LRC:Magic in Faerun

This page is to give everyone an idea of what magic is in Faerun, and the different purposes that it can be put to.

The Weave

The Weave is a manifestation of raw magic, a kind of interface between the will of a spellcaster (any spellcaster, including psionic variants) and the stuff of raw magic. All spells, spell-like effects, and supernatural abilities use the Weave. The Weave is the body of the goddess of magic herself, Mystra.

The Art is what arcane spellcasters practice

The Power is what divine casters use

Wild Magic Areas

In some areas the Weave is so warped or frayed that magic does not function reliably. They tend to be found in the wilds and underground, though areas of wild magic can be found inside cities.

Finding a wild magic area is possible through the use of Detect Magic.

Suppressing a wild magic area is possible through the use of Dispel Magic, as well as more potent spells.

Dead Magic Areas

In some areas, the Weave has a tear or hole, and is completely absent. Usually they mark an area where potent magic(s) were abruptly shattered or destroyed. Spellcasters and creatures with spell-like or supernatural ablities immediately notice when they enter a dead magic area, as they are intimately tied to the Weave.

Shadow Weave users are not attuned to the Weave and experience no such sensation in a dead magic area.

The boundaries of a dead magic area can be determined with a Detect Magic

Shadow Weave

During the course of her eternal war with the goddess Selúne, the goddess Shar created the Shadow Weave in response to Selúne's creation of Mystra and the birth of the Weave. If the Weave were a loose mesh permeating reality, the Shadow Weave is the pattern formed by the negative space between the Weave's strands. It is an alternate to the using the Weave.

Shadow Weave users ignore disruptions in the Weave, though antimagic blocks the Shadow Weave.

Shar completely controls the Shadow Weave.

The Shadow Weave is best for spells that sap life or dull the senses, and is unsuited to spells that manipulate energy or matter. It cannot produce any effect that produces light

Psionic Weave

Unlike spells, which derive their power from the Weave, psionic ability taps only the inner reserviors of the manifestor. In essence, each psionic creature is their own Weave. Mystra and Shar have no influence over psionic manifestations. That being said, psionics are magical in nature and as such spells such as Detect Magic will register psionic manifestions just as Dispel Magic will dispel them.

Elemental Magic

Some spellcasters wax poetic about the four classical elements—air, earth, fire, and water—while others replace water with cold, or even add wood to the ring of elements. There is no consensus on what the elements are or what elemental magic is, and so "elemental mages" vary greatly.

Air elementalists are usually conjurers and utilize the cold energy type

Earth elementalists are usually tranmuters and utilize the acid energy type when not using "true" earth magic

Fire elementalists are usually evokers and are the most plentiful of the elemental mages.

Water elementalists tend not to specialize by favor divinations, abjurations, and some enchantments. They favor electrical energy.

Elven High Magic

The greatest and oldest elven wizards are sometimes initiated into a higher level of magic called elven high magic. This magic is far beyond the norms ordinary magic, affecting large areas or hundreds of people at once. It requires decades of study and it's implementation requires days of casting, as well as requiring the collective effort of dozens or hundreds of elven participants.

Mythals

Mythals are an ancient form of elven high magic created by a group of spellcasters working together to create a lasting magical effect over a large area. The nature of each mythal varies with each mythal.

Rune Magic

Rune magic is a means of binding spells to objects in the form of magic runes that are triggered by touch. This form of magic is traditionally practiced by dwarves and giants, though it's practice has begun to spread.

Circle Magic

Circle magic is a type of cooperative spellcasting that allows the spellcaster leading the circle to increase her caster level significantly and achieve results otherwise unavailable to the spellcasters composing the circle. This form of casting is practiced most in the lands of Thay and by the Witches of Rashemen.

Portals

Magic portals link many places across Toril. It is a permanent teleportation effect that safely whisks its user to a predetermined location.

Keyed Portals

Some portal builders often restrict access to their creations by setting conditions for their use. They are often keyed to some observable quality, a particular time, or spell effect.