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YPU
2007-02-14, 03:05 PM
I tried to think up why magic worked in my campaign, but couldn’t come up with an explanation. Why would the right words and movements invoke such a power? The only explanation I could come up with is that this is what the gods used to create the multiverse, but this theory collides quite a bit with divine magic. Right now, I am very much going on psionincs, mind over mater is a hell lot more logic than random brabel and handmarks.

Cyborg Pirate
2007-02-14, 03:08 PM
Best way to explain magic: "A wizard did it!"

onasuma
2007-02-14, 03:10 PM
How about: "The whole world is made from throught. Gods exist through beleif in them. Those who know how can use there will to change the existance." That works ok for me.

Mauril Everleaf
2007-02-14, 03:10 PM
Well, in my campaigns, wizards and clerics are two sides of the same coin. Clerics ask for their power from the gods, wizards have figured out how to bypass the intermediary. Praying to a deity is just a jumble of words anyway. I have what I call "The Weave" where all magical energies are drawn, divine, arcane or otherwise. It's a simple explaination of how they get their power, although it could lead you to ask why clerics and wizards have different spells. I don't have an answer to that one.

Quietus
2007-02-14, 03:10 PM
I've always pictured raw magic as being like intangible threads of power that flow through the world, connecting everything. The way I've always seen it, the verbal components to spells essentially "light up" the strands that are necessary for that particular spell (in which case the Still Spell feat allows you to see these threads by focussing), while the somatic components are the caster weaving those threads together in such a way as to produce the effect desired (and Still Spell represents the caster forcing the threads to do what he wants without the hand motions).

Fhaolan
2007-02-14, 03:21 PM
I always like the explanation in the book 'Infinity Concerto' by Greg Bear (I think, it's been a long time and I may be misremembering).

There are schools of modern physics that believes that everything in the universe is simply an offshoot of vibrating 'superstrings'. Therefore, everything is based off of vibrations, harmonics, notes if you will.

It is possible, through the proper application of harmonics and sympathetic vibrations, to alter the fundamental harmonics in a specific area of the universe, thereby creating 'magical' effects. The sounds and motions necessary to create these harmonics are discovered more or less at random, and so there may be unnecessary sounds and motions also thought to be part of the 'spell'. So, the verbal and somantic components will *contain* the real sounds and motions necessary, they will very likely also contain unnecissary bits and pieces that may make the verbal components sound like 'words' in a dead language. This is actually helpful towards learning the spell, otherwise you have this wizard jumping up and down while hiccupping, which is just embarrassing.

Lord Iames Osari
2007-02-14, 03:24 PM
Well, the way it works in my world (obviously, this may not work for yours) is that the planes produce flows of energy that exist on a level separate from the realities of the planes themselves. Magic and psionics both draw on these flows of energy to produce their effects, but they do so in different ways.

There's an analogy I use: Think of the energies as an underground water source, like an aquifer, and the planar realities are the ground that keeps you from getting to the water/energy.

The ritual of spellcasting - the words, gestures, and items - is like digging a well to get at the water. The ritual focuses the mind, which can then harness the flows of energy and twist and combine them to produce a magical effect.

Psionics also involves harnessing the flows of energy, but it requires only concentration and force of will, because the minds of psionic characters are analogous to springs, or in the more extreme cases, geysers - the "water" comes to the surface on its own.

blacksabre
2007-02-14, 03:40 PM
Magic is manipulating arcane forces to create a desired effect on the natural world.
Imagine that the "arcane force" is an endless supply of a moldable medium, like clay.

When you begin to cast a spell, you reach into the arcane, pull out a desired amount of "clay" and begin to mold it into a desired effect.

Hand gestures are used to assist making this "sculpture" in your minds eye..
Incantations are used to assist you in the order in which the "sculpture" is made.. i.e. the ankle bone is connected to the shin bone etc...
Material components are used because various effects require additional ingredients that the arcane force lack to form the spell, or that the forms would be to complicated without them

"Easier" spells require less components..
Its like saying draw me a square on a piece of paper...easy..
But if i asked you to draw me a 18 sided object, in which all surface areas were equal, you'd require something to assisting you doing this

As a spell caster gets more familiar with manipulating the arcane medium, he requires less components (meta magic feats), or he/she can use more of the arcane medium then usuall (ala enhanced spells)

Cybren
2007-02-14, 03:56 PM
Why explain it? If you want to explain how it works, call it science, not magic.

YPU
2007-02-14, 04:00 PM
Why explain it? If you want to explain how it works, call it science, not magic.
Sorry dude, my science book does not tell me how to produce any of the spells in phb, that is, without proper equipment.
Actually, it came from the devil seems as plausible as any right now, divine magic comes from the gods, arcane magic uses lesser powers and spirits.

Cybren
2007-02-14, 04:06 PM
Sorry dude, my science book does not tell me how to produce any of the spells in phb, that is, without proper equipment.
Actually, it came from the devil seems as plausible as any right now, divine magic comes from the gods, arcane magic uses lesser powers and spirits.
Yeah no, stop being silly. Magic works because it's magic.

Deus Mortus
2007-02-14, 04:25 PM
The way I see it is like this, the world was first created by a fundamental energy, something the first gods channeled into their creation, they shaped it into a few fundamental kinds of energy's, Evil, good, law, chaos, the elements plus some smaller kinds. All realms are made up from these energy's and by successfully altering them you get spells. The verbal part is much like a mantra, focusing the mind on what needs to be done and the somatic gestures are the caster using some of the energy of his soul to alter the energy in the world. Silent spell makes a mind so at ease with the thought of altering energy that the mantra is not needed, still is simply letting your soul flow the energy out.
This is also why souls are so valuable, they have the power to alter the energy and if you channel them well enough you can use up all their energy at once creating larger spells then you can do yourself. Souls of children have no energy spend and the souls of those without sins have taint on it, which holds back some of the energy. Once all energy is spend, souls become a basic spark with almost no energy left, when they die they go their afterlife where their energy is refilled by a god.

Divine magic works a bit differently, gods have gotten the ability to tap into the energy's with the use of the faith of their followers, every time they pray they send a small amount of their energy to the god(s) they pray to. Evil gods have to deal with tainted souls and as such demand sacrifices to obtain the energy of that soul, instead of the rather useless energy of the souls of it's believers. They channel that energy back into their followers and they can unleash it at their will.

Sorcerer's have a soul brimming with that energy and can expand it almost on will as it needs to unleash itself. Their verbal energy's are more that they need to focus on not unleashing to much and damaging themselves then anything else. Wizards do not have that extra energy, but they focus so much that they become adept at spending the least amount as necessary, however they need to study these spells to prepare upon the strain that they will have one their souls.

This is also why people who died of old age can't be resurrected, they simply no longer have the energy necessary to live.

AKA_Bait
2007-02-14, 04:46 PM
Sorry dude, my science book does not tell me how to produce any of the spells in phb, that is, without proper equipment.
Actually, it came from the devil seems as plausible as any right now, divine magic comes from the gods, arcane magic uses lesser powers and spirits.

See, here's the thing: your science book doesn't tell you why physics works either. It only tells you how it works. Each successive level of explanation that goes into science is only a different level of abstraction about the 'how.' It never tells you the why. Scientific laws are just empirical generalizations about how things movie, change, interact. Special relativity doesn't say why gravity is a curvature in space/time or why matter/energy are the same thing. It only expresses a way (the best way I'm aware of so far) to predict how things will continue working in the future. The ‘why’ for Einstein was ‘God made it that way’ (paraphrasing).

As such, an explanation of the 'why' of magic is fundamentally unneeded. If people ask that in my games the older friendly wizard simply shrugs and says, 'It does. We know when you do this (hand gesture) and say this (some words) then this happens (spell effect). We don't really know why and probably can't know why. Although some people will pretend to. Some claim (list all the above suggestions). Which it is only the Gods know or perhaps even they don't.'

PirateMonk
2007-02-14, 04:50 PM
I like the GURPS Technomancer explanation. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well on worlds without Hellstorms:

There are virtually infinite alternate realities. Oz particles, generated by banestorms, can be used to "switch" a piece of one reality with that of another. Many of these universes have radically different physical laws, so the effect is often miraculous. The ritual is to get the mage into the mental state in which he or she can manipulate oz particles correctly, and is by no means the same for everyone. In fact, personalization of the ritual helps in casting the spell. As the mage becomes more adept, ritual elements can be discarded.

Of course, this was created for a very different magic system, so you still have to justify spell preparation and spells per day limitations.

Everyman
2007-02-14, 04:56 PM
What magic is in my world...

Arcane and Divine magic function (mostly) the same. Differences in casting and variety of spells are due to the source of the power behind the spells (gods for divine, cosmos for arcane).

To spellcasters, casting a spell is like having double-sight. You still see the world around you, but you also have irridescent runes and motes of light that are super-imposed upon your vision. By speaking, you are calling the motes over to you in a specific pattern and order. Through gestures, you rearrange the runes in front of you, using the called motes to create leylines between singular runes. The combined result is a temporary rearrangement of reality and magical energy that results in spells.

Material Components (or the Divine Focus) serve as a material grounding point for the spell, acting as both a catalyst, trigger, and beacon for the magical energies around the spellcaster.

JadedDM
2007-02-14, 04:57 PM
The explanation of how magic works is intentionally left vague so DM's can come up with their own stories, if they so choose. On Toril, magic comes from the weave. On Krynn, it comes from the three moons. I have a home brewed world where magic comes from the core of the world. And so on.

Jack_Simth
2007-02-14, 05:56 PM
When someone asks me?

For the most part, Wizard's can't touch magic directly. Sure, they can do a few things every here and there, and they can apply mystic energy.... but mostly, they're stuck powering the awkward "magical circutry" which is their spellbook. Apply energy here, here, and here for fifteen minutes, putting a variance in the energy then to control certain options, and the painted "circuts" manipulate the energies into an energy packet which can then be picked up and maintained with almost no effort. In a scroll, the energy packet is tied to the parchment; the spellcraft roll to copy represents figuring out how that particular packet of energy was shaped; the spellcraft roll to familiarize yourself with it for later casting represents tracking down which tabs for triggering are appropriet; the caster level check for activating a scroll with a caster level higher than yours represents seeing if you can manage the force needed to activate the stored spell. When using a borrowed spellbook, the Spellcraft check represents tracking down where to apply energy properly (they don't come with instructions) and how to pick up the resultant packet. The Wizard doesn't so much cast a spell as build and invoke one. It's something he picks up and uses, not something that's a part of him. This explaination also covers why it takes a 20th level specialist Wizard with in excess of fifty spell slots and 227.5 spell levels (counting 0th level spells as half a level) a full fifteen minutes to prepare a cantrip in an empty slot; fifteen minutes is the minimum needed to run and retreive a "spell program"; it's just that the Wizard is capable of running more than one such at a time, so he can run (prepare) his fifty spells in an hour. As a bonus, this explains why scribing a spell into a spellbook is expensive - the wizard is painting magical circutry onto the pages... possibly using things like gold and platinum directly.

A Sorcerer's magic is virtually a part of him. He touches it directly and shapes it through raw mystic force. Like most cases of the biological vs. the mechanical, it's a lot more effecient; the spell a Wizard takes fifteen minutes to put together via his spellbook, a Sorcerer sets up in one standard action. The downside, though, is that it's a lot less flexible. He can only put his impromptu packets together in so many ways, as he has to remember them all personally (they are partially instinctive, but do require practice and expirimentation). He can do it more often, though, as he only has to gather a pool of energy, there's less maintenence involved in holding an energy pool together than there is in trickle-charging a bunch of spell packets.

The bard constructs his spells on the fly, similar to how a Sorcerer does. But in the Bard's case, he's using verbal memory tricks to remind himself of exactly how the spell goes, in a musically "learned" fasion, rather than drawing on instinct. He's got a lot of other things to focus on, though, and doesn't have quite the energy to apply to packet-making as the Wizard or Sorcerer.

A Divine spellcaster gets these packets handed down pre-made; the Cleric need only invoke them (Causes, if permitted, are [quasi-]dieties under this Theory of Magic; perhaps Causes are what the dieties were originally born of, or there's an awful lot of dieties out there and you don't actually need a diety's name to pray to one [and thus a Cause cleric is actually getting spells granted by a diety who's name he doesn't know] - it is techncially possible for a Cleric to have no ranks in Knoweledge(Religion), after all - or whatever).

The verbal and somatic components of spells are not all the same - that's why you need a Spellcraft check to identify a spell as it's being cast. Each Wizard sets up a slightly different trigger mechanism - and, indeed, sets up slightly different trigger mechanisims even for copies of the same spell, so he doesn't fumble two spells trying to supply the right bit of extra push to the same triggers and coming up short (the Quicken Spell metamagic feat partially revolves around aranging for less "push" and redundant triggers). Much of the Spellcraft check to identify a spell on the fly is involved in tracking the energies as they come into play in order to predict the final result; the energy packet has something of an effect on the outside world while it's still being given that final push.

Spellcasters need the material and focus components because some energy packets require a pattern to draw off of; there's a little more information needed to finish the effect than can be easily contained in the energy packet (in the case of "complex" material or focus components, such as a live spider or a cocoon; Eschew Materials aleviates the need for some of it by putting a bit more info into the spell); others require something physical for a slight boost in energy or focus (for "simple" components like the copper coin for Detect Thoughts or the copper wire for Sending; Eschew Materials aleviates the need for some of it by putting a bit more force or focus into the spell). Sorcerers still need them because sometimes, there's just too much to remember, or some of it really does need to be channeled outside the body, for whatever reason. Other components are either a source of energy to power certain portions of the spell that are only quasi-magical in and of themselves, a bribe of sorts to certain forces,
or even a form of insulation against backlash. A divine caster avoids the need for most such trappings with help from above... but there are limits to what they can be bothered to do for their followers.

DaMullet
2007-02-14, 06:10 PM
When someone asks me?

Blah, blah, fishcakes

That is one of the most complex and yet succinct descriptions of magic I have ever read. Would you kindly allow me to steal it?

Indon
2007-02-14, 06:43 PM
Note: This stems from my background as a computer programmer.

My favorite metaphor for D&D magic is that the universe is a logical system, and that magic is its' assembler-level code.

What is written in individual spellbooks are hacked compilers created by each individual; that's why it's hard to understand what's in someone else's spellbook, you need to decompile it manually.

Scrolls are written in an interpreter language which is more universal and easier to understand, even by someone with only a layman's knowledge of the field.

Wizards are coders who work with robust methodology, documenting everything they learn and do, as opposed to Sorcerors, who basically just use natural talent to hack stuff out. Thus, Wizards are capable of larger-scale projects while Sorcerors are more prolific in their work.

That's not what I generally use for campaigns, though. I use whatever's story-convenient.

Edit: Ha, it would seem I'm not the only one with that essential idea.

Jack_Simth
2007-02-14, 08:52 PM
That is one of the most complex and yet succinct descriptions of magic I have ever read. Would you kindly allow me to steal it?Enjoy.

Oh, I have to have more text in here? Okay.

Sardia
2007-02-14, 10:24 PM
I tend to steal a little bit from Plato in putting the game universe together-- I presume that a "space" of all possible forms, energy patterns, etc, exists in some otherwise untouchable part of the cosmos. Magic consists of the methodology of finding one of these forms or patterns and dragging it into the "real" universe.
Wizards go after this directly to store it and use it, clerics get it "prefiltered" through their deities, psions channel it through their own minds.

For one thing, this explains how the magician can achieve effects that would be beyond any mortal brainpower-- turning a human into a toad, for example: do you keep track of where every atom is going while you're doing it? Or just grab a pattern of forces and energy which you've previously identified as being able to do that to any given human during the spell research process?

Collin152
2007-02-14, 11:48 PM
*ahem*
In real world, you explain magic.
In Dungeons and dragons, magic explains you!

Daracaex
2007-02-15, 12:33 AM
I have a pretty detailed explanation for how magic works in my world (in developement). I don't have time to explain it now, but I may post it if I have some time later this week. As a preview:

Some people may know a bit of history and chemistry here and will be able to understand what I'm talking about a bit better than others. The Greek philosopher Aristotle first theorized that all matter was made up of four elements, fire, air, water, and earth. Recent discoveries in quantum physics have revealed smaller and smaller subatomic particles. My magic theory assumes that Aristotle was right and that those smallest particles of things are, infact, elemental particles. There are eight elements in my world and magic-users can change them around and recombine them to create all of the effects known as magic.

(For any of you concerned, I have a catgirl shield up and this isn't 100% real world science, so no catgirls shall be harmed.)

Medieve
2007-02-15, 01:02 AM
I try to stay away from grandiose ideas that sort of alienate magic to the levels of gods or what not. Magic is the manipulation of energies of essences. Magic "in the wild" flows away from all objects and are channeled away in energetic currents (explaining ley lines and magical nodes/magical wells). Excess energy can be tapped into by releasing forms and patterns into the world (this can explain spellcaster's requirement of memorizing a spell, spending long hours studying various patterning, and then casting spells in a specific and deliberate manner). The energy flows into a spell's mold, whose limitations are limited by the scope of the spell and skill of the caster. Material components act as sympathetic objects to attract complex forms of magical energy.

This way of thinking of magic is also attractive if you want to get specific about schools of magic. For example, this system which focuses on the idea that everything exudes it's unique essence could to tagged to the multitude of divination spells that make use of physical parts of a person. Also, as the energy is pure essence (of "what is"), certain spell effects can construct limited fields of physic-breaking effects, abjuration's protection from arrows or reverse gravity. Transmutation and necromancy is the manipulation or corruption of energies found in (un)living things. Conjuration is the effect of identifying strands of essence of specific creatures and then calling them using essence magic. Evocation is the pure construction of effects from base essences of heat or cold. Most others are self-explanatory following these basic trains of thought.

Spell-like abilities and sorcerers are extensions of this system, either being able to naturally use the magical energy around them or simply being able to use the energy inherent within themselves (an attractive idea to apply to sorcerers in particular).

This idea also provides solid differentiation between arcane and divine magic. This idea might not sound too different from the kinds of magical strings like some people posted but I think the idea flows better.

Yakk
2007-02-15, 03:57 PM
I like the personal-interaction idea of magic.

The world is full of spirits. Spells are the names of spirits and orders to the spirits tied together in very particular ways that cause the spirits to generate the effect you want.

The spirits are the very fabric of reality. Reality itself is made out of intelligent, willful material.

This is why different kinds of spellcasters cast different kinds of spells.

It also provides a reason for players to make sacrafices to spirits before they go on journies, and makes charisma a very important stat.

"Avalanch! Make a charisma check, modified by the size of your sacrafice before the journey, to see who has to dodge rocks."

Indon
2007-02-15, 04:13 PM
I tend to steal a little bit from Plato in putting the game universe together-- I presume that a "space" of all possible forms, energy patterns, etc, exists in some otherwise untouchable part of the cosmos. Magic consists of the methodology of finding one of these forms or patterns and dragging it into the "real" universe.
Wizards go after this directly to store it and use it, clerics get it "prefiltered" through their deities, psions channel it through their own minds.

For one thing, this explains how the magician can achieve effects that would be beyond any mortal brainpower-- turning a human into a toad, for example: do you keep track of where every atom is going while you're doing it? Or just grab a pattern of forces and energy which you've previously identified as being able to do that to any given human during the spell research process?

I'm in the process of homebrewing a platonic cleric class; rather than cast standard cleric spells, they tap the 'spheres' and assume traits of the concept or concepts they've trained in.

Josh Inno
2007-02-15, 04:25 PM
Right now, I am very much going on psionincs, mind over mater is a hell lot more logic than random brabel and handmarks.

If you don't like magic, and like psionics, why not just use psionics then?

Dausuul
2007-02-15, 04:31 PM
I like the personal-interaction idea of magic.

The world is full of spirits. Spells are the names of spirits and orders to the spirits tied together in very particular ways that cause the spirits to generate the effect you want.

The spirits are the very fabric of reality. Reality itself is made out of intelligent, willful material.

This is why different kinds of spellcasters cast different kinds of spells.

It also provides a reason for players to make sacrafices to spirits before they go on journies, and makes charisma a very important stat.

"Avalanch! Make a charisma check, modified by the size of your sacrafice before the journey, to see who has to dodge rocks."

I agree with Yakk's general approach--though I tend to go further and rewrite the entire magic system to fit this animistic view. But then, I'm a design monkey. I like creating rule sets more than I like actually running games.

The fundamental rule of magic, for me, is that it should be an inherently untrustworthy entity with a will of its own (or, more likely, entities). Otherwise it's just technology in a pointy hat.

Oh--and for the record, I loathe the concept of "magical energy" to the very core of my being.

EvilElitest
2007-02-15, 05:09 PM
In my world, no one knows how magic was devolped. The words and hand gestures of magic were established though trail and error of researchers. Their are coutnless theroies but the real truth is only know to the great Creator (me) and the most anctent beings of time. The seceret of magic is teh "Great secret of my champain" I'v been doing it sense i was 10 and they still have not learned it as yet.
In truth, the magic does not exist. However, all the creatures, planes, spells, gods, lands, groups, and artifacts are made from magic. And theirfor the world does not exist. Now who in the hell does that make sense. This world is made out of human fantasy, and ideals, gathered together but a force know as "The GREAT LOGIC" and given form by the "Great Lie" The whole world is just a fantasy, not understood by anyone but those who made it. Theirfor the whole world does not exist and is a dream. Not the real myster is, without magic, how does this world exist at all. that remains to be seen.

EvilElitest
2007-02-15, 05:10 PM
In my world, no one knows how magic was devolped. The words and hand gestures of magic were established though trail and error of researchers. Their are coutnless theroies but the real truth is only know to the great Creator (me) and the most anctent beings of time. The seceret of magic is teh "Great secret of my champain" I'v been doing it sense i was 10 and they still have not learned it as yet.
In truth, the magic does not exist. However, all the creatures, planes, spells, gods, lands, groups, and artifacts are made from magic. And theirfor the world does not exist. Now who in the hell does that make sense. This world is made out of human fantasy, and ideals, gathered together but a force know as "The GREAT LOGIC" and given form by the "Great Lie" The whole world is just a fantasy, not understood by anyone but those who made it. Theirfor the whole world does not exist and is a dream. Not the real myster is, without magic, how does this world exist at all. that remains to be seen.
Duh DUH DUH
P.S. No one mention the never ending story, ok. DON"T MENTION IT

I_Got_This_Name
2007-02-15, 07:36 PM
I often go with the "building spells" explanation, similar to Jack_Simth's. Depends on the world, though.

For some worlds, magic is just the primal force of the world, which most mortals are unable to use. Wizards get their use from it from ancient sorcerers and other powerful beings, who wove spells into the world such that certain effects would happen when certain words and gestures were made, sometimes with other requirements, too. Essentially, the world is a giant, command-word activated, multifunction, magic item; the various arcane spells are command words for it.

In other worlds, I've kept magic as just an integral part of some beings' souls and bodies, and opened it to others through theft.

In others, I use Yakk's approach.

An idea I haven't tried yet has magic being fate, forcing its will onto the world. Magic works because it is destined to work. Can lead to some interesting ideas, when someone's magic fails them because something isn't destined to happen.