What is arcane magic?

[Flobby]

Maybe a silly question but what the heck is arcane magic?
Other types of magic/powers/whatever make sense --
divine/primal magic can be explained by gods and spirits...
psionics can be explained by latent powers of the brain...

So what is arcane magic then? How to make sense out of a spell? Or do I just have too much free time?...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The way I see it is that arcane magic is kind of like science.

Its practitioners have, by research or force of will, been able to figure out certain things about the way the (magical) universe works, and have applied that knowledge to create effects called spells.

Because they are not gods who created the (magical) universe or granted power by the gods through extreme devotion, their spells are not as efficient, and thus often require somatic components.

Divine casters have been given driving lessons and the keys to the car...arcane casters popped the ignition and hotwired it.

 

[prosfilaes]

Words have power. So do symbols. You invoke the right words, you can make people feel like they've been slapped in the face. Yell fire in a crowded theater, you can kill a few people. You paint the right symbols on the ground, you can bring lines of cars to a screeching halt.

In a word where some sort of hermetic-style magic works, this is not merely something that affect people; these things affect the world. Name fire properly and you can summon it. Draw the right symbol on the ground, and you can bring everything to a forcible halt.

Authentic Thaumaturgy: The Laws of Magic is a chapter from Authentic Thaumaturgy, an RPG supplement by Isaac Bonewits, including the rules for "real" magic. Bonewits really believes it; you don't have to, but it is a view as to how real people believe magic works, filtered for reading by roleplayers.

 

[cavalier973]

I highly recommend Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, the first book is Storm Front. It will give you an idea of how arcane magic would work if it were real.

 

[Jhaelen]

Maybe a silly question but what the heck is arcane magic?
Other types of magic/powers/whatever make sense --
divine/primal magic can be explained by gods and spirits...
psionics can be explained by latent powers of the brain...

So what is arcane magic then? How to make sense out of a spell? Or do I just have too much free time?...

I've always adopted the Rolemaster view for D&D. Rolemaster divides magic into three realms: Channeling, Essence, and Mentalism.
- Channeling uses the power of a deity or some other divine or external agency
- Mentalism uses the power within the spell user himself
- Essence uses the power of the surrounding nature

Channeling = D&D's Divine/Primal
Mentalism = D&D's Psionics
Essence = D&D's Arcane

The source of arcane magic is most obvious in the Dark Sun setting: Unless you're careful you destroy (plant) life surrounding you when drawing the power required for a spell.

 

[Chrono22]

Some people go with the "arcane magic as science" view. It never made much sense to me, but I guess the reasoning was that magic and science become indistinguishable after a certain point.

I ascribe to the view that arcane magic users are actually tearing away sections of reality every time they cast. See, the foundation upon which reality rests isn't as solid as most people would hope. It is held in balance by elemental forces, ancient laws, and the ignorance of the common man. Far realms beyond the ken of understanding (non)exist outside the laws of time and causality. In those (non)places, the thoughts, will and convictions of a being manifest power. Arcane casters punch a hole in reality, and through that hole are able to manifest their will. In this way, the ravaged physical laws around them are forced into subservience.
This is not without its own costs. Excessive use of magic has caused irreparable damage to the planes. In several instances, the very integrity of reality itself has been jeopardized.

 

[TheClone]

Arcane magic is the DM's joker to any situation. Want to have something strange, something cool or anything else? Make it magic!

The ingame explanation is science-based most of the time. As the average guy is unable to understand what science is doing so is the average fantasy guy unable to understand magic. But both are working.

 

[Merkuri]

Some people go with the "arcane magic as science" view. It never made much sense to me, but I guess the reasoning was that magic and science become indistinguishable after a certain point.

I see the connection. Science can look like magic to people who aren't familiar with it. Wizards are often portrayed as people who study long and hard to learn their trade (like scientists). Supposedly they know the laws of the universe so well that they can bend and break them (like scientists seem to do sometimes). They employ ancient languages in their work (like scientists). They use lots of books (like scientists).

 

[Saeviomagy]

The entire world is like the astral chaos: shapeable by thought.

The world only exists because people believe that it does, and it only behaves how it does because people believe.

And mages have convinced people that muttering obscure words and making arcane gestures makes the world behave differently... and since those people believe, it does.

Or, you know, whatever floats your boat. The FR version is basically "the gods make it work".

 

[steeldragons]

Here's some snippets from how I define it on my world of Orea.

I'll be updating the thread, http://www.enworld.org/forum/plots-places/284160-orea-world-its-people.html with more specifics on the magic of that world later today if anyone wants to check it.

But specifically for "Arcane" magic here's what I have:

"Magic on the world of Orea is a form of all pervading energy that is able to be harnessed and controlled to various effect in any number of ways. The sources of magic on Orea are classified by the sages of Flin into: Arcane -the magic of wizards gained through study, practice and research, Divine -the magic of priests and paladins gained through meditation, prayer and the divine favor of their respective deity, and Natural (also called "Primal") -the magic of the druids and other classes and creatures (like shamans, the Sorarynae, and the natural abilities of the zepharim) gained through ancient teaching/practices, innate ability and/or communion with the ambient energies of the cosmos."

and...

"[SIZE=+1]Arcane Magic[/SIZE], also call Arcanum, is the magic of study. The magic of wizards and sorcerers. The energy of Arcane magic flows through the whole of the realm, like air. It is self-perpetuating and replenishing, the energy is "built in" to the world of Orea itself. These energies are capable of being harnessed through spells and rituals."

To illustrate the distinction, this excerpt from the section on Natural Magic.

"[SIZE=+1]Natural (or Cosmic or Universal or Primal) Magic[/SIZE] is the primordial power of the world of Orea itself. The residual energies of the entities Ahl and Zho (who created the world and heavens and then departed them and their creations (dragons and titans). If arcane magic is an energy that flows throughout Orea like air, and divine magic is bits of essence of the gods, then Natural or Cosmic magic is more like a radiation that emanates from, with and through everything, everyone, everywhere. "

--Steel Dragons