Modern Arcane Practices
Modern magic is far more predictable than the aforementioned antediluvian magics. During the Wars with Magic there were simply Casters; individuals able to bend arcane energy to their will as they saw fit. Casters, it seems, were not bound to the same limitations as today's arcane practitioners. Casters of old could utilize any spell or power, provided they were capable enough to understand it, and were not limited to the same spheres of study as modern day Casters. There were no Wizards, Sorcerers, Druids, or Bards; simply those with power, and those without.
As was mentioned, today's casters are generally divided into groupings based on their sphere of study and influence; known colloquially as castes, or classes. One's caste is determined by their field of study, sphere of influence, and focus of concentration to harness and bend Arcane Energy.
Whether the focus of concentration to harness this power is knowledge and lore, as is the case with Wizards or Artificers; through the sheer will of faith or focus on the natural world around them, as is the case with Paladins, Clerics, and Druids; or through interactions with others and a desire to propel themselves forward into something more, as is the case with Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Bards; it all begins and ends with this same cosmic essence gifted from the gods, and other planar beings, from above and below.
Magic today has rules, whereas it seems the magic of old did not. The various casters are different in some ways but similar in most. More similar in fact, than most may be willing to admit. The schools of magic extend to across the practices of all castes, often intermingling and overlapping. Of course, there are those magics outside the basic eight schools, but even these sub-schools or alternative schools have their limitations.
Comments