Divine Arcanist

"Why do I indulge to the irrational, you ask; why do I devote myself to the Holy Light? I answer: because my faith makes me a hundred times stronger than the mightiest spell could ever do."
- Clemence Lumenal, a Human Divine Arcanist
==Introduction to the Divine Arcanist==
Divine Arcanists are a sub-group of Mages who have chosen to embrace the Holy Light. Through either religious upbringing or as in most of cases, inner reflection and specific events in their life, they have decided to combine their spell-casting abilities with the devotion to the Three Virtues. This allows them to gain access to divine healing spells, making them formidable allies.
Divine Arcanist is a class are almost exclusive to Humans: there has only been one record of a High Elven Divine Arcanist so far, and other races have little to no interest in either Holy Light or Magehood. However, Draenei Mages would possess great potential to become Divine Arcanists due to their race’s nearly innate connection with the Light, and it remains to be seen whether they will cause the number of Divine Arcanists to grow in the future.
Currently, most of the Divine Arcanists belong more or less officially to some subfaction of the Church of the Holy Light, namely the Argent Dawn or the Argent Crusade, due to their generally more open and less tradition-bound views.World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game - Alliance Player's Guide; p. 151. Published by Arthaus in 2006 (information retrieved on 21/01/2009).. A few may also be found within ranks of the Scarlet Crusade although those Divine Arcanists who join or belong to the Crusade may find themselves losing their holy powers due to breaking the code of conduct that originally allowed them to gain their powers and/or convert to Battlemagi later.
It is also noteworthy to point out that the Divine Arcanists focus their power on aiding others. While they can - and will - use their spellcasting talents to fight off the undead or other enemies if needed, they are mostly inclined towards being defensive. Arcane casters who empower their offensive spells with the Light are better known as Scourgeslayers.
==The Path of the Divine Arcanist==
A Mage cannot simply decide to become a Divine Arcanist; the process requires both study and real devotion. The conversion to Holy Light must come from Mage themself, and comprehensive knowledge about the philosophy and the customs connected to the Three Virtues is essential but not enough in itself.
When the Light starts to penetrate a Mage’s soul, their spells often take a chant-like form. Their healing powers manifest when they have proven their faith strong enough, often upon praying for the wellbeing of a friend or committing other altruistic act. While Divine Arcanists never become as great healers as Priests, they can still learn to cure both wounds and lesser poisons. Their prayers also tend to have a soothing effect, easing the pain where they are not able to remove it. The strongest and most devoted ones may also be able to temporarily boost their powers with Arcane magic, but such an act is extremely strenuous to the Mage and uncertain to work.
The Divine Arcanist's faith and devotion can also have a more significant effect on their spell-casting - although perhaps not in a positive way. Some of them lose their access to certain spells or even a whole spell school either because of the Light "hampering" with their abilities or because they themselves decided to abandon the magic. Where this happens, Fire is the school most often affected, given its basic chaotic and destructive nature.
Mages and faith are not a combination often seen or heard of. Wizards do not bend or bow to the will of the universe – instead, they seek to bend the universe to their will. Some Mages may see resorting to the divine powers as some kind of weakness, therefore even openly mocking or belittling a Divine Arcanist. People are likely to view Divine Arcanists at least with astonishment or confusion. However, their strong faith helps Divine Arcanists to stay steadfast even in the face of hardships, and when initial prejudice and suspicion have been cast off, many may find their benevolent nature easily approachable.
== Suggested Representative Classes ==
* Mage – Preferably Arcane or Frost; divine abilities can be realised with roleplaying and items such as Ankh of Life and Anti-Venoms.
* Shaman – Preferably Draenei, without totems while roleplaying.
* Priest - Preferably Discipline; the healing powers should probably be downplayed to some degree and the Priest's spells considered to be partly Arcane in nature while roleplaying. Items with offensive spell-like abilities, such as Six Demon Bag, can also be used.
== Divine Arcanists of The Sha’Tar ==
*Aenor Dawnblade
== Roleplaying tips ==
A Divine Arcanist could sometimes make people confuse them for a Priest due to their behaviour (such as addressing fellow followers of the Light as brothers or sisters) or appropriate dress, but this is more of an idea than any kind of a rule. A person planning to roleplay as a Divine Arcanist should however get familiar with the lore about the Holy Light and the Three Virtues and try to act accordinly (i.e. no meaningless killing, torture etc.).
== References ==
Category:Mage
Category:Roleplay Classes
Category:Priest
Category:Guides
Category:Human