Philosophies of Magic

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This is some stuff I've gathered from around, like 2e d&d and 3e d&d and fanatsy literature and stuff. I' interested in what any one has to say on these, but it is all about how magic works.

A- Magic just happens, you do this and this happens

B- People are born with the ability to do magic, and channel it through them, doing this and that spell with imagination.

C- Magic is a boon granted by supernatural powers, and those wanting to learn it must pay a price

D- There is a spark of magic in every living thing, and to cast a spell, firt one must collect it, and either kill it or gather sparingly to perserve it

E- Magic was never meant to be known by man, and those who use it are eventually driven mad

F- It is a real science, and (much like physics) there are equation (or the like) that describe the real world and can be manipulated to produce effects

G- It is all smoke and mirrors, a cheap illusion (birds are hidden under sleeves, or what ever)

H- (this I got straight from a fantasy book) There was once a language of making that made every thing and is now forgotten. Mages seek to remeber it, and by finding out things' true names one can work magic.

That's all I got for now. Also, what does every one think of all the names- sorcerer, wizard, mage, witch, warlock, etc. Do you think of it a s a ranking system, a title taking, or whatever.

 

In the real world, G.

In the fantasy world of WotC, kind of B. Not every one is born with the gift, and even those that are have to learn and control it. It's willpower and imagination.

Although, there's some guys like Yuri Gregarin (sp?) that I'm not really sure about but it's kind of fun to "believe" in it.

 

In the Fantasy World sorcerers are B, I think. Wizards are kind of C...

 

Magic is stuff that happens. There's no need to explain and draw it out. Magic without wonder isn't magic at all. You're in a fantasy world at the moment, so go ahead and suspend your belief.

It just happens.


Names like sorcerer, wizard, mage, witch, warlock, all have the same meaning: Magic-user (yes, that lame word from 1st edition). They create a sense of wonder and power and magic.

In 3rd edition, there is a technical difference from sorcerer and wizard, but if a Joe Public hears the two words, there will probably be no difference to him.

[ April 21, 2003, 14:58: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

This is sort of off topic, but just some food for thought:

There still exist tribes with shaman, or similar people with seemingly magical healing abilities. I'd say this fits with C. But then again, maybe it was simply the process of natural recovery (ie: time heal all wounds) that cured a person; the shaman was there for the "placebo effect." But due to a lack of better explanations, the cure was accredited to the shaman.

Back a few hundred years, there were seers or clairvoyants or fortune tellers. I would use B to explain these people. But who knows? They might be con-artists cheating people for their money.

About the names and ranks: I think witch or warlock or necromancer carry with it a negative connotation. I tend to picture these people as a villain's henchmen rather than a noble king's mage. But in terms of magical prowess, I think they are equal.

Of course, in D&D games, they need a variety of names to keep monsters interesting. And with the monster comes a level or experience value, so the game itself ranks the mage-types. I wouldn't be surprised if two games ranked these magic-users differently, since you just mix and match names with experience/level/magic power.

[ April 21, 2003, 21:36: Message edited by: Blog ]

 

I go with F, as that is where one of my favorite serries of books places it and it makes a lot of sense there, though in the books it is phychic powers rather than magic and the two are vastly different.

 

Ok, heres another one

I- Magic is drawn from insanely distant places of vast size, or is a secret man wasn't ment to know, and one you work magic, you risk finding out to much and going mad.

 

J - everyone has a spark of magic within them, yet only some can access it on their own and can harness the powers (sorcerers) others who wish to use the powers must study learn techniques and mathmatics to be able to use it safely (mages) Some manage to control it relatively easily and add power to their art with ceremony and impressive phrases (wizard) Some instead use their powers along with knowledge of herbs and biology to heal people and protect a certain terratory, others of this type travel around to steal away small villages (witches)

there are a lot more types I could touch on