The Weave

Mortals cannot directly shape raw magic. Instead, most who wield magic make use of the Weave. The Weave is the manifestation of raw magic, a kind of interface between the will of a spellcaster and the stuff of raw magic. Without the Weave, raw magic is locked away and inaccessible - an archmage can't light a candle in a dead magic zone. But, surrounded by the Weave, a spellcaster can shape lightning to blast her foes, transport herself hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye, even reverse death itself. All spells, magic items, spell-like abilities, and even supernatural abilities such as a ghost's ability to walk through walls, depend on the Weave and call upon it in different ways.

The exact nature of the Weave is elusive because it is many things simultaneously. The Weave is the body of Mystra, the goddess of magic. Mystra has dominion over magic worked throughout Toril, but she cannot shut off the flow of magic altogether without ceasing to exist herself. The Weave is the conduit spellcasters use to channel magical energy for their spells, both arcane and divine. Finally, the Weave is the fabric of esoteric rules and formulas that comprises the Art (arcane spellcasting) and the Power (divine spellcasting) Everything from the texts of arcane spellbooks to the individual components of spells is part of the Weave. Magic not only flows from source to spellcaster through the Weave, the Weave gives spellcasters the tools they need to shape magic to their purposes.

Mystra and the Weave

Open any three books describing the magic and mage lore of Faerûn, and you’re apt to find three conflicting accounts of the origins and true nature of magic. Some of this apparent contradiction is deliberate falsehood designed to restrict the mastery of magic to those beings properly trained. Much of the rest of it arises from strange views or outright mistakes often unwittingly reproduced by later scholars.

Hear now the truth of things, as best it is understood. To speak simply, all known worlds and planes swarm with ever-present energies. Large and small, free-flowing or bound by physical barriers or magical effects (themselves merely energies shaped and designed to restrict or hold other energies), these surges and dissipations of energy give light and life and movement to everything. They are the stuff of life itself, and they would be present even if all living and once-living things on Toril were stripped away to bare rocks.

What some folk refer to as magic and wizards speak of as the Art is the means by which some beings can call on the ever-present energies and wield them to create effects. Sorcerers do this instinctively through an innate gift and the incredible force of their personalities. Bard songs waken echoes of the songs of beginning, the music of creation itself. Wizards construct processes— spells—enabling them to bend the Weave to their will in order to do what they desire. The divine power infusing any cleric holding the spells of her god or goddess can do the same, shaping the Weave through the holy (or unholy) power granted her.

Many types of magic—rune magic, shadow magic (not to be confused with the Shadow Weave), gem magic, elemental magic, even the elven high magic of old—have been spoken of down the years, but these are all merely different processes or paths to the same mastery of natural energies. This endless, ever-shifting web of forces is known as the Weave. Humans refer to the entity or awareness that is bound to the Weave of Toril as Mystra, and worship her as their goddess of magic.

The present Mystra is a recently ascended mortal woman, who took over from her exhausted predecessor during the Time of Troubles. Mystra exists to give magic to all creatures and to control its use. In ancient times, the archmages of Netheril ignored the dictates of Mystryl, goddess of magic at the time. One, the wizard Karsus the Mad, tried to seize divinity by the casting of mighty spells that would have wrecked Toril’s Weave. Mystryl sacrificed herself to save the Weave. Her successor Mystra decreed that no mortals would be allowed to wield such terrible magic again—and that decree holds to this day.

Mystra wards the Weave against those powerful or reckless enough to damage it further. Until the world changes or the divine powers themselves lay down their guardianship over human affairs, the high and perilous magic of the past remains locked away under Mystra’s eye.

Wild Magic

In some areas of Toril, the Weave is so warped or frayed that magic does not function reliably. This damage may be due to some magical disaster, such as those that were common during the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR. or due to some powerful effect that distorts the Weave, such as a mythal (see mythal). Most zones of wild magic created during the Time of Troubles have since disappeared, but small pockets of wild magic remain, especially underground and in wilderness areas.

DETECTING WILD MAGIC ZONES

Wild magic zones are generally unnoticed until they make some spell or effect go awry. A character who views a wild magic zone with a detect magic spell detects the presence of magic on the first round and the existence of a wild magic zone on the second. If the character studies the area for 3 rounds, he can attempt an Arcana check (DC 25) to determine the exact borders of the affected area.

Some clever wizards use existing wild magic zones to defend their towers or strongholds. With careful study, they chart the boundaries of the wild magic effect and then use this information to best advantage when fighting on their home ground against enemy spellcasters.

EFFECTS OF WILD MAGIC ZONES

Any spell or spell-like ability whose caster is within a wild magic zone is vulnerable to the effects of wild magic. (Wild magic does not affect supernatural, extraordinary, or natural abilities.) The caster must roll a caster level check (DC 15 + spell level). For a magic item, use its caster level for the caster level check.

If the caster level check fails, roll on Wild Magic Effects to determine if the spell actually goes awry, and if so, how. Spells or spell-like abilities cast from outside a wild magic zone at targets inside the zone are not affected by the zone, nor are mobile effects brought into a wild magic zone. Only magic originating inside the zone is affected.

SUPPRESSING WILD MAGIC

Through hard-earned experience, Faerûn’s spellcasters have stumbled across a couple of methods for dealing with a wild magic zone. An area dispel use of dispel magic cast into a wild magic zone causes magic in the area covered by the spell to function normally for 1d4 minutes. An area dispel use of greater dispelling causes magic to work normally for 1d4×10 minutes. A wish or miracle spell permanently repairs all wild magic zones in a 30-foot-radius area (or a 30-foot-radius portion of a larger wild magic zone). None of these spells, however, are effective against wild magic effects caused by a mythal.

Dead Magic

In some areas of Toril, the Weave is absent altogether. The Weave has a tear or hole, and the area effectively has no magic at all. Like the rare wild magic zones, many regions of dead magic were created during the Time of Troubles and have since faded or retreated. Dead magic zones often persist in places where extreme concentrations of magical power were abruptly scattered or destroyed - in the vicinity of a shattered mythal, at the spot where an artifact was broken, or at the scene of a god's death.

DETECTING DEAD MAGIC

Spellcasters and creatures with spell-like or supernatural abilities immediately notice when they enter a zone of dead magic. Spellcasters are attuned to the Weave, and they feel uneasy and uncomfortable in dead magic zones. A Weave user can take a move-equivalent action to note the exact boundary of a dead magic zone. Shadow Weave users are not attuned to the Weave and experience no such unusual sensations in regions of dead magic.

Any spellcaster, Weave or Shadow Weave, can use a detect magic spell to delineate the extent of any dead magic within the spell's range. Naturally, a Weave user must be outside the affected area in order to employ this tactic.

EFFECTS OF DEAD MAGIC

A dead magic zone functions in most respects as an antimagic field spell, except that it does nor impede the spells or spell-like abilities of Shadow Weave users, nor does it interfere with the operation of Shadow Weave magic items. Divination spells cannot detect subjects that are within dead magic zones. Finally, it isn't possible to use a teleportation effect to move into or out of a dead magic zone.

A dead magic area cannot temporarily be returned to normal function. A wish or miracle spell permanently repairs all dead magic zones in a 30-foot-radius area (or a 30-foot-radius portion of a larger dead magic zone).

Spellfire

Spellfire is the raw energy of the Weave. It can be manipulated in two ways. Mystra gives the silver fire ability to her Chosen and certain other favored servants. The spellfire ability—the wielding of true spellfire—is by far the more powerful of these rare and precious talents. It is a random gift bestowed upon only a handful of women and men in a generation.

Spellfire in any form is refined, controlled raw magic. In beneficent manifestations, it is a font of silver light and healing energy. In battle, it is a searing blue-white jet of all-consuming radiance.

SILVER FIRE

This powerful supernatural ability is unique to the Chosen of Mystra. Manifesting as a beautiful silver-white flame that surrounds the wielder and fills the area into which it is projected, silver fire can be used for different effects. It can act as a ring of warmth or a ring of mind shielding, allow the user to breathe water, or banish all external magical compulsions upon the user as if a greater dispelling spell were cast upon her. Only one of the above effects can be used at any time.

The user can call upon silver fire to revitalize her, allowing her to function without food or drink for up to seven days. (This function can only be used once a tenday.) Once every 70 minutes she may unleash silver fire as a blast of flame. This blast may be in an area 5 feet wide and up to 70 feet long, breaking through barriers as a lightning bolt would and overcoming magical barriers and spell resistance automatically. This blast deals 4d12 points of fire damage (Reflex half DC 23). Alternately, the silver fire can be unleashed in a 70-foot cone, dealing no damage but permanently restoring dead magic zones within the cone to normal and dispelling (as a greater dispelling spell) any antimagic field effects that contact the cone. This cone effect is draining on the Weave, and Mystra discourages its use except for emergencies. All effects function as if cast by a 20th-level sorcerer.

SPELLFIRE

Persons gifted with the spellfire ability can do amazing things, dependent upon their skill, talent, and the amount of magical energy they have within them at the time. In general, spellfire can be used to heal, create blasts of destructive fire, or absorb magical effects it contacts, although the exact effects vary by circumstance and user. Talented wielders can release multiple blasts at once or even fly using the ability.

A spellfire wielder can ready an action to absorb spells targeted at her as if she were a rod of absorption. She gets one level of spellfire energy for every spell level absorbed and can store a number of spellfire energy levels equal to her Constitution score.

As a standard action, she may expend these spellfire energy levels as a ranged touch attack (maximum range 400 feet), dealing 1d6 points of spellfire damage per level expended (Reflex half DC 20). Spellfire damage is half fire damage and half raw magical power, just like the damage of a flame strike spell is half fire and half divine energy. Creatures with immunity, resistance, or protection against fire apply these effects to half the damage.

A spellfire wielder can also heal a target by touch, restoring 2 hit points per spellfire energy level expended for this purpose.

Unlike most supernatural abilities, spellfire is affected by spells and magic items that affect spell-like abilities, such as a rod of absorption or a rod of negation (if pointed at the manifestation rather than the wielder). It can be thwarted or counterspelled by dispel magic, and theoretically a spellfire wielder could counterspell another’s spellfire. However, spellfire is a supernatural ability and does not provoke an attack of opportunity when used, nor is it subject to spell resistance.

The Story of Spellfire

Right or wrong, legends hold that only one person in all Faerûn is gifted with true spellfire at a time. Gossip identifies that one person today as the lass Shandril Shessair, an orphaned kitchenmaid from a tavern in Highmoon of Deepingdale.

Shandril has spellfire, yes, and a hundred mages hound her for it, Zhentarim and Thayans and Cult of the Dragon and independents, slaughtering each other in their ruthless pursuit of her power. Learn this, if you heed nothing else in this book: Legends lie. Mystra’s Chosen wield lesser spellfire, if they care to call on it, and some among them command true spellfire.

A mage hiding in the Border Kingdoms possesses true spellfire, and a cruel and arrogant noble of Chessenta, and the wizard R— but I’m sure you grasp my point.

In the early Sword Coast North, the ranger Haelam Sunderstone undoubtedly possessed spellfire. He stood alone against an orc horde pouring south past the Coldwood—and turned them into smokes and scorch scars.

I could go on. So can anyone who cares to spend the years in study at Candlekeep that I did before I chose to flee to this nameless backwater keep and cloak myself in squalor and obscurity.

Why did I spend my fortune and my eyesight, and then steal away to here, to grow wizened and ugly and bent? Why? Well, because I have true spellfire too, of course. Come looking for me, and I will blast you to dust, and then lay waste to all your descendants, ancestors, and the realm you came from, every last tree and stone of it. Why? Well, it’s what I usually do.

—Baerendra Riverhand, Sage of Spandeliyon