Talk:Magic Basics

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the actual source of magic, how does that influence the way a magic user interfaces with it and what do the people of our world base their beliefs on it (e.g. if some think spirits are the source, is there a reason for this? I've emphasised a lot that medstone is just a medium, not the source, but how would people tell the difference in the story)? Even if we don't fully answer the first question with certainty and clarity, we probably need to provide plausibility to the different theories when we want there to be many, and we need to provide reasons for the certainty when there's only a single dominating theory.
2. How do Magical Effects actually work? In typical scenarios, magic happens when someone calls upon it, but this isn't always the case in fantasy. If Human+Medstone+Thought is needed to first activate the magic, can there be lingering or permanent magic that lasts after one of those criteria no longer applies. If yes, which forms of these do we allow and under what circumstances? There are enchantments, curses, triggered effects, magical effects that persist on their own (e.g. a floating fireball that keeps burning even though there's no fuel -which is different from a flame started by magic, but which then behaves naturally and only continues burning and spreads in the presence of fuel). If some magic can linger, then can it do so indefinitely or does it weaken? Does it stay after the caster dies or if the medstone tool is destroyed? How far can a magical effect reach from the medstone or from the caster? To what extent, can the use of medstone be automated and human involvement minimised?
3. Related to the first question: Where does the magic flow from? Does it need to flow from the caster? Does it flow from the Medstone? Can it flow from anywhere (thus allowing easy creation of effects sourced from a point other than yourself)? Is there even a concept of flow of magic?
4. Also related to the first question: Does the caster reach out to something specific (even if that specific thing is more of a vague feeling) to call upon for use of magic? If medstones are mediums, are they in fact used more like communication tools than anything else and there's something else on the other end that the caster may feel the presence of? It's probably a subtle effect that not everyone can pick up on if we make that happen, but not necessarily.

Wiz Ardon the Peculiar Enchanter (talk) 17:36, 1 May 2025 (UTC)