Innate Magic

Innate Magic

Magic pervades the world, and the humanoids of Manavata are no exception. While some people develop the ability to control magic through diligent study and meditation (such as wizards, priests, and the like) or through binding themselves to some powerful entity or order (as do warlocks and paladins), some are born with some latent ability to control magic (such as sorcerers). Sorcerers are exceptional in that their ability derives from contact (either directly or through some ancestor) with some powerful font of magic, others exist who simply have some limited ability to control magical energies from exposure to the magic all around.

What is Innate Magic?

Simply put, innate magics are simple magics that manifest within an individual, and generally occur in races that do not have racial magic (such as assimar, elves, firbolg, certain gnomes, tieflings, and triton). Innate magic is rare among half-orcs, but does exist. Often, innate magic is less powerful or more restrictive than many cantrips, and is generally less reliable than "proper" magics. Any form of magic that that can harm another creature is by definition not innate magic, and is generally considered a spontaneous manifestation of power from a true caster.

Just like wielding a sword, playing a musical instrument, or any other endeavor of worth, practice and (sometimes) instruction are necessary to improve and refine an innate magical ability.

Innate Magic & "Higher" Magics

The ability to cast an innate magic is often at odds with the so called "higher magics" of wizards, clerics, bards and others. Generally speaking, expressing some innate magical ability will at best be indicative of what type of magic the individual may learn. As an individual begins to learn proper magic, their ability to cast their innate magic often starts to fade, or begins to blend itself with the studied magics. Molders who choose to study the higher magics (if not herded towards life as an artificer) often choose to become druids or alteration wizards, while seers tend towards clerics or diviner wizards.

Types of Innate Magic

Molders

Seers

Speakers

Little Magics

Molders

One of the more "common" types of innate magic, molders (also called sculptors) are persons who have the ability to shape one (and rarely even two or three) type of material as if it were clay. The majority of molders have the ability to shape stone (marble, granite, and sandstone being most likely, with all other types being equally uncommon). Of metals, copper, gold and platinum molders are relatively common, while silver and iron are less common). Other types of molders exist, but are exceedingly rare. Legends and rumors exist of gemstone sculptors, but no reliable accounts are known.

The molder ability seems to be heritable, as two parents with the power to shape unyielding materials are very likely to have children who can likewise shape metal or stone. While the ability to mold is heritable, the type of material is not. Even when both parents can shape the same material, children of those parents are no more likely to gain the ability to shape that material than a child of different molder parents.

In molder/sculptor communities, there is a distinction in these terms. Molder refers to someone who is able to shape a material (by hand and/or tool) as if it were clay. Sculptors are able to cause the material to shape itself into whatever form they see in their mind.

Seers

The only thing that can be said universally about seers is that nothing is universally common amongst them. While the "fortune tellers" who read tea leaves, or cards, or the even the stars or signs exist (and it is quite possible that many that profess such a gift are in reality charlatans), genuine innate seers exist. There are the prophets who see visions of the distant future, and those who see the ever shifting & forking paths of time of minutes, hours, and days yet to come. The path seekers seem to be able to see only future events related to one event of history as yet to happen. Those path seekers often (or at least attempt to) play an active role in that event; whether they choose to bring that event to fruition or attempt to stop it altogether.

Speakers

The term speakers generally refer to two distinct types of innate gifts: those who can speak to animals, and those who speak to the dead. While rare individuals may have the ability to speak to both, they are generally mutually exclusive.

Animals Those who have an innate ability to speak with animals often have various limitations not shared by those who can cast speak with animals. Generally, innate animal speakers can only speak to one type of animal; be that birds, snakes, or certain varieties of mammal (such as cats, dogs, or bears). Those able to speak with insects exist, but only a handful of substantial reports are known to exist in all of the third era. Some animal speakers can only converse with certain individual animals, generally those they are already acquainted with (such as the animals living on the family farm). Others cannot initiate a conversation, and can only converse with an animal that has chosen to speak with that person.

the Dead Speakers with the dead are a varied lot. Some with this ability can only converse to the deceased through the ritual of the séance. Others may only speak with individuals while in contact with an item or place (or rarely person) that was important to the departed. And still others are sought out by those who have died, the departed seeing them as a rare link to the land of the living. It is these individuals who are most often negatively affected by their ability, and often have little control over it.

Little Magics

Little Magics is a term used to describe a discrete magical ability that cannot be ascribed in any other way. Sometimes it is the ability to cause a specific material to give off a faint glow, or to manifest a singular effect of one of the "training cantrips". Often, the ability to manifest a little magic can lead the individual to pursue a further life as a mage or priest. Although in the case of the noble born, such a talent is often hidden from others, lest they be seen as an aspiring wizard.

Of the various types of innates, those gifted with a Little Magic are most likely to become wizards, bards, artificers, or priests. Sorcerers never seem to manifest any sort of innate magic, rather they tend to develop what is considered "proper magic". Those who become warlocks may manifest some form of innate magic, but the act of binding themselves with a powerful entity often "washes out" an innate gift. Exceptions do exist; as some patrons seem to be drawn to those with special innate skills. Often, the innate talent harmonizes with abilities bestowed by the patron, creating an individual warlock with magical gifts that work in harmony with the patron's power.

Innate Classes

Occasionally, an individual will "spontaneously" develop the ability (most commonly at the onset of puberty) and at least some attributes associated with one of the caster classes (ie: wizard, cleric, druid, bard, etc). These rare persons will generally have the abilities of that class, but basically none of the things that would be taught. In the case of wizards, that person might be able to cast a few cantrips, and even a spell or two, but may have no ability to read or write. Such individuals have these spells fixed in their mind, but have no means to trade them out for other spells. An innate druid would be able to cast spells, but be completely ignorant of the druidaic language. Innate bards might have natural musical talent, but no real proficiency with an instrument. An innate cleric might have no proficiency with armor, or even any real knowledge of religion (although virtually all innate clerics are devout, or at least observant).

Those who manifest some sort of innate class will have a background that could only be described as "exotic". Often, these individuals are from the further hamlets or rugged settlements, far from any Academy Arcane. Their powers might manifest with little warning. Or, as is sometimes the case, a child will be brought to an Academy or a Church, parents wanting their child to be "diagnosed" or "uncursed".

Quaruman

There are people who have magical potential, but have little to no ability to access that potential. These individuals are known as quarumen. Little is known about quarumen beyond the fact that trying to teach them a magical tradition is often fraught with difficulties. Occasionally, it is possible to teach such persons to access their potential, but few casters choose to invest the time and effort necessary to do so. It can often take a year or more of diligent instruction and work just to teach a quaruman how to cast a simple cantrip, and spells of even aspirant level seem completely beyond them.

Marks & Signs

While not strictly limited to innate magic, some individuals show certain marks or signs indicative of magical potential. These things are aspects of the individual, and aren't an aspect that "proves" the individual holds some spark of magic (even though many people believe it anyway). Mundane individuals can and sometimes do show marks and signs, but these are mere coincidence.

Marks are some type of physical mark (such as a birthmark) or deformity that is visible upon the body of an individual.

Signs are some type of distinguishing effect (such as faint sounds or a persistent breeze) observable near the affected individual. Also included is an item that is always about an individual. Occasionally, some trinket or bauble an individual always carries or wears will be seen as a sign, particularly if it bears some indication of magic or unusual character.