The Four Types of Magic

There are 4 types of magic in the world: Natural, Divine, Extraplanar, and Arcane. These distinctions do not have a large impact game/combat mechanics in everyday situations, but they do impact plot elements and world lore, and some homebrew elements are based on these priciples. The many references to "dark magic" throughout the lore do not refer to an additional type of magic, but rather to certain uses/aspects of these types that many people find unnerving, immoral, overly dangerous, or otherwise aversive in some fashion. Extraplanar magic is most frequently associated with "dark magic" as it is by far the most unusual, unpredictable, and often dangerous type of magic to encounter.

Natural Magic

While sometimes called "nature magic" by residents of the material plane, natural magic is a broader category than that name might imply, and it is found and used throughout the inner planes in many different forms. It's true that it is primarily tied to the physical aspects of the material plane, but it's also tied to the Feywild and Shadowfell, which are often seen as reflections of the material plane, and to the Elemental Planes. On the material plane it is most frequently used by rangers, druids, healers, and some clerics of nature deities. It is also the type of magic that is easiest for natives of the inner planes to learn to use; anyone from these planes automatically has a connection to this kind of magic and has the potential to become a powerful wielder should they choose.

Natural magic has a reputation for being the least powerful form of magic since its also the most commonly used, but this is not necessarily true. A natural mage who spends as much time practicing as a powerful wizard will have an equal level of magical power, but with different applications: natural magic's ties to the inner planes means its scope is somewhat more limited, but within these planes, it is just as powerful as any other. Beyond the inner planes, however, natural magic does becomes significantly weaker the farther from the material plane one travels.

Divine Magic

Divine magic is tied to deities' personal planes and the aligned outer planes (planes tied to alignments: good, evil, law, chaos, or neutral), and is most powerful in these planes. Divine magic is somewhat weaker on the inner planes (or far planes) compared to its power on its "home" planes, but is still a powerful magic source wherever it is used. Clerics & Paladins are the main users of this type of magic on the material plane, as they channel the power of their deities.

The alignment & domains of various deities also have different effects on divine magic wielders who visit their planes, depending on whether the visitor's deity's alignment & domains match or contradict those of the plane one is currently visiting. For instance, a cleric of a good-aligned deity visiting the plane of their own deity, or of another good-aligned deity, would find their magic to be boosted in power, but if they visited the plane of an evil-aligned deity they'd find their magic to be weaker than usual. Similarly for conflicting domain types, e.g. fire and water. Note: the alignment of the deity, not the cleric, is what determines the bonus/penalty. The rule about clerics' alignments being within one "step" of their deity applies as usual; as long as you meet the normal alignment criteria the bonus/penalty will work the same.

Extraplanar Magic

Extraplanar magic is tied to the Far Realm and other planes beyond the known outer & inner planes. Similarly to how natural magic's effectiveness decreases the farther one gets from the inner planes, extraplanar magic becomes less powerful the farther one travels from the far planes. In its most potent form, wielded by the far planes' natives in their own realm, extraplanar magic is capable of feats far beyond those of a powerful deity, let alone a mortal mage. However, this power doesn't carry over once one of these beings leaves the far planes. The creatures from the Far Realm most frequently seen on other planes are known as abberrations, and while they can certainly be quite dangerous, they are far weaker than they would normally be upon entering the inner planes, which is extremely fortunate for those who live there. The most powerful beings in the far planes are generally unable to access the known outer and inner planes directly and rely on followers/worshipers/minions to carry out any desires they may have regarding those planes & their inhabitants.

It is highly uncommon for beings native to the material plane to wield this kind of magic, and those who do often have some kind of strange, otherworldly aura about them, which some people find extremely unsettling. Most material plane natives who use extraplanar magic are warlocks of some entity from the far planes. However, an increasing number of mages suspect that wild magic sorcerers might actually be getting their power from "leaks" of extraplanar magic into the material plane, similar to (or even the same as) the dimensional rifts that allow creatures from the far realm to gain access to other planes.

It is worth noting that these "leaks" are very small scale & short term and don't pose any threat to the other planes; they are not large enough, stable enough connections for any of the extremely powerful eldritch beings from the far realm and beyond to pass through. Larger, more stable rifts are technically possible, though extremely difficult to create and maintain. In normal circumstances, even the most powerful mortal mages are nowhere near strong enough to accomplish this feat, and it would take numerous deities working together to even have a chance at opening such a rift. However, the planes themselves sometimes align or interact in ways that make these stable rifts far easier to open. The last time this was known to have happened was in the days of the Ancient Adventurers, and it seems that this was a key part of what caused Vesrad to reach the height of their power, then fall shortly thereafter, when they did.

Arcane Magic

Unlike the other three types, arcane magic is not intrinsically tied to any planes. It is sometimes thought of as the most pure form of magic, that connects all of the universe and is the seed from which the other types of magic evolved. Whether or not this is true, it is certainly the most versatile form of magic, and one that, in theory, anyone can learn regardless of their plane of origin, though some find it much more difficult than others. Those from divine-magic or extraplanar-magic planes seldom explore arcane magic, since their own specialized magic is usually more than sufficient for all their intents and purposes; those from the inner planes are much more frequently interested in learning the use of arcane magic.

The abilities of most magical creatures from the inner planes are in fact using arcane magic, not natural magic, which has sparked the curiosity of scholars and mages throughout history. At present, the best understanding people have is that living creatures of any type have the ability to tap into a special kind of magical energy that is present across all planes, though more intelligent creatures can refine their ability to use this energy even farther. The fundamental nature of arcane magic is a subject of hot debate as well, with draconic sorcerers being one commonly used example: the fact that having a dragon ancestor can grant individuals unique abilities is well-known, but the rules of how these abilities are passed on and why certain people in that bloodline can have them while others don't is still unclear, despite countless attempts to find a pattern. like everyone trying to solve quantum gravity lol

Type

Metaphysical