Magic
At its most fundamental, magic is a
supernatural energy and medium that can be
manipulated to affect the underlying fabric of
reality by an effort of will. Magic allows those
who master its principles to defy or bend natural law,
whether subtly or overtly, and its practitioners have useful
but dangerous forces at their disposal.
Some say this is the gods’ power made manifest—a way for mortals to perceive and affect the weft and weave of the ineffable essence of reality—but many arcanists view it as a natural science with its own laws, limits, and predictable interactions that are not yet fully understood.
Some practitioners make it their life’s work to add to the understanding of these powers and pass this lore to their peers, but for others, magic is purely an outpouring of one’s own will and is wielded intuitively, like a weapon. Mortal minds find it difficult to control the vast and dangerous energies required to shape reality, and very few attain power that blurs the line between the mortal and the divine. Producing magic requires tapping into a source of this supernatural energy and shaping it by mentally visualizing and manipulating formulae comprised of mystical runes (Runes and Formulae). Once an arcanist is satisfied with a formula, activating its runes triggers the release of energy that completes the spell and invokes the magic.
To accomplish this exploit, one must have a special gift to see and shape mystical runes. This ability is found in Humans. Rhulfolk, Iosans, Nyss, Trollkin, and certain other races but remains dormant and unharnessed by most. Humanity has long had a complicated relationship with this talent. For most of recorded history, only priests could manifest magic, but this changed during the rebellion against the Orgoth. As this power became more widespread, it began manifesting unpredictably in young individuals—a product of the deal Morrow and Thamar struck with the infernals, which ultimately led to the catastrophic Claiming of recent years.
Caen Magic
Magic in the Iron Kingdoms is simultaneously commonplace
and spectacular. Most citizens of western Immoren are
unable to cast magic themselves, marking those with the
talent as rare individuals. No matter their specific area of
expertise, spellcasters are in high demand by all manner of
kings, nations, and gods.
Although spellcasters are rare in western Immoren, magic—specifically, Mechankia—is not. Mechanika is responsible for the greatest advancements in the Iron Kingdoms and has reshaped war and industry alike.
Mechanikal devices are constructed to fulfill a wide array of purposes, whether in the service of massive military foundries churning out weapons of war or for the benefit of independent Mechaniks tinkering in their workshops. Most citizens do not have mechanikal devices in their homes to handle mundane tasks such as sweeping the floor, but nearly everyone has seen or interacted with a mechanikal item or Steamjacks in some capacity.
Mechankia, although not uncommon, is often reserved for performing tasks that require the level of efficiency a magically powered device can produce or for producing results that cannot be replicated through simple engineering and machines. Thus, mechanika is often found in industrial workplaces, incorporated into modes of public transportation, and most certainly integrated into methods of warfare and combat.
At the GM’s discretion, nearly any magic item available to a player can be reclassified as a mechanikal item, using the rules provided in the “Mechanika” section. A GM who wants to handle a particular magic item in this fashion should determine how many rune points are required to power the device’s runeplates (Runes and Formulae). If a magic item normally comes with a set number of charges, it will not replenish those charges normally but will require a fresh capacitor instead.
Some say this is the gods’ power made manifest—a way for mortals to perceive and affect the weft and weave of the ineffable essence of reality—but many arcanists view it as a natural science with its own laws, limits, and predictable interactions that are not yet fully understood.
Some practitioners make it their life’s work to add to the understanding of these powers and pass this lore to their peers, but for others, magic is purely an outpouring of one’s own will and is wielded intuitively, like a weapon. Mortal minds find it difficult to control the vast and dangerous energies required to shape reality, and very few attain power that blurs the line between the mortal and the divine. Producing magic requires tapping into a source of this supernatural energy and shaping it by mentally visualizing and manipulating formulae comprised of mystical runes (Runes and Formulae). Once an arcanist is satisfied with a formula, activating its runes triggers the release of energy that completes the spell and invokes the magic.
To accomplish this exploit, one must have a special gift to see and shape mystical runes. This ability is found in Humans. Rhulfolk, Iosans, Nyss, Trollkin, and certain other races but remains dormant and unharnessed by most. Humanity has long had a complicated relationship with this talent. For most of recorded history, only priests could manifest magic, but this changed during the rebellion against the Orgoth. As this power became more widespread, it began manifesting unpredictably in young individuals—a product of the deal Morrow and Thamar struck with the infernals, which ultimately led to the catastrophic Claiming of recent years.
Caen Magic
Magic in the Iron Kingdoms is simultaneously commonplace
and spectacular. Most citizens of western Immoren are
unable to cast magic themselves, marking those with the
talent as rare individuals. No matter their specific area of
expertise, spellcasters are in high demand by all manner of
kings, nations, and gods.
Although spellcasters are rare in western Immoren, magic—specifically, Mechankia—is not. Mechanika is responsible for the greatest advancements in the Iron Kingdoms and has reshaped war and industry alike.
Mechanikal devices are constructed to fulfill a wide array of purposes, whether in the service of massive military foundries churning out weapons of war or for the benefit of independent Mechaniks tinkering in their workshops. Most citizens do not have mechanikal devices in their homes to handle mundane tasks such as sweeping the floor, but nearly everyone has seen or interacted with a mechanikal item or Steamjacks in some capacity.
Mechankia, although not uncommon, is often reserved for performing tasks that require the level of efficiency a magically powered device can produce or for producing results that cannot be replicated through simple engineering and machines. Thus, mechanika is often found in industrial workplaces, incorporated into modes of public transportation, and most certainly integrated into methods of warfare and combat.
At the GM’s discretion, nearly any magic item available to a player can be reclassified as a mechanikal item, using the rules provided in the “Mechanika” section. A GM who wants to handle a particular magic item in this fashion should determine how many rune points are required to power the device’s runeplates (Runes and Formulae). If a magic item normally comes with a set number of charges, it will not replenish those charges normally but will require a fresh capacitor instead.
