The Weave (5e Variant Rule)
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The Weave[edit]
The Weave (an excerpt from Becoming One by Amicus Koehlarin) All arcane magic that is used follows the VorsTel system (except for the fledgling Mantran school). This system utilizes an energy field known as the Weave that is invisible to all but those who are connected to it. Theory says that this field is composed of energy that all non-sentient life uses naturally. Sentient life is only connected to it by study and use. While using The Weave brings great power to the user it is also a very dangerous tool. The closer ones connection to the Weave the more the Weave allows you to utilize its energy. This energy is inimical to the body of all known races. When a Weaver channels the energy through their body they slowly replace their own flesh with the energy of the weave. The more powerful one becomes the more a part of the Weave they become and the more the weave seeks to reclaim the user. There is a saying Weavers have that sums this up well. "Knowledge brings power. Power brings life-lines. Lifelines bring pain. Knowledge is Pain." The Weave is in the simplest terms a bi-product of the plant life of Obiniaras. Much like plants give off oxygen as a by product of photosynthesis, the plants of Obiniaras also produce Weave energy. This energy is contained in a field that connects all plant life and those who utilize the Weave consciously. There are many animals and insects that instinctively use the weave (herbivores who locate preferred plant types by finding their distinctive weave energy, or insects that use the weave field to navigate). There are even a few species that utilize the Weave to create effects similar to those performed by sentient manipulators. However only those who use the Weave in a conscious and intentional manner have what Weavers call Life lines. Life lines are direct contacts with the energy field and are the means by which a manipulator channels the energy through their bodies. The number of Life Lines possessed is a good indicator of the level of power a weaver has access to (though some more powerful users can mask their lifelines.). These lifelines are only visible to those who have a direct connection to the Weave themselves. The major benefit of using the Weave is that it allows you to alter the normal rules of reality in various ways. The Major drawback is that the energy is not compatible with non-plant based tissues. Channeling the energy through non-plant tissue inevitably eats away at the host's cellular structure. Over time, this incompatibility can be deadly. The only way to prevent death by slow destruction is through sheer willpower. The best weavers are able to hold their bodies intact because they have a very powerful motivation for gaining more power. Each time a weaver gains access to stronger energy, they have a chance of dying. Eventually a powerful wizard is nothing more than a bunch of Weave energy kept together and isolated from the Weave by sheer force of will. As one gains power, the Weave sometimes will actively try to reclaim its energy. If the Weaver’s drive falters, they could end up being absorbed into the weave. When a Weaver dies, they are absorbed by the Weave. They retain no sense of individuality, but there are ways of retrieving their essence back from The Weave. However; these are so dangerous to those attempting to do so that they are rarely used. A Weaver can still be harmed by physical force but any wounds that appear are merely the weaver's mind representing the disruption of their energy. Healing spells still work because the weaver still has living cells and the healing spells serve as a focusing agent. Dragons are a very special case. While all dragons are unnatural creations, they manipulate The Weave in a very distinct way. To prevent the weave from eating away at their cells, they slowly transform their cells into plant cells through magic.
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