With so many projects going on, some are just gestating while others I pick away at when I get an inspiration or idea. One small project, an intersection between my BASiL lists and Shadow World material was designing 10 proto/Arcane lists that would have been the underpinnings of the original magic system used by the Ka’ta’viir and later Earthwardens. You can read my previous posts on this HERE and HERE. Well, in fact, I actually did the first run through on these lists under the general guidelines:
- As archetype lists, they are less singular and specific as the later spells broken into the 3 Realms. That also means the spells are subject to broader interpretation in the application and effects.
- These lists are powered by raw unrefined Essaence. I still used the Spell Law level format, but I wouldn’t say that the spell level is analogous to Essence/Channeling/Mentalism spells or the basic power levels in RM or RMU.
- These are powerful spells, and I’ve built in the idea that they are physically demanding to focus and cast. It’s unlikely most contemporary mortal races on Shadow World could cast them unless they had some mix of Ka’ta’viir blood, offspring of a Major or Lesser or local Diety or similar.
- These were created by several inputs, creative and specific: some BASiL spell lists (Physics & Time Mastery), Companion I Arcane lists, Loremaster and Navigator lists and others. It’s difficult to credit sources (and impossible to remember) when they are so varied, but let’s just say it’s a group effort and not mine alone!
I arbitrarily chose to make 10 lists. This seemed to cover on the various magical aspects I thought best represented the foundation of magic and it was achievable! Here are the final categories:
Creations – Crafting magical artifacts, constructs, and living statues.
Essaence Mastery – Foci, Power Point flows, travel, and arcane energy control.
Dimension Mastery – Gates, teleportation, interdimensional travel.
Shapechanging & Life Mastery – Polymorphing, biological manipulation, and ascension.
Time Mastery – Mastery over time, including dilation, stasis, and time travel.
Mana-Fires – Plasma-based energy manipulation, precursor to Elemental Essence.
Earthworks – Megalithic construction, geoglyphs, stonework, and tectonic forces.
Sound Mastery – Vibration-based effects, levitation, disintegration.
Words of Power – Spoken arcane forces, immediate and reality-altering.
Warding – Protective proto-magic, runes, barriers, and mystical safeguards.
I’ll be posting these lists over at the RMForums for download over the next few days and turn the titles above into hyperlinks. Note that you have to have a RMForums account to see and download files there. Then I’ll be returning to Part II and Part III of my Agyra series: Empire of the Black Dragon and Nontataku: City of Sails. On the off chance that Priest-King actually get’s published I’ll have the rest of the trilogy in edit review mode for queueing up.