Magic
Magic is an essential part of Sanctuary and the planes surrounding the world.
Magic = Powerful force Much studies - elusive. never fully mastered Enchantments exude an aura - sensed by many Years training required to exploit the Mana that pervades Sanctuary.
etheral realm of magic (ocean) physical world (sky) Spells are turbulence btween the two when interact Too much magic (like angel/demon Sin War) can tear fabric of reality apart - like a fierce hurricane
Order tried preserve reality by limit power of mortal mam. Only strongest will can harness more than the most basic of magic effect. Much energy is lost in the transition of power between the realms.
Long time practicioners get more knowlegeble - greater effects, efficient, potent, endurance and use less mana/effect.
Staves long ago the Brotherhood of Vizjerei discovered ways to use a simple wooden staff as a container for focused magical energy creating staff = time consuming. Recharcging staff = apprentice work by just channel magic energy staves can have pattern for spells unknown to caster, uses the charge to cast. need physical contact with the staff (gloves usually ok) to direct it's power, both hand grip. infusing a staff, it gets a will of its own. some can be complex to control unless magician is powerful. Can also be infused with passive magic force, such a make hits harder, or wielder stronger.
Jewels
Precious gems and metals make excellent foci for magical enchantments
Making of magical rings and amulets is unknown to most.
Eastern mage clans know a little, besides the ones in the world, picked up by people or monsters.
Jewlery pieces seem to interfere with each other.
If worn on one hand, it's similar to a magnet, still not. Just cancel each other out completely, or just one work, usually the more powerful one.
Only one (magical) ring on each hand, and one amulet about the neck.
Rings rarely break, since they are under normal circumstances not involved in any fighting.
Potions
elixir brewing is still strong in the west. More acceptable social uses.
Various positive effects on imbiber.
The most common are healing potions, which can near instantly mend torn flesh and knit broken bone back together
Mana potions = raw magical energy infused into with a liquid edible medium can replenish energy in a mage that has expended their power
Some of this magical power or magic healing power can be made through a combination of herbs that will funnel magic into the beverage.
Tristram Cathedral had lots of both. Clergy used them to care for sick and wounded.
Greatest of the Horadrim alchemists created elixirs capable of permanently affect the drinker in positive ways.
Scrolls
Scrolls are specially prepared pieces of parchment that have runes scribed on them with magical ink in order to work as a focus for spells.
When spell is infused, a reader can cast the spell without using any of his own inherent mana, or even knowing the spell itself.
The writing isn't the full power of the spell, which is infused in the ink and parchment, but mainly a keyword to use it. More complex spells need more complex keywords, and a high level of proficiency in reading these runes is needed to cast the spells from the most powerful scrolls. Even with a quite complex and cryptic writing, it would still be impossible for most mages to learn the acutal spell from the writing, or analysing the embedded spell. When the magical keywords are read up in a proper way while focusing on the spell in the parchment, the enegy of the ink and scroll will release in the shape of given spell and also turn the scroll into dust.
Summoning Hell's Minions It's very possible to use the forces of hell against it. The problem is the strong corrupting effect this have on the magician, as well as the fact that the entity or forces they summon will most certainly want to take control of the caster. Strict discipline and observance is needed to attempt to summon even smaller demons. The act of making a pact with a demonic lord or a Prime Evil is not a very clear or prudent one, and in most cases there will be loopholes in the pact to allow the demonic entity to take control of the mortal's soul without giving much back.
Men who do not go into pacts with demons, but wield demonic energies are also likely to end up dead, or worse. Centuries ago, it was common to invoke lesser demons and subdue them in order to gain their power. One such small demon type is the Imp, who made the sorcerers underestimate their powers and be summoned as familiars. When an Imp had made their "master" trust them, the sorcerer would find his will subjugated by that of his “servant,” who would then vivisect him and create numerous homunculi from the pieces. In time, these homunculi would grow into other Imps. Imps were later found in the battle for Mount Arreat. Aware that its size is a liability in battle, an Imp uses magic to teleport and attack an opponent at range, from a fortified tower position, or even while mounted on the backs of large beasts.
Another dark cabal of wizards tried to use dark powers they attained through an arcane pact with Hell in order to create a race of creatures as servants. They created a general form of bat-winged imps that they named Alae Nefastus to act as messengers and carrying out deeds that were too trivial for themselves. Each of the wizards embedded power in them that reflected their own specialization on magic and the creatures were small, nimble and possessed an unnatural cunning.
The initial impression by the corrupt sorcerers was that the experiment had been a success, until they realised that the Alae did not serve them as loyally as they had hoped. With their cunning, the creatures had taken to secretly feeding from the very essence of their masters, weakening them and eventually killing them. By this time, the sorcerers tried to undo their creations, but the Winged Fiends had been secretly breeding outside of the sorcerer's domains and they banded together in swarms, killing their former masters.
Descendants of these Winged Fiends can still be found terrorizing the contryside with their great speed, razor sharp claws, hooked wings and magical abilities.
Hidden feed of essence of fear. More demons do. live in nightmares of children dwell at edge of Physical & Ethereal Realms - unseen by mortal sight can quickly manifest strike those vulnerable wounded = retreat into the Ether to heal while invisible - creature exists partially on the Physical Realm - affected by spells and weapons
Waypoints
The world of Sanctuary is huge and often there are great distances between towns and their outlying regions. During the Sin War, the Horadrim devised a system of magic waypoints to provide instant travel from one place to another. The magics at work have long since been forgotten as the Horadric Mages have all but disappeared. However, these waypoints remain as a legacy to the Horadrim's once-great power and the value of these devices cannot be denied.
Mana is your character’s spiritual essence
- Primal magic
- Holy magic
- Elemental magic
- fire, ice and electricity
Gods
Necromancers have the ability to reanimate corpses of most entities and to control the recently dead. The dead release spiritual energies that haunt the mortal realms. The Necromancer can focus these energies, giving them manifestation in the corporal world. Practitioners of necromancy can curse the very fate of a victim by manipulating the Prime energies flowing through all living things.
Auras - Unique to Paladins and certain creatures, Auras project a field of influence around the caster. Any allied character, hireling or minion will benefit from the aura so long as they are within the aura’s range. Those who are under the effect of an aura are indicated in the Play Area by a glowing halo beneath their feet.
Curses - Necromancers and some monsters possess the ability to influence the fate of others around them. A curse affects those within a certain radius of the caster, and victims are marked for misfortune by a fuming haze above their heads.
With this skill a Sorceress can reach out with her mind and manipulate distant objects. By manipulating the Ether that permeates the world, she is even able to retrieve items out of her reach, or send her attacks to distant enemies. Useful to a cunning Sorceress, this spell rewards quick thinking to make the most of opportunities when they present themselves.
A Sorceress trained in this arcane skill has the ability to traverse the Ether, instantly rematerializing in another location. Without the aid of waypoints or portals, she may teleport anywhere within her immediate vicinity. Though not suitable for larger distances, a Sorceress can make good use of this spell for evading capture, or to reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
Magic = corrupting. More about power than magic?
Druids learned to bond with the natural entities of Sanctuary. This bonding was so absolute that eventually they discovered how to talk to the plants and animals, and these beings taught them all the secrets of the natural world. They taught them methods to call animals from far away, how to summon sentient plants from the earth, ways to change their own forms to share the strengths of their animal cousins, even, to a limited extent, techniques to control the weather.
natural magic
The Druids shun the use of traditional magic, or Dubhdroiacht, as they call it. They instead practice a form of magic based in their close bond to nature. Through this intimate kinship with the world of Sanctuary, a Druid has the power to command fire, earth, and the winds. He is a friend to the animals of the wilds and can call upon them to aid in his struggle. He can also use his heightened rapport with the animals to change the shape of his own body, drawing on the strengths and abilities of his woodland companions to better serve their cause.
Long ago, the Druids confided in prayer their sacred charge to the supreme spirits of Nature. The spirits were moved by their plight and answered the Druid’s call for help. Over the many years since then, the spirits have contributed in many ways to the Druids’ cause, even offering up soldiers to serve in their campaign. A Druid educated in the language of the Natural spirits can appeal to them, and they will provide him with valuable companions. These companions fall into three groups: spirit animals, sentient vines, and minor spirits of Nature.
Order of the Light
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