[PR] Wild Spellcraft now available!

[PosterBoy]

Doah!

Doah, don't pass up Darwin's World! Just Kidding. Congrates on a great release Morrus!

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, I'm just getting into it, but something struck me right away.

"The supernatural mystique of magic ..." Would magicians, wizards, sorcerers, etc. view their powers as supernatural? Or would it be considered something rather normal and everyday part of life (to them)?

I suppose the overall societal outlook of magic would depend on thel level of magic in each individual world, the commonality of spellcasters, and the attitudes reflected towards magic by the common folk. Perhaps it is a question that the GM decides for themselves, but I guess I'm curious what the author thinks.

Robert

Well, it definitely depends on the campaign setting. In some settings, particularly Forgotten Realms, magic is very well catalogued and ordered, so to its practitioners, it makes perfect sense. In the Realms, and I'm sure in a lot of settings, magic works like technology, and is studied like science. Such a setting lends itself well to high adventure, where the players care more about the action than about the world in which that action takes place, but it also reduces the impact of magic a good deal.

Contrast that even to the real world, for example with faith healers and psychics, and you'll see that most of them even say that they don't quite know how their powers work, just that they do. Some people try to scientifically explain the 'magic' they do, but most simply accept that it is not something people can fully understand.

If you compare the Realms to, say, the Hobbit, or even Dragonlance, you'll see that in those other settings, magic is something impressive, something to fear or desire. When the Dwarves come upon the magical swords, they view them with great reverence, and when they first see Smaug, they are overwhelmed. In Dragonlance, the rest of the group actually fears Raistlin, precisely because they don't understand how magic works. Even Raistlin himself, who studies formulae and very logical rules to guide his sorcery, views magic as something more than just a tool; it is power, something beyond human knowledge that he seeks to understand. Even as he becomes the most powerful mage on Krynn, he always maintains a respect and awe for the magic that he wields.

I'm glad to see other companies trying this too, and though I personally am not too hot with the Mongoose Encyclopedia Arcane products I've seen, I appreciate that they too are trying to make gamers think more about the real mystery and majesty that are the magical arts.

All in all, I don't think that spellcasters would necessarily have to view their powers as anything more than a science, but I believe it helps to add a sincere feeling of fantasy to stories that otherwise just seem thin and contrived. Really, there's nothing particularly original about a group of heroes traveling, fighting foes, overcoming obstacles, and slaying a dragon to find treasure, but it's the tone with which it's told that makes The Hobbit a real treat. Stories are all about characters, and on earth, people have always considered the supernatural to be almost a sentient entity. It would be a shame to neglect magic, that most important of NPCs.

. . .

Hmm, that's an idea. Playing 'Magic' as an actual PC. What would it be like to be magic. I must try that some day.

Thank you for making me think about this.

 

[Suzerain]

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