User:Spazalicious Chaos/The World of Varanost (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Magic

''Magic is the force that binds all of reality together. It follows the natural laws, enforces the natural order, and obeys the practiced mind.'' Or so the philosophers believe. While indeed as ordered and messurable as any other part of the natural world, no natural philosopher has yet determined what magic is, though it is well known how magic works:

Arcane Magic
While it takes years of practice (or natural talent), magic can be harnessed by the mortal mind. Utilizing formula and ritual, magic worked by mortal hands follows the process of invoke, provoke, evoke. Invoke draws the magical energies out of the surrounding envirns in a display of light and sound, and absorbing it into the ritual tools, though some absorb it directly into their bodies (Eschew Materials feat). Provoke is the stage where this raw energy is warped, frayed, and reshaped into the form the spell requires, during which the energy glides and swirls around the caster. This is often done with gestures and incantation, but again there are those who shape it with the mind and not the word or hand. Evoke is the final stage where the spell is released, causing it's effects in yet another awesome display of light and sound, in addition to the other effects of the spell.

Where arcane spell casting will always beat Divine is the Ban: Arcane spell casting does not have one. As it is the caster themselves who are shaping the energies, there is no entity to deny them their power. However, Arcane magic does not benefit from a Boon of any kind; once a mage is out of magic, he is finished until he can rest the ammount of time required for his race. Indeed, the Great Secret of Elven Wizardry is as simple as that: while other need 8 hours of rest, Elves need four.

Divine Magic
Dieties are magic incarnate, powered by the raw substance of magic itself. However, as dieties are ideas, and ideas can be forgotten, all the gods bestow their magic to mortals who show absolute devotion to their causes, which in turn recruit more worshipers, some of whom are also granted power, and the cycle bagins anew to ensure the gods are never without the prayer they feed on. Divine magic is worked by the process of prayer, channel, and release. Prayer begins the process by offering sacrifices and prayer to the mortals patron, producing little magical display but often quite a bit of noise and theatre by itself. If the ritual worked, the diety begins to Channel his magic into the mortals body in a terrific display of light and the awesome pressence of the divine voice speaking the incantation to shape the energy. Once this process is over, the mortal glows with the newly invested divine light until the Release, which performs the spells effect in yet another display of light and sound in addition to the other effects of the spell.

All Divine magic is conditional, and only works provided the deity does not Ban it's use. However, the deity is always interested in his portfolio. While usually a mortal can only ask a god for so many favors in a day, if the mortal wishes to act in such a way that is in the deities best interest, the diety may grant a Boon, be in the form of a divine servant or as an extra gift of magic.