Magic

[faderifting]

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MAGIC

While it's common knowledge that the use of magic is incredibly dangerous and those that possess it are often discriminated against, the fact is that magic is what turns the gears of society. Magic heals the sick and wounded, and is weaponized in times of war. It lights candles and burns down villages. It can run wild and raw from the end of a mage's staff, or be contained in a glass bottle. It's as fundamental a force to Thedas as gravity, and maybe that's at least a little why there's so much political turmoil around the fact that only a portion of society is innately born with the power to wield it.

HOW IT WORKS

The Fade is the spirit world beyond the real world, and the Veil is the barrier that divides the two. Practicing magic is only possible by drawing energy and power from the Fade, something that only a few are born with the ability to do. This connection to the spirit world is what makes practicing magic so dangerous; it opens a door, and unless a mage is strong enough to resist, a demon might walk through and possess them. Possession is almost impossible to break. It will destroy the mage being possessed, turning her into a twisted monster known as an Abomination, and using her to wreak havoc on those around her. With training and practice, a good mage can guard against this danger through force of will, and this training is much of what is taught in the Circles of Magi.

Magic is usually channeled through a staff, and different kinds of staffs are better equipped for different elements of magic depending on what they're constructed from. A staff is not necessary to do all magic, but is considered necessary in combat situations. Most spells are a matter of flourishing a staff and intuitively directing magic to different effects, without the need for incantations. This can be as simple as a blast of energy (or fire or ice or electricity), through to casting a glowing glyph on the ground as a sort of magical landmine, and many other applications.

All spells are limited by distance. A mage's target must be in her line of sight, and no further than an archer could shoot a swift arrow. Because it costs energy to wield magic, mages typically cannot cast complex or powerful spells back-to-back. They require a cooldown period in which to draw more energy before they can cast again. This can range from several seconds to whole minutes depending on the spells involved and the power of the caster.

Lyrium

A mage's available reservoir of power ("mana") can be increased by consuming lyrium, a powerful substance mined by dwarves. Ingesting a lyrium draught provides a short-term boost in power, but use can also have damaging physical side effects. "Mana imbalance," as it is called, can cause the mind to enter the Fade while still conscious (instead of while dreaming, which is usually the only way), dizziness, and hallucination. For mages, unlike templars, the effects are temporary. Lyrium is a component in some spells and rituals.

OOC MECHANICS

Types of magic from all Dragon Age games are available, and you should consult these three pages: DA:O, DA2, and DA:I to get a sense of the full breadth of available magic so far. Use skill trees as a guide to how spells are grouped and the types of things that can be done with each type of magic, and the sorts of limits they suggest. But because RP is more flexible than video game mechanics, you don't need to think of them as a necessary order of progression. Sometimes it will make sense that you have to learn Spell 1 before you can learn Spell 2 (making a small fire before making a huge wall), but it will not always be as linear as video game mechanics make it seem.

It's also important to bear in mind that because it's a video game, nearly all of the magic defined in the games is combat-focused. IC, magic has broader applications than that and we're open to seeing them explored creatively in RP, within reason. We will also allow some common sense flexibility. For instance, while the games technically don't have any spells that just manipulate water, we're not going to force anyone to pretend that for some reason mages can only control it when it's frozen. This isn't Arendelle.

SCHOOLS OF MAGIC

Each Dragon Age game grouped magic a little differently, used different labels, added and deleted spells. ICly, this is explained by the fact that magic is taught and labeled differently in different places, and that there is a lot of overlap and variation. Many things will depend on a mage's unique background-- where they learned and what and from whom. There may be more than one way to power a given spell, and spells can be combined in ways that defy easy categorization. And now that we've said that, let's try anyway.

There are many different types of magic, and what type a mage learns is primarily determined by their access to teachers and their own interests. Some sorts of magic are so common that a mage of any background could have learned them, while others are unique and may require special circumstances or certain training. A mage will usually either focus on one or two specific sorts of magic to become powerful in these fields, or touch on a bit of everything while mastering nothing. All of these many branches of magic are loosely grouped into five main schools.

Arcane Magic

It's sort of a redundant title, and that's because basic arcane spells are the simplest of all. Nearly every mage will know how to send a basic magical bolt at an enemy, or throw up a basic magical shield around himself. There are stronger and more complex applications, both defensive and offensive, that can block particular types of magic, or even attack an enemy's mind or body, no-frills versions of spells that other schools have embellished.

Primal Magic

The fundamental elements are at the disposal of all mages, and primal magic is some of the most common and popular. Basic elemental spells are often among the first a mage learns. They are broken down into a handful of overlapping schools of study, harnessing the powers of ice, fire, earth, and sky separately or in combination. Each game has various spells that fall into these categories, and we encourage you to take a look at them all to get an idea of the types of things Primal magic can do. Because primal magic incorporates so many different types of spells, mages aren't going to be able to master them all. Those seeking to become powerful in primal magic will generally choose an element or two to focus on, but dabbling in a little of this and a little of that is also very common.

Spirit Magic

Spirit magic is somewhat more rare and controversial than the other schools, as it involves drawing directly on the power of spirits in the Fade (otherwise known as potential demons). It can be used to create defensive force fields, launch attacks, and even heal. Its usefulness and broad application mean that lower level spells remain common, but achieving mastery of spirit magic is more dangerous because of the interaction with spirits. Become a spirit healer is the most difficult variation on spirit magic, and will be discussed with the other specializations below.

Creation Magic

Creation magic focuses on physical enhancement of the mage and his allies and physical repulsion and negation of enemies. It is best known for its healing applications, which can fix wounds and revive the unconscious. Creation magic can also imbue people with greater energy, speed, or power for a length of time, and in contrast can stop enemies in their tracks and throw them back or drain their energy.

Entropy Magic

Entropy draws on the inherent chaos of the Fade to cripple and destabilize enemies. These spells are always offensive, aimed at weakening enemies physically, mentally, and magically. This can include anything from merely disorienting or misdirecting them to literally draining life force, to trapping them in a waking nightmare.

SPECIALIZATIONS

Mages of advanced skill may also educate themselves in rarer forms of magic. This requires not only special talent, training, and time, but also access to education and some justification as to their focus. Your character should be an elite mage before laying a claim to using the below specializations and you should think about how they came to learn them. As with other magic, the specializations from all games are available, and so we highlight a few below as examples of differing magical traditions, not as an exhaustive list of options.

The Knight-Enchanter tradition is a form of combat magic that puts a mage on the same playing field as the most advanced of warriors, along with such spells that can render them temporarily indestructible. It draws on the Fade to lend the mage strength, and the best of Knight-Enchanters can in turn lend that same strength to their fellow comrades. They are especially skilled in protection and defense. Knight-Enchanter is unique to Circle mages, as it is actually a title granted to those who are allowed to serve in battle per special dispensation of the Chantry.

Necromancers master the power of death and wield it as a weapon. While resurrection is beyond the scope of all powers, the Necromancer communes with spirits attracted to death and can unleash them on the battlefield to inspire fear and dread amongst their enemies, or attack them spiritually, stealing away the mental wherewithal it takes to fight. It is considered distasteful by many, and is unlikely to be openly learned or practiced outside of places like Tevinter or Nevarra, where both dark magic and death are (respectively) more in vogue.

Spirit Healers draw power directly from benevolent spirits of the Fade and use it to perform more significant feats of healing than creation magic can manage, completely eliminating wounds, granting resistance to injury for a time, and even bringing people back from the very brink of death. Because of the intense interaction with spirits involved, Spirit Healing is both difficult and dangerous to learn, not least because of the suspicious attention it draws from Templars.

NON-HUMAN MAGIC

Elven magic, such as it is, is practiced only by the Dalish (elf mages raised in alienages are sent to the Circles). This is still a misnomer, as the true magic of the ancient elves has long been lost. That said, Dalish elves do tend to practice magic a little bit differently from most humans, with more of a focus on and connection to natural forces. They bring nature directly to bear by manipulating the earth and plants both for offensive and defensive spells. The Keeper specialization and Merrill's specialization are examples, though Merrill's incorporation of blood magic is unusual. Some scraps of ancient magic are occasionally recovered by those who dedicate themselves to the search (and get lucky), such as the Arcane Warrior, a specialization only one elf has re-learned in living memory, though some of its techniques have survived to be adapted in the Knight-Enchanter.

Qunari mages are under a level of control that makes Circle mages look like they're running wild. Little is known about the types or styles of magic they practice.

Dwarves just don't have magic at all. Because they mine lyrium, they have evolved to be immune to its effects and cannot connect to the Fade to draw power from it. This also gives dwarves a slight resistance to magic.

BLOOD MAGIC

Blood magic is undoubtedly the most controversial form of magic anywhere in Thedas. Instead of drawing power from the Fade, a mage draws power from blood and the life force in it. This allows a mage to perform more powerful magic than he might otherwise be able to, especially without the use of lyrium. It is possible to perform blood magic using one's own blood, but also with the blood of others, willing or not. Because blood magic originated with the magisters of Tevinter, who in ancient times sacrificed slaves in huge numbers to power their spells, it is the most feared and reviled form of magic in Thedas.

Many of the specific spells that require blood magic are also violating in nature. They often manipulate the will, body, and mind of another person, and there is no force in Thedas that can counter this kind of influence. It is also used to summon and control demons from the Fade, and to allow them to physically enter the world, which is always a powerfully terrible idea. It would take a very strong mage indeed to wield that ability without it going dreadfully wrong.

Today, the stigma against blood magic is so pervasive and powerful that even in the Tevinter Imperium, where it is still frequently practiced, blood magic is heavily restricted and happens only behind closed doors. But it is not entirely without its proponents. Some academics and elves of either philosophical interest or traditionalist values may study it, as blood magic had been more commonplace, once, and is seen as old magic. The Wardens also occasionally and secretly practice blood magic in their efforts against the darkspawn.

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