Your source of magic?

[sammyp03]

Hello friends!
Just a quick question. In your campaign setting, what is the source of magic? If it is a physical object in your world, what is it called?

[Shining Wrath]

Magick underlies everything. Magic is what happens when mortals access Magick via the Weave. Magick can be accessed via other methods - a fighter who performs a maneuver has accessed Magick, but not via Magic.

[dead_but_dreaming]

In my setting (and in many others, I suspect) it's just kind of there. Presently, however, it has just begun leaking back into a magic-starved world through the Iron Veil, which is a magic barrier that stops the Material from being constantly overrun by demons, gods and horrible things with tentacles.

[pwykersotz]

This interpretation (http://www.pandius.com/natrmagc.html) is pretty good. I haven't actually settled on the true source of magic in my universe yet.

[Slipperychicken]

In my head-canon, I like to imagine that a creator-figure created and used magic like a developer's console to build the universe. For whatever reason, the creator buggered off (while leaving magic around for unknown reasons), and lesser beings have since learned to access a few commands, with varying degrees of power and sophistication. Most creatures have access due to hard-coded instinct or biology (most outsiders were probably gifted with magic intentionally at first), a few use their power to grant others the ability to use some commands (i.e. clerics), but some (i.e. wizards) are figuring out how to access and exploit the system through science.

[LaserFace]

I never really bothered to figure out a source of magic.

In my setting, magic isn't really understood. You can assume divine magic comes in some way from the gods, warlock powers might come from demons, arcana comes from who-knows-where. It's a less-developed world where wizardry is mostly seen as the pursuit of charlatans, quacks and madmen, and there aren't magic universities or what-have-you (although one party member is taking steps to create his own). Divine magic is honored when used in helpful ways, but high-level casters basically don't exist, and the influence of gods is minimal, if not just completely imagined.

[MadGrady]

In my campaign, its a naturally occurring energy source that behaves in wave patterns. Magic users have the ability to create ripples in the wave patterns to harness effects.

Anti-magic areas are places where the waves are stopped, usually by an opposing energy source. Divine magic is simply a divine method of creating ripples

[sammyp03]

Very nice. In may campaign, magic stems from something called the orb of creation. The elder gods used the orb to build the world from the sea of chaos that existed before. It has been long lost since the Primal conflict( Law vs Choas,Good vs Evil) but there are chosen few who the orb flows through. In my campaign, anything over 3rd level spells is considered high magic and only those that the orb flows through can achieve spells beyond 3rd level.

[AuraTwilight]

Magic is a personified being in the cosmos somewhere with the mentality of a young child, and thus enables magic because it doesn't understand that things don't work that way. All spellworkings are basically it agreeing to help people with no understanding of good and evil, only that this guy unknowingly contacting it would like this thing to happen.

The gods try to bribe him with sweets. This is the secret to their cosmic power.

[Theodoxus]

That's pretty Eddings-esque. I like it.

Typically, when I actually think about it, I go with the Weave/Shadow Weave from FR. My Pathfinder game is using a metaphysical connection to the goddess Besmara for the characters, and she is empowering a mojo item that each player has - and can fashion as they desire.

She also watches over them and while she doesn't interfere directly, when they die, she has so far, brought them back to life with a 'touch' of the sea - a boon I'm using to drive the plodding plot along.

It's fun watching the players search for benefactors and make political inroads, when all they really need to do is let go and let goddess.

[Palegreenpants]

An excerpt from my setting notes:

The magic language, also known as runes, or words of power, is the source of mortal magic. Those who understand the magic toungue can harness its power. These people are called magicians. When a magician gives voice to a word of power, he or she has brief control over the object or phenomenon the word is associated with. This is possible due to the fact that magic "words" are not words as one would normally understand them, but are actually a mental representation of, and a tool in the creation of, energy. Learning a magic word is difficult, as it requires the learner to have a deep understanding of the energy or phenomenon they are attempting to manipulate the properties of. Once a mage understands the nature of the magic language, they can begin to use it to cast spells.

When a magician casts a "spell", they perform a series of actions that invoke magic words. In addition to magic words, spells also include "runes". Runes are the somatic representative of the magic language, and may be involved in spellcasting as frequently as magic words. Spells may involve a combination of runes and words, constructed to create a complex of energy. Researching and constructing a rune or spell may take a great amount of time, sometimes years of study. Once a spell has been discovered, it is memorized by the caster, and he or she may harness its effect. Some spells are simple and easy to understand, and thus may be cast at-will. Other spells are more complex, and once cast, may take a great amount of time to regain understanding of.

[Vemynal]

In my campaign setting I've utilized magic in a weird way. Basically 4 very powerful individuals managed to tap into "Magicka"; pure undiluted magic.

Divine magic is drawn through these 4 individuals who act like a funnel. Magic drawn through them is attached to an alignment that you have to resonate with to be able to utilize.

Arcane magic is drawn from an individuals surroundings. Nature, gravity, etc. just think energy in general. Wizards can learn how to draw upon this energy from study while sorcerers have the innate ability to do so.

Psychic magic is drawn from ones self instead of an individuals surroundings. My campaign setting has places that are magic dead zones due to a certain cataclysmic event. Psychic magic users are native to these regions and learn to utilize magic drawn from their own essence of self.

Honestly, I've preferred to leave the topic of what the pure Magicka's source is as vague. Firstly my players shouldn't be able to access this in the first place so its entirely a story component. Secondly, like the movie Signs; once you can see something and quantify something it becomes less awe/fear inspiring.