Magic

As with any fantasy world, magic is an integral part of the world of Parvolon. Magic is a fairly broad range of powers, as any unexplainable or supernatural source of power beyond that of a person's normal abilities can be considered a kind of magic. Players will usually access magic through a spell casting class, but have alternative venues for attaining these effects depending on their species.

## Kinds of Magic

There are three main groups of magic in Parvolon; *arcane magic*, *divine magic*, and *species-based magic*. These three kinds of magic are related to a creature's *natural order*, or the set of all abilities that the creature possesses. They can be understood by the idea that *arcane magic* defies the natural order of a being, *divine magic* is a temporary extension of the natural order of a being, and *species-based magic* belongs to the natural order of a magical creature but not a person.

### Arcane Magic

***Arcane Magic*** is the most commonplace form of magic in Parvolon, used by wizards, sorcerors, and bards. This magic is the result of the Force of Chaos, which can grant beings abilities beyond their own natural order. Chaos can manipulate matter, energy, and life force, and through these powers a person can alter the world to cast spells.

**High-level arcane magic is extremely dangerous to both the user and their surroundings.** Casting this magic is signing a pact with the most powerful being in the universe, a being that frankly does not care whether you exist during your next round of combat or not. The higher the level of the arcane spell, the more chaotic power is required to alter the universe in that way, and naturally the more risk a caster of this spell takes to cast it.

Casting beyond an individual's spell limit or spell level is impossible for most, and catastrophic for the few that have managed to do so. These few sorcerors and wizards that have achieved this task, known as *overcasters*, almost always kill themselves in the process of casting a spell outside of their field of knowledge, either during the process of casting the spell or by becoming a material component of the spell itself unintentionally. Those that live are usually transformed by chaos into a cataclysmic creature.

### Divine Magic

***Divine Magic*** is another common form of magic in Parvolon, used by clerics and paladins. This magic comes as a gift to devout mortals from divine beings, individuals who have the power to extend the natural order of any mortal creature. People who are the mortal agents of deities receive this gift to maintain order and peace in the world.

Druids and rangers more specifically receive their power as divine magic from nature deities. Life and Death, The Tempest, The Wilds, and The Perpetuity (working names, please update) are all deities that all contribute to the unique natural form of divine magic.

### Species-Based Magic

***Species-Based Magic*** is a third, rarer source of magic in Parvolon. This magic is a misconceived idea of how a magical creature works, as people who see creatures do things animals and people cannot are quick to call it a form of a magic. Species-based magic, then, is a collection of abilities that certain magical creatures can do naturally but people cannot.

Species-based magic is often inseparable from the magical creature, but sometimes a living being other than it can use its powers to some degree or another. As an example, a phoenix can resurrect itself from its own ashes, but people can use the feathers of the phoenix to gain extraordinary healing. Magical abilities can even be gifted to another creature depending on the circumstance and the power, and this is the core of most eldritch incantations.

#### Draconic Magic

Draconic Magic is a unique form of magic tied to the dragons and half-dragons of Parvolon. Dragonlike creatures have access to many spell-like abilities as fundamental traits, most prominently being the breath weapon. However, intertwined with these physical powers are a natural affinity for a kind of incantation called a *Draconic Rite*, a ritual that can be performed by those with closeness to the dragons of immense elemental power. Draconic Rites are the source of eldritch power for a warlock with a dragon patron.

### Eldritch Magic

***Eldritch Magic*** is a collection of magical abilities from the other three categories and the primary magic of warlocks. This magic is granted to a person from a magical being that could be mortal or immortal in nature. Most of these abilities would be considered *species-based magic*, as the power comes from and is intertwined with a magical creature, but some warlocks who meet celestials would be using divine magic instead. Additionally, eldritch power coming from a creature within the Cataclysm is partially arcane in nature, deriving ultimately from Chaos.

## Advances in Magic

### Academies and the Discovery of New Spells

During Parvolon's history, various magic academies have sprung up to research magic and investigate new spells... [working on this section]

### Substanceless Casting

One of the more important innovations in the magic world of Parvolon has been the pursuit of eliminating material components from the casting process. Magic in Parvolon has been limited by the cost of obtaining the various material components required to cast certain spells. Many spells were unknown to most of the world for vast parts of history because of the component was either regional or extremely rare.

For modern campaigns, such a problem no longer exists. International trade has allowed magic component merchants to sell these wares from anywhere, although regional access still affects the price of these goods. Some groups, such as ranger and sorceror guilds, have actively contributed to the spread of material components in order to enable magic in more places.

For any material component of a spell that does ***not*** have a listed price (example: a small ruby *versus* a ruby worth 50 gp), you may remove the component from the casting process if you have a *material pouch* or a *magical conduit*. Material pouches are an item primarily used by divine spellcasters, and are organized collections of various material components

[STILL WORKING HERE PLEASE DON'T CONSIDER THIS FINAL YET]