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Arcane Combat and the Dark Arts: An Essay on Magical Theory

*Concerning all views within this essay, none are absolute. This is merely a compilation of research and experience, put into the form of an essay. Therefore, this interpretation of magic is only one of many, and should not be considered a rule of law.

An Introduction to the Impossible

Magic, as we know it, is the use of fantastical elements to achieve the impossible. From bending the elements to one's will, to creating magical beings, magic holds much potential in literary context. Magic is used as an enabler, and allows for characters to achieve what is considered impossible and fantastical within real life. This power can be used as a driving force for the character within a plot, or can make a villain all the more insurmountable. However, was is little asked is how this magic is actually performed. This essay is to explore the mechanics of “magic” as is seen in the fantastical setting.

The Basic Principles of Magic

Beginning with the roots of magic, one must observe what the source of a sorcerer's (or sorceress') power is. Though this may differ throughout many novels or characters, they all share common aspects. It is most common to find that the energy upon which the user draws upon is one of three things, or perhaps even two or three.

The most rudimentary source is of course one's own stamina and energy contained within the user's body. In the case of the Dragonlance setting, we see this in the Wild Magic, Necromancy, and finally the Power of the Heart. Each of these magics relies upon the innate abilities of the user- this view interprets magic as a crucial part of one's existence; as a creation of the gods, beings, by nature, have magic within them. Of the three, this magic is perhaps the most limited as well as the most taxing- this most likely stems from the fact that the energy is drawn from one's body, draining stamina. An equal comparison might be burning calories in physical exertion- so we can also see here that Magic is “tangible” and can be measured to a degree. However, despite this being the most limited type of magic, it is also the most commonly used. This is not only because it is the most convenient, and least time consuming (other energies might require complex ways of drawing upon them), but also because it is the most easily understood.

The next source of energy is an outside resource, as a part of the natural world. The user draws upon the power of the world around them- a fire elementalist might be empowered by the heat and light from the sun, while a mage specializing in death and decay might draw their power from the dead spirits around them. This is the second most common type of energy source, and is often mixed with the first type of magic- we will refer to these types of magic as Innate Magic and Natural Magic respectively. This Natural Magic is often drawn upon to restore the reserves of Innate Magic within a practitioner of magic- this is because in many cases Natural Magics can be more limiting than Innate Magic, if not used properly. The most common types of Natural Magics is of course the very basic elemental magics, but here ends the understanding of many practitioners. What they do not understand is that these elements are a byproduct of two higher elements- the magic of the Void, or Space and that of Celestial Bodies, or Atsral. It is the combination of these two higher elements that not only govern the four elements, but many other subcategories of magic as well. These two elements are also the basics of life, and therefore Innate Magic is also a byproduct of these two. This will be further explained in the next section.

The last source of magic is extraplanar magic, and this is the least understood of all magics. It is supposed that the very gods use this source of magic- for the sheer magnitude of their prowess over magic could not be from anything else. The true skill of tapping into this magic is in tapping into alternate planes, or universes, and drawing magic from these planes, much as one would do with Natural Magic. Of course, this is difficult, and requires much more skill and knowledge of the occult. However, this provides an unlimited source of magic for the user, also explaining why there are so few that can draw upon this power. The large quantity of magic is too much to bear for most mortal, and even immortal (read as demons, angels and such other bodies), bodies to contain, resulting in the destruction of the practitioner. This also explains why only the truly powerful, the Gods, are thus far the only ones able to truly use this magic, though not master it. Evidence of this can be found, once again within the Dragonlance novels, specifically within the Legends series. In the last book of this chronicle, the Gods are shown to weaken within magical battles as time wears on. This is not due to them exhausting their sources of magic, but because drawing upon these planes is taxing for any being thus far seen.

The one rule that governs all three of these sources of magic is the law of conservation of energy- by no means can this be breached by any of these magics. Because Innate Magic draws upon the stamina of the user, we see that, naturally it follows this law. In much the same way, Natural Magic follows this law, converting one energy source into energy required to power a spell. Finally, we see extraplanar magic, which also follows this rule- it must take the energy from a plane in order to power a spell. We also see that the spells created by these sources of magic must also follow the law of conservation of mass- this explains why “creating” elements such as fire, water, earth, and wind is not only horribly taxing to a practitioner, but also cannot be sustained, resulting in the dispelling of the spell after some time. These “created” elements are not true creations, and are more akin to extremely powerful illusions that act the same way as their real counterparts, aside from the fact that they will eventually disappear.

This concludes the chapter on the basics of magic- all of these ideas will be further elaborated within the next few sections.

The Higher Elements and All Magics Concerning

This, perhaps, is the key point of this essay- showing that most magic, as we know it, is a combination of these higher elements in some fashion. The simplest way to describe the relationship between the Higher Elements and Natural Elements is through a diagram, as is shown below.



This diagram is key to understanding how Void and Celestial Magics effect magic as we know it. Here we see that Water is not necessarily a product of Void magic, but closest in behavior to Void magic. The same holds true for Fire and Celestial Magics. Finally, we see both Wind and Earth Magics as a product of Void and Celestial Magic meeting. Finally, we see Life, or Aether, magic as a combination of Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth Magic. All other types of magic, as we know it, should fall somewhere upon this diagram. Telekinetic, Telepathic Magic, Necromancy, and such magics would fall within Life magic, as they either are products of the mind of the magic practitioner, or involve bestowing life upon other objects.

To fully explain this diagram, each element should be explained in full. Beginning with the Higher Elements, and working our way down, we can explain the relationship between each. Beginning with Void, we must first examine what this magic is. This magic doesn't necessarily have to do with the absence of anything- rather, this is more concerning Space more than anything. This magic includes gravitational magic, magics concerning the absorption of energy, shadow magic, and the like. Celestial Magic is the opposite of this, and concerns raw energy, pure heat and light, and what might be considered “stars”. The easiest way to characterize this is by seeing Void Magic as being endothermic, absorbing energy, while Celestial Magic is exothermic, exuding energy. These two are diametrically opposed to each other, but are the basis of most magic. Water, for example, is kin to Void Magic. Water is naturally opposed to heat and light, products of Celestial and Fire magic both. Additionally, water can absorb a great deal of energy, and should be considered endothermic. We see that Fire magic has much the same relationship with Celestial Magic, dealing much with the exuding of heat and light.

However, Wind and Earth are a little different in comparison to Water and Fire magic. Wind and Earth are both products of Void and Celestial Magic, but are two very different products. Earth, on the one hand, is a creation of gravity from Void Magic, as well as astral dust, being compressed into the form of earth. Wind, on the other hand, is the result of clashing forces of hot and cold, products of Celestial and Void magic. Finally, Aether magic, or Life magic, is a combination of all four natural elements, and is thus a product of Void and Celestial magic.

Extraplanar Magic and the Realm of the Gods

To review what was previously stated, the section on Extraplanar magic in the Basic Principles of Magic section should be reviewed. For efficiency’s sake, this section will be quoted below:

“The last source of magic is extraplanar magic, and this is the least understood of all magics. It is supposed that the very gods use this source of magic- for the sheer magnitude of their prowess over magic could not be from anything else. The true skill of tapping into this magic is in tapping into alternate planes, or universes, and drawing magic from these planes, much as one would do with Natural Magic. Of course, this is difficult, and requires much more skill and knowledge of the occult. However, this provides an unlimited source of magic for the user, also explaining why there are so few that can draw upon this power. The large quantity of magic is too much to bear for most mortal, and even immortal (read as demons, angels and such other bodies), bodies to contain, resulting in the destruction of the practitioner. This also explains why only the truly powerful, the Gods, are thus far the only ones able to truly use this magic, though not master it. Evidence of this can be found, once again within the Dragonlance novels, specifically within the Legends series. In the last book of this chronicle, the Gods are shown to weaken within magical battles as time wears on. This is not due to them exhausting their sources of magic, but because drawing upon these planes is taxing for any being thus far seen.”

This section will serve to further delve into the statements made in this section. Due to the complexities of extraplanar magic, it is impossible to fully explain it- thus, only the basics and principles of this type of magic will be explained.

In order to fully understand extraplanar, it is essential to understand the Multiple Worlds Theory, now referred to as the MWT. This theory suggests that, for each possibility, there is a corresponding world in which is possibility is also reality. For example, a man is presented with a regular six sided dice. He must role it. He has the possibility of rolling any whole number from 1 to 6. Thus, following the MWT, we now know that there are 6 parallel universes where each possibility is the truth. So it is that there is an infinite number of universes, where one possibility is actually reality instead.

It should be noted that it is not known if there is an originating universe- a first, and thus true universe- or not. There is one traditional interpretation here. It is that there is one such universe, upon which a higher being was presented with the choice of creating the universe as we know it, or not. This established matter and anti-matter. Thus, the first universe was created, and from this stemmed all other parallel universes. Of course, this theory relies heavily upon whether or not there is a higher being or not. Such a being has yet to be completely proven to exist, and thus it is not possible to solidify this theory.

So, knowing the MWT, we find that there is an infinite number of universes, and thus an infinite amount of magical energy that can be drawn upon by a powerful enough being. This is why any being not powerful enough will simply be overloaded by the raw magical energy- if they cannot stem the flow of energy, their body will rupture. However, if the being can indeed contain this power, they can use this energy for just about any type of magic.

However, there are certain types of magic that are strictly limited to extraplanar magic, Summoning (of creatures from the planes of magic) chief among them. This includes the manipulation of other planes- summoning simply means moving one being from one plane onto another. Other magics that manipulate the planes are generally classified under this section of magic as well.

The Tiers of Arcane Combat and Opposing Elements

When it comes to arcane combat, it is important to know how different spells interact with each other- specifically, which spell, by nature, is greater than another. Equally important is what a mage should do, should they be confronted with an equal force via an opposing element. This section will deal with what elements or types of spells are greater than others, as well as how to combat opposing elements.

For this section, the previous diagram of elements will be referred to. It has been provided for you below:


When it comes to the question of what element is greater than another, this diagram can also be used to decide which is greater. On the highest tier, we have Celestial and Void magic, on the second tier we have the four Elements, and on the third and final tier we have Innate Magic. Some types of magic do not fall in any of these categories, such as some extraplanar magics, like teleportation magic (summons fall within these categories, typically, because many summons involve elementals, or some type of life form that wields one of these types of magic).

When trying to decide which element is the greater, one must keep in mind that skill is always the true decider of a battle- in any of these cases, we must assume that both combatants are of equal skill.

The tiers are essentially what tells us which elements are greater- Void and Celestial are greater than the four elements, and the four elements are typically greater than Innate Magic. Any magic confronted with magic within its same tier will find itself met by its equal- take, for example, the element of water. Water can defeat any of the other four elements; earth through high speed acceleration, wind by assuming a solid form, and fire by quenching the flame. However, it can also be defeated itself; Wind through piercing force, earth through its solidity, and fire through enough heat to simply evaporate the water and overcome it completely. However, if you move down the tiers, you find it very possible to win- gravity, via void magic, can defeat any of the four elements or innate magics through raw power, while pure energy, via celestial magic, can simply tear through any of the other lesser magics through chaotic force.

The reasons for higher tiered magics being greater are as following; Celestial and Void magic can overcome the other tiers simply through raw power, and the Elemental magics can defeat Innate magic because so much of the elements are readily available- because innate magic draws upon oneself, material and energy is much more limited. Of course, this is only on an equal level of skill- Innate magic users can easily overcome any of the other tiers through creativity of spells and abilities- just because it is on a lower tier, does not necessarily make it weak.

Now for the truly difficult section- opposing elements, and what to do about it. Once again, we must assume that both combatants are of equal roleplaying skill- though they may not have the same abilities, etc. Here is a great example of something I myself have been confronted with- what happens when two opposite forces collide? Say you have a type of ability or spell that allows for the absorption of magical energy- but your opponent has an ability that uses the chaos of pure energy to rip apart the fibers of spells. What happens if these two abilities meet? Will the energy be absorbed, or will the energy tear through the fabric of the spell before it can be absorbed? This is where the tiers become extremely handy.

If you are confronted with such a situation, it is best to simply move on. Thus far, I have found no solution as to which should win- and rightly so, since both forces are directly opposite each other. So, in short, to further time should be wasted, as neither force can win. In order to decide the battle, then, the combatants will continue their combat as normal- their skill and creativity of abilities will decide who wins. Assuming that these two fighters have been fighting on only the same tier of magic, and still cannot come to a clear decider, then it is recommended that they move onto the next tier of magic if possible and continue their battle. Skill within this tier will decide who wins, and if the battle still has no decisive winner, then move onto the next tier- because of the great variance in Innate magic, there should be no possible way to come to an impasse. Since Innate magic is essentially is its own tier, there is no opposing element, and therefore no room for a stalemate.

I guess I wrote two chapters. Heh. Not sure where to go next with this... I suppose I should make a chapter about tactics and so forth. Any suggestions on what else I should write? Anyone?