Magic (Dominaria Supplement)

A Creator's note on Magic

Magic in Dominaria is an incredibly powerful but also rare and miraculous force. Many are those who can conjure basic Cantrips and a few spells here and there, but men who can truly bend the weaves to their will are few and far between. As stated in the Players section, even player parties can have only one in three (one in four or five preffered) dedicated arcane casters. Powerful wizards are forces of legend and powerful players in whatever environment they are in.

While my world has far more wizards of power than The Lord of the Rings series and the magic of D&D is far flashier, Lord of the Rings gives a solid insight into how magic should feel in Dominaria. It is something powerful and special, truly 'magical'.

Types of Magic

Arcane Magic

Arcane magic is the magic of the 'weave': the invisible strands of reality, fate, and the elements that run throughout the entire world and define reality. Arcane spellcasters bend and shape the weave to their will in order to do everything from conjure water out of thin air to hurling fire and lightning from their fingertips. Spellcasters of different races often describe their access to the Arcane in different ways. Humans casters for example, speak of it as a 'door' to be opened, and not without difficulty at times. Elves seem to refer to it as a 'window' through which the Arcane shines and can be woven. To Dwarves, it tends to be a 'flame' that can be lit and then stoked into a raging inferno.

Arcane magic can be summoned and bent to the will of anyone trained to use it. It can be exceedingly powerful and can be made to do just about anything in the hands fo a skilled mage. Through careful Spellcraft, a counter-cast Wall of Force might redirect a spell. It can also be called from the world; through Spellcraft and a deep knowledge of the arcane, a mage might channel the power of a storm into a lightning bolt, or a lesser mage may hurl a fireball from a burning brazier.

Æther

Æther is an ancient form of energy that only the most powerful or gifted of wizards may channel. Some contemporary scholars suggest that Æther is an extraordinarily powerful energy form that blends all others, while others insist it is the root of enery and forms the 'structure' of the Astral Plane. In either case, the very few who study Æther in any depth can agree it is incredibly powerful.

Æther was an Art long though lost to Dominaria. No recordings exist of its use in the 3rd Age, merely the use of ancient artifacts and devices powered by Æther. The rise of the Demigod Mage in Andor would bring Æther back to the tongues of the powerful Arcanists of the world however. The Demigod Mage was born with such incredible talent he could channel Æther as normally as any other Mage might weave fire or air. His use of Æther and his extensive works now stored in the Library of Saleria have lead to Æther's increased study and use. It is now known that Æther may be channeled by any who is a master of the energy types, or by the rare few born with the talent.

Practitioners of the Arcane have already began to refer to the 4th Age as 'The Æther Age'. Some Archmages have begun to dabble with its power, and for reasons unknown some are being born with the ability. Whether the Demigod Mage himself started this or whether his birth opened the gates is not known, but in this age Æther is back on the rise.

Pact Magic (Arcane)

Arcane magic granted by a pact with a powerful outsider. The Pact can grant any ability(ies) the outsider posesses for a price...

Spells Removed

Teleportation (All)

Aside from Wizards who dedicate themselves to the craft and Wizards who discover ancient or hidden magic, Teleportation spells do not exist. And even to those that know the craft, they generally have to master the arts of runic magic to create stable gateways for teleportation. This is to say that when a spell caster chooses their new spells at each level they may not select Teleport, Greater Teleport, Teleportation Circle, Teleport Object, or any other spell from the Teleportation Subschool. Please note that any of these spells may be discovered or used, the ancient teleportation circles of the Mages Guilds of the West or the heroic deeds of men like Gedren Raidford speak to that. But in order to discover the secrets of any of these spells requires prodigious study or fortuitous discovery. Only very adept or powerful wizards may teleport without such aids, and then they almost never risk it except in extremis.

Note: Wizards who dedicate their study to teleportation will of course know other spells and will actually adventure about as often as bury themselves in libraries. For teleportation is a dangerous art, and not all it's secrets are in books.

Wish and Miracle

Wish, limited wish, and miracle are banned without express DM permission and a whole lot of RP or good reason. Most of the effects of these spells can be duplicated in a less gimme manner, for everything else there's DM permission and RP/spellcraft.

Spells Changed

Resurrection (All)

The spells true resurrection and resurrection function as advertised except that you must also gain the permission of the entity that currently holds their soul (for good or ill). This can be anything from simple, to impossible, to fiendishly complex depending on the entity. In the case of undead, the controller's permission must be obtained or the controller must be killed.

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