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mhacdebhandia 11-29-06, 07:58 PM

I've snipped out a little of what I wrote about magic from when I was kicking around a homebrew setting on my LiveJournal (http://mhacdebhandia.livejournal.com/tag/wasteland). -------------------- Arcane magic in the Wasteland is heavily biased towards the use of necromancy and other schools of magic which manipulate, alter, or otherwise control life. Evocation and other schools of magic which focus on destructive power or spectacular effects are extremely rare. While there is no council of mages to enforce the traditions that have grown up around the teaching and use of magic in the Wasteland, the vast majority of arcanists abide by them both out of habit and because alternative paths are so difficult to follow. Nearly all wizards are either specialist necromancers or generalist wizards with a great many necromantic spells in their collection. The rare specialist wizard who is not focused upon necromancy is almost invariably a conjurer or transmuter. While necromancers - and indeed most wizards - make liberal use of undead servants, these mages are also found employing constructs or fiends (whether enslaved or bargained with for servitude). In regions where arcane magic is (relatively) common, non-mages are rarely troubled by the sight of zombies, skeletons, or other mindless undead being used as servants. Religious and philosophical beliefs concerning the nature of the soul are unanimous in declaring that the soul is the essential self, and that the body is no more the person than are the clothes they wear . . . at least, they are unanimous on this point in areas controlled by mages. It is, however, customary in many cities and towns for mages to conceal the faces and forms of their undead servants when they venture into public areas, though particularly arrogant or selfish wizards have been known to disregard this custom without much in the way of repercussions. Generally speaking, even the most kindhearted wizard ultimately cares little for the opinions of regular folk in any case. Virtually all mages consider their concerns greater than those of the common people. -------------------- Just as the presence of psionic creatures and people in an area causes a rise in the incidence of psionic talent among the general population, so too does the use of arcane magic and the presence of creatures animated or summoned by it cause a rise in the proportion of magically-talented people born each year. Where psionics entered the world through the vector of psionic horrors like the illithids, however, arcane magic was first mastered by human beings. Whether those original wizards shared a predilection for necromantic study that has persisted as the dominant magical tradition down to the present day, or whether the nature of magic in the Wasteland encourages such avenues of exploration and hampers others, is now a moot question. The entrenched position of necromancy and related arcane knowledge in the Wasteland is nigh-unassailable, and consequently the magic which drenches the land, warping it and the creatures that dwell within it, is possessed of a dark aspect. Like their psion counterparts in other locales, wizards tend to be powerful lords and landowners if they survive an adventuring career or the envy of their fellows. Wizards are almost universally trained in their arts according to an ancient tradition whereby a master takes on a single student for three years, then exchanges students with another wizard for a year and a day. The original period of education traditionally thoroughly grounds a student in the use of arcane magic, while the secondary period is an opportunity for the second master to correct any defects he perceives in a student's knowledge or understanding. Fierce rivals often exchange students, not only for an opportunity to exalt their own methods and deride their enemy's to a captive audience, but also to ferret out the other's secrets from his erstwhile apprentice. Sorcerers are the most common "naturally" talented mages in areas where arcanists dominate. Though their abilities develop without much, if anything, in the way of training or guidance, the magical energies of the Wasteland channel their acquisition of new spells down familiar paths as they grow in power. While few sorcerers surround themselves with large numbers of undead servants, many are noted for their command of spells which take life, weaken it, or alter it. This sapping of vital force and will is echoed in the abilities of hexblades (Complete Warrior). The curses they lay upon their foes on the field of battle are feared by many who would otherwise consider themselves a hexblade's equal or even better at mundane skill at arms - though there are many who have misjudged even that comparison. Rarer than either sorcerers or hexblades, yet still more common perhaps than followers of the minor psionic traditions found in other regions of the Wasteland, are the preternatural mages known as warlocks (Complete Arcane). Warlocks are almost never mentored in the development of their abilities; many have claimed to enter periods of communion with dark, unnameable forces in order to unlock greater powers, while others refuse to elucidate the source of their abilities and can effectively dispose of those who persist in asking. Warlocks are almost never found as companions; some have speculated that each warlock is the singular earthly servant or ally of some otherworldly entity who despises every one of its brethren. -------------------- There are two types of undead creatures found in the Wasteland, though the division is not between corporeal and incorporeal undead (there are no incorporeal undead creatures in the Wasteland) or between mindless and free-willed undead. Rather, in the Wasteland it is important to distinguish between those undead which are created by living wizards and those which are spawned from the dead, either spontaneously or as a result of unnatural death at the hands of a similar creature. Most mages rely on simple, mindless or easily-dominated undead such as skeletons, zombies, or entombers (Libris Mortis). Some very few, powerful and confident wizards will "reward" their faithful followers - almost invariably men-at-arms and other warriors - with transformation into a vampire, ghoul, or wight. These latter, more-intelligent undead are quite capable of leaving a trail of spawn in their wakes. Other types of undead are known to arise spontaneously from the ground, presumably as a result of the warping effect of the arcane energies being manipulated by the mages of the Wasteland. Ghouls, vampires, and wights are counted among this type of spontaneous undead, along with rarer varieties such as bleakborn, deathlocks, forsaken shells, gravetouched ghouls, plague blights, raiments, skin kites, slaughter wights, and tomb motes (all Libris Mortis). Other varieties of undead can be found in the Wasteland, usually as the result of unique experiments conducted by powerful wizards. Some are released into the wider world either from malice or disinterest, others are kept in the towers or fortified estates of their creators as guardians or companions. It is worth noting that mages of the wasteland share an almost-universal disdain for those among their number who choose to pursue the path of the lich. The ultimate goal of necromantic research in the Wasteland's culture is held to be the preservation and extension of true life; the mockery of such that is undeath is suitable only for servants or tools (making the "reward" of undeath for loyal warriors something less than respected, a fact of which few recipients of the gift are aware). It is for this reason that the few dread necromancers (Heroes of Horror) in the Wasteland are generally solitary - their gradual transformation into liches is considered a foolish path, and few of their fellow mages will willingly deal with someone so unorthodox. Fortunately for those who choose to become dread necromancers, other adventuring folk are generally ignorant of the prejudice against their ways, and their own abilities make them more than competent to pursue their researches independently in any case. -------------------- Hope someone found this interesting.