Darko Cernovsek
Soul Of Vengeance
// My proposal for Arcane Magic framework. I took some inspiration from the Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura video game. The rest is mostly made up. //
Since we have a thread for The Divine, I feel that a similar thread for The Arcane, is long overdue. As two diametrically opposed sources of magical power, The Arcane relies on the magic user themselves, their own inner energy, and their study of the arts to apply it, rather then a boon from a deity, like The Divine. Arcane magic is taught in specialised mage schools, although it's more basic forms are often learned as part of training for other professions. For example, healers and doctors might learn some beneficial Evocation spells (non-clerical healers, anyway, Divine-aligned ones would obviously be granted healing powers from their patron deity). Soldiers and other fighting types might be taught the basics of Abjuration or Alteration, to allow them to withstand some harm in battle, or an edge in it, respectively. Tradesmen, politicians and clerks might dabble in the basics of Mental, for an edge in negotiating deals or reading the intentions of their political opponents, or protection from the same. They also might wet their feet in Illusion, to appear more pleasing/beautiful to the eye. Illusion would also obviously be valued for various mannequin, modelling jobs, etc. Beauty contests... You get the idea.
Anyway here's my full proposed list of Colleges of the Arcane. In alphabetical order. No specific spells yet (that would need a lot more working out the details), just the names and descriptions. Colour-codes are for colleges that I feel are either similar, or counter each-other.
1) Abjuration - Arcane college of dealing with various methods of physical and metaphysical protection of one's person or a specific area. Wards, energy shields, dampening fields and such. Protection from anything (physical or magical) that can physically injure or damage. Mental protections are NOT covered by Abjuration though, they are a part of the Mental college of spells.
2) Alteration - Arcane college of altering the physical and metaphysical properties of one's environment or oneself. Enhancing muscle density/strength (or debilitating someone else's - unless they can protect themselves with Abjuration), twisting metal, shattering wood or stone, strengthening or weakening the structural integrity of any material. Altering the shape of certain physical objects (size depending on aptitude in the college).
3) Conjuration - Arcane college of conjuring objects, creatures, or area-effects. For example a block of stone, a spirit-wolf, or a poisonous cloud over a certain area, respectively. All conjurations are subject to the caster's ability to maintain them (any disruption to the concentration would dispell them), and also subject to any dispelling magic spells (both arcane and divine).
4) Evocation - Arcane college of channeling magic energy in it's primal form. Magic attacks without an elemental component (no Fireballs or Lightning bolts or such). For example a bolt of pure magic energy, or a field of magical decay. Also used for Arcane physical healing, in the form of evoking magic energy in a beneficial form; sealing wounds, congealing blood, rejuvenating a diseased person, maybe a field of 'pure air' to counter a conjured poison cloud, etc. Also deals with channeling magic to dispell other magic spells in effect.
5) Elemental: Fire - Arcane college of evoking, channeling, controlling, and manipulating fire.
6) Elemental: Water - Arcane college of evoking, channeling, controlling, and manipulating water/steam/ice.
7) Elemental: Force - Arcane college of evoking, channeling, controlling, and manipulating electricity/lightning.
8) Enchantment - Arcane college of enchanting and empowering physical objects. Weapons, armour, various miscellaneous items (this one will need a lot of work on what can/can't be enchanted and how).
9) Golemancy - Arcane college of building, animating, and controlling Golems or various other (non-Necromantic) familiars (types of Golems and other familiars to be decided later).
10) Illusion - Arcane college of manipulating the visual appearance of oneself, or one's surroundings. Beautifying oneself (or uglyfying someone you don't like XD - unless they are protected by Abjuration), various invisibility/misleading spells (can be broken through with Mental or Perception, or dispelled), optical illusions, etc.
11) Mental -Arcane college of the mind. Influencing it magically, defending against other magical influence on it. Causing insanity, delusions, or defending against it (oneself or someone else). Mental domination (taking control of an individual), or again, defending against it (oneself or others).
12) Necromancy - Arcane college of death and death magic. Banned in most civilised lands and areas, by law. Deals with quenching the life out of the living, animating the dead as undead, soul-poisons (can be dispelled), communing with spirits of the dead, binding spirits to one's will. I'm deliberately leaving outright resurrection of the dead out, since I feel that should be a Divine-only purview.
13) Perception - Arcane college that deals with one's clarity of perception of the world. Useful against all Illusory, and some Mental effects. Can confer nightvision, far sight, seeing through obstacles, etc. At very high aptitude, can fully replace one's eyesight (obviously very useful for the blind).
14) Temporal - Arcane college that deals with time, and manipulation of it through magical means. Slowing/speeding up time in a certain area, travelling (limited in scope, localised) into the past or the future. Precognition of events about to happen. At very high aptitude, can be used to hyper-age an individual to death, or revert them to fetal or even pre-fetal stage. Needs a LOT of work on details, obviously.
Since we have a thread for The Divine, I feel that a similar thread for The Arcane, is long overdue. As two diametrically opposed sources of magical power, The Arcane relies on the magic user themselves, their own inner energy, and their study of the arts to apply it, rather then a boon from a deity, like The Divine. Arcane magic is taught in specialised mage schools, although it's more basic forms are often learned as part of training for other professions. For example, healers and doctors might learn some beneficial Evocation spells (non-clerical healers, anyway, Divine-aligned ones would obviously be granted healing powers from their patron deity). Soldiers and other fighting types might be taught the basics of Abjuration or Alteration, to allow them to withstand some harm in battle, or an edge in it, respectively. Tradesmen, politicians and clerks might dabble in the basics of Mental, for an edge in negotiating deals or reading the intentions of their political opponents, or protection from the same. They also might wet their feet in Illusion, to appear more pleasing/beautiful to the eye. Illusion would also obviously be valued for various mannequin, modelling jobs, etc. Beauty contests... You get the idea.
Anyway here's my full proposed list of Colleges of the Arcane. In alphabetical order. No specific spells yet (that would need a lot more working out the details), just the names and descriptions. Colour-codes are for colleges that I feel are either similar, or counter each-other.
1) Abjuration - Arcane college of dealing with various methods of physical and metaphysical protection of one's person or a specific area. Wards, energy shields, dampening fields and such. Protection from anything (physical or magical) that can physically injure or damage. Mental protections are NOT covered by Abjuration though, they are a part of the Mental college of spells.
2) Alteration - Arcane college of altering the physical and metaphysical properties of one's environment or oneself. Enhancing muscle density/strength (or debilitating someone else's - unless they can protect themselves with Abjuration), twisting metal, shattering wood or stone, strengthening or weakening the structural integrity of any material. Altering the shape of certain physical objects (size depending on aptitude in the college).
3) Conjuration - Arcane college of conjuring objects, creatures, or area-effects. For example a block of stone, a spirit-wolf, or a poisonous cloud over a certain area, respectively. All conjurations are subject to the caster's ability to maintain them (any disruption to the concentration would dispell them), and also subject to any dispelling magic spells (both arcane and divine).
4) Evocation - Arcane college of channeling magic energy in it's primal form. Magic attacks without an elemental component (no Fireballs or Lightning bolts or such). For example a bolt of pure magic energy, or a field of magical decay. Also used for Arcane physical healing, in the form of evoking magic energy in a beneficial form; sealing wounds, congealing blood, rejuvenating a diseased person, maybe a field of 'pure air' to counter a conjured poison cloud, etc. Also deals with channeling magic to dispell other magic spells in effect.
5) Elemental: Fire - Arcane college of evoking, channeling, controlling, and manipulating fire.
6) Elemental: Water - Arcane college of evoking, channeling, controlling, and manipulating water/steam/ice.
7) Elemental: Force - Arcane college of evoking, channeling, controlling, and manipulating electricity/lightning.
8) Enchantment - Arcane college of enchanting and empowering physical objects. Weapons, armour, various miscellaneous items (this one will need a lot of work on what can/can't be enchanted and how).
9) Golemancy - Arcane college of building, animating, and controlling Golems or various other (non-Necromantic) familiars (types of Golems and other familiars to be decided later).
10) Illusion - Arcane college of manipulating the visual appearance of oneself, or one's surroundings. Beautifying oneself (or uglyfying someone you don't like XD - unless they are protected by Abjuration), various invisibility/misleading spells (can be broken through with Mental or Perception, or dispelled), optical illusions, etc.
11) Mental -Arcane college of the mind. Influencing it magically, defending against other magical influence on it. Causing insanity, delusions, or defending against it (oneself or someone else). Mental domination (taking control of an individual), or again, defending against it (oneself or others).
12) Necromancy - Arcane college of death and death magic. Banned in most civilised lands and areas, by law. Deals with quenching the life out of the living, animating the dead as undead, soul-poisons (can be dispelled), communing with spirits of the dead, binding spirits to one's will. I'm deliberately leaving outright resurrection of the dead out, since I feel that should be a Divine-only purview.
13) Perception - Arcane college that deals with one's clarity of perception of the world. Useful against all Illusory, and some Mental effects. Can confer nightvision, far sight, seeing through obstacles, etc. At very high aptitude, can fully replace one's eyesight (obviously very useful for the blind).
14) Temporal - Arcane college that deals with time, and manipulation of it through magical means. Slowing/speeding up time in a certain area, travelling (limited in scope, localised) into the past or the future. Precognition of events about to happen. At very high aptitude, can be used to hyper-age an individual to death, or revert them to fetal or even pre-fetal stage. Needs a LOT of work on details, obviously.
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