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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7839831" data-attributes="member: 29398">In the real world: magic is kind of a catch-all term for anything that can't be explained by observation and-or perception.  This includes on a small scale inability of attendees at a magic-tricks show to perceive how the trick is done; and on a larger scale also includes the inability for science to (yet) perceive (by observation and measurement) how something "supernatural" exists or works or occurs.In my game worlds: magic is a 5th universal physical force alongside gravity and [the other three that I constantly forget], and is generally a bit more chaotic than the other four.  Some creatures - and all deities - need it in order to exist, and some can via various means access and manipulate it into producing desired effects.  Deities can do this on a whim; mortals need to go through sometimes-cumbersome rituals called spells.As a side note, this provides a perfect explanation for wild magic surges when spells are interrupted or enchanted items are broken: there's three parts to casting a spell - summon (or gather) the energy, shape it into what you want, and release it (or bind it in an item).  A true Wild Mage just skips the middle step.  An interrupted caster gets it skipped for them.  Either way, or when an enchanted item breaks, magical energy is released in a way unintended.  Sometimes it fizzles harmlessly, other times...well...</blockquote>