D&D 5E Unnatural Magic -- Ideas?

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StriderUrbs

First Post

• Nov 19, 2016

• #1

For a certain character's background, I have written that an "unnatural, vile magic" was used to kill most of his infantry troupe and call (and charm) a sand dragon which did the rest. Knowing that dragons are pretty much resistant to charming, and that in a D&D world most types of magic are at least heard of, I figured that this should be something unique.
I thought necromancy, but that's relatively common. Even sorcery is at least 'natural' to some degree. The magic is used by fellows who look like desert nomads, and so I pieced together that it should be some sort of creepy, tribal, ancestral magic, sort of giving a MacBeth, Mayan, or Majora Mask sort of creepy feel to it.
I want help thinking of what exactly it is, how it is done, and what the goal of the users is. I tend not to like the whole 'apocolypse supporters' thing, and summoning the Great Old One is kind of an old device.
Some creative ideas would be welcome. Thanks!

 

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pdzoch

Explorer

• Nov 19, 2016

• #2

Assuming you do not want to employ the pact magic of warlock, or any notion of black magic, you could consider the unnatural magic to be magic that is warped or twisted from its true form. Thus calling the the type of magic WarpedMagic and its practitioner Arcane Warpers. Shadow Magic would better hint at the unnatural, vile magic, and its practitioners could be Shadow Mages (or Shadow Servants, depending on the relationship of the practitioners). Shroud magic is another option to indicate the hiding of the true source of magic, and its practitioners called Shrouders. Ultimately, the pantheon or source of these magic could have a name that lends to the name of the magic.

 

aco175

Legend

• Nov 19, 2016

• #3

There could be an awakening of old magic either forgotten or thought destroyed. Something similar to elven high magic, or Netheril magic before the weave was changed in Forgotten Realms (FR). There could be a demon necrotic blend that devil worshipers once used and now seems to have returned.

It is difficult to remove overlaps from traditional magic schools since they were designed to cover all the types of magic with necromancy school being what you want.

 

77IM

Explorer!!!

Supporter

• Nov 19, 2016

• #4

Reverse causality: To get an effect in the present, and their magic reaches back in time and changes the past. This requires certain sacrifices on their part, to match the new past. The ritual components of the magic consist of forcing elements of the present into the proper arrangement -- their magic then changes the past to make that arrangement arise naturally without being forced.

E.g., to charm the dragon, they re-wrote the past so that one of their mages raised that dragon from a hatchling; of course this meant that the mage in question was not available to help defend the tribe at some point, leading to further losses. So the ritual component of the spell was the sacrifice of some of tribe's warriors; in the new, altered past, those warriors were killed in battle.

This form of time-bending is inherently unpredictable and dangerous. It's theorized that one reason causality reversal is so rare is that anyone who practices it long enough eventually screws up and erases themselves from history.

 

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Siirvos

First Post

• Nov 19, 2016

• #5

Ill add in another vote for shadow magic. Specifically, you can play off the reflections of regular magic or abusing the weave if that's something that exists in your setting.

If not that, then maybe another kind of psionic casting? Something akin to using the warp like in warhammer 40k?

 

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StriderUrbs

First Post

• Nov 19, 2016

• #6

I like the ideas of Shroud Magic and using psionics...but as for purpose, I've begun to think of the battle between the Fierce Deity and Majora in the Zelda game Majora's Mask. I think it would be interesting if there were two very old gods or spirits, one of chaos and the other of power, and this group of people serves the long-forgotten chaos spirit...

 

Last edited: Nov 19, 2016

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Lanliss

Explorer

• Nov 19, 2016

• #7

Corrupted nature magic? Grasping vines that deal Acid or Necrotic damage, summon necrotic or evil woodland creatures. Just look through the Druid spell list and warp it, twist all of the principles of the spells to a darker version. Allow Monstrosities for Wildshape.

 

SkidAce

Legend

Supporter

• Nov 19, 2016

• #8

I use blood magic as my term for this type of idea.

Its icky...and you can get corrupted by it, giving me warped and unnatural versions of standard spells and monsters that I can use.

 

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steenan

Adventurer

• Nov 19, 2016

• #9

If magic is relatively common and known in your setting, psionics fit the role of something strange and unnatural.

If you want something darker and more vile, add to it some body horror. The dragon wasn't charmed - it was infested with a brain parasite. The soldiers weren't just killed - their own body parts were made to rebel and slaughter them. And so on.

 

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FormerlyHemlock

Hero

• Nov 19, 2016

• #10

StriderUrbs said:

For a certain character's background, I have written that an "unnatural, vile magic" was used to kill most of his infantry troupe and call (and charm) a sand dragon which did the rest. Knowing that dragons are pretty much resistant to charming, and that in a D&D world most types of magic are at least heard of, I figured that this should be something unique.
I thought necromancy, but that's relatively common. Even sorcery is at least 'natural' to some degree. The magic is used by fellows who look like desert nomads, and so I pieced together that it should be some sort of creepy, tribal, ancestral magic, sort of giving a MacBeth, Mayan, or Majora Mask sort of creepy feel to it.
I want help thinking of what exactly it is, how it is done, and what the goal of the users is. I tend not to like the whole 'apocolypse supporters' thing, and summoning the Great Old One is kind of an old device.
Some creative ideas would be welcome. Thanks!

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