Divine and Arcane Casters

[Possibly Ten]

Here will sit information on Divine, and Arcane casters. What it means to be one, and what is expected from source material as well. Please feel free to pm any DM, or post here if you so desire to add to this thread.


Edit: More to come.

[Possibly Ten]

Divine Casters:



Whether it’s the cleric’s spell, the druid’s wild shape, or the paladin’s holy sword, divine magic is magic tied to devotion. If your D&D character is devoted to some higher authority or cause—often but not always a god—he can draw a measure of power from that connection. Such power generally comes with a price—by accepting the power of divine magic, he generally agrees to abide by a set of principles.

He’s voluntarily limiting his behavior in exchange for power. However, those limits often enrich a roleplaying experience. A character with a connection to divine magic isn’t just a collection of combat statistics wandering aimlessly from encounter to encounter. From the beginning of the first adventure, he devotes himself to something greater, adheres to standards of conduct (whether codified or not), and may even have mannerisms and speech patterns demonstrating that allegiance.

While divine magic is about belief, it centers on believing in the worth of a deity, not merely believing in the existence of a deity. In a typical D&D campaign, few NPCs disavow that the gods exist. It’s hard to deny the existence of Tiamat, for example, when a plane shift spell can take the skeptic to her palace on the first layer of the Nine Hells. Believing in a deity’s existence isn’t enough to earn divine power—a character has to believe that the deity is worth following, and devote himself to that cause.

WHY DO YOU SERVE?

The reasons for serving a divine authority can vary dramatically, even within the same faith or philosophy. Players of divine characters should decide what motivates their character’s behavior, because this can add depth to the character’s interactions with others.

True Belief:

You believe in the righteousness of your faith’s cause. No other deity, philosophy, or way of life “gets it right” the way yours does. The level of this belief can vary from quiet certainty to full zealotry, depending on your character’s personality and the nature of his faith. Recent converts often fall into this category, as do holy warriors such as paladins and clerics.

Tradition:

In many cultures, particularly nonhuman societies, people practice a religion as a matter of course. Individual practitioners probably do not agree with every church precept, and may violate church rules when they fi gure they can get away with it. Traditionalists enjoy the benefits of their religion—holidays, grand ceremonies, or
certain ways of thinking—but often don’t concern themselves with the limits it may place on their daily lives. Still, they usually view themselves as devoted to the faith and never really think seriously about giving up their religious practice.

Power:

Your devotion to the cause gives you power, whether physical, temporal, political, or spiritual. This motivation is common among leaders, who realize that their acceptance of the faith can aid them in their ascent to (and keeping of ) rulership. A drive for power need not go hand-in-hand with hypocritical behavior—a cleric may see his sincere and loyal devotion to the deity as a perfectly reasonable trade for the power gained by that devotion.

Hypocrisy:

Some individuals profess or even demonstrate devotion (whether from mere habit or with other gains in mind), but know full well that their hearts aren’t in it. Their secret thoughts and public deeds reveal that their purportedly pious words are hollow.


WHAT DO YOU SERVE?

A deity isn’t just a name you write on your character sheet. If your character’s divine connection doesn’t affect his or her behavior, then you’re missing out on some of the possibilities that divine magic has to offer. Having spells or abilities derived from divine power means that you serve—or at least have an allegiance to—something. But what you serve is up to you, and D&D gives you lots of choices.

Serving a Deity:

This is the most common choice in most D&D campaigns. Characters that serve a deity generally have an alignment that’s the same or similar to their deity’s, and they generally try to advance that deity’s cause in the world. A follower of Obad-Hai, for example, is probably neutral in alignment and protects the wilderness whenever possible. Clerics and other divine spellcasters receive their spells by praying to the deity, who bestows upon them a measure of divine power.

Serving a Pantheon:

Characters who serve a pantheon venerate several deities, asking each god for intercession in matters that refl ect the god’s interest (called a portfolio). For example, a cleric that worships a pantheon based on Greek gods might ask Hermes for an expeditious retreat
spell, Athena for an oracular vision, or Hades for the power to repel the undead. Clerics who choose to serve a pantheon can choose their two domains from among all the domains offered by all the deities of the pantheon (except aberrant gods—those whose worship is not sanctioned by the clerics of the pantheon as a whole). A cleric can only select an alignment domain if his alignment
matches that domain. The cleric’s alignment must match the alignment of some deity in the pantheon (excluding aberrant gods).

From Complete Divine 3.5 source, pages 5-6

[Possibly Ten]

Arcane Casters:

THE NATURE OF MAGIC


While magic allows characters to perform many wondrous acts, it’s also important to roleplay the limitations of magic—exclusivity, mystery, and unpredictability.

Exclusivity refers to the idea that magic isn’t necessarily easily accessible to everyone who wants to use it. This might be the single most important difference between magic and technology, given that once it becomes common knowledge how to achieve some specifi c technological goal (creating a matchlock musket, for instance), anyone else should be able to obtain the same results by following the same steps in the technological creation process.

Knowledge of magic and technical learning propagate in very different ways, though. In an average city in which a hundred people might have suffi cient skill to build a matchlock musket, only a dozen mages might have sufficient knowledge and ability to master a new spell or reproduce a desired arcane effect. Even if magical knowledge is made available, a majority of people will always be incapable of making use of it, lacking either the required heritage, the blessing of a capricious deity, or a mind trained by years of exercise and meditation.

Mystery is a natural consequence of exclusivity, for with magic, knowledge is power in a very literal sense. A wise mage thinks long and carefully before sharing knowledge of a spell with someone she doesn’t know well, and some magical innovations have been discovered and lost many times as a result.

Likewise, countless fragments of learning and lore come to light again and again in the arcane world—innovations gleaned by individuals who then conceal their discoveries, or which are simply forgotten when their creators die

Finally, unpredictability refers to arcane magic’s incomplete
and imperfect nature. No single arcanist, no matter how powerful, knows all spells, all feats, and all methods of casting. In magic, not even the most powerful of spells is absolute, and exceptions and unforeseen complications come along with every arcane rule and law.

ARCANIST, MAGE, OR WIZARD?

A number of terms can be used to describe arcane spellcasters,
some with specifi c meanings and others simply descriptive.

Arcanist:

Any character who can cast arcane spells. The term is essentially synonymous with “arcane spellcaster.”

Archmage:

A character with levels in the archmage prestige class, though highly accomplished mages are often referred to as archmages
even if they don’t have actual archmage levels.

Mage:

An arcane spellcaster whose primary talent is spellcasting. Bards, for example, are not referred to as mages (as sorcerers and wizards are) because spellcasting is simply one facet of their overall talents.

Sorcerer:

A member of the sorcerer class. In general, if it’s not known whether a character is a sorcerer or a wizard, he or she is referred to as a mage or arcanist.

Specialist:

A wizard who has specialized in a school of magic. A specialist should rightly be referred to by the name that goes along with her specialty—abjurer, conjurer, diviner, enchanter, evoker, illusionist, necromancer, or transmuter.


Wizard:

A member of the wizard class. The term includes both specialized and nonspecialized wizards, but if a wizard’s school of specialty is known, he is referred to by the appropriate specific name.


The Complete Arcane Source, page 4

[Possibly Ten]

Arcane magic

These are typically spells devoted to manipulating energy, converting one substance to another, or calling on the services of other creatures. For wizards, these spells are generally committed to memory after a session of meditation upon a spellbook containing the details of the incantation; sorcerers and bards know their spells innately and do not need to prepare them at all, nor do they require a spellbook. Once prepared, the spell is cast using specific words, gestures and sometimes a specific material component.

Prior to 3rd edition, arcane spellcasting ability is always linked to the Intelligence ability score. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, arcane spellcasters who prepare spells in advance are Intelligence-based, while spontaneous arcane spellcasters, such as Bards and Sorcerers, are Charisma-based.

Each spell belongs to one of eight groups, called 'schools'. Technically, divine spells belong to schools as well, but the distinction is, for the most part, irrelevant. A wizard (but not a sorcerer) may specialize in one school, but at the expense of completely forsaking one or more others. A few spells are "universal", meaning that they belong to no particular school of magic.


Opposition schools in 2nd Edition Alteration Illusion Enchantment
Divination ✵ Conjuration
Invocation Necromancy Abjuration

Abjuration
This school is focused on protective spells, as well as spells which cancel or interfere with other spells, magical effects or supernatural abilities, such as Break Enchantment, Dimensional Anchor, Dispel Magic or Remove Curse. Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Abjurers.

Alteration / Transmutation or Transmution
This school is known as Alteration / Transmutation prior to 3rd edition, and as Transmutation in 3rd and 3.5 editions. Spells in this school alter the properties of their targets. Examples include Bull's Strength, Fabricate, Polymorph, Plant Growth, Move Earth, Water Breathing. In 3rd edition, many non-mind-affecting spells from 2nd edition's Enchantment / Charm school were moved to the Transmutation school. Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Transmuters.

Conjuration or Conjuration / Summoning
This school, known as Conjuration in 3rd and 3.5 editions and Conjuration / Summoning in earlier editions, is focused on instantaneous transportation, conjuring manifestations of creatures, energy or objects and object creation. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, healing spells are also part of the conjuration school, however of the three core arcane classes, these spells are generally restricted to bards. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, Conjuration is divided into five subschools: calling (spells which physically transporting extraplanar creatures to the caster, as well as granting them the ability to return to where they were called from), creation, healing, summoning (teleporting objects to the caster's location and / or causing creatures to physically manifest at the caster's location) and teleportation (instantly transporting creatures and / or objects). Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Conjurers.

Divination
This school is focused on acquiring information. In 2nd edition, Divinition was divided into two schools: Lesser Divination (all Divination spells up to 4th level) and Greater Divination (all Divination spells of 5th level or higher) in order to prevent specialist wizards from losing access to certain utility spells such as Detect Magic, Identify and Read Magic, serving a similar purpose to 3rd edition's Universal Magic. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, Divination has one subschool: scrying, spells within the scrying subschool create invisible magical sensors which provide the caster with information, these sensors can be detected and dispelled. Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Diviners.

Enchantment or Enchantment / Charm;
This school, known as Enchantment / Charm prior to 3rd edition and Enchantment in 3rd and 3.5 editions, changed dramatically in 3rd edition, when all non-mind-affecting spells were removed from the school and many were moved to Transmutation. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, all Enchantment spells are mind-affecting and Enchantment is divided into two sub-schools: compulsion and charm. Charm spells, such as Charm Person or Symbol of Persuasion, affect the targets' attitudes, usually making them act more favorably toward the caster. Compulsion spells such as Confusion, Dominate Monster, Feeblemind, Sleep, Suggestion or Zone of Truth, can force the targets' to act in a certain way or avoid certain actions, affect the targets' emotions or affect the targets' minds in other ways. The Compulsion subschool also includes buffs, such as Aid and Heroism. Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Enchanters.

Evocation or Invocation / Evocation
This school is called Invocation / Evocation prior to 3rd edition, and Evocation in 3rd and 3.5 editions. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, Evocation is focused on damaging energy-based spells such as Fireball, Lightning Bolt and Cone of Cold. It also includes conjurations of magical energy, such as Wall of Force, Darkness, Light, Leomund's Tiny Hit and the Bygby's Hand spells. Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Evokers.

Illusion or Illusion / Phantasm
This school is known as Illusion / Phantasm prior to 3rd edition and Illusion in 3rd and 3.5 editions. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, it is divided into five subschools: figment, glamer, pattern, phantasm and shadow. Figment spells create artificial sensations with no physical substance. Glamer spells alter the target's sensory properties, and can cause invisibility. Pattern spells create insubstantial images which affect the minds of the viewers, pattern spells can inflict harm. Phantasm spells create hallucinations which can be harmful. Shadow spells use magical shadows to create things with physical substance. Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Illusionists.

Necromancy
Necromancy spells involve death, undeath and the manipulation of life energy. Prior to 3rd edition, healing spells are in the Necromancy school, however these spells are generally restricted to clerics and / or druids. Wizards who specialize in this school are known as Necromancers.

Universal
Universal spells have effects too broad to place into one class, or too useful for any specialist to consider forsaking. They often can perform multiple effects, or perform a very specific effect that does not fit into another category. The most famous of these spells is "wish", the most powerful spell within the game, which can duplicate spells from all schools. As universal spells are not a school, per se, no one can specialize in them. Universal spells were introduced in 3rd edition.

Taken from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_of_Dungeons_&_Dragons

[Possibly Ten]

Divine magic

Divine spells take their name from the fact that they are mainly granted to clerics by the grace of the cleric's patron deity, although the spells cast by druids, rangers and paladins also come under this category. Although divine spells can be cast equally well while wearing armor, only rarely require material components, and do not need to be prepared from a spell book, they are generally less overtly powerful than arcane spells and have fewer offensive applications. Despite the lack of flashy spells such as the fireball or meteor swarm granted to a wizard, many very powerful spells—such as gate, summon monster IX, and energy drain—are shared between clerics and wizards. Other powerful wizard spells, such as time stop, are granted to clerics who take up the mantle of certain domains. Finally, spells such as implosion are restricted to clerics only.

Cleric spells are typically devoted to either healing the wounded, restoring lost abilities, and acquiring blessings, or to inflict harm and to curse opponents. These spells must be prepared by the caster daily through a session of meditation or prayer. Since a cleric is also something of a church knight and a champion of his faith, his spells also include ones which temporarily improve his combat ability. Clerics also have the ability either to turn (drive off or destroy) or to rebuke (cow or command) undead, based on their alignment. The spells and abilities of a cleric are based on his deity, as well as his alignment. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, each cleric also has access to bonus spells and granted powers, such as feats, additional class skills and spell-like abilities, from two (or occasionally more) domains which represent his deity or faith; examples include War, Trickery, Good, Evil, and Travel. In 3rd and 3.5 editions, clerics have the ability to lose a prepared spell in order to spontaneously cast either a Cure Wounds spell or Inflict Wounds spell of the same level based on their alignment.

Druid spells are typically devoted to communing with nature, interpreting or directing the weather, communicating with creatures and plants, and the like. The druid shares some spells with the cleric, such as some healing spells, and has a surprising number of offensive spells which use the power of nature—calling down lightning storms, for example, or summoning wild animals to fight. In 3.5 edition, druids have the ability to lose a prepared spell in order to spontaneously cast a Summon Nature's Ally spell of the same level.

Paladin and ranger spells are similar to cleric and druid spells, respectively, but they are allowed fewer spells per day, only gain access to lower-level spells, and gain access to them more slowly. Both classes have some unique spells that can be fairly powerful, despite their low level. In compensation for their diminished spellcasting ability, paladins and rangers have a more martial focus than clerics and druids.

In 2nd edition, divine spells are divided into thematic spheres, with Clerics, Druids and specialty priests gaining access to spells from different spheres. The core spheres are All (generic divine spells), Animal, Astral, Charm, Combat, Creation, Divination, Elemental (optionally divided into Air, Earth, Fire and Water sub-spheres), Healing, Necromancy, Plant, Protection, Summon, Sun and Weather. Tome of Magic introduced the Chaos, Numbers, Law, Thought, Time, War and Wards spheres. Spheres were not retained in subsequent editions.

Prior to 3.5 edition, divine spellcasting ability was always linked the Wisdom ability score. 3.5 edition introduced non-core Charisma-based and Intellingence-based divine spellcasting classes.

Taken from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_of_Dungeons_&_Dragons

[menegil]

Methinks this needs a more Faerûnian take.

What best than a long excerpt from Magic of Faerûn?

_______

While a surprisingly large portion of the creatures of Toril can use magic, few actually bother to understand its origin, why it works, and how it functions. What follows is an overview of the history of magic and basic information about it that any true user of magic should know.

The Beginning

Clerics of Chauntea, Selûne, and Shar tell of the following legend. Lord Ao created the universe that now holds the world of Toril. After this creation, there was a period of timeless nothingness, a misty realm of shadows that existed before light and darkness were separate concepts. Eventually, this shadowy essence coalesced to form twin beautiful deities, polar opposites of each other, one dark and one light. The twin deities created the bodies of the heavens and Chauntea, the embodiment of the world Toril. Toril was lit by the cool radiance of the deity Selûne, and darkened by the welcoming embrace of the deity Shar, but no heat yet existed in this place. Chauntea begged for warmth that she might nurture life and living creatures upon her form, and this caused the twin deities to become divided in intent. The two fought, and from their divine conflict, the deities of war, disease, murder, death, and others were created.
Selûne reached beyond the universe to a plane of fire, using pure flame to ignite one of the heavenly bodies so that Chauntea would be warmed. Shar became enraged and began to snuff out all light and warmth in the universe. Desperate and greatly weakened, Selûne tore the divine essence of magic from her body and hurled it at her sister, tearing through Shar’s form and pulling with it like energy from the dark twin. This energy formed Mystryl, the deity of magic. Composed of light and dark magic but favoring her first mother, Mystryl balanced the battle enough to establish an uneasy truce between the two sisters. Shar, who remained powerful, nursed a bitter loneliness in the darkness and plotted her revenge. Selûne waxed and waned with the light, but drew strength from her allied daughters and sons, and even interloper deities from other planes. Their battle continues to this day.

Mystryl, Mystra,
and Midnight

The birth of the being then known as Mystryl did more than just balance the war between the sisters of light and darkness. Her very existence changed the reality of the universe by creating the Weave, the conduit that allows creatures to use magic. Suddenly, rather than magic being restricted to just the deities, any creature with the talent or training could draw upon the power of magic through the Weave. When sentient creatures appeared on Toril, some of them learned to use the Weave while shamans and clerics drew their magic directly from deities. Acknowledgement of her gift led to worship, and Mystryl drew power from that, becoming one of the more powerful deities.

THE MOMENT OF NO MAGIC

Mystryl’s duty was to tend and repair the Weave, but she herself was so much more than that. Mystryl was the embodiment of the Weave. It ebbed and flowed with her moods, actions, and energy. Something that harmed the Weave harmed Mystryl, and vice versa. Her ties to the Weave were so strong that only she could fully understand and protect it. When Karsus, a powerful arcanist from the human civilization of Netheril, attempted to drain her power in order to elevate himself to divinity, he found himself unqualified for the task, and magic began to unravel all over Faerûn. The severely crippled Mystryl chose to sacrifice herself to save the Weave. Her death caused magic to cease functioning across the universe, instantly slaying the upstart Karsus. The deity was reborn as Mystra, and she was able to repair the Weave so that such powerful magic was no longer possible.

THE TIME OF TROUBLES

This new deity shared the same close ties with the Weave as her predecessor. This was proven in the Year of Shadows (1358 DR) when she was slain in Waterdeep in battle with Myrkul and other powerful beings. When her essence merged with the land, magic ran wild in some areas and stopped completely in others. When the mortal wizard Midnight assumed the mantle of divinity and the portfolio of the fallen Mystra, magic as a whole returned to normal,
although many places still raged with chaotic surges and others seethed with the cold tranquility of a dead magic area. While many of these damaged portions of the Weave ave been repaired, enough remain to serve as a warning to mortals—or deities—who would attempt to harm the Weave or Mystra.

PHILOSOPHY AND WORSHIPERS

As Mystra, Midnight’s philosophy focuses more on the good use and purposes of magic rather than Mystra’s position of keeping the balance of all magical forces. Despite these differences, Midnight wishes to honor her predecessor and those who served her, and so she adopted the name Mystra and continues to grant divine spells to her worshipers who followed the lawful neutral deity. Despite this
commitment to acceptance, Midnight’s dedication to good can be seen in some of her acts, such as advising Azuth to change the selection method of the Magister, and actively encouraging her clerics and mages to promote the learning and use of magic.
Arcane spellcasters of all types revere Mystra, whether bard, sorcerer, or wizard. She does not discriminate between the types of arcane spellcasters, and because of this, worship of Mystra shows the greatest diversity in types of spellcasters.

Azuth, the First Magister

Azuth was once a mortal mage, and a great one at that. His prowess with spells and magical lore attracted the first Mystra’s attention, and after completing several quests to prove his worth, she named him the Magister, the champion of magic—the first person ever to hold that divinegranted title. As the Magister, Azuth taught many people the practice of magic, and was responsible for creating the prototypes of many powerful magic items. Azuth is said to have studied with mages from Mulhorand, explored the ruins of Netherese cities, bartered spells with wizards of Halruaa, learned from elven high mages of Cormanthyr, and studied the genie magic of the far-off land of Zakhara.

THE BATTLE WITH SAVRAS

Some time in the first few centuries of the Dalereckoning calendar, Azuth came into conflict with a minor southern deity of divinations, Savras the All-Seeing. Both were powerful spellcasters (Savras was once a Halruaan wizard), and Mystra favored both. The near-divine mortal and the minor deity began a battle that lasted several years, using agents, magic traps, and personal spell-battles. Azuth managed to defeat the young deity and imprison him in a magic scepter. With this victory and the notoriety among spellcasters he gained from it, Azuth soon after ascended to godhood and pledged to serve Mystra. Since those days his power has increased, and he has acted as a confidant and ally to the Lady of Mysteries. Though the death of Mystra shook him, he has accepted Midnight as the new deity of magic and has worked with her closely to help her understand her duties.
Azuth’s responsibilities include the patronage of wizards, the selection and guidance of the Magister, and leading the more specialized deities of magic. Savras, now freed from the staff, serves Mystra through him, and the two are cautiously moving toward a working friendship. Velsharoon, the deity of undeath, also reports to Azuth, although only reluctantly.

PHILOSOPHY AND WORSHIPERS

Unlike his superior, Azuth is not a deity of magic but of spells and spellcasters. While he is the Patron of Mages, his personal preference is toward wizardry rather than sorcery, and his philosophy fits better with the studious life of a wizard than the more haphazard practices of a sorcerer. Unlike Mystra, he is neither evil nor good, and can appreciate the craftsmanship in a spell regardless of how benign or vile it may be. Azuth acts as a force for the use of magic rather than a protector of its raw power.
Azuth’s worshipers are mainly wizards, although sorcerers attempting to master a new spell often invoke his name. During his mortal life he was said to be a master of the mageduel, and his name is called upon for good luck when such a battle is to take place. Azuth expects all true patrons of the Art to sponsor (whether alone or with others) a mage fair at some point in their lives and attend such gatherings regularly. His clerics are charged with teaching magic to all who can learn it and will use it carefully, and his temple libraries are said to hold hundreds of spells apiece. Many
young wizards got their start when they received a small spellbook as a gift from a worshiper of Azuth, and such a practice encourages worship of the High One by those people later in life.

Savras,
the Imprisoned Deity

Savras was once only worshiped in the southern lands, revered by diviners and oracles in the Shining South and in pockets within the Lands of Intrigue. Eventually, he came into conflict with Azuth, who shared a similar portfolio, and Savras was defeated and forced into a magic scepter that bore his name. He spent hundreds of years as a sentient force within the scepter, able to teleport his prison and protect himself from Azuth’s attempts at divining the scepter’s location.
Savras’s worship dwindled after his imprisonment. His last worshiper was Alaundo the Seer, to whom he revealed only visions that would come true.

SAVRAS’S RETURN

The scepter eventually reached the hands of Storm Silverhand, who ignored the demigod’s pleas for release. She eventually turned the item over to the Lord of Spells for safekeeping. After the Time of Troubles, Azuth released Savras after he swore an oath of fealty, and since then the two powers have moved toward a friendly relationship. Savras now focuses on divination, truthspeakers, and fate, and is the patron deity of many diviners. Some sages and followers of Savras believe that he intentionally lost the battle with Azuth, seeing it as a more favorable alternative to some possible event in his future. This is debated by followers of Azuth, who point to the more conservative nature of Mystra at the time, and they propose that she therefore would have favored a more aggressive and passionate deity of spellcasters (Azuth) to complement her
own nature.

PHILOSOPHY AND WORSHIPERS

Savras’s followers not only seek magical divinations for guidance, but also adhere strictly to their patron’s devotion to truth and frankness. Savras encourages his followers to pause and take stock of a situation before acting, and warns that others might have hidden motives in wishing to learn their fates and the future. He sees his role (and the role of his followers) as that of an agent working to prevent future cataclysmic harm to all Faerûn, and urges his followers to warn of such events when they are predicted. They also study prophecies and interpret dreams. They promote the careful use of divination magic, rather than the reckless and exploitive use that some warlords would put it to in hopes of conquering much with little work. Most of his arcane spellcasters are bards or wizards, since few sorcerers develop skills in divination magic.

Shar and Her
Greatest Secret

Shar, the dark-tressed deity of darkness and secrets, has nursed a grudge against her sister Selûne and their daughter Mystra since the dawn of creation. While her battles with Selûne have been both grand and subtle, her vengeance against Mystra has been brewing so long and so coolly that most don’t realize it exists. Yet sages of divine lore categorize her as “the ruler over pains hidden but not forgotten, bitterness carefully nurtured away from the light and from others, and quiet revenge for any slight, no matter how old.” With this as her legacy, it should be no surprise that Shar would seek recompense from Mystra, but none thought she would do it in the manner she has chosen.

THE SHADOW WEAVE

Because she knows that striking directly against Mystra at this time is foolish and dangerous, Shar chose an indirect method to combat her traitorous daughter. If Mystra is the source of all magic on Faerûn, making every mortal spellcaster beholden to her to some extent, it would be possible to steal away some of that power and the associated worship by creating another source of magic that was under Shar’s control and whose practitioners would have to be beholden to her if they wished to survive its use unscathed. Shar studied the Weave and used her own energy in remote parts of the world to experiment on it, eventually coming to understand how it worked and duplicating its effects with her own subtle and dark creation. Eventually this experiment grew to encompass the entire globe, although none knew of its existence. This creation is the Shadow Weave, a dark and distorted copy of the true Weave that
enhances the magic of shadows, enchantment, necromancy, and illusion. With the Shadow Weave, Shar hopes to draw evil-inclined spellcasters to her flock, especially since those are the kind of people who would avoid paying homage to the good-aligned Mystra anyway. While the Shadow Weave has existed for quite some time, only recently has its use begun to spread rapidly and its power become known to many.
With people drawn to her faith and her source of magic rather than that of the normal Weave, Shar hopes to draw power away from Mystra so that the Lady of Mysteries is reduced to the power of an intermediate or lesser deity, at which point Shar might be able to force Mystra to serve her or destroy her outright. With Mystra subservient or gone, Shar would be able to attack Selûne, using her complete control over magic to slaughter large numbers of the Moon Maiden’s worshipers, weakening her eternal rival to such an extent that Shar could finally be victorious.

PHILOSOPHY AND WORSHIPERS

Shar is a newcomer to the powers of magic and has not established a firm platform for her followers who worship this aspect of her. Her primary goals are the acquisition of new followers, mainly by tempting them with the power offered by the Shadow Weave. She tries to have those who turn to the Shadow Weave choose her as a patron, and in return for this she soothes the pain of the mental damage caused by drawing upon her dark secret. Shar is careful to
avoid tempting divine spellcasters to take this last step, since she has no desire to create more enemies when she sees her moment of victory over Mystra and Selûne on the horizon. It is possible that Shar and another deity might make arrangements for a special follower to gain Shar’s blessing without having to choose her as a patron; such agreements usually involve an extra quest for Shar and one for the character’s actual patron as well.
Shar is particularly fond of seducing sorcerers and wizards known to train many apprentices, for such mages tend to produce young mages who also rely upon the Shadow Weave. She also enjoys corrupting those who manufacture magic items, particularly prolific crafters such as enclave Red Wizards, for their items are Shadow Weave items, which encourage every person who handles them to turn to the Shadow Weave.

Velsharoon the Ungrateful

Velsharoon is a former Red Wizard and candidate for zulkir of necromancy of Thay. After being driven off by Szass Tam, he later discovered a magical process described by Talos the Destroyer that would allow a powerful wizard to ascend to godhood. Velsharoon used the process to become a lich and then a godling (with the sponsorship of Talos). While he served Talos loyally for two years, he
found his power being depleted rapidly in service to his sponsor, so he switched his allegiance to Azuth. Now he has an uneasy agreement with the Destroyer, paying lip service to the Lord of Spells while promoting destruction by encouraging his followers to unleash undead monsters upon the world. Shar has recently approached him about the use of the Shadow Weave, and it is likely that Velsharoon will soon have a third master.

VANITY AND AMBITION

Velsharoon has his fair share of enemies. His protector Azuth dislikes him and only protects him from Talos because it serves Mystra’s will to check Talos for his attempts at usurping wild magic from Mystra’s portfolio. Talos has not forgotten Velsharoon’s treachery and is likely to teach him a lesson when the opportunity comes. Kelemvor and Jergal hate him for his creation of undead, which disturbs their concept of the natural order, and most of the nature deities oppose him on similar grounds. Finally, he has a
rivalry with Cyric, for they both wish to steal power from the deity of death.
At the same time, Velsharoon has proven a master of
diplomacy and bargaining when he needs to be, and has been able to play off his allies against each other. Whether he can do the same with Shar remains to be seen. Given his talents and recklessness, he is likely either to shoot rapidly upward in status or be crushed and absorbed after a catastrophic mistake.

PHILOSOPHY AND WORSHIPERS

Velsharoon encourages the study and practice of necromancy
by all who have the talent for it. He sees necromancy and undeath as the ideal state for those who wish to make a mark on the world, rather than fading from obscurity. His philosophy has an odd dualism that embraces necromantic study as a metaphysical scholar’s ideal and at the same time encourages experimentation and creation of undead regardless of the consequences.
Because of their focus on necromancy, many of his followers are turning to the Shadow Weave, which is putting him in an awkward position in dealing wish Shar, for he wishes his followers to become more powerful but doesn’t want to lose them to a rival deity. While he professes service to Azuth (and through him, Mystra), Velsharoon actually encourages his followers to kill followers of these deities when they have a chance in order to vaunt his own power. Most of his arcane worshipers are wizards; a few strange sorcerers with an obsession for creating undead have also joined his clergy.

Other Deities of Magic

While the entities described above are the best-known
deities of magic in Faerûn, the elves, dwarves, and Mulhorandi
have their own deities of magic, which deserve some
mention here.

Corellon Larethian: The head of the elven pantheon is also the deity of elven magic. He is on friendly terms with Mystra, Azuth, and (through his consort, Sehanine Moonbow) Savras, although when human empires grow powerful and greedy for magic (such as lost Netheril), he becomes more distant. He is often described as the vigilant defender of elven magic and craft. He opposes the corruption caused by the Shadow Weave, and casts his angry gaze upon any elf who dabbles in it, seeing such acts as the province of the dark elves.

Deep Sashelas: The deity of sea elves is also the patron of water magic, and beings of other races sometimes turn to him as a patron. He is friendly but indifferent to Mystra and ignores the other deities of magic. Like Corellon, he forbids the use of the Shadow Weave among his followers.

Hanali Celanil: Rather than being a patron of magic itself, Hanali is interested in magical artistry—the creation of beautiful spells and magic items. She is indifferent to Azuth, Mystra, and Savras but dislikes Velsharoon for his hideous undead and Shar for her nurturing of bitterness and heartache. She agrees with Corellon that the Shadow Weave is a path to corruption.

Isis: Isis is Mulhorand’s patron deity of good-aligned mages. She is coolly friendly to Mystra and opposes Shar and the use of the Shadow Weave.

Laduguer: The deity of the duergar is the patron of dwarven magical craftsmen and dwarven magic. He cares little for the deities of the surface world and even less about what magic his followers use as long as it allows them to create weapons for the fight against their Underdark adversaries.

Set: Set is the Mulhorandi deity of evil mages and spells. He cares little for any of the Faerûnian deities, but admires the creation of the Shadow Weave, a concept he wishes he had thought of himself.

Thoth: Thoth is the Mulhorandi deity of magic in its theoretical and practical form, as well as of neutral-aligned spellcasters. He is indifferent to the Faerûnian magic deities, and neither supports nor opposes the Shadow Weave, seeing it as a tool for magic (created by a non-Mulhorandi deity) and nothing more.

MagicTerminology

This section explains the differences between various users of the Weave and how they draw their power from it. Users of the Shadow Weave function almost exactly in the same manner, with a few more limitations.

The Art

Any magic that doesn’t have its origin in the power of a deity is arcane magic. (While all magic is accessed through the Weave, which is maintained by a deity, this does not make all magic divine magic.) The use of arcane magic is called the Art, and so bards, sorcerers, wizards, assassins, harpers, and other specialists who draw upon arcane magic are all users of the Art, whether or not they acknowledge their kinship with each other.
Those who use the Art have trained or innate skills in touching the Weave and bending it to achieve the desired results. They may not consciously understand the relationship between their words, objects, and movements and the Weave, but they know it exists and it can be felt reacting to their manipulation. Different arcane spellcasters have different experiences with the Weave—some say it feels like weaving a tapestry, others like pulling on ropes, and others like the play of cascading water in a waterfall. These feelings
are purely subjective and do not affect how their spells work.

The Power

Magic that originates in the power of a deity, usually through prayer, is divine magic. The use of divine magic is called the Power. Clerics, druids, paladins, rangers, blackguards, and other practitioners of divine magic are taught this name of their magic by their mentors.
Unlike masters of the Art, those who use the Power have no skill in using the Weave. Their spellcasting knowledge is planted directly in their minds by deities in response to their fervent prayers. To one using the Power, casting a spell is an exclamation of faith and is usually accompanied by a sensation appropriate to the patron of that spellcaster. For example, clerics of Lathander feel a warm heat upon their backs, rangers of Malar feel the hot blood of a fresh kill in their mouths, and paladins of Kelemvor hear the quiet crunch of bone under their boots. As with arcane spellcasting, these sensations do not alter the effects of the spells cast.

The Weave

Raw magic exists in Faerûn, but it is a powerful and dangerous force that can easily destroy even a patient and skilled mortal. It is locked away inside all matter and difficult to access. Most spellcasters instead draw upon magic through the controlled and relatively safe magic accessed through the Weave.

What It Is

The Weave acts as both a barrier and a gate between raw magic and the world. With the Weave in place, mortals can access magic and are protected from the harmful effects of contacting raw magic while still able to tap its refined energy. With the Weave gone, raw magic quickly dissipates from the world, but only after disrupting existing magic and lashing out at nearby magical conductors. Both times that the Weave has been destroyed (with the death of Mystryl and the first Mystra), widespread destruction resulted, and the Weave’s return was only partially able to correct for this, with some portions of the Weave left absent or damaged. The Weave is present in everything in Faerûn, whether living, dead, undead, inanimate, solid, liquid, or gas. It permeates the soil, suffuses the deeps of the ocean, and stretches to the limits of the air in the sky and beyond. The Weave is like a great base fabric upon which the substance of the world is embroidered, a web upon which mortals walk like spiders, a great ocean upon which all objects float. At the same time, it is an aspect of Mystra, and it is by her will that the Weave reaches where it does.
Spellcasters, knowingly or not, cause spells to work by drawing power from the Weave, adjusting the balance of energy so that the power of the Weave comes forth and is shaped by their actions and will. When the Weave is damaged by reckless spellcasting or magical disaster, it can be torn, shredded, or destroyed, leaving dead magic and wild magic areas.

Dead Magic

As explained in the FORGOTTEN REALMS® Campaign Setting, dead magic areas are places where the Weave is absent. Magic simply does not work there. Magic items within its bounds do not function, no item can be detected by magic, and creatures cannot be magically called, summoned, or teleported into or out of its confines. Adamantine items retain their nonmagical enhancement bonuses within a dead magic area. While no temporary repair of a dead magic area is known, a wish or miracle spell permanently repairs the
Faerûn and its magic within 30 feet of its point of origin (which must be outside the dead magic area, of course). A character with
the Tenacious Magic feat must first make a caster level check (DC 14) to repair a wild magic area, whether temporarily or permanently. Multiple spells must be used to repair larger areas. Theoretically, wish and miracle spells could be used to create a dead magic area, but none have come forward with evidence that this is so.
Any creature that uses the Weave to cast spells or use spelllike or supernatural abilities becomes uneasy and uncomfortable immediately when entering a dead magic area, and may take a move-equivalent action to note the exact boundary of the area within 5 feet of their location. Users of the Shadow Weave do not feel the difference and cannot determine the borders of a dead magic area in this manner.
Any creature, whether a user of the Weave or Shadow Weave, can use a detect magic spell to determine the extent of a dead magic area within range (a Weave user would have to cast the spell outside the dead magic area). A character with the Insidious Magic feat must make a caster level check (DC 10) to detect a dead magic area in this manner. A dead magic area is not the same as an area affected by a dispel magic or similar spell. Dispel magic smoothes out
the energies of the Weave, returning it to its normal untapped state, while a dead magic area is a complete absence of the Weave.

Wild Magic

Unlike a dead magic area, where the Weave is simply absent, a wild magic area is a place where the Weave has been severely damaged. The area initially appears normal and does not cause any uncomfortable feelings like a dead magic area does, so it is much more dangerous and hard to detect. Any creature, whether a user of the Weave or Shadow Weave, can use a detect magic spell to determine the extent of a wild magic area within range. On the first round, the presence of magic is revealed (as it would be with any ongoing magical effect), and on the second round, the existence of a wild magic area within the area of the spell is revealed. On the third round, a character can attempt a Spellcraft check (DC 25) to determine the exact borders of the affected area within the operating area of the spell. A character with the Insidious Magic feat must first make a caster level check (DC 10) to detect a wild magic area in this manner (a check must be made on the second and third round).
Wild magic areas only affect spells and spell-like abilities cast within their confines, including these effects that originate from magic items. They do not affect supernatural abilities, ongoing spells brought into their area, or spells cast from outside the wild magic area that reach into it. For effects that are affected by a wild magic area, roll on Table 2–1: Wild Magic Effects in the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Setting.
A dispel magic spell used for an area dispel against a wild magic area causes magic within the area of the spell to function normally, since it temporarily smoothes out the damaged portions of the Weave and causes them to function normally again. Greater dispelling works similarly but for 1d4×10 minutes. A wish or miracle permanently repairs the Weave within 30 feet of its point of origin. A character with the Tenacious Magic feat must first make a caster level check (DC 14) to repair a wild magic area, whether temporarily or permanently. Multiple spells must be used to repair larger areas. In theory, miracle and wish spells could be cast to create a wild magic area, but no evidence of this has ever been confirmed.

The Shadow Weave

The Shadow Weave is the space between the strands of the Weave, the gaps in the spider’s web, the bubbles of air trapped in the waters of the ocean. It reaches everywhere the Weave does, and more, for the Shadow Weave is not subject to Mystra’s laws or state of well being. If Mystra were to die and the Weave collapse, the Shadow Weave would persist. Users of the Shadow Weave are not subject to wild magic areas or dead magic areas in the Weave, for they draw upon another source of power. It might be possible for dead or wild magic areas to form in the Shadow Weave, but that would require great magical force to be expended against it, such as
the death of a deity who uses the Shadow Weave or the destruction of an artifact or mythal created with the Shadow Weave. No such events are known. Should these events come to pass, the effects would be similar to a Weave user in an area of wild or dead magic, except that a Shadow Weave user would be affected and a normal Weave caster would not.
A creature that uses the Shadow Weave cannot cast spells with the light designator or activate spell completion or spell trigger items with the light designator. Any attempt to do so is a standard action and produces no effect, just as if the user were attempting to cast a spell within an antimagic field.
An antimagic field negates all magic within its area, so it does affect a user of the Shadow Weave. Likewise, Shadow Weave spells do not bypass spell resistance, although users of the Shadow Weave get a bonus on level checks to overcome spell resistance when casting spells of the schools of Enchantment, Illusion, and Necromancy.

Mystra’s Refusal

Mystra, as the manifestation of the Weave, decides who can draw upon it and who is barred from accessing it. Deciding is somewhat taxing to her, for every attempted use of the Weave by the target of this ability draws her attention and some small bit of her power, but for a mortal (or even a hundred mortals) doing so, this distraction is trivial to the deity.
Such a punishment is normally reserved for someone who has been abusive of magic, trying to inflict great harmto magic itself (such as by intentionally creating areas of wild or dead magic), or researching spells of mass destruction, such as many of those known in Imaskar, Narfell, Netheril, and Raumathar. Such a being cannot access the power of the Weave, cannot cast spells or use spell completion
or spell trigger items or activate spell-like or supernatural abilities. However, magic and its effects can still harm them, and such beings typically are slain by their rivals or angry commoners for their cruel and mad works.
Mystra can also bar a deity from accessing the Weave, which would prevent the deity from using magic while in Faerûn but not while the deity was on another plane where the Weave does not exist, such as any of the planar homes of the deities. Such an act is very draining to her, and she only does it to reduce the power of a deity intervening directly in Faerûn. She cannot block a deity’s ability to grant spells to worshipers without negating the ability of each worshiper to draw on the Weave. In addition to being time-consuming to locate each of the target deity’s followers and sever their individual connections to the Weave, such an act would greatly upset the balance of power between the deities, angering Lord Ao.
Mystra cannot block someone from accessing the Shadow Weave. It is not a part of her, and her power holds no sway over it. If a creature barred from the Weave by her will later turned to the Shadow Weave, it would not only be unaffected by her power of refusal, but she wouldn’t know that the creature was again able to access magic (albeit from another source).
Presumably Shar has a similar power over users of the Shadow Weave, since she modeled her creation on Mystra’s, but if someone drawing on her power (or worse, one of her worshipers) offended her so, she would be more likely to have them killed than simply end their access to the Shadow Weave. Once a creature has chosen the Shadow Weave, no known way exists for it to draw upon the true Weave in the former manner, although a wish, miracle, or
similar magic might work.

______________

Hope this helps.

Magic of Faerûn, pgs. 4 - 11