The game, understandably, keeps things fairly general for table-to-table interpretation and enjoyment.
For me, personally, the gods are more omnipotent, but not omnipresent. In other words, if they can be watching [over] you from wherever they or you happen to be...but if are not watching, maybe you can get away with some stuff that might not technically be in the religion's dogma...
I also make a very clear cut decision about the "structure" of magic in the setting...and Druids do not use "divine" magic. They use "Natural/Nature" Magic. The "radiation," if you will, that exudes from all creation: life, death, rebirth, animals, plants, the weather...bleeding into and/or intermixing with the energies of the "close" planes: the elemental, fae, and shadow realms...even people "give off" this setting specific "Nature" energy. Which, as typical for rpgs, is channeled and harnessed to various effect through ritual/rite, spell forumlae, use of strange -but exactingly specific- combinations of materials, and produces Magic effects.
Clerics (templars, paladins, spell-caster priests/invokers, what have you) use "Divine Magic." The energy is of the upper (or lower, for evil folks) planes. The deity's own power that is either infused or granted (see below) into the divinity's devotee. A good deal of the divine caster's power is the result of "channeling" raw divine energy to various effect (turning undead being the most common/obvious and "domain abilities" we'd call them nowadays).
Arcane casters: mages, the various wizarding specialists/specialties, people that would be called "sorcerers" (though I do not use/have a "sorcerer" class, but the homebrewed psychic class can be skinned as such if one must), et al... use "cosmic" energies of the universe, an energy that pervades the world -thus similar/closer to Nature Magic than Divine, but not a part of either- and flows through (some say "from") the universe and interdimensional/planar space. It is collectively referred to as "Arcane energy[-ies]" and/or to the common person and learned, alike, "Sorcery." Their harnessing and directing is significantly more difficult, exacting, and as you increase in power the formulae, gestures, and rites become more taxing... because unlike the cleric that is being "gifted" (for all intents and purposes) their energy, and the druids that co-mingle, ebb and flow with their magic's energies, the "wizards/arcane casters" are really "grabbing/shaping/molding/forcing" their energy into predetermined replicible productions of a specific effect. Simply put, Arcane Magic is just harder to do...but, while requiring as much, if not more, training than divine or nature casters, the power is all your own...the Arcane [energy] Magic is yours [your level of mastery's] to command.
From these three power sources, all other "Magic" work and casters can be places.
I do not have or use the Warlock class in my games. If one were to wish to play one, I could see them falling into Thaumaturgy, Animism, and/or Witchcraft...any of them really -other than pure Divine magic because that would make them a cleric...as written and fluffed, a connection to a specific powerful personality of some variety of magic is required.
True to early editions, in my homebrew/campaign setting game/world, 1st and 2nd level clerical and druidic spells are based on your connection to the deity or "the Green/the Balance" -as I refer to "Nature/the magic of the natural world." I'll get into setting druid specifics later. BUT, for now, for clerics the point is no matter where you go, as long as you are not purposely "cut off" from the deity, that "divine magic" is yours to do with what you want. You don't need to choose/prepare spells of 1st or 2nd level. You "pray/invoke" as you wish. This is viewed, universally, as the work of the "god" when, in reality, it is the cleric merely shaping and using the deity's "essence" (for lack of a better term) of divinity that is granted to the cleric...that makes them a real, honest to godess, spell-using, divine channeling, undead turning "Cleric" (versus just a priest or officiate or cloistered member of a religious order or what have you).
Third, fourth, and fifth level spells are granted by "an intermediary/emissary" of the divine persona. This might be the same creature/npc over and over that the PC might form a relationship with, receive "inside info" of planar goings-on, the occasional nudge toward or away from something the deity might want or has decreed. Could be an "angel" or archon, other celestial beings like a kirin or couatl. I've used a sphinx before...but your energies -which, again, the cleric is carrying around themselves, but this time it is specifically "implanted" with a specific spell-effect/formulae/divine utterance in mind. The cleric can use it anywhere...but only for the specific chosen/prepared spell.
The 6th and higher levels of divine spells are specifically "granted" by the deity themselves. The cleric's daily meditations/prayers/morning spell-harnessing rites, however you want to perceive them (and different religions/orders in my world view conduct themselves differently) is "in communion" with the deity itself, requesting and being bequeathed -or refused in the deity's divine wisdom or foreknowledge, for a different spell- the specific "prepackaged ball" of divine magic effect.
Druids, as mentioned are not required to prepare specific first or second level spells. Third and higher must be specifically chosen and prepared as normal. But this is not due to some "entity" giving it to them. It is a matter of their connection and mastery of the energies around them/in the natural world. It MAY involve some extraplanar power or being, calling upon them: fae and elementals being the most common, or summoning existing creatures/forces (animals, plants, weather) to your service. But while there are deities in the world's pantheon that hold swaym over elements of Nature, the weather/sky, agriculture, forests, animals, the sea, etc... these for my world are viewed as "the Gods of Men"...and the Anicent and Holy Order of Mistwood are Druids...the first priests, the first users [among mortals] of magic, protectors of Nature, keepers of the Balance,... not "men." The power they channel does not serve some external being's will. They use it to connect and coexist with the natural world, move swiftly and unhindered throughout the world -and other near worlds, even take the form of animals and trees to become one with the Green and the Balance. Theirs is stewardship of the natural world which is, to the druidic view, Creation. That said, they hold no ill-will to those who serve deities -particularly those whose portfolios overlap with a druid's areas of interest- but have no interest in doing so and see themselves as distinctly apart from such "divine servitude."
Mages ("wizards") must prepare all spells -choosing even their cantrips they will know/have ready for the day, though command of those minor magics is such that the caster can use them at will/as many times per day as needed. Much of the rest of arcane magic is rote and research. Learning the magical languages, including the most common used by wizards in the setting's current day, Arkanic, needed to cast spells. Mastering the first, simple, magic of cantrips before venturing into true formulae. Understanding the basic "laws and rules" of magical functioning, harnessing and direction. Finding, exploring, and expanding their knowledge of the arcane mysteries of the universe. It is often tedious (especially in one's initial years in tutelage and apprenticeship), time consuming, can become rather expensive, and not easily mastered. But the arcane spellcaster is driven, above almost all else, to develop their comprehension, expand their understanding, and through doing so, amass greater and greater power. How the caster chooses to, then, utilize and direct their power can be concerning, or distressing, for others...particularly non-magic users. Specialists (illusionists, necromancers, etc...) delve deeply into a particular area of arcane study and perfect their magical power and choose spells which are all "Arcane" by origin, and some overlap/appear on a mage/wizard spell list, but they have spell lists that contain magic specific to those casters/areas of study, which the "generalist" mages do not know/understand/can not learn.
Arcane energy, however, need not be measured and mined, molded and forced into specific shapes [spell effects] through precise incantation and elaborate ritual. There are those who possess innate connection -be it by some magical lineage, divine provenance, or other esoteric origin- with the forces of the universe. Most commonly, this is manifested by force of will and strength of character and personality, to produce what would appear to be a "magical" effect through supernatural forces. Many magical beings and creatures simply use these supernatural powers, that are a part of their nature, at will: most fae, some elementals, the teleportation or healing abilities of the unicorn, gaze of the basilisk, magic worked by a dragon, and so on. Those for whom this is done with their own mind's power are known as Psychics. With no small amount of discipline, concentration, and/or training, the psychic can unlock arcane power with and through their own mind: moving objects without touching them, influencing or attacking other minds, seeing into place far from them, even generating and/or controlling certain elemental energies.
So, those are my "Magic Classes" in my campaign world. Primary classes: Clerics (divine), Druids (nature), Mages (arcane), Psychics (mental powers, supernatural ability not "magic spells")
Then, what I would call the "secondary" caster types: witches, shamans, thaumaturgists, paladins, sorcerers (if you must), rangers (though my setting uses spell-less rangers), invoker/incantertrix, oracles (for the PF games), etc... use some combination of techniques and/or training/practices to engage in their particular flavor of magic-use.
For me, personally, the gods are more omnipotent, but not omnipresent. In other words, if they can be watching [over] you from wherever they or you happen to be...but if are not watching, maybe you can get away with some stuff that might not technically be in the religion's dogma...
I also make a very clear cut decision about the "structure" of magic in the setting...and Druids do not use "divine" magic. They use "Natural/Nature" Magic. The "radiation," if you will, that exudes from all creation: life, death, rebirth, animals, plants, the weather...bleeding into and/or intermixing with the energies of the "close" planes: the elemental, fae, and shadow realms...even people "give off" this setting specific "Nature" energy. Which, as typical for rpgs, is channeled and harnessed to various effect through ritual/rite, spell forumlae, use of strange -but exactingly specific- combinations of materials, and produces Magic effects.
Clerics (templars, paladins, spell-caster priests/invokers, what have you) use "Divine Magic." The energy is of the upper (or lower, for evil folks) planes. The deity's own power that is either infused or granted (see below) into the divinity's devotee. A good deal of the divine caster's power is the result of "channeling" raw divine energy to various effect (turning undead being the most common/obvious and "domain abilities" we'd call them nowadays).
Arcane casters: mages, the various wizarding specialists/specialties, people that would be called "sorcerers" (though I do not use/have a "sorcerer" class, but the homebrewed psychic class can be skinned as such if one must), et al... use "cosmic" energies of the universe, an energy that pervades the world -thus similar/closer to Nature Magic than Divine, but not a part of either- and flows through (some say "from") the universe and interdimensional/planar space. It is collectively referred to as "Arcane energy[-ies]" and/or to the common person and learned, alike, "Sorcery." Their harnessing and directing is significantly more difficult, exacting, and as you increase in power the formulae, gestures, and rites become more taxing... because unlike the cleric that is being "gifted" (for all intents and purposes) their energy, and the druids that co-mingle, ebb and flow with their magic's energies, the "wizards/arcane casters" are really "grabbing/shaping/molding/forcing" their energy into predetermined replicible productions of a specific effect. Simply put, Arcane Magic is just harder to do...but, while requiring as much, if not more, training than divine or nature casters, the power is all your own...the Arcane [energy] Magic is yours [your level of mastery's] to command.
From these three power sources, all other "Magic" work and casters can be places.
- Where Divinity and Nature overlap, one gets "Animism" -interacting with the spirits of the world, and spirit world- yielding effects of which both divine or nature casters can get into and the purview of the specific caster called the Shaman.
- Where Nature and the Arcane overlap, one gets "Witchcraft" -bending the energies of the cosmos and the natural world to one's whims through practice, tradition, ritual and no small amount of learning- yielding effects that both mages and druids might recognize or duplicate and the purview of the specific caster called the Witch.
- Where the Arcane and Divine overlap, one gets "Theurgy/Thaumaturgy" -the blending of arcane energies and the [presumed unlimited] power of divinity to harness, and tentatively control, those energies outside the realms of the usual wizard, delving into the planes/dimensions beyond their typical command- yielding effects that either arcane or divine casters might possess and the purview of the specific caster called the Thaumaturgist.
- The intersection of all three is a place of peculiar and limited power [specific spell list], "the Convergence" as it were, whence Bards (a class more akin to druids than wizards in my world/games) work their mysteries -using resonance and music, vibration and vocal formulae to enact specific magic that might draw upon -or resonate with- divine or natural or arcane energy. But the result is the desired spell effect that a druid or cleric or wizard might be capable. But they would never be able to enact it through a Bard's methods.
I do not have or use the Warlock class in my games. If one were to wish to play one, I could see them falling into Thaumaturgy, Animism, and/or Witchcraft...any of them really -other than pure Divine magic because that would make them a cleric...as written and fluffed, a connection to a specific powerful personality of some variety of magic is required.
True to early editions, in my homebrew/campaign setting game/world, 1st and 2nd level clerical and druidic spells are based on your connection to the deity or "the Green/the Balance" -as I refer to "Nature/the magic of the natural world." I'll get into setting druid specifics later. BUT, for now, for clerics the point is no matter where you go, as long as you are not purposely "cut off" from the deity, that "divine magic" is yours to do with what you want. You don't need to choose/prepare spells of 1st or 2nd level. You "pray/invoke" as you wish. This is viewed, universally, as the work of the "god" when, in reality, it is the cleric merely shaping and using the deity's "essence" (for lack of a better term) of divinity that is granted to the cleric...that makes them a real, honest to godess, spell-using, divine channeling, undead turning "Cleric" (versus just a priest or officiate or cloistered member of a religious order or what have you).
Third, fourth, and fifth level spells are granted by "an intermediary/emissary" of the divine persona. This might be the same creature/npc over and over that the PC might form a relationship with, receive "inside info" of planar goings-on, the occasional nudge toward or away from something the deity might want or has decreed. Could be an "angel" or archon, other celestial beings like a kirin or couatl. I've used a sphinx before...but your energies -which, again, the cleric is carrying around themselves, but this time it is specifically "implanted" with a specific spell-effect/formulae/divine utterance in mind. The cleric can use it anywhere...but only for the specific chosen/prepared spell.
The 6th and higher levels of divine spells are specifically "granted" by the deity themselves. The cleric's daily meditations/prayers/morning spell-harnessing rites, however you want to perceive them (and different religions/orders in my world view conduct themselves differently) is "in communion" with the deity itself, requesting and being bequeathed -or refused in the deity's divine wisdom or foreknowledge, for a different spell- the specific "prepackaged ball" of divine magic effect.
Druids, as mentioned are not required to prepare specific first or second level spells. Third and higher must be specifically chosen and prepared as normal. But this is not due to some "entity" giving it to them. It is a matter of their connection and mastery of the energies around them/in the natural world. It MAY involve some extraplanar power or being, calling upon them: fae and elementals being the most common, or summoning existing creatures/forces (animals, plants, weather) to your service. But while there are deities in the world's pantheon that hold swaym over elements of Nature, the weather/sky, agriculture, forests, animals, the sea, etc... these for my world are viewed as "the Gods of Men"...and the Anicent and Holy Order of Mistwood are Druids...the first priests, the first users [among mortals] of magic, protectors of Nature, keepers of the Balance,... not "men." The power they channel does not serve some external being's will. They use it to connect and coexist with the natural world, move swiftly and unhindered throughout the world -and other near worlds, even take the form of animals and trees to become one with the Green and the Balance. Theirs is stewardship of the natural world which is, to the druidic view, Creation. That said, they hold no ill-will to those who serve deities -particularly those whose portfolios overlap with a druid's areas of interest- but have no interest in doing so and see themselves as distinctly apart from such "divine servitude."
Mages ("wizards") must prepare all spells -choosing even their cantrips they will know/have ready for the day, though command of those minor magics is such that the caster can use them at will/as many times per day as needed. Much of the rest of arcane magic is rote and research. Learning the magical languages, including the most common used by wizards in the setting's current day, Arkanic, needed to cast spells. Mastering the first, simple, magic of cantrips before venturing into true formulae. Understanding the basic "laws and rules" of magical functioning, harnessing and direction. Finding, exploring, and expanding their knowledge of the arcane mysteries of the universe. It is often tedious (especially in one's initial years in tutelage and apprenticeship), time consuming, can become rather expensive, and not easily mastered. But the arcane spellcaster is driven, above almost all else, to develop their comprehension, expand their understanding, and through doing so, amass greater and greater power. How the caster chooses to, then, utilize and direct their power can be concerning, or distressing, for others...particularly non-magic users. Specialists (illusionists, necromancers, etc...) delve deeply into a particular area of arcane study and perfect their magical power and choose spells which are all "Arcane" by origin, and some overlap/appear on a mage/wizard spell list, but they have spell lists that contain magic specific to those casters/areas of study, which the "generalist" mages do not know/understand/can not learn.
Arcane energy, however, need not be measured and mined, molded and forced into specific shapes [spell effects] through precise incantation and elaborate ritual. There are those who possess innate connection -be it by some magical lineage, divine provenance, or other esoteric origin- with the forces of the universe. Most commonly, this is manifested by force of will and strength of character and personality, to produce what would appear to be a "magical" effect through supernatural forces. Many magical beings and creatures simply use these supernatural powers, that are a part of their nature, at will: most fae, some elementals, the teleportation or healing abilities of the unicorn, gaze of the basilisk, magic worked by a dragon, and so on. Those for whom this is done with their own mind's power are known as Psychics. With no small amount of discipline, concentration, and/or training, the psychic can unlock arcane power with and through their own mind: moving objects without touching them, influencing or attacking other minds, seeing into place far from them, even generating and/or controlling certain elemental energies.
So, those are my "Magic Classes" in my campaign world. Primary classes: Clerics (divine), Druids (nature), Mages (arcane), Psychics (mental powers, supernatural ability not "magic spells")
Then, what I would call the "secondary" caster types: witches, shamans, thaumaturgists, paladins, sorcerers (if you must), rangers (though my setting uses spell-less rangers), invoker/incantertrix, oracles (for the PF games), etc... use some combination of techniques and/or training/practices to engage in their particular flavor of magic-use.
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