Magical Affinity Versus Spellcasting Ability: A Thesis On Metamagical Principles

> *[This thesis was written by the scholar Sean Castillo and found within the halls of The Scriptorium.]*
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Magic in Crelen is a mostly abstract concept, weaving itself throughout the Material Plane, the Elemental Plane, and others in-between. This thesis seeks to provide a deeper understanding of how magic behaves in the Material Plane using it's primary medium, physical beings. Many folk may get magical affinity and spellcasting ability confused, as the terms are quite similar. Although, the two have a connection.

Magical Affinity is a person's disposition towards becoming a conduit of sorts, for magical energy to be expressed. This can be described as a scale, by measuring a person's affinity for each of the seven types and ranking a person's affinity for each. This would realistically be difficult, as determining a person's affinity is much more difficult than determining a person's spellcasting ability.

A person's magical affinity is typically influenced by a multitude of factors, the most prominent being:

1. The person's race. For example, a zorven or a gnome would have a higher magical affinity than a human.
2. The place of birth. Different places in Crelen are more magically influenced than others, typically places of major Leyline or Religious influence can increase a person's affinity. For example, within Bergsträd's capital among the country's sub-zero mountainous wastes, in comparison to a small village in the Hien Confederation.
3. The person's bloodline connections and ancestral heritage. For example, generations of a prestigious sorcerer's blood, compared to a small family of farmers.

Spellcasting ability is a person's capability to manipulate magic to create effects, such as casting a spell. A person's spellcasting ability is somewhat tied to their magical affinity. A person with extremely high magical affinity would be able to learn magic very easily, but it does not guarantee a person will use spells as they may never encounter an opportunity to learn. A person with an Innate Spellcasting Ability is someone that has such a high magical affinity that they instinctively know how to cast spells from birth. Very few people have ever possessed this ability and it is said that First Emperor Justinius had an innate spellcasting ability. Such people are extremely powerful, and therefore extremely dangerous. This being said, this does not mean that someone with very low magical affinity cannot obtain a spellcasting ability. There are ways to achieve spellcasting ability, some more common than others. These include, but are not limited to:

1. Intense Study. Most modern-day wizards obtained their powerful abilities and knowledge from intensive study and research. Their study takes them many years, and they devote their entire lives to this study. Curiously, druids and rangers fall under this category. This is because of their close knowledge of nature, and traditions passed down through druidic circles.
2. Forming a Pact. A typically controversial method, a person will converse with a demon, devil or other magical being and form a pact with them. This grants the user a spellcasting ability, but uses the being's own power and usually comes with great cost or sacrifice.
3. Becoming a Priest. This method is very similar to the previous, but instead of forming a pact with a magical being, the person devotes their life to a religious deity and, rather than harnessing a being's power for themselves, becomes a conduit for a deity to enact their will.