D&D General What Is Magic, Even?

[Tonguez]

Divine Magic is gods using natural abilities beyond the understanding of mortals, nonetheless the miracles of the gods are still in accordance to the Laws of the Universe. At a quantum level Divine Spells are inherently Creative

Arcane Magic is mortals breaking the natural laws of the universe, tearing about the fabric of reality and forcing things to happen. At a quantum level Arcane Magic is inherently Destructive

 

[Bohandas]

Now you see, I see divine magic as being creative as a consequence of the top-down workings I mentioned. Wizardly magic would have to repair the workings of the body in order to heal, whereas divine magic can take the idea or image of a well body and superimpose it on an injured one

 

[Legatus Legionis]

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[doctorbadwolf]

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I really like that. Especially for arcanists.

I mean, the petition is largely abstract. Like, I don’t have you act out the scene (unless you want to, I guess) or call for checks or anything to see if you convinced your patron. I just assume that during your short rest, you’re doing whatever you do to contact your patron and get some magical juice, same as I assume that during a long rest clerics do whatever they do to receive their daily allotment of miracles from their deity and wizards do whatever they do to prepare their spells for the day. It is indeed a distinction without difference. Pure fluff.

Right, the fluff is the important part!

But like I suggested, if it works for you that’s dope. For me, I would probably save my Warlock concepts for someone else’s game, bc I have too many concepts anyway.

 

[Harzel]

"the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will" this is Aliester Crowley's definition of magic.

For this and similar definitions, while I think I sort of understand what's intended, if I just look at the words used, it seems like there must be something missing. For example, if I reach out my hand and pick up a pencil, it seems to me that I have caused "change to occur in conformity with [my] will". But I don't think we want to include that sort of thing as magic. So either what's missing from the definition, or what am I missing about the definition?

 

[gyor]

For this and similar definitions, while I think I sort of understand what's intended, if I just look at the words used, it seems like there must be something missing. For example, if I reach out my hand and pick up a pencil, it seems to me that I have caused "change to occur in conformity with [my] will". But I don't think we want to include that sort of thing as magic. So either what's missing from the definition, or what am I missing about the definition?

That Crowley's dilbrately includes mundane actions in his definition of magic, the definition is more about function/purpose then a metaphysical statement about magic.

 

[SkidAce]

Divine Magic is gods using natural abilities beyond the understanding of mortals, nonetheless the miracles of the gods are still in accordance to the Laws of the Universe. At a quantum level Divine Spells are inherently Creative

Arcane Magic is mortals breaking the natural laws of the universe, tearing about the fabric of reality and forcing things to happen. At a quantum level Arcane Magic is inherently Destructive

That's an interesting take.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

First of all there are examples of what people generally consider to be magic that do not involve a will in said propogation.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

I think magic could be described with the most literal and most broadly applied interpretation of the following two word phrase:

"Extraordinary physics"

Have fun with that.

 

[Garthanos]

One man's witch is the other guys sainted miracle worker indeed

Magic is what the other guy's priests do.

Or,

Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. When it is: magic.