Magic Origin (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

Magic is the basis of all things; the world we live in is result of eons of interaction between magical forces. We live on the border between the realms of ideas and the realms of the elements. By manipulating these primal forces of the universe, great things can be made to happen.

The magic origin is the most common source of power in fantasy. It is akin to science in that it builds on an understanding of the world, but in magic this understanding is at least partially mystic and intuitive. Some wizards work magic by understanding and manipulating the rules, while others have magic more as a part of their core essence and work it by instinct. Magic is an art, not a science or a craft.

Mages gather in traditions, schools or orders that share a common world-view and work magic in similar ways. When a mage teaches another the art, she also teaches her tradition and imposes the limitations of her tradition on her student. However, it is possible to overcome the crutches of tradition and break free of their limitations. The world is not set and static as it is in technology.

Universal Limitation: Iron

Iron impairs magic. Why is a mystery to magic, which cannot really analyze iron very well. Science offers a clue: nuclei of iron have some of the highest binding energies per nucleon. In other words, you cannot gain energy by transmuting into into anything else. Once something has been transformed into iron, it is the end of the road; no further transmutation is possible unless you put in a truly vast amount of energy. Another odd property iron has is that it is highly magnetic. The strength, versatility, and magnetic properties of iron makes it very important to technology, which is opposed to magic; perhaps this is another reason.

Whatever the reason, magic is impaired by iron and iron products, such as steel. A magician cannot use magic while in direct contact with iron or wearing large amounts of iron, such as ferrous metal armor. Many magical creatures can be hurt by iron weapons. Mages wishing to use iron tools or weapons must ensure that they don't get into direct contact with them; gloves, non-iron hilts, and covering such as gilding are commonly used to overcome this.