Personal Magic

Personal Magic is one of the major spheres of magic found in Ransera. It refers to those disciplines whose power is derived through the use of the wizard’s own aether as opposed to the aether borrowed through the use of tools or rituals. Some personal magics are more widespread than others but the unifying concept behind them is that the wizard themselves is the source of their own power. They rise and fall of their own merit, for better or worse.

Common Traits

While the powers conferred by the personal disciplines vary greatly and some have special conditions associated with them, they all follow a few general traits.

Initiation

Every practitioner of Personal Magic bears a Cardinal Rune of Magic for the discipline that they practice. Each discipline has its own unique Cardinal Rune that can only be conferred upon an initiate by one who already possesses it. Generally speaking, the ability to inscribe a Cardinal Rune of Magic safely comes as one achieves Journeyman status in the magic, though there are exceptions.

Threshold Sickness

Rune mages are tampering with powers that they were not naturally born with. Awakening oneself to the ability to do things they were not made to do exacts a toll upon the body and soul. This price is called threshold sickness. Exactly what the sickness entails varies from person to person but it is a harrowing experience that typically lasts a few days. Many do not survive it. Those that do are forever changed by it. Threshold sickness occurs every time an individual receives a new Cardinal Rune. The number of mages willing to undergo such an experience more than a few times in their lifetime is very small. It is because of threshold sickness that mages almost never receive more than one Cardinal Rune at a time. Typically the inscription process of multiple runes is spread out over the course of several months if not years.

Exertion

In order to perform a feat of magic utilizing a personal discipline, some level of concentration is required. At first, this concentration is considerable. As mastery and experience with the magic grows, this lessens. The use of gestures and incantations as foci is commonplace as they serve as mediums through which willpower is funneled. They are not required but can train the mind to enter the state necessary to cast spells.

Strain

Magic does not come easy. The practitioners of personal magic are exerting their willpower in order to rewrite a piece of themselves and then manifest it into existence in the physical world. This takes time, it takes power, and its takes control. Fatigue, the ability to concentrate, and the magnitude of the effect all play into the success of the spell. The more of these facets that are put under duress, the more difficult it is to achieve the desired result. This can and will lead to poorly executed spells that often will backfire on the caster.

Overstepping

Overstepping is the consequence of casting personal magic beyond the limits of one’s abilities. It is the result of overexerting the mage’s mind, body and soul. Its effects vary depending on the discipline through which one has overstepped. The length of time it lasts is dependent upon how far one has overstepped. Generally speaking, most effects are mild and serve as deterrents to further spellcasting. They will dissipate if the wizard is given enough time to rest and recuperate. Only the most severe forms of overstepping have lasting effects ranging from odd to horrific. As a rule, the effects of overstepping are always negative in some way.

Every person is unique. Not every character experiences the same situation, the same way. Across the various pages detailing the disciplines of personal magic there are examples of the varying stages of Overstepping. These are not absolutes and each character should be carefully considered before overstepping is assigned by a reviewer or a moderator. An Elementalist who uses their magic to sculpt the earth artistically or to assist in archaeological endeavors may find themselves immensely stressed when presented with a life or death combat situation. Whereas an Elementalist trained as a battlemage would likely be well equipped to excel in the same situation vices being an excavator where their lack of knowledge could be more of a detriment than helpful. Consider also the Elementalist who is an herbalist and apothecary. They use their magic to assist in gardening and have knowledge of neither archaeology or combat. Fundamentally, the three possess the same magic but their methods of applying it are vastly different.

Moderators and reviewers are advised to be judicious when considering the context of magic use. What may be difficult for one character may not necessarily be difficult for another.

The Disciplines of Personal Magic

Elementalism- Bearing a Cardinal Rune of the Elements, the Elementalist commands power over the elemental forces of Ransera. While beginning with only the ability to tap into a single element, as their power and familiarity with the world grows so too does their relationship with the elements.

Negation- The power to establish wards and barriers that shield against specific parameters. Wardens are revered for their ability to protect against harmful forces across the world.

Semblance- The ability to study the aether through the utilization of the aura as a proxy for the senses. Augurs, more than any others, understand aether and how it influences the world.

Traversion- The power to fold space between two points and fashion a portal from one to the next. Traversers are valued for their ability to travel expediently.

Kinetics- The ability to create tethers to the astral form of something thus enabling the wizard to interact with the object remotely as a form of telekinesis.

Reaving- The power to conjure astral weaponry by deconstructing physical weapons and binding them to the self. Reavers are often battlemages, assassins or enforcers of some sort.

Masquerade- The power to craft illusions and reshape reality according to one’s whims by masking the truth of what one perceives. Illusionists are respected and feared as masters of deception.

Mesmer- The ability to charm, persuade and even toy with the emotions of another is the realm of the Mesmer.

Animus- By grafting the aether of beasts onto their souls, the wizard is able to shapeshift. The more powerful the Animist, the more profound the change.

Affliction- At the cost of corroding their own souls, the wizard is able to afflict others with jinxes, hexes and curses.

Summoning- Contracting with the Patrons, either Endir or Aldir, a Summoner taps into their domain to call upon powerful creatures known as Archetypes.