Magic

As a preface to this section I would like to point out that I do not like the magic system in the D&D game and I never have. I was disappointed that magic in third edition was handled in much the same way it had been in second. I dislike the fact that most spell-casters have to memorise spells in advance - I don't think it can be justified. I've been running D&D in one incarnation or another since 1992 and in that time I have always used a spell point system for magic users, and never required any class to memorise or prepare spells before casting them. Third edition has thrown a few more ideas into the pot that I have had to cope with but, on the whole, my 'vision' for the magic system remains unchanged. Details of spell points and new rules for spell failure can be found by following these links:

• Spell Points
• Spell Failure

Wizards, sorcerers, bards, druids, clerics, psions..... six very different practitioners, each capable of creating effects so peculiar and impossible that they can only be called magic. But what is magic? How do these completely different and separate paths create such similar results? Regardless of the source, all their work can be undone by a suitably robust dispel magic enchantment, but how is this the case? These distinct classes work their will in completely different ways, draw their energies from completely different sources…. so how can the same magical spell affect them all?

It is a knotty problem, and one that I had to solve to my satisfaction before running the game. I like diversity, and I like the idea of there being dozens of different ways to create magic. The wizard is completely different from a cleric so the way he casts spells should also be different, so I thought. However, the D&D game assumes a great commonality between the magic-using classes. There is one universal spell list. Spell resistance applies equally to a wizard as it does to a bard as it does to a druid. And, as I have mentioned, dispel magic, brings down any sort of spell.

The third edition psionics handbook (in both original and expanded flavours) gives the GM an option that "Psionics is Different" (PSI p65). It states that because psionics is completely alien to magic a completely different set of rules should be applied to it. I liked that idea. I always thought it worked well in the Darksun campaigns I used to run, but then I got to thinking about. If Psionics is different, why isn't every branch of magic different from every other branch of magic? If divine magic cast by a cleric is so different to the arcane magic cast by a bard, then why should a dispel magic cast by a cleric affect a bard's spells?

I very quickly realised that this line of logic would create an enormous amount of work for me, and radically change the face of magic in the D&D game (and I was already planning on changing it enough). Therefore, I decided to rationalise - to create a explanation for magic that made sense to me. All of the magic listed above draws power from the same source. I do not use the "Psionics is Different" option. However, what I do is explain the nature and origins of magic better than the PHB. The following is based heavily on my Iourn campaign setting, although the principle is easily transferable. This may not be everyone's understanding of the way magic works, but it is mine.

The Magical Weave

The Great Tapestry, the Yarn of Ages, the Source, the Clay, the Fires of Creation, the Weave. All names for the raw, naked power that is used to create magical effects. The origin of this force will vary from campaign setting to campaign setting. It is up to the GM, or the published background material, to decide where this power comes from. Maybe it is made up of the stray thoughts of all sentient creatures, and every time a spell is cast someone somewhere inexplicably forgets something. Maybe it is the chaotic energy that was left over by the Creator after he built the world. Maybe it was a force deliberately created by a single god for nefarious purposes. For the purposes of this section it doesn't matter where the Weave came from, all that matters is that it exists.

So what is the Weave? The Weave is the raw material from which every magic spell or psionic power is made. All spell-casters in the D&D game (including psions and their ilk) are actually magic-weavers. They manipulate the weave to create magical effects. Naming that effect a spell, talent or power is really just semantics. The differences between magic-weavers lie in how they combine the threads of the Weave into a spell, but once created all spells are made up of the same material.

Therefore, when dispel magic is cast it attacks the spell itself, unravelling the threads that have been combined to produce it. It doesn't matter how the weaving was created by this stage, all that matters is that the spell exists. Therefore, a wall of fire created by a wizardly spell or a psionic power is equally vulnerable to being destroyed by dispel magic. To put it another way, the spell attacks the Weave, it does not attack the method of the weaving.

There are seven known methods of manipulating the Weave to create a spell. Within each method there are several different branches that have come about either through design or necessity. Follow the links below for more information.

• Arcane Magic
• Divine Magic
• Song Magic
• Nature Magic
• Psionics
• True and Epic Magic
• Incantations

In addition to these seven, a special mention needs to be given to Corrupt Magic (also known as Sanctified Magic). This ancient tradition predates the Weave and is therefore not spellcasting. However, it is certainly worth a look:

• Corrupt Magic (Sanctified Magic)

The Shadow Weave

In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a Shadow Weave exists alongside the normal Weave. The idea being that the Weave and the Shadow Weave were created by different and opposing gods. While anyone can use the Weave, only clerics and followers of a specific god (in this case Shar) can manipulate the Shadow Weave. This is a perfectly sound idea that I have happily adapted to my own campaign setting - although no PC has yet stumbled across its existence. Details of my Shadow Weave may one day appear on the Iourn section of this site.

Detect Magic and Spellcraft

The spell detect magic works by recognising distortions and patterns in the Weave. If it sees something that is out of the ordinary then it flags it up the caster as magical. Spells designed to fool detect magic do so by trying to hide this distortion in the weave. Spellcraft is the skill of interpreting this distortion and telling what the magical effect is. It does not matter which method has been used to weave the distortion in the first place, all that matters is that the pattern that is visible to detect magic. A wizard who has never seen a psionic power in action before can still use his spellcraft skill to recognise the fact that his psion foe has caused the Weave to mutate into something that will shortly send a ball of fire hurtling in his direction. Because of this, there is no "psicraft" or similar skill in the game to recognise and identify different sorts of magic. Everything relies on Spellcraft. The section on Skills has more information on this.

Dispel Magic, Antimagic and Spell Resistance

The spell dispel magic and similar magicks effectively create a wave of magical force in the Weave that attempts to 'smooth out' the distortion caused by another spell-weaver's spell. Whether this wave is powerful enough depends on the level of the dispeller. Multiple attempts can be made to dispel a single distortion to the Weave and all might be unsuccessful. If a successful dispel magic is cast upon something that is permanent link to the Weave (like a magic item) then the link is briefly disrupted (1d4 rounds).

Antimagic automatically creates an equal and opposite force to cancel out any magical effect within range. Unlike a successful dispelling, antimagic does not terminate magic spells it simply suppresses their effects while they are within an area of antimagic. Someone with the detect magic spell running would find the spell switch off when he entered an area of antimagic, but come back as soon as he left the area. Because of the way antimagic functions, it is also one of the few spells that has any effect on supernatural abilities. It will also suppress them.

Areas of dead magic function much like antimagic areas, with a few exceptions. Dead magic areas usually exist because the weave has been broken by some terrible event (such as the casting of a Mordenkainen's disjuncture spell). Because it is only the weave that is broken, supernatural abilities usually function normally in these areas.

Spell Resistance works like a localised dispel magic that is continuously active around the possessor. Any effect in the magical weave that comes into contact with someone who has spell resistance stands a chance of being automatically dispelled. Most characters with spell resistance can chose to lower it, to allow themselves to be affected by beneficial spells (such as healing magic) but this is not the case for all such races.

The most powerful tool to dispel magic is the spell, Mordenkainen's disjuncture. The effect of this spell is akin to taking a pair of scissors to the Weave and cutting it to pieces. It automatically destroys all magical spells and spell-like abilities within its area of effect, and permanently renders magical items nonmagical; it can even destroy artefacts (see PHB p255). In addition to the standard effects, I rule that the use of this spell automatically creates a dead magic zone equal to the radius of the spell (a 40' radius). It has no effect on supernatural abilities.

Special Abilities, Items and the Weave

Some clarification is needed on how certain special abilities are related to the Weave and how they function in regard to it. On the whole I have not changed the rules from those that appear in the PHB, however they are worth repeating here if only to place them in context. See PHB p180 for more information.

Natural Abilities

As the name suggests these abilities are wholly mundane. The ability of a human to walk is a natural ability. The ability of a dog to mistake his master's leg for a member of the opposite gender is a natural ability. These are abilities that exist in our world. They are not tied to the Weave in the slightest.

Extraordinary Abilities

These are abilities that look magical, but in reality are mundane. The rogue's uncanny dodge, or the troll's remarkable powers of regeneration are both extraordinary abilities. They may break the laws of physics, but they are not magical. They therefore have nothing to do with the Weave. These abilities cannot be dispelled or stopped with spell resistance or an antimagic field.

Spell-like Abilities

These powers are sometimes called Psi-like Abilities when they mimic psionic powers. Spell-like abilities that can be called upon either at will, or a certain number of times per day. They function in every regard like a spell of the method they are linked to. Therefore a spell-like ability activated by a druid would probably use Nature Magic, and would therefore draw energy from its surroundings to power the manipulation of the Weave; a caster using Divine magic would draw upon the power of a deity each time his spell-like ability was used. However, there are some differences between spells and spell-like abilities that need to be underlined:

Spell-like abilities have no verbal, somatic or material components. If they are psionic in origin then their use does not result in any of the sensory affects usually associated with such powers. The use of a spell-like ability never results in XP loss, regardless of the spell description. Spell-like abilities cannot be counter-spelled, neither can they be used to counter-spell. However, they are still tied to the weave so they are subject to spell resistance, they can still be dispelled and they do not function in areas of anti-magic or dead magic. Using a spell-like ability provokes an attack of opportunity in the same way as casting a spell.

Supernatural Abilities

These abilities look magical, and can create effects that mimic spells, but they draw their power from another source, and not from the Weave at all. A dragon's breath weapon, a medusa's petrifying gaze and the granted powers of the cleric are all examples of supernatural abilities. They cannot be used for counterspelling, nor can they be counterspelled. Also, because these abilities are not tied to the Weave they are not subject to spell resistance, and neither can they be dispelled with dispel magic. Using a supernatural ability does not (usually) provoke an attack of opportunity.

The only way to block a supernatural ability is to cut off the recipient from the source of the power: e.g. transport a cleric to a plane that her god's power cannot reach, sever the vampire's link with the Negative Material Plane to stop it energy draining and so on. The easiest way to do this is to use the spell antimagic field - which is such a comprehensive block on the conduits of power that it affects supernatural abilities as well as those powers related to the Weave. Supernatural abilities will probably function normally in dead magic zones (this is a change to the rules). However, local conditions that suppress the Weave may - at the GM's discretion - also suppress supernatural abilities.

Please note that because Supernatural abilities do not tap, effect or distort the Weave in any way, they are invisible to spells such as detect magic. More powerful divinations, such as true seeing, would reveal Supernatual abilities for what they are.

Magical Items

Call them magical items or psionic items, both are essentially the same thing. They are objects of one sort or another that have been imbued with the ability to manipulate the Weave. How this is done varies in the same way that magic weavers themselves vary, but once completed a magical item is effectively a continuously running spell. Magical items remain in continuous touch with the Weave, that is how a detect magic reveals their nature. Take a magic item into a dead magic zone or antimagic field and its powers cease, but take it out again and it immediately recreates its link. A dispel magic only temporarily disrupts the magic of such objects, although such items can be destroyed. See the section on Magical Items for more information.