From: beregar
Date: 2002-01-27 20:22:31
Since there seems to be probelms understanding the nature of magic, I decided to start a new thread where I'll explain my thoughts about the issue. Please notice that this thread is not about magic game mechanics so try to avoid issues regarding constructing spells and how magic is related to real world physics. In this first post I'll deal with the three magical schools leaving both religious and divine magic to subsequent posts, and perhaps posters.
Primal magic is the most weakest form of all magic. Commoners making signs and mutterings against "evil eye" are often very close employing primal magic without knowing it, such signs and rituals are twisted versions of those performed by the druids, shamans and moon casters. A lone primal caster can hope to invoke only the tiniest magical effects as nature of primal magic is very disjointed an much energy is lost. The beauty of primal magic is in groups of casters working together, their wild chants and dancing intertwine and unleash the combined strength of magic.
Primal magic is perhaps worst type of magic for item enchantments at is completelly lacks material symbols. To counterbalance this, it is also the most easiest form of magic to learn. Primal magic also benefits most from the mystical sites known as nodes (notice that I change the concept of node here a bit): Nodes act as a mental and magical amplifiers channeling and focusing wild energies unleashed by the rituals.
Academic magicdeals with with words and material symbols. It is highly organized as ways to unleash magical power is not in gestures or wild dancing, but in words which can be written on a paper for those with knowledge to learn. Academic mages are more powerful than primal or sorcery magic users, but this is countered by the huge amount of work it takes to learn and organize verbal symbols and to write them on paper.
Academic mages are not as likely to enchant items as are those using the art of sorcery. However, the (material) symbolic part of an academic magic is visible in magical scrolls that hold the complex formulas for releasing magical energy. Primal and sorcery users may scribe guides for their magic use, but academic mages are the only ones who can inscribe complete spells in tomes and scrolls.
Sorcery is the magic that deals with gestures and material symbols. It concists of rune magic, voodoo and the like. Common for all sorcery spells is that they use some material component, this component can be the caster itself, pieces from some other creature, or some object.
Of all three magical schools, Sorcery users are the best enchanters of items. Rune casters bind magical forces into items and alter them to transport creatures, to explode upon impact and the like. Voodoo witches prepare symbolic images of their enemies to harm and destroy as well as brew magical potions. Sorcery is for those who want to master magical enchantments. It is wise to remember that when something is imbued, something is lost: many sorcery magic users use ritual sacrifices to draw energy from an external source, be it a plant, an animal or a creature. As simple as the witche's potion creation may seem, it is often more easier to create one from herbs.
Regardless of the magic type, they all are quite rare and powerful, especially academic magic and sorcery. These "explanations" are only my opinions and probably raise quite a few question, so feel free to make comments and suggestions.
- Beregar