Magical Catalyst

Power From Within

Magical Catalysts, often confused with Named Items, are a necessary requirement when using Systems of Magic. Many dispute that magical catalysts are the most important ingredient in creating a successful spell, however, the success widely depends on the abilities of the caster.

Natural Catalysts

Any item can be used as a catalyst to create magic. However, this law is bound by reality. A boulder will always create a more powerful spell than a pebble, depending on the caster's intent. The act of creating magic is widely understood as a thought exercise. For magic to be successful, the caster must create a thought-link between catalyst and incantation. For example, if a mage were to desire hardened skin from the alteration school of magic, the mage could use anything that would impart the thought of becoming hardened as a catalyst. The potency of the spell would depend on how strong the belief and being are. Going back to our rock example, both are equally as hard, but a boulder has a much higher chance than a pebble at stopping a sword. Therefore, the boulder has a stronger being than the pebble, creating a more potent spell.

Unnatural Catalysts

While everything in the world of Goia could serve the purpose of a magical catalyst, there are specifically crafted items that can serve a much wider purpose. The most common among mages being the Grimoire. These magical textbooks contain incantations, instructions for various rituals or practices, and are often passed down throughout the generations of mageborns. In practice, the grimoire is used as both method of incantation and catalyst. This is possible due a combination of factors. The most important being the caster's level of skill in a particular school of magic, and the magic that was imbued into the grimoire.

While a Grimoire is among the most common of man-made catalysts, there are other items that create the same effect, but may be limited. A sword, for example, may be inscribed with an incantation along its blade, or a piece of armor with a series of inscriptions.

Creating a Catalyst

In theory, catalysts act as containers which hold "activation" magic, like a spark that can grow into a flame. For an unnatural catalyst to be created, that spark must first be placed within the container. This is a time intensive process, which is the reason many unnatural catalysts are passed from mageborn to mageborn. First, the mage must inscribe the desired incantation onto the material, and continuously cast the desired spell. This will imbue the object with lingering magic that can then be used to cast spells, providing a caster with a more streamlined effect. Casting a spell that has not been inscribed on an unnatural catalyst may provide mediocre results and may in fact drain a catalyst of its latent magical abilities.

"Pop!" -Elke Huhle

Information

Type: Magical, Physical

Rarity: Common - Unique

Price: Various

Locations: N/A