Goddamn Magic Systems

Humans and orcs don’t have innate magic. Most sentient races have at least an affinity, but humans and orcs, except in special situations (like twins, who have a magic affinity for a lack of magic more than anything else), do not. If a human or orc (or one of the other races who is not strong enough innately) wants to be an “arcane” caster, they need to bond with a symbiotic, microscopic bacteria that changes the way their bodies react to magic on a molecular scale once it’s accepted. Because they don’t have innate magic to fend the magic-enhanced illnesses off, humans and orcs are very vulnerable to magic disease – like lycanthropy.


Most common ways of picking up magic if you are human, orc, or not a strong enough magic user

~ Apprentice to a magic user. They can produce a blank strain to infect someone with, which is the most gentle way to go about it. Not generally the strongest in magic, they usually become wizards because wizards cast spells by yanking from the aether so it doesn’t matter.

~ Steal a magic bloodline. Dangerous as fuck because the bacteria might and probably will reject. Violently.

~Wild strain. You don’t want this. Suvival is unlikely, though DAYAM your power levels are over 9000 if you pull through. Picked up in contact with raw magic that is condensed to liquid or solids without any shielding or protection. Liquid is worse, but has a bad habit of fusing you to nearby things or converting you into crystal. Even if you already have magic, it gives this a solid go most of the time.

~Bit by something. Lycanthrophy and vampirism, if they don’t take and infect you with that disease, is still enough to get magic twisted up and processing in your system. This is, however, a virus, not the bacteria, and changes you in different ways.

~ Born this way. Outcrosses to elf/Halfling/dwarf have this going for them, but two magical parents who had to be infected to get access can, through careful planning and treatment, infect an unborn fetus in the middle of gestation. This is the easiest and gentlest way to end up a magically active human.

Infection:

~It sucks. A lot. People die from it quite frequently.

~ Except for wild strains, which are hard as hell to pick up because of how difficult it is to come in contact with liquid or solid form magic that is untreated without ALREADY having your own magic, it’s nigh impossible to pick up anything other than a magical virus without it being intentional.



Condensed magic is a crystalline structure. There is a liquid form, which is 1. Incredibly unstable, and 2. Only exists under horrifying pressure unless magically preserved.


Types of Magic Users (Arcane)

Wizard: Studies, certain components, words and motions let them interact with the aetherial magic and cast spells. Technically the most versatile, also take the most study and work.

Mage/Sorcerer (terms are interchangeable): Much like wizards, but can modify their spells for moderately different effects or customization. They still study, but mostly it is self study because while certain things might be able to give them an idea of how to cast, casting itself, and learning spells, is unique to every mage. As such, they may or may not require foci, do not memorize spells because once they know how to do something, they KNOW HOW TO DO IT FOREVER, and are pretty fast casters. These guys are also all the ones who make magic items without having to use massive amounts of teamwork.

Witch (gender neutral term): Have a magical talent or leaning that lets them do small things, but their versatility is limited by their endurance and imagination. Most aren’t powerful, but only because they actually don’t have POWER backing them. A couple witches linked together powering one person is a fucking dangerous and powerful thing.

Warlock: Basically a witch who has willing or unwillingly formed a pact with a person/creature/being with innate magic. Depending on the situation, they may fuse with the creature, but most of the time they are pacted with a powerful outsider and are simply pulling power according to the contract.

Shaman: Doesn’t use personal magic to do things, instead asks and coaxes elemental forces into doing things for them.

Bard: ???

Types of Magic Users (Divine)

Clerics and Paladins: Granted spells from their deity like in normal D&D.

Druids: Kind of a combo between Warlock and Shaman, bound to a sponsoring nature diety, be it animal, vegetable, elemental or otherwise. (There is a diety for EVERYTHING so this is not unusal. Iridi is bound to the hummingbirds, for example.)

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