instead of running by the circle without touching it, you could bring your lifeline to touch the circle at one tangential point. Go ahead and draw that line that touches the circle in a single point. That point is CONTACT. That is the difference between a mage and a moblin.</p><p></p><p>More specifically, CONTACT is when the physical of the mage meets the spiritual of the elemental energy. In the brief instant of CONTACT, the mage siphons off a small portion of that energy, charging their body with POTENTIAL. CONTACT is not something easy that anyone can do. Mages know that it requires an EQUATION to succeed. This is why every mage tattoos themselves with markings and symbols on their arms and legs. They call this the EQUATION, the mystical connection that allows them to briefly sustain CONTACT. The process is not easy, however. No mage would risk CONTACT more than once a day for fear of the harm it might cause their body.</p><p></p><p>Now, making CONTACT to store POTENTIAL is important, but it doesn't get you magic. It does make the mage feel more powerful and alive, like the very lifeblood of the planet flows through their veins. Mages become accustomed to this empowerment, essentially becoming addicted to the presence of POTENTIAL. Most report feeling sluggish, drained, and weak when all their POTENTIAL has been invested.</p><p></p><p>In order to invest POTENTIAL, that is, to "cast a spell" in moblin terms, the mage must study and memorize FORMULAS. As the mage's power grows, their mind can store more FORMULAS each day, or simply fewer, more powerful FORMULAS. Ignorant moblins might call these incantations because they often involve gestures or words to reach the actual casting of a spell, but the majority of the FORMULA takes place solely in the mind of a mage. Of course, once you've "hung" the FORMULAS on the valences of your mind, how you invest your POTENTIAL is up to you. (If you're following along at home, you've just discovered I'm using a modified version of Arcana Evolved vancian magic.)</p><p></p><p>So, really, when you get right down to it, the mages of this fantasy world are a lot like mathematicians. Magic is a spiritual force that mages co-opt and force to apply to algebraic and calculus equations that allow them to document and catalog spiritual energy in much the same way that Newton demystified gravity. They're very much like the physicists of the world, researching new FORMULAS to develop new spell effects. But, at the same time, their reliance on the limited, renewable energy source of POTENTIAL forces them to play by the codified D&D/AE rules. Plus it helps me remember what "magic" is and can do in my fiction world.</p><p></p><p>Okay, I'll confess what got me going down this route - Elements of Magic: Revised. It's a heck of a good product. And if this made you think or got the wheels of your brain spinning enough to be worthy of $5 swag, Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth would probably be a great addition to the pot of thematic elements I'm drawing from as I write.</p><p></p><p>Danke!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Estlor, post: 2707957, member: 7261"] Recently I was working on a bit of fiction which, I'll admit, was partially inspired by D&D with a little bit of Arcana Evolved to spice things up. So I'm creating this world and it occurs to me, "How do you reconcile the hard-coded, D&D Vancian magic system with the more traditional, free-flowing system of high fantasy fiction?" I wanted to keep some sort of Vancian-inspired system that spell slots and daily usage because for this project I craved rules and balance that would give the story world some internal consistency. Of course, I also had to tackle the whole, "How does magic alter society as we know it," question, but I'll keep some focus and not get into that. My first question was, "What is the origin of magic?" (Or in other words, from whence does this power spring?) For some background, my D&D history includes a lot of time spent in the Known World, as well as the DA series of Blackmoor modules. As such, I'm a fan of the idea that magic is a naturally occuring "force" that most people can't feel or touch, but mages can manipulate into great things. I was also using a lot of Anglo-Saxon things in my world and I wanted the race of original mages to be starkly different. To accomplish that, I tossed in a little classical greek and eastern elemental thinking. The world, in this case, is made up of six elements - Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, and Wood. Everything has a physical and a spiritual manifestation. The physical aspects of the elements are the things we see in the world around us - trees, rocks, rivers. The spiritual aspect of the elements are the elemental energies (electricity, fire, cold, sonic, force, acid - that kind of stuff). Because the world is a mingling of the elements, the elemental energies mix and flow, forming a field of energy around the planet. Okay, enough spiritual stuff. Let's talk about mages. In this world there aren't representations for clerics and that sort. We're talking about hard-core arcane casters that throw around elemental energy and [I]make stuff happen[/I]. But in a world where magic is drawn from the natural energy of the planet, what separates a mage from a moblin (what mages call non-caster)? The answer is CONTACT. Think about it like this. Take a piece of paper and draw a circle in the middle of it. This is the energy of the planet, the energy of magic. Now draw a bunch of straight lines around the circle that do not touch it at any point. This is a normal lifeline, the lifeline a moblin experiences every day of their life. But suppose there was a way to alter the flow of your lifeline so that, just for a moment, instead of running by the circle without touching it, you could bring your lifeline to touch the circle at one tangential point. Go ahead and draw that line that touches the circle in a single point. That point is CONTACT. That is the difference between a mage and a moblin. More specifically, CONTACT is when the physical of the mage meets the spiritual of the elemental energy. In the brief instant of CONTACT, the mage siphons off a small portion of that energy, charging their body with POTENTIAL. CONTACT is not something easy that anyone can do. Mages know that it requires an EQUATION to succeed. This is why every mage tattoos themselves with markings and symbols on their arms and legs. They call this the EQUATION, the mystical connection that allows them to briefly sustain CONTACT. The process is not easy, however. No mage would risk CONTACT more than once a day for fear of the harm it might cause their body. Now, making CONTACT to store POTENTIAL is important, but it doesn't get you magic. It does make the mage feel more powerful and alive, like the very lifeblood of the planet flows through their veins. Mages become accustomed to this empowerment, essentially becoming addicted to the presence of POTENTIAL. Most report feeling sluggish, drained, and weak when all their POTENTIAL has been invested. In order to invest POTENTIAL, that is, to "cast a spell" in moblin terms, the mage must study and memorize FORMULAS. As the mage's power grows, their mind can store more FORMULAS each day, or simply fewer, more powerful FORMULAS. Ignorant moblins might call these incantations because they often involve gestures or words to reach the actual casting of a spell, but the majority of the FORMULA takes place solely in the mind of a mage. Of course, once you've "hung" the FORMULAS on the valences of your mind, how you invest your POTENTIAL is up to you. (If you're following along at home, you've just discovered I'm using a modified version of Arcana Evolved vancian magic.) So, really, when you get right down to it, the mages of this fantasy world are a lot like mathematicians. Magic is a spiritual force that mages co-opt and force to apply to algebraic and calculus equations that allow them to document and catalog spiritual energy in much the same way that Newton demystified gravity. They're very much like the physicists of the world, researching new FORMULAS to develop new spell effects. But, at the same time, their reliance on the limited, renewable energy source of POTENTIAL forces them to play by the codified D&D/AE rules. Plus it helps me remember what "magic" is and can do in my fiction world. Okay, I'll confess what got me going down this route - Elements of Magic: Revised. It's a heck of a good product. And if this made you think or got the wheels of your brain spinning enough to be worthy of $5 swag, Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth would probably be a great addition to the pot of thematic elements I'm drawing from as I write. Danke! [/QUOTE]
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