Editing Magic in Winterweir

Magic operates by somewhat different rules in the Winterweir setting than in standard D&D, this will be a short primer on the nature of it.

== An Explanation of Magic==

Magic flows from the Outer Chaos in Winterweir.  All human beings on Teth-Ammon have innate psychic potential as do most races that are descended from them.  Thus, everyone has the potential to use magic even if only a rare few are likely to nurture the gift.  Magic on Winterweir is something that inspires awe and many use it to gain powerful positions or set themselves up as holy men or gods.

As a note, Priests in Winterweir often have spellcasters (though not all can do so), but they draw their magic from the same sources as wizards do.  They do not actually know this even though some suspect that magicians draw from the same source they do.  Magic is fundamentally about willpower and thus a person might believe they are a god and be able to use sorcery rather than because they are formally trained.

As a result, Wizards can heal just like priests and Priests can work the same sorts of magic that wizards use.  Things like Monks learn to use their bodies as a focus for magic to become "Enlightened."

== Alchemy ==

One interesting note is that magic allows science to run better.  They had Steam Engines in the Roman Empire but no one could work their way yet around some basic flaws.  In Winterweir, Alchemists can use magic to make machines that could never be built under normal tech work.  Unfortunately, these machines often don't work without their creator.  Alchemists are thus "Mad Scientists" capable of creating comic book contraptions that are quite interesting.

They use, of course, the Artificer class.

== Grand Arcanum ==

The largest organized magical body in the world. The Grand Arcanum is constantly looking for people with high magical potential to educate in the ways of their spellcraft.  They aren't really any more POWERFUL than other wizards but their books, charts, chants, and abacus like devices make it so that they are the best TRAINED wizards you'll ever find.  The Grand Arcanum is divided into ''Lodges'' that have interests ranging from "Pick up women and smoke large amounts of tobacco" to "conquer world."

Grand Arcanum wizards in Winterweir tend to be respected but not feared.  Instead, many consider them a poor substitute for the great magicians of legend.  They make up for this in pompousness.


[[(Winterweir) In Search of the Unknown]]