Laei Saenei’s notes on Magic
Version 0.5 updated on 12 Ches 1361
notes on "A Treatise of Magic and Morality by Aeilli Azenci"
Well written, easy to read, easy to follow the writers ideas, thoughts, line of reasoning
Priestess Azenci's logic does breakdown in a few spots, for example, the claim the weave is by which all things are connected to one another.
When Mystryl perished it was a disaster, but the world did not abruptly disintegrate into dust. Life went on. Over at Boarsky bridge magic doesn't work, it is dead. I suspect the weave is broken, or non-existent there, yet people eat, speak, the bridge holds together, life goes on.
The book attempts to portray the Lady of Magic in both ways, as good, but also neutral, which is a contradiction. It might be better off claiming the Lady of magic would like to be good, but the nature of her position forces her to be neutral.
should follow up or inquire with: Reader Tiawyn (moonsong) or Sir Fenwick
time spent with Guide Edelgarde
The Time of Troubles by Edelgarde Spades
Deneir stayed at Candlekeep, which must have been quite the affirmation of faith for Guide Edelgarde. He explained what was happening.
Cyric, took portfolios of Bane, Bhaal, Mirkul, lost death to Kelemvor
Cyricists setup in Soubar, high priests resides, in control of Crimson Watch Militia
Mystra, not Midnight
What is Amn's attitude now toward magic users? - licenses no longer accepted
The description of recreating the weave with Lord Arunsun was fascinating
Duchess Liia Jannath - leader of the Gate, Trust in Mystra and Azuth
time spent with Guide Edelgarde
On the Raw Magic Interpretation of the Weave by Reader Lafali'Atria-Hoihe Dacino Reader Atria (her)
The creation story was very interesting.
We shape the weave, and it returns to its natural state eventually, our interaction is temporary
except for our impression of our mortal/inanimate existence left. Physical consequences do not revert.
True raw magic is force of creation, the God's Selune and Shar used, and the weave protects us from interacting with it directly. Beyond realm-space, the cost has to be born by something.
Raw magic is stored in realm space, our blood, our life, in matter around us.
weave, canvas with loose threads – metaphor
Claims:
evocation is geometric arrangements on the weave to leak the desired energy
conjuration uses real raw magic of creation to create a sort of planar convergence
calling/translocation uses raw magic used to weaken barrier between planes
creation uses raw magic to reform matter and energy of the world itself, that already existed
transmutation uses raw magic to manipulate of the geometry of the weave
illusion uses raw magic used to reform matter and energy as in creation, that already existed
enchantment uses raw magic to touch and adjust the impression our mind leaves on the weave
necromancy is a mixture of creation of evocation
Divination is not possible under the theory as per author. But on my reading, it seems it would be. The idea being divination is using magic to resonate with another part of the weave, but this implies the weave is dimensional on time.
I feel I should reread this book, I might not properly understand it.
time spent with guide Edelgarde
The Rise and Fall of Netheril by Noromical Kinsara
"no spell above the ninth circle"
Netheril Empire = Anauroch desert, which was fertile back in year negative 4000.
The Netherize learned magic from sun elves, discovered Nether Scrolls, which gave unparalleled magic power and knowledge.
Congenio Ioun, was a Netherize Mage! Created the Ioun stones!
Ioulaum invented mythallars and flying enclaves
Mythallars are powerful artifacts that powered other artifacts
Karsus folly:
A plague of phaerimm plagued Netheril, which drained life from the land
Some, including Karsus, felt Mystryl was not doing enough to stop said plague.
Karsus developed Karsus Avatar to kill a deity and absorb its power
Karsus Avatar was cast on Mystryl, which Killed Mystryl and Karsus. Mystryl passes her power to Mystra. Magic died for 12 seconds.
Mystra is said to just have been learning her first cantrips at the time
The enclaves fell except for Selunarra, which landed do to Selune intervention. This ended the Netheril empire as surviving refugees fled elsewhere. The phaerimm turned the Anauroch desert into desert. The phaerimm are currently imprisoned under the desert now, by persons unknown.
note: Phaerimm dwell in the under dark!
time spent with Guide Edelgarde
from time spent with Guide Edelgarde Spades
The Eight Schools of Magic Common by Aeili Azenci
the idea spells have a common set concepts
composition
core:
link:
source:
destination:
origin:
usually only three in play
all spells utilize weave to modify attributes of reality -> conjuration? divination? illusion?
instantaneous = exists for only a moment
?durational? = exists for some time
universal spells
not part of any one school
prestidigitation
wish
Planes
Mystra’s weave only extended to the Ethereal plane
Positive energy planes
in order for positive energy to be detrimental to the body, one must physically walk the positive energy plane, generating parts exponentially until the body cannot sustain itself anymore
entire planes overlap with the plane of positive energy, favorable to life, nature is lush, people rarely get ill, and heal ten times quicker, put stepping into the plane is a death sentence, like all things balance is key, our bodies are alive, more tolerate to positive energy then negative energy
corruption of positive energy is rare, typically presents as green abundant life, giant creatures like lions and like, frequently welcome on the prime.
This is still something that should be seen has out of balance.
Negative Energy
negative energy is not digestion and waste, it is not onset immediately
negative energy in to much corrupts, spontaneously creating undead, which can happen on battlefields or disasters, or untended graveyards
in-between planes are referred as demi-planes
these in-between planes, speculation: which extend or overlap other planes
Shadow, Mirror, Astral, Ethereal, ?
Shadow: Lady of Loss
Astral: Weird Beast
Ethereal: Mystra's weave extends here
?: unknown
Astral sea extends to outer planes
Ethereal Plane extends to inner planes
Mystra's weave does not automatically extend except for Ethereal plane
Sometimes, if planes overlap, we can still use Mystra’s weave in another plane because we both in the prime and another plane.
spell caster types
wizard: learned spell caster
sorcerer: spontaneous
cleric: learned prayer, divine knowledge to manipulate the weave
favored soul: spontaneous divine knowledge to manipulate the weave, chosen by a deity
druid: study like a cleric under a druid, but spontaneous spell casting
nature acts a bit like a deity, but it is odd
Pact mage: the pact is a heap all at once, not a link, to be paid back with interest
creatures
Fey
lack understanding of mortality
Seelie
Summer court
fairy godmother of fairy tales
Pixie, Nixie, and playful kinds
Unseelie
Winter court
evil fey
sadistic and revel in misery
Hags, redcaps, similar nightmare material are Unseelie
Night Hags are evil outsiders
miscellaneous
Mage fair is typically held in Marpenoth
ink
Hawthorn is a good basic starting ink for the blacks
stored as powder, suspended in alcohol
collected and prepared in month of Tarsakh
(((OOC details are in 2024-08-10 chat with Guide Edelgarde
Guide Edelgarde briefly met Laitae
learned prestidigitation :-) from Guide Edelgarde
time spent with Guide Edelgarde
The Eight Schools of Magic Vol II by Aeili Azenci - Conjuration
Conjuration:
creatures, flame arrow, grease, recall types with object returning to caster
energies are not created, but taken from planes of origin
orb of fire, fire energy from plane of fire, more stable on the prime, but requires user to actually throw it
Healing is a sub-school, as it is summoning positive energy from the plane of positive energy
but is not mindless about it, but is quite complicated in it
our bodies naturally generate some positive energy
positive energy raises the roof on what our natural processes are capable of
in order for positive energy to be detrimental to the body, one must physically walk the positive energy plane, generating parts exponentially until the body cannot sustain itself anymore
entire planes overlap with the plane of positive energy, favorable to life, nature is lush, people rarely get ill, and heal ten times quicker, put stepping into the plane is a death sentence, like all things balance is key, our bodies are alive, more tolerate to positive energy then negative energy
summarized as school that moves core from origin to a destination
core: objects, energy, creatures
origin: a plane
destination:
summoning:
creature, object, energy -> reforms in about a day!
creatures, flame arrow, grease, recall types with object returning to caster
a summoned creature requires someone to summon and spell has duration
conjuration -> summoning -> creature, object, energy -> reforms in about a day!
calling:
"gate spells": no dispel (dismissal?): but can be banished/abjured
a called creature may remain on the prime as long as it wishes or until slain or banished
if fighting against demons, and entity willing joins, perhaps noble thing to do, but not simple either
first
will be judged, and ready to face judgment
said creature will be infinitely wiser and enlightened then me
second
call celestial to serve said creature
third
accept that the price is always my soul. A celestial will not do abject things such as eating souls or bargaining them, but it is their nature to influence our souls.
a celestial will likely ask for an oath or particular act be performed by the caller
the more we do so, the more our souls get closer to the power they represent
all planar entities imbue their surroundings with their energies, they do so also with words and acts
fourth
when they judge you can walk the path on your own without further guidance,
when their work is done and mine is merely started
advice for meeting a celestial, any time, which is not uncommon on the sword coast, above.
(or go unnoticed)
Elven Crown-era culture, speculated to be black marble used in conjuration and binding, this is a guess -> allow Mal'Vaithriss to better Marshall demon forces → Edelgarde look into her self or ask Reader Tiawyn
creation:
duplicates a substance (but not spell components): typically temporary
healing:
energy summoning of positive energy: beyond the power of ordinary folk
from a plane of positive energy
teleportation
"core" from "origin" to a "destination"
origin my location to destination
destination is sympathetic link
travel through the Astral Sea/Inner-sea, abjuration countermeasures
beings can travel between planes where the planes overlap or merge.
time spent with Guide Edelgarde
The title is Eight Schools of Magic V by Aeili Azenci - Evocation
Evocation:
Core carried through Link to Destination
each spell has a "core", "destination", and "link"
core: element we are evoking
destination: target
link: is what allows it to reach destination
Elemental
Force
all spells utilize weave to modify attributes of reality -> conjuration, divination, illusion
Evocation -> base elements -> limited number of attributes -> easier to create from raw magic
instantaneous = exists for only a moment
durational = exists for some time
ex: fireball:
core: fire, spark, directed to our mind to place of our liking, then triggered to conflagration
destination: place in our sight, range
link: sensory, namely visual because as stated before we must see where we want the fireball to go
ex: sending, scry,
link: a pointer, familiar with target, sympathetic link, the pointer is like a bridge
pointer can be a touch, a sight of a target, etc
time spent with Guide Edelgarde
Eight Schools of Magic Volume I by Priestess Aeili Azenci - Abjuration
Abjuration
wards
personal
communal
repulsive
dispelling
breaches
dispels
suppression
anti-magic field (not available) and suppress ward
dismissals
attempts to unwind, untangle, or reset the weave to its original state
apply common set concepts
core:
link:
source:
destination: the weave itself
origin:
core carried through link to destination, same as evocation
time spent by Novice Saenei
Eight Schools of Magic Volume IV by Priestess Aeili Azenci – Enchantment
Enchantment
Charms
alter perception of reality
Charm Person
which if used carefully may not even be remembered by the subject
Heroism
being caught by authorities may not be desirable
Enchantment
Compulsions
Hold Creature
Dominate Mind
Sleep
fails against
insects, arachnids, undead
elven, draconic, and fey blood
Sirens
Nymphs
Illithid psions
Chaos
confusion
greater horrors
consider Protection from Good to protect your allies from yourself
apply common set concepts
core:
link:
source:
destination:
origin:
core carried through link to destination, same as evocation
time spent by Novice Saenei
from time spent with Arcanist Morgan
Black Scrolls of Amn second only to the Demononicon of Iggwilv
Abyss
chaos personified, evil personified, cold malicious intelligence, boundless, swirling evil, primordial chaos from which demons spawn
seeks to return all to Chaos
chaos and destruction of order and materially lawful nature of the rest of the multiverse
destruction of all things?
demons
tend not to follow orders, but rather their base impulses
any demon can be a spell caster
a Marilith can will spells into existence
Nalfeshnees tend to be mages
Abyssal entities
commonalities to be exploited
not necessarily intelligent
moving toward destroying all
tend to be fast, strong,
resistant to anything from the material plane
notoriously difficult to kill
resistant to the Weave
will inherently different from our own, fortitude and reflex similarly so
high spell resistance
!! Sonic or Force Damage recommended !!
from time spent with Arcanist Morgan
from time spent with Archmage Maraav
general
the more information it has to provide, the harder the illusion
High Arcana
operate on spell construction, editing, altering it
Mastery of Shaping
appears that spells do not harm allies, but in reality spells are shaped such that the spell does not hit the area of the ally
this is quite difficult, as people run and move non-stop
it needs to be calculated quickly where they will move so the spell will not hit where they will be in the future
need to use arcane essence of circle 6 equivalent and set assign an area of the mind permanently to hold and calculate all of this information
that is the real magic here, permanently altering ones mind to divine where people and objects are going to be when the fireball is going to hit.
permanent sacrifice
Fireball example
when casting the spell know what the area looks like where it will hit, and imagine in the head holes in the area where the spell will not hit, by casting the spell in the same time change and in some way edit the spell
from the raw magic theory Edelgarde was teaching me, I immediately recognized this as “editing” the link. Simply not see see the parts of the area when the link component of the fireball spell was being formed.
also works for objects
use the area set aside in the mind to figure out what the area will look like
Mastery of Elements
like mastery of shaping, we change one component of spell construction, specifically, source
take a moment to experience a change in an element
Maraav took my hand and changed his finger from cold to hot, to demonstrate the feel of it, the sensation of it, the understanding of it. A person needs to naturally feel, or imagine elements they want to change fundamentally, and be able to imagine them. Both the original and the one changing to.
Understand the spell is already cast, the energy is already stored as the original energy.
Need to feel the spell itself, the natural moment when to feel the original energy invoking. This cannot be calculated, the spell is already cast, we are altering it as it invokes. Seek the energy by feeling the original energy, and swapping the feel of the destination energy.
Not the emotion, but the feel, the natural feeling, feeling the essence of energy.
As with all things magical, imagination, will, confidence, and understanding all play a part.
time spent with Archmage Maraav
from time spent with Magus Niyressa
common
start with general knowledge, but to truly make a spell my own, practice and experiment to arrive at an approach that works best for myself
I start from the perspective of a Wizard, a memorization caster, 9 circle, but with limited instinctive ability. I am no spontaneous sorcerer.
With Mystra’s death by Helm, the weave acted like a living organism, taking time to wither and die like a plant with its roots cut off. Made of mesh and fibers, withering in patches as it died off. Dead magic zones and wild sparks, which did not act or function as should, and became worse until a new lady of Mysteries arose.
“The Weave is the Mothers guiding Hand” - Niyressa
For wizards, when we prepare spells, we actually cast the spells during our meditations, since they take minutes to cast. You choose the proper pages in your spell book, do the incantations, fill the runes and diagrams with magic and before you set out each spell is cast in its entirety, waiting to be cast
With a belt full of potions, each potion is ready in its full effect you just need to take it out and sip it, same is with spells. Outside of your meditation you simply call the command words of each spell and use your gestures to create a focus and target each spell properly.
Casting happens before incantation, during meditation, during preparation, rather then when releasing with command words and gestures
Elements, Energies, and mortality of magic
Four Elements
Fire Earth Lightning Water
Laei’s note: if I understand correctly, like a compass with water / fire opposite to each other
Ten basic types of energy, with magic having addition of pure magic which can translate into force, sonic, which is not considered a main type as it is usually out come of a different mechanic, same with acid
Laei’s attempt to figure out the ten types:
pure magic
force, sonic
water
cold, ice
fire
flame, radiant
earth
acid, physical
(acid is made up of alkaline from the earth)
lightning
electrical, wind
The four energies
good, evil, chaos, order
a compass again, good / evil opposite of each other
The dou positive and negative energy
in opposition to each other
Negative energy is associated with decay in magic as per Niyressa
Various planes and their associated energies:
Abyss: Chaos and Evil
Nine Hells: Order and Evil
Celestia: Good and Order
Brightwater: Good and Chaos
Feywild: Purely Chaos, at least in specific sections
Mechanicus: Purely Order, associated with creatures like the Marut
Morality of Magic
mortal thinking does not apply to magic
The weave is the Mothers guiding hand, nothing more
action or intent does not equal if a spell itself is good or evil
a spell that summons abyssal energy into our plane will always be evil rearguard-less of what it is used for
the same for a spell that spreads negative undeath contamination. The why doesn’t matter.
Improving Spell casting
magic is free and open, spells fizzle when they fail the rules of magic
but a spell can also blow up 10 times stronger, the accepted method does not mean there are not more methods
each spell is approached differently, how to cast them faster, stronger, or longer
How can I make this work rather then how does this work
Will plays a strong hand in this. Half of spell casting is dependent on will to change the world, a double edged sword
try to hard or achieve to much and it will blow up in my face, but if I apply to little or lack confidence it will fail likewise
as we gain knowledge and experience with spells, we gain the understanding and ability to increase our effectiveness without additional power required from the weave
Evocation spell re-ignition
reignite takes in account all the magic that is not used in direct attack but is needed for all the maintenance and uses that, while in the case of empower its that they need less magic for control and can focus more of it into attack efficiency
Circles of Power
Circles of Power are general measurements of how much magic is spent to power a spell.
the greater the circle of power used to cast a spell, the more magic used
Laei’s own thoughts:
Circles of power are non-linear increase
I have done some study, and in units of magical power, I think it comes out like this:
circle 1: 6 units
circle 2: 39 units
circle 3: 89 units
circle 4: 158 units
circle 5: 246 units
circle 6: 355 units
circle 7: 483 units
circle 8: 631 units
circle 9: 799 units
epic spell: ? I do not have the ability to cast this yet
with a progression of: 6, 33, 50, 69, 88, 109, 128, 148, 168, ?
Meta-Magic
as an approach is a specialized application of increasing spell effectiveness
instead of the normal progression of knowledge and understanding to increase effectiveness of a spell, add more power from the weave to get more power out
the improvement in understanding the spell is sideways progression in how to add power rather then progression in efficiency
Firstly: Power
We need gauge and then apply meta-magic with the proper amount of additional power for the altered effect.
Use to little and the whole spell will fail, like trying to paint the whole house with a glass of paint, use to much and it will succeed and the outcome burns the result
done with up-casting
the practice of increasing the circle of power used to fuel the spell.
down casting is also possible, for example haste for a split second. But rarely used, with snake swiftness spell doing a similar effect.
each incantation is going to be different, so when and how to put the extra power is going to depend on both the meta-magic effect we are looking for, the components of the spell, and what needs to be modified
Extending Spell duration
no one incantation fits all. This is the difficult part. Approach each spell separately, understand its individual parts and why they have a place in the spell. Once you can do that, come up with a way to extend the spell and gauge how much energy the spell will. Lastly, remember will and confidence play a major role into bringing it into existence.
unlike with normal efficiency gains, we need to understand each component to make this work
asking other mages how they extend their spells is fine, but that will never teach us the understanding and practice needed to use this at will, or apply it to a unique situation when it really matters
when preparing the spell before hand, if we do not understand the alteration of a spell, small errors can cause spell fizzle
can only extend spells that create an inherently stable magical field, instantaneous spells for example are inherently unstable and cannot be extended
permanently extending spells is possible, but is a different approach, and requires different spell formulas not applicable to this
most spells are up cast just one circle, as anything more would be wasteful
in order to extend beyond that changing the spell itself is required through the use of a connection, presence, or anchoring. Which is going beyond altering or reinforcing components and adding new ones, creating a new spell.
Empower Spell
similar to extend in principle, but entirely different in application
with extend we were pouring in a little bit of power and we only needed to adjust the size of the magical field and the speed of its dissipation to account for increased magic
extend requires more power unless you are very efficient with it and this time we are increasing the raw magic input while trying to keep it under control for redirection, in a sense empower is more of a feeling thing where extend is more calculated, but a small misstep can lead to disastrous outcome.
generally up-cast two circle, but there are people who can do one circle. People like me!
My time learning raw-magic theory with Guide Edelgarde finally pays off! Arcane Scholarship at Candlekeep and all those books, especially on evocation.
Quicken Spell
an ability that focuses on mage duels, life and death situations
costs lots of extra energy to perform, very few mages focus on this ability
as an Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep the esoteric fascinates me! Thank you Guide Edelgarde for igniting the curiosity
the approach is similar to other meta-magics, which has been enhancing different aspects of the spell. While speed is not a spell aspect, though that is a different matter for some spells, most spells take a similar time to execute.
Command Words
What takes time is the command words to release them, a tried and true system that works in most cases.
Command words are more complicated then just forming the right incantation, the right pattern needed to focus, target, execute the spell. It is a bit more then the command to unshrink an item.
For quickened spells, we try to subvert the normal process of command words, to execute them quicker. This requires an extraordinary amount of magical energy.
To shorten the command words needed, we program the spell before hand.
Programming an additional spell layer
Program as a concept
This is the concept of setting up actions to occur on their own based on conditions.
Giving a spell a sense of intelligence on what its purpose is
think about how Glyph of warding works, how it is targeted before hand and executes on its own.
a bit like programmed imagine, you tell it what to do before hand
By programming the spell, we reduce the number of command words needed to the barest of application, with only need to gesture and say the command word, the process becomes a fraction of the standard application.
But we need to program the spell to be pro-active in what we would normally do by command word. Focus, Targeting, Execution, the spell needs to do on its own.
Programming is done by weaving an additional spell casting layer into the spell during preparation, to hand this automation and reduction of command words needed to cast.
This consumes a lot of magical energy, increasing the circle needed to cast the spell by 3 or 4. ( 3 for me, thank you Edelgarde )
We specifically need to program the following components:
pro-active incantation acquisition. It needs to be watching for its command word and gesture constantly. Similar to how Glyph of Warding is triggered by an enemy approaching, but instead triggered by simplified command word and gesture.
Pro-active target acquisition: It needs to have enough intelligence to have figured out what its target is going to be before triggered. It needs a sense of purpose. It needs to be watching.
Additional notes
be sure to give the programming enough purpose, not a specific purpose, but not to general either
be careful on incantations, write down the words and see if the execution is not connecting
casting happens during preparation, not releasing
Maximize Spell
Empower and Extend pour more energy into the stabilizing field component of the spell to inflate the canteen, making the spell stronger but still have the unstable nature of magic in its raw form. Different outcomes if cast the spell a hundred items, never matching perfectly. Sometimes losing energy, sometimes not.
Maximizing a spell tries to take this sort of inconsistency out of the process by supplying the spell with still more energy, but instead of using that energy to reinforce its power or stabilizing field, we condense the magic. Then if we go back to the canteen analogy, instead of haphazardly filling the water to somewhat full, carefully making sure the now water reaches the rim of the throat.
Condensed Magic
Normally more energy is more power, but our goal is to eliminate any possible loss of magic in execution or leak, so we always cast at its full potential.
Condensed magic is more tricky to control then normal magic, with a more unstable field. However if there are any leaks or inefficiencies, the magic can be un-condensed as needed on the fly to make up for it and keep the canteen full for so to speak.
This is going to take 2 or 3 circle of energy to create
2 for me, thank you Guide Edelgarde
Spell Knowledge
Proper knowledge of the original magic field in all aspects as we are trying to fill it up exactly without bursting is required. To little and your spell will be as random as normal. To much and it will burst. We need to know exact retention and possible yield.
Just knowing it will take another 3 circles to cast is not precise enough, this is about understanding, feeling, and art.
Magic is the craft of imagination, you cannot create something you cannot imagine, and the clearer you imagine something the better your spell is, white regards understanding, focusing on the measure of fire in a fireball can be a slippery thing to imagine, but focusing on always creating 8 mirror images less so.
Fireball will always get the most fire from the base version
Spells like mirror image always summon the most mirror images from the base version.
Reserve Magic
The common spell many of us know and use, deflection, is reserve magic!
Reserve spells are small magical tricks that allow a mage to siphon off the spell power from a ready spell into a less powerful but at will repeatable spell. These repeatable effects tend to be very simple as they have minimal setup in regards to stabilizing fields and such. But this minimalism allows them to be used frequently and quickly.
The seed spell for the reserve spell needs to be of similar effect, school, and energy type. Example: Preparing Meteor strike to siphon small bursts of flame from.
By drawing on the preparations of the seed spell, allows for reflexive casting of the reserve spell almost infinitely, similar to how deflection can be used almost infinitely. However, if I use the seed spell itself, I will lose the reserve spell as it will no longer have anything to tap for power.
Remember, when we prepare spells we fill the spell with the arcane circles worth of power, similar to filling a potion bottle, and then release it on command. This is why we can release the power a few drops at a time. However the power cannot be repurposed but remains true to the rules set by the seed spell. For example raw magic has already been formed into the final energy type, and this cannot be changed.
Transmutation
Transmutation of objects and materials is altering the material structure such that the change that needs to be made occurs as a result.
including when shrinking items, hardening items
With more difficult materials and structures, this can lead to prominent changes in density and other aspects and requires more knowledge of the base properties of the materials.
the caster needs to follow the proper structural change for the material or the spell will fight against them
as skill is gained, the ability to change material in density and softness is gained, eventually even into that of cloth
analyze dweomer can be used to identify materials and structures
Transforming creatures is bound more by self upholding laws.
“Essentially Transmutations are all about understanding the world around you, which is part of why I love them.” – Niyressa
Learning Spell: Shrink
for shrinking my Scrying mirror! :)
reduce person vs shrink
I already know reduce person
the spells are very similar both in their seeds and magic circle
key differences:
reduce person control
Reduce person works with living people, who have a will and life of their own. This requires constant connection, allocation for binding with a targets will and changing person. The spell ends up being more volatile and harder to control. The shorter time span is not surprising on the same circle power level.
shrink item control
more magic is needed initially, but no will and no life force to deal with over time except for the casters
this leads to long term effect and ability to control size
learned from Niyressa
Learning Spell: Harden
somewhat similar to shrink, with shrink, with shrink we were folding an item into itself to make it more compact and messing with its structure to make it easier to pack.
Harden is similar, but this time using magic to reinforce its base structures, fill it in where needed and make its building blocks more stable.
Similar to Shrink, we start with understanding its construction and material and again we can use our magic to analyze it until we have more practice.
Example: Wood
Wood is one of the most basic materials, and unlike metals when wood is hardened it does not loose volume. Something to be aware with metals, their hardening is more complicated and they will shrink a bit when hardened.
With enough practice and power wood can be hardened into basically adamantine
watching Niyressa:
first she poured magic into the bench with her detection, letting it wash over and return to her, then proceeded with altering the woods structure. An almost metallic sheen washed over the wood for a short moment then disappeared.
On my attempt the magic rippled like a pond before disappearing, and the results worked is decidedly less effect.
Niyressa recommended I look into a book on Materials from Candlekeep to improve my ability. Or take up carpentry to learn working with wood. I would rather just read a book.
learned from Niyressa
Learning Spell: Mending
easier then shrink or harden, as all we have to do is put things together
for complex things like machines knowledge of how they are made is required
by knowledge Niyressa means understanding. Example: Why a crane has counterweights and etc helps putting the structure together helps much more then knowing that it has them.
Understanding the construction of the object is most important when mending
we are not altering, just putting it together
to do that, we only need to copy the structure of the material to the break and know how it should look like in its fixed state
this is the easiest of transmutations, a cantrip, and something used daily, fixing a rip in clothes, cleaning spilled ink on a sheet of parchment, polishing out dings and scratches in boots. A life and timer saver.
The spell does the work for the mage
Example: Paper
easy to practice with
watched Niyressa, and then followed her advice, observe and copy the structure to the break, the rip, and then imagine the whole, let the spell do the work.
It was easy, worked first time
will fix basically anything mundane that I can understand.
Magic items are different, if it is damaged polishing it is one thing, but truly broken is another. If a Magic item is truly broken the magic is also broken, and a bit of magic is not going to fix it.
learned from Niyressa
Epic Spells
find a book on seeds
I did not really find a book, but I found several different references among the books in the Temple of Mystra’s library
are developed with the ground up using seeds of true magic
we normally prepare, cast, and invoke epic spells the same way as normal spells
I am looking to travel a path well traveled ( Hellball ) and simply knowing what seed I need to use ( Energy ) is not enough. I will need to understand the seed and develop the method of using it.
While epic spells are treated as 10th lvl spells in many ways, they are not actually 10th circle spells
The Energy Seed
an evocation seed
acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic
my Hellball is going to be all of these
can manifest as a bolt
imbue an object
manifest as freestanding energy
manifest as a sphere or hemi-sphere
this would be my Hellball
can also be used to create weather effects
Hellball
uses Energy Seeds
a 40 foot sphere on detonation up to 300 feet away, glorious
sun-bright, fist-sized globe of energy prior to detonation
acid, fire, electric, sonic, cold
and if I am not careful myself, but I am a Master of Shaping!
Normally damages everything, including objects, but I will use my shaping abilities to refine my
if I start my research today, I finish March 30th
17 days
Destroying Permanent portals and Magical items
Permanent portal arches
disjunction the area
smash the pieces
Charged anchoring focuses
energy sources can release a wave of energy when destroyed mechanically
a potentially lethal wave
a potentially map changing wave
know how much energy is going to be released!
disjunction can help neutralize in some cases
Magical items
same goes for magical items, artifacts especially since disjunction cannot help there, so do not go around breaking evil artifacts just because
perhaps have another lesson with Magus Niyressa on this subject
time spent with Magus Niyressa