What is your favorite way to treat magic in-universe? Ubiquitous force? Gifted by divine favor? Sanity breaking force?
>>48214542
I'm partial to a combination of the latter two. Mortals learn magic from natural inscriptions left by agents of the gods, or from imitating miracles and rituals performed by prophets who are "touched" by the spirit of a patron deity.
>>48214542
I like my magic a little on the weird side. It's super powerful, but takes a lot of willpower and study to understand. I don't really like mage's colleges (at least really big, public ones). As for the source of magic, I guess I like it a little on the mysterious side.
Sentient magic that is fickle and strange..
>>48214542
Warhams had my favorite form of magic, before the setting exploded. I love the idea of manipulating the flow of wild, destructive energy.
>>48214542
in the setting im developing, magic has a lot of internal and passive use, and only the really magically gifted can actually externalize it. fireball slinging is next to non-existant outside of a few people, but there is alot of thing that you can enchant to make something that will sling fireballs. similarly, magical healing (baring a form of astral healing) isn't about keeping you alive in the middle of a fight, but about drastically shorting the recovery time of wounds and afflictions. instead of spending a few weeks to months healing something normally, you are back to full in a week, two at most unless it is really severe. even then, with time you can heal anything.
magic before the Triumvirate didn't manifest in humans, and after the Exodus and Landfall is when magic manifested for humans, in the internal form, barring astral magic which seems to come supernaturally easy for humans
>>48215884
how so?
>>48214542
A Faustian deal with unspeakable horrors from beyond, slowly corrupting both mind and body of the practitioner. With great power comes a great price.
>>48214542
it is the power of I M A G I N A T I O N empowered with spiritual energy. the higher your understanding , willpower and imagination , the more precise and refined magic you can use. Spiritual power on the other hand dictates the maximum output of your magic.
Most kinds of magic come from within the person , making every mage into a micro-god. other kinds of magic are borrowed from other magic users such as actual gods, through blessed objects or bodyparts of magic-using creatures.
>>48222212
system?
I preder magic as basically Knowledge = Power. The more you know, the better you blow shit up.
>>48214542
Very much depends on what I am going with in a particular setting.
I can tell for certain what I don't like - traditional elemental magic (Earth, FIre, Air, etc.) and all varieties of magical projectiles and straight damage spells - magic missiles, fireballs, lightning bolts, all the repertoire of the blaster wizard.
Necromancy, demonology, long and arduous rituals that change the nature of a creature, item or a place - those I'm quite fond of.
Something that always have a caveat or a payback - a spell, that turns the sword impossibly sharp and strong, but causes it to crumble in an day, for example.
When no one in the setting can agree how the magic actually works and different traditions do things in a distinct way - and yet there are enough clues to imply that there is an underlying system to it all. But I suppose that's too specific to find many examples of.
Magic that permanently leaves it's mark on the user, physically and/or psychologically - like Winds of Magic in Warhammer.
When nothing that can be done with mundane means is easier to do with magic - it's always the difficult path, but it can lead somewhere where no other road will lead.
>>48214542
Super-science that the primitives of the setting don't understand.
Mystical background elements only lightly touched upon by players and presented in a tasteful way that doesn't hog the spotlight, but demands respect. Not often used by PCs in any way.
So, oldschool. I guess I've become a boring old man who just doesn't appreciate flashy stuff any more.
Dark Souls style magic.
Divine magic is creating the spells effect by reciting an epic tale of Gods and holy figures.
Arcane and Dark require knowledge and faith in one's ability or in something greater than themselves to use and master.
as a stream of energy that is used by all living things but can be mastered by the conscious mind through study and exercise. Although immensely powerful will destroy the body and mind without some serious warp fuckery.
Think Saidin and the Warp together in a hellish cycle trough all life.
Suffice to say in my world mages are the necessary evil
