Magic is a complex phenomenon that is inextricably linked to its cosmological place in the multiverse. Countless scholars have tried to create a unified theory of magic, ranging from the religious to the scientific, but no theory so far can adequately explain everything.
The Nature of Magic
Magic is the ability for intangible things, such as thoughts, emotions, and beliefs, to affect tangible reality in violation of natural laws. To perform magic, intention is required, although the effects of magic may persist without active maintenance, and the results of magic may not exactly reflect the caster’s desires. Magic is possible on Amalthea because the planet is a nexus for energies that flow from the Spiritual Planes in orbit around it. These Planes of magic are invisible when viewed from the Material Plane, but appear as unnaturally bright planets or stars when viewed from the Ethereal and Astral Planes (collectively called the Aether). Astrology is the study of the Planes and their effects on Amalthea, its residents, and its magic. While all astrologians are mages, not all mages are astrologians, as an in depth understanding of the Planes is not prerequisite to learning magic.
Not everything that is considered “supernatural” by real life standards is magical in Amalthea. For example, alchemy and certain martial techniques may break real world laws of science, but they don't count as magic as they don't need the user to mentally bend reality to their will. These abilities instead work on physical, chemical, or biological laws in Amalthea that differ from real life.
The Cycle of Magic
Magic in Amalthea follows a thousand-year cycle, rising to a peak and falling to a trough periodically. Astrologians believe that this cycle is caused by the relative positions of the Spiritual Planes to Amalthea, much like how the orbits of the moons affect the tides. A millennium of high magic is called an age of Light, where magical births are plentiful, and magical phenomena are predictable enough to be harnessed by mortals. At the zenith of an age of Light, anyone with the desire and resources can learn magic, regardless of innate potential. By contrast, a millennium of low magic is called an age of Darkness, where magical births decline in numbers and magical power becomes difficult for mortals to access. At the nadir of a Dark age, magic becomes out of reach for all mortals but a remarkable few.
Each Age of Light gives rise to new forms of magic that change the course of history, while each Age of Darkness that follows would see the sharp decline in those forms of magic. Primal magic, possessed by almost all immortal beings in the Material Plane, was popularized in the First Light when these beings built their ancient empires. Divine magic came to prominence in the Second Light as organized religions became the dominant supernatural institutions in this age. The Third Light, an era defined by mortal ambition and rationalism, led to the proliferation of Arcane magic.
Casting Traditions
Magic in Amalthea is broadly classified into four Casting Traditions: Arcane, Divine, Primal, and Occult. With the exception of Occult magic, all magic can be ultimately traced back to the Spiritual Planes, and thus follow the same basic laws.
You must take at least two drawbacks with each Casting Tradition: a predetermined primary drawback, and a secondary drawback chosen from an optional list. You can always select additional drawbacks, including drawbacks from other Casting Traditions, gaining boons or bonus SP as usual. Your primary drawback is mandatory, as it determines the type of your magic. However, with moderator permission, you can choose a secondary drawback not in the list, including primary or secondary drawbacks from other traditions (see
Sorcery and Mixed Traditions).
Each Casting Tradition also has associated casting abilities, a list of the most common spheres found among casters of this tradition, and a list of uncommon spheres rarely found outside of this tradition. These are merely lore considerations, and you are free to choose unusual combinations of tradition, casting ability, and spheres.
Arcane Magic
- Primary Drawback: Skilled Casting or Somatic Casting
- Secondary Drawbacks: Focus Casting, Material Casting, Skilled Casting, Somatic Casting
- Associated Casting Ability: Intelligence
- Common Spheres: Destruction, Enhancement, Mind, Telekinesis, Time, Warp
- Uncommon Spheres: Creation, Illusion
Arcane magic is the scientific study of magic as replicable phenomena, with a focus on learning the non-magical principles involved in producing magical effects. Arcane mages treat the Spiritual Planes as little more than mana batteries, and rely on instruments and materials with stable supernatural properties to minimize the variable effects of the caster’s mental state on the final results. Arcane magic is the most common type of magic found in the modern age, fueling the magitech industries that form the backbone of society. The success of Arcane magic comes from its precision, predictability, and relative ease of learning. In theory, anyone can be taught Arcane magic, without the need for a magical lineage or recognition by supernatural beings. In practice, however, innate talent and wealth are both highly advantageous in the study of Arcane magic.
Arcane spellcasters are referred to as Arcanists, Arcane Scientists, or more traditionally, Wizards.
Divine Magic
- Primary Drawback: Verbal Casting or Focus Casting/Galvanized, which must be an object of very obvious symbolism
- Secondary Drawbacks: Emotional Casting, Focus Casting, Galvanized, Verbal Casting
- Associated Casting Ability: Wisdom or Charisma
- Common Spheres: Darkness, Divination, Fate, Light, Protection, War
- Uncommon Spheres: Death, Life
Divine magic is the miracle of faith, channeled through symbolic acts and objects such as prayers and religious iconography. The most common sources of Divine magic are the Elder Gods, the genius loci of the Spiritual Planes themselves. Not all Divine casters gain magic directly from the Elder Gods; Some are instead empowered by Ascendant Gods, or Saints, who are deceased mortals and outsiders that gained divinity from the collective faith invested in them. It’s even possible to harness the power of belief without a deity by drawing directly from popular legends, ideals, and philosophies. This leads some cosmologists to theorize that the Elder Gods themselves are merely ideals personified through acts of devotion, and did not take their current forms before mortals worshiped them.
Typical Divine spellcasters are called Clerics, Inquisitors, Priests, or some other title applied to members of clergy. Bards are a unique type of Divine mage that gain their power from a diverse collection of folkloric beliefs and traditions. Paladins and Anti-Paladins are empowered directly by the Amalthean zeitgeist: Paladins by the hope in justice, liberty, and the triumph of the moral spirit, and Anti-Paladins by fear, despair, and nihilism in face of horrors both eldritch and mundane.
Alignments, Domains, and Gods: In Amalthea, divine spellcasters may be of any alignment, and select any domain that doesn’t conflict with their own alignment. They also don’t need to worship a single deity, since polytheism is the norm. However, note that members of the setting’s organized religions do not normally have access to the Death, Destruction, or Evil domains, nor any of their subdomains (except for Psychopomp).
Primal Magic
- Primary Drawback: Magical Signs; Witchmarked is acceptable for unusual-looking characters
- Secondary Drawbacks: Center of Power, Draining Casting, Unstable Storage
- Associated Casting Ability: Wisdom or Charisma; Constitution if using Draining Casting
- Common Spheres: Blood, Conjuration, Darkness, Destruction, Light, Nature, Weather
- Uncommon Spheres: Alteration, Fallen Fey
Primal magic is the most ancient form of magic, existing long before mortals formed civilized societies, and observed even in non-sapient beasts. Primal magic is the inherent magic of all things that have a will, imbued in them by the natural cycle of mana between the Material Plane and the Spiritual Planes. Primal magic comes in two main forms: innate magic, produced by the supernatural biology of beings such as dragons, elementals, fey, and magical beasts; and animist magic, produced by mortals who temporarily acquire supernatural biology by accepting possession by naturally-occurring mana spirits. The messy, organic nature of Primal magic makes it imprecise, prone to instability, and difficult to hide.
Typical Primal spellcasters are called Animists, Druids, or Shamans. Races with innate Primal magic, such as Beastfolk and Dragonkin, don’t have special terms for Primal casters, since such magic is simply normalized among them.
Occult Magic
- Primary Drawback: Innate Curse
- Secondary Drawbacks: Addictive Casting, Terrain Casting, Wild Magic
- Associated Casting Ability: Intelligence or Charisma
- Common/Uncommon Spheres: Any
Occult magic is the catch-all term for magic that comes from a source other than the Elder Gods and the Spiritual Planes. The most well-known source of Occult magic is the Great Old Ones, powerful cosmic beings from beyond Amalthea’s native multiverse, whose very presence causes madness and disaster. As such, Occult magic is seen as unnatural to Amalthea, and its practice is forbidden by most governments and religions in the world. Occult mages with wild magic are especially persecuted, with many places imprisoning or even killing wild mages on sight. It is unknown if Occult sources of magic other than the Great Old Ones exist. Some Occult mages claim they do, and draw power from such sources with little to no harmful effects, but few are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Most people believe that Occult magic is bound to drive its caster mad, if it doesn’t kill the caster through some mishap first.
Occult spellcasters are called Occultists, Thaumaturges, Warlocks, or Witches.
Sorcery and Mixed Traditions
Casting Traditions are broad categories, not hard rules, and many spellcasters blend different types of magic to create unique traditions. For example, a Theurge may combine Arcane and Divine magic by applying scientific methods to theology. It is especially common for Sorcerers, mortals born with innate talent for some form of magic, to follow idiosyncratic traditions that don't fit nicely into any box. Such mages can simply combine drawbacks from different casting traditions to represent their unique approach to magic, although they must still name a primary tradition and take its associated mandatory drawback. Because all magic fundamentally expends the same type of spiritual energy (represented by a spell point pool), multiple tradition rules are not in play, unless a class feature specifically allows you to have multiple casting traditions.
