Tell me about magic in your world.

[Blue Sky]

Interesting thread.

I tend not to make too many details about my world, the better to let players make themselves part of the world. I do have a few traditions, though.

The Draconis Templari - Servants of the Dragons, they exist as a combination elite guard/bureaucracy for the Draconic Empire. Yup, pretty much a direct ripoff of the templars from Darksun. The majority of the casters in the Templari are clerics using the spontaneous casting rules from UA, with a few psions and sorcerers thrown in. As a side note, any non-spontaneous casters are illegal in the Draconic Empire.

The Holy Church of Edo - The de facto rulers of Caladra, they are supposedly servants of the Dragons, but in reality are the biggest institution in the world for the continuing empowerment of wizards. Formally, they contain clerics (spontaneous and non-spontaneous), paladins, and sorcerers. Informally, however, they train, or have access to training, in almost every single magical tradition in the world.

Elven Spellsingers - Mostly wizards, spellsingers focus on enchantment, illusion, and divination. They have two trademarks. The first, the lilting refrain they use to cast, is what gives them their name. The second is that instead of "memorizing" their spells, they store them in small crystals that they hang around their neck, store in their staves, or, for exceptionally sedentary casters, make large, intricate statues of. Each spellsinger is taught one on one by a more experianced wizard. They have no real political influence.

Dwarven Runethanes - I don't have too much detailed for the dwarves, except that wizards and clerics that prepare their spells, do so as a series of intricate tattoos all over their body. Yet another ripoff, this time the Patryns from the deathgate cycle.

Aside from that, I don't have too much detailed, so if a player wanted to come in with the channelling rules from Wheel of Time, for example, I would be able to work them in without too much trouble.

 

[Gez]

Magic is separated into four branches, which are about the same as the core D&D ones, except divine magic has been cut in two. So, I have Arcane/Eldritch/Esoteric magic (bard, elementalist (wu-jen), runethane, sorcerer, wizard, etc.); Divine/Theurgic magic (cleric, paladin, sohei, etc.); Natural/Telluric magic (druid, ranger, etc.); and Psionic/Spiritual/Mental magic (psion, psychic warrior, etc.).

Then, it's all a question of interpretation. For example, wizards divide magic into eight schools, but elementalists divide it into five elements (which are groups of descriptors). Psions divide it into six disciplines, clerics are concerned by domains, and so on.

Raw magical energy is known as leï (or ley). Leï is a flow of energy that is found everywhere. It can be "tuned" to different phases, and expresses itself differently depending on what phase it is in. The four known phases are positive energy (aka vitality), negative energy (aka entropy), spell energy (spell slots), and solid energy (aka force).

Eldritch Magic

Arcane magic is based on direct manipulation and refining of a personal quantity of ley. By using runes, words of power, eldritch formulaes, esoteric schemas, arcane gestures, and with a great deal of concentration, this magic can accomplish wondrous things all by the will and skill of the caster. However, the mage needs to have his own personal leï source. Those who are Gifted enough can be sorcerers, bards, or other arcane spellcasters based on Charisma. The others need to increase their potential through potent mental exercises.
To use innate energies is akin to affirming the superior rights of your own will over the rest of the world, at a metaphysical level. It is a difficult task, and one that requires obstination, confidence, and not a small measure of egocentrism. Innate arcanists have thus, usually, an impressive strength of personality (and a none-the-less impressive vanity). This being a very personal magic, it is often mixed with other arts that correspond to the interests of the mage, like swordplay or music.
Developing greater personal leï is equally hard. The usual way consists in turning yourself into a leï node, through mystical resonnace. Imprinting in their mind the eldritch glyphs and formulaes that entrap leï and concentrate it, hoarding knowledge, discovering the hidden connections between everything, and the secret laws behind all that. Then slowly ambiant leï will coalesce inside the mage's will, eventually transfigurating him into something else entirely.

This transfiguration is a common theme of arcane magic. Through the practice of magic, and the philosophical discovery of the mysteries of the universe, arcanists try to "reach a greater level of being" or "become what they truly are."

Let me borrow a quote from Sepulchrave's story hour:

"And what is this ‘final state’ which you aspire towards, Mostin? What is ‘Metagnosis?’" Eadric was intrigued. He had never heard Mostin speak as openly and as coherently about his own philosophy before.

"You misunderstand," Mostin replied. "There is no ‘final state.’ There is only becoming. Infinite becoming."

"That is a somehow disquieting prospect," Eadric said.

"Yes," Mostin concurred. "It should be."

It illustrates well the concept.


Spiritual Magic

The rarest, strangest, and most dangerous of the magics is known as spiritual magic, mental magic, or psionics. Rather than manipulating energies, the psionists manipulates thoughts -- this is his strength, and his weakness. Spiritual magic requires neither words nor gestures, but a huge effort of willpower, and lots of concentration. Rather than spellcasting himself, the spiritist alter his very own thought patterns until they match the local collective spirit. Once attuned to the collective unconscious, his own will becomes the will of the whole region, and he can get said collective mind to cast spells for himself. This is known as manifesting.
It is a potent way of practicing magic, but one that is dangerous for one's sanity. Especially given that some collective spirits are awakened and with their own will. These are able to block the attempts of psionists, or to use the connection to possess the spirite's body. Some teach in dreams the secrets of spiritism to chosen mortals so that they will be their agents. When this happens, the collective spirits are behaving like deities.
Each spirit correspond to a region, of varying size. Psionists will often carry a "spiritshard," a crystal from their favorite region, during their travel. This allow them to avoid having to attune to the spirit of the region they're travelling in.

Tellurical Magic

This magic is probably the purest form of magic, as it shares aspect of each of the other three branches.
Practitionners of this art do not establish a link between them and a deity or a local spirit. Instead, they just stay in harmony with every source of life, and of power, around them -- this include spirits, arcane mages, and in fact, anything alive or sentient. More than any other mages, they feel the leï lines flowing through everything, and they drink at these rivers of magical power to resplenish their own energy. This require a calm, balanced, meditative mind; and a great capacity to perceive the insubstantial. For this reason, only the wisest minds can really succeed on this path.
Telluria requires only simple words and gestures to operate. Material componants and focus are always plain, simple, non-modified natural things. Alterations and artifices just confuse the symbolism, making something in that it is not, and thus disturb the flows of leï.
However, this magic is the one that is the best able to work along with another kind. In the end, every magic is part of natural magic, just like everything is part of nature.

Theurgic Magic

The oldest known branch of magic was theurgia, for this was a revealed, rather than discovered, magic. The spellcaster must use the leï given to him by a greater being (usually a deity), to mold and cast his spells. Slowly, the mage is able to hold more and more of this leï, and to manipulate it better.
The art of theurgia requires a mind tough enough to resist to the massive flow of divine leï, and subtle enough to perceive the will of the providing being. A good theurge needs thus a high Wisdom.
Thanks to the help of the greater spirit, theurgia requires only simple words and gestures. Material components are often useless, as long as the caster hold a holy symbol giving him a connection with the deity. The needed concentration is rather low. These assets are, on the other hand, negated by the wants of the deities, who will often require proper prayers and devotion, and a state of mind in accord with their precepts, during the spellcasting.