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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 775115" data-attributes="member: 63">Other traditions in my campaign.There are two major subraces of Elves, the Shahalesti and the Taranesti.Shahalesti Elves focus on high magic: spells with direct effects, usually involving elemental energies or pure force. Their magic is very straightforward in most circumstances, and so many of the most common D&D spells were probably created by these Elves.  Magic missile, mage armor, burning hands, bull's strength, invisibility, flight, fireball, stoneskin, telekinesis, disintegrate, and the power word spells all fall into their sphere of influence.  Their magic is rather bland and standardized, and it is taught with the same regularity and strictness as Latin and the classics were taught in old English schools.  You won't see spells like Tenser's floating disk, alarm, glitterdust, sepia snake sigil, bestow curse, or mind fog.  A Shahalesti high mage would rather use a 5th level telekinesis spell to carry her luggage than learn the 1st level spell unseen servant, since certain spells are not proper.Taranesti Elves, on the other hand, focus on magic that works more subtlely.  Rather than using elemental energy to burn or freeze their foes, they attack their opponents' souls with necromancy, or summon demons to attack and leave little trace as to the spell's source.  The only magic they use that has distinct physical effects involve shapeshifting and other transmutations.  Taranesti Elves are master stoneshapers and pioneered the art of biomancy, but their true skills come through summoning.  Despite their different emphases of the way they use their magic, their methods of casting are relatively identical, since both groups effectively pioneered magic.  The Shahalesti tend to have more stylized forms for their spellcasting stances (such as prefering to find a defensible position and stay there, instead of being mobile in combat), and the Taranesti use more exotic material components and focuses (like keeping samples of their foes' blood to empower their spells slightly, or collecting totems of defeated foes), but overall their styles are very similar.</blockquote>

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