Magic Types
The term ‘Magic’ and ‘Magic Item’ are used by the uninitiated to describe all types of phenomena and items and devices. To the knowledgeable, Magic, and the constructs of magic, are divided into three general groups; Arcane, Divine and Natural. Roughly speaking, any magic worked by a Mage, Wizard or Sorcerer is Arcane. Any magic worked by a Cleric is Divine and any magic worked by a Druid is Natural. There is debate among some scholars and sages as to whether Clerical and Druidic magic is truly different, but most do recognize that there is Natural Magic in the world.
Spells vs Prayers
Again, to the untrained eye, there seems to be little real difference between the magic performed by a Mage and the magic done by a Cleric (or Druid.) But there is in fact significant differences in how they are learned, prepared and cast.
Spells are the methodology and device of Arcane Magic while Prayers are the fundamental of all Divine magic.
An Arcane Spell is a complex formula of materials, gestures and words combined with the trained mental prowess and discipline of a mage. It takes years of study and practice to open ones mind to the power of the patterns of arcane magic. To be able to sense and feel it with ones body and grapple with the multidimensional symbolism and logic that allows arcane energy, both from the mage’s life force and outside sources, to be manipulated. Short of a severe trauma that effects the wizard’s brain and memory, once learned this ability to comprehend and ‘view’ the web of arcane energy is part of the mage’s mind for life. The details of the individual formulas that make up the particular spell needed to create the desired effect must be relearned, or refreshed, after each casting, but the ability to do so and use the spell, is never lost.
A Prayer, which forms the basis of Divine Magic, is more in the nature of a poem or or recitation that is coupled with certain materials and gestures that are needed to allow the divine energy to be focused and manifest. Unlike the mage, the Cleric’s training and preparation is more along the lines of opening his or her mind to aid the passage of the divine energy. The Cleric does not shape the Power, but merely acts as a pipe or funnel to direct the energy. Her studies are intended to teach her the form of the prayers she may make or request, as well as to know what materials and gestures may be required. But ultimately, the prayer is granted, and powered, by the will of the divinity the cleric serves. Breaking faith with the deity in question will potentially cost the cleric the ability to perform the Prayer and manifest the divine energy.
Harnessing the natural energies of nature and the elements that make up the world is the ability of Druids. In many ways this is more like arcane magic then divine powers. Natural Magic is a fundamental part of nature and all living things. It is present, in some degree, everywhere. Like the mage with arcane energy, the Druid trains his mind to ‘see’ the patterns of natural magic but learns rituals that are more closely related to the prayers of the cleric in order to manipulate the natural magic. The Druid’s prayers, like those of a cleric, serve more to gather and direct then to manipulate and shape as the mage’s spells do. But unlike a cleric, a druid can never lose his connection to natural magic through offending a deity.
Magic Items
Items of Power can take many forms and fulfill many functions. Some of these things are permanent and enduring, others are transient and last for as little as one use. Contrary to popular belief, not all magic items are made by wizards!
Enchantment vs Consecration
Enchantments, and items made by enchantment are the product of arcane magic and Wizards. While Consecrated items are the product of divine power and clerics. While in many cases the results may seem indistinguishable to the untrained eye there are often profound differences.
Consecrated Items are Masterwork items and the product of highly skilled craftsmen and women who are dedicated followers of their faith. The items are invariably crafted with symbols, motifs, prayers and parables particular to the faith and often the purpose of the item. The finished product if judged worthy by the deity as determined by means of an Augury, is taken to a High Holy Place, which is generally a heavily sanctified and consecrated location such as a major temple (though there are exceptions.) There the item is placed upon a specially prepared altar and is the subject of an extended period of Blessings, Chants, Prayers, anointment, cleansing and purification often conducted by a number of Clerics working together. If all goes well the item will be imbued with some degree of Divine Power as it was intended. If not, then the item is usually destroyed and the process begun anew. It is not uncommon for a Consecrated Item to be made with a dedicated purpose, for example Battling Evil, Destroying the Undead, Slaying Demons, Healing those Harmed by the Undead, and so on. Consecrated items work best, and sometimes only, in the hands of a cleric and/or a follower of the same faith as made the item.
Arcane Items are often of Masterwork quality, but it is not an absolute requirement, though most Mages will not invest the energy to enchant junk! The actual enchanting is the result of a series of spells, cast in precise order and with exact timing, usually in a magically protected and enhanced environment. Success or failure is the result of the process proceeding flawlessly. In some cases items are made by multiple Mages working together, this is known as a Circle, and a successful Circle can enchant items to a higher degree then a lone mage, enchant multiple minor items at once, or, establish a Pattern that allows multiple items to be made in succession. Enchantment failures generally damage the item, in some cases destroying it violently! And if the failure occurs within a Circle, the failure can be catastrophic!
Natural Magic Items are often more along the lines of a find or discovery, though a Druid may be able to shape the item to some degree and, in a few cases, Druids are able to actually make an item from scratch. The need to limit the materials to natural, un-worked substances and for the Druid to be able to do the crafting themselves, limits the type of items that Druids can make.
Note: While an Arcane Item may, in certain very, very rare cases, be Consecrated and thus enhanced, there are limits on what can be done. Most importantly the item must be unused prior to the Consecration or ONLY used in a particular way. A Consecrated Item can NEVER be enhanced with Arcane Magic. While it can be re Consecrated and thus further enhanced, it is rare for these ceremonies to result in any meaningful enhancement. However, no consecrated item may ever be dedicated or re Consecrated to, or by, another deity or faith. Any such attempt will (usually) destroy the item or cause it to vanish in a clap of thunder! Natural Magic Items can never be consecrated, all power will vanish, and if an Arcane Enchantment is added to the item, there is a good chance of a catastrophic failure!
In rare cases a Natural Magic Item may be enhanced with the addition of some other Natural Magic material, but that is very unusual.
Magic Weapons and Armor
Weapons and armor are somewhat of an exception to the above descriptions. Consecrated weapons and armor are a frequent product of Divine Power and the efforts of the Clerics to protect the Faithful and accomplish the goals of the deity. But it is actually fairly rare for a Wizard or Circle of Wizards to devote much of their time and energy to making weapons and armor that they themselves have no use for. Obviously there are exceptions to this, but the majority of magical weapons and armor are actually made by neither Wizards or Clerics (and certainly not Druids.) But are in fact made by the Dwarves and the Elves (with the vast majority made by the Dwarves.)
Dwarves are rightly renowned for their craft skills, especially those related to mining, stone cutting, engineering, metallurgy, smything and such. (Though the craft skills of the Gray Elves is arguably the equal, possibly even superior, in some aspects of metallurgy.) Dwarven enchantments are accomplished using special Anvils, Tools and Furnaces. Each Dwarf Clan has its own, unique, set or sets of these. There are different grades of these devices and they are all sacred and virtually objects of worship to the members of the clan. Their exact origins are shrouded in myth and legend but all ultimately lead back to Morodin, ‘The Father/Forger/Crafter/Smyth’. The items crafted using these Anvils, Forges and Tools are a unique blend of Enchantment and Consecration in form. Despite this divine element involved in the creating the products are not necessarily sacred in nature or even of special meaning to the makers. Dwarves will manufacture enchanted armor and weapons for human clients, though at a fabulous cost!
Elvish Enchantments are more closely connected to traditional Arcane Enchantment, (as is to expected since the Elves developed or discovered Magic.) But there also appears to be a connection to some level of either Divine or Natural Magic in their work. It is also understood that the Elves also employ special Anvils, Forges and Tools in their crafting and enchanting, though there seems to be no religious connotation or origin to this equipment. However, the Elves very rarely employ their skills to make armor and weapons for non Elves.
Enchanting Weapons and Armor
As mentioned, it is rare for Mages and Wizards to undertake making weapons and armor that they themselves cannot employ. Obviously there are exceptions, daggers for example, or weapons crafted for a favored warrior.
Whether the enchantment is done by mage, dwarf or elf there are certain common points in the process. While Consecrated items must be of Masterwork quality, that is not true of Arcane enchantments. However it cannot be junk! The weapon or armor must be of Good quality or better. The energies of enchantment put a strain on the structure of the materials involved and anything less then Good Quality is almost bound to fail during the process.
However, any good grade steel weapon or armor can, potentially, be enchanted to +1 +1 levels.
To enchant to a higher level, say +1 +2, or +2 +2, the weapon must be of superior steel and/or Masterwork quality. Superior Steel would be Dwarven or Zegrahn steel. (Or Elvish, if you can get it!)
To enchant to +3 +3 or higher, or give the item special functions, the steel must be Meteoric in origin. This is true even for Dwarven and Elven enchanting methods.
Wands
Wands, a common Arcane item, generally take one of two forms. The thin ‘classic’ style wand or the stubby ‘keppen’ style wand. Though in some cases the form is dictated by the wand’s function, it is often a matter of taste for the Mage who made it. Ilsharan Mages are known to favor ornate ‘classic’ wands. While Elvish and Solistan mages often favor ‘keppen’ styles.
Wands can be made to be rechargeable (common in multi-function and classic style wands) or ‘one offs’ that cannot be recharged and work until drained (many keppen wands are like this.)
Note: ALL wands, regardless of style or function, must have a primary shaft of organic material. Wood, bone, antler, ivory, coral, amber, etc.
The classic wands are usually 12 to 18 inches in length and about as thick as a finger, and often taper from grip to tip. They are crafted, shaped, carved, inlaid, polished and frequently tipped with a gem or other object intrinsic to its function. Materials vary and they are often encrusted or gilded. It is the nature of such wands that they can hold far more power or magical charges (75 to 100 being common) then a keppen wand. Many classic wands are noted for having multiple functions. Depending on the materials used they can be fragile and easily broken. Many have special cases for storage, others have reinforced scabbards or sheathes to protect them.
A keppen wand is short, usually 6 to 8 inches in length. They are a bit thicker in diameter and consequently more robust in form. However they can only contain about half the power (30 to 50 charges) of a classic wand and are often single function. (The Apprentice Wands are a noted exception to this.)
Keppen wands, though carved, shaped and/or polished, are usually of a single material. Keppen wands can be safely tucked in a belt or slipped up a sleeve, etc and dropping one is not (usually) a cause for a heart attack!
The exception to the style and material of wands are the products of Natural Magic. These are often of ‘rough’ un-worked form. For example a piece of antler, a gnarled branch, a piece of bone… They are not limited to organic materials. Pieces of rock or crystal can be ‘wands.’ One example that Dwarves have found over the ages are stalactites or stalagmites that have formed in areas of natural magic.
Natural Wands CANNOT be recharged and there is no reliable way to determine how much energy is in the wand. It may work once or twice, it may work for hundreds of uses!
Natural Magic wands are found, not made, though they usually require some careful enhancements to gain their benefit. This is usually done by Druids or Elvish Enchanters, but the Dwarves seem to have found ways to work with some types of natural magic manifestations.
Recharging Wands
Letting a wand drain down to zero energy (unless it is a ‘one use’ type) will cause the wand to literally disintegrate in the caster’s hands. (Everything turns to dust, including gems, gilding, etc.) So maintenance and recharging is essential.
Recharging is done by casting the spell that is the wand’s function (or primary function) onto, or rather, into the wand. So a Wand of Magic Missiles will recharge 1 charge for EACH Magic Missile put into it. A Wand of Fire requires the Fireball Spell to recharge it. And so on… If a wand is Over Charged it WILL EXPLODE! The damage can be considerable! A Wand of Magic Missiles will do 1d4+1 damage per charge, plus the over charge, to the caster holding the wand. (It MUST be held to charge!) A Wand of Fire will do 6d6 damage per charge, plus the over charge, to the caster holding the wand.
NOTE: A wand CANNOT be used to absorb an enemy spell attack even if the spell cast would normally charge the wand.
Keeping track of energy used is essential! And a wise caster never charges more then he or she used.
Apprentice Wands
These are made by some Mages to give to an apprentice (or loan during the apprenticeship) or as a practical tool for their own personal use. These are usually keppen style wands for the enhanced durability of such wands in the hands of an inexperienced apprentice.
These wands are ONLY able to cast Cantrip effects and are ‘loaded’ with anywhere from 3 to 7 cantrips. These are almost always of the Useful variety: Clean, Dust, Dry, Gather… and so on.
The wands are rechargeable, typically having 12 to 24 charges MAXIMUM. They can be recharged, 1 for 1, by casting any of the preloaded cantrips into the wand. Over charging an Apprentice Wand will do 1d2 damage per charge, plus the over charge, to the caster holding the wand.
Though not a combat item, these wands make life a bit easier for the Mage, teaches the apprentice how to manage a wand and makes the apprentice more useful.
The five most ‘common’ types of Apprentice Wands and their loaded Cantrips.
#1 Clean, Dampen, Dry, Dust, Gather, Polish, Shine
#2 Gather, Freshen. Sprout
#3 Color, Stitch, Tie, Wrap
#4 Warm, Spice, Salt, Flavor, Freshen, Sweeten, Chill
#5 Firefinger, Bluelight, Exterminate, Unlock (This version is not usually made for apprentices!)
Staves & Rods
Like wands, the Wizard’s Staff is almost an iconic attachment to the profession. In a large part that is because many mages, after a lifetime spent largely in musty libraries and laboratories, lack the strength, stamina and youth to get around without a staff to lean on!
Unlike a wand, a staff can also be used in melee combat, being stouter, stronger and longer. However there remains a possibility of the staff being broken and in such an event the loss can be considerable. Still, this versatility can be valuable.
A staff can be enchanted with any of the same spells as a wand, and its more robust nature makes it better suited for investing the time and energy of multiple functions. This is especially true since carrying multiple staves around is much more awkward then multiple wands! Like a classic form wand, a staff can hold up to a maximum of 100 charges.
Rods are (in this campaign) generally a shorter, walking stick/cane sized staff. The same notes regarding a staff apply to a rod. (NOTE: Where a staff can be used in combat for 1d6 damage, a Rod can only do 1d4 damage.)