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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8949954" data-attributes="member: 82106">Yeah, my game got rid of Arcane. I mean, it LITERALLY means "the power of stuff that nobody knows." LOL WAT? In an system where magic comes from SOURCES OF POWER, the having/lack of certain knowledge isn't a SOURCE of power. It might be a way to gain understanding that lets you USE sources of power better. So I have no issue with the Arcana skill, but as a power source it is thematically void. And that is the root of the problem. Being thematically void it is just whatever is convenient for some designer to call it. Thus it can only ever be 'kitchen sink', an anti-thematic element! In HoML your power comes from 1. Internal Discipline and Training or Hardening - this is Martial (could also be termed 'Ki' etc. if you want a bit different thematics).2. Spiritual - Gods, spirits, and other manifestations of cosmic consciousness/connection.3. Life - The literal life force from which life arises.4. Shadow - The antithesis of life, not evil, just bringing things full circle to an ending, and associated with mental control/influence/illusion, etc.5. Elemental - Raw animating physical energy and matter, the antithesis of spiritual power.Now, there could be other pairs, like maybe 'Time and Fate' though I would probably cast them generally as highly esoteric and having minor status even for most characters who deal with magic, though they might play a big role at the highest levels (IE as revealed powers). This gives you all the juicy conflict between the 'Primordials', raw physical powers of endless (re)creation and the 'Gods' who are more conceptual and systematizing. You could also do a "light vs shadow" kind of contrast, at various possible levels of subtlety. So the HoML wizard is actually the "master of five magics" sort of guy. He can tap into ANY source, because he's utilizing arcane techniques! Wizards are magical universe hackers! It gives them a certain flexibility, but also means they won't likely reach the highest levels of pure attunement with their power, and sometimes when you hack things, you mess up...</blockquote>

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