Aericsteele’s D&D 5e RPG Main Thread SRD
This will be a mid-magic campaign where magic is not unheard of but is not necessarily commonplace and is not generally used by the common people for activities of daily living. Spellcasters are uncommon though not necessarily rare, most communities of any significance (usually village or bigger) will have at least one spell caster whether they be a shaman, witchdoctor, cleric, sorcerer, etc. though most wizards, of any significant power/level tend to be found in more populated regions and cities where they have access to libraries and arcane academies.
The use of magic is strictly regulated within the Kingdom by a subset of the Church known as the "Akashic Order" which employs "Inquisitors, which are essentially a specialized form of Paladin that hunt down those that utilize magic in a manner outside of accepted practice. Punishment is severe if it is discovered that mages are accessing their power through unapproved methods (I.e. Through the use of channeling spirits/demons) since it is often assumed that gaining power through these methods is indicative of being in league with the Destroyer. Often this means that the offending mage must be burned at the stake in order to purge them of the demonic influence.
Inquisitors
For reasons known only to the Akashic Order, there are no male inquisitors. Occasionally an inquisitor will arrive in a city, town, or village and round up all the young girls (Generally under the age of 6) and through some sort of process may select one or more among the young girls that have been gathered. Those selected are taken by the inquisitors and never seen again. Most speculate that the Order renews its ranks through this process.
An inquisitor has a great deal of authority and discretion given to them by the Church. They are not ordained clergy and cannot grant absolution for sins, but in terms of enforcing the arcane laws of the land they are essentially judge, jury, and executioner.
Magic Q&A
Do arcane and divine forms of magic come from different sources?
No, magic comes from one source but it is accessed using different methods. A wizard taps into the magical energy that infuses all things through intense study that allows him/her to utilize gestures and words that direct magical energy while a cleric appeals to their deity (And thus their faith) to make them a conduit but both draw from the same well so to speak. A sorcerer has a natural (Or supernatural) connection that allows them to access the magical well of energy while a warlocks patron is responsible for manipulating this energy through the caster.
Where does magic come from?
Magic flows through everything in the world which can in a way be seen as, and is often referenced as, an ever evolving tapestry. The world or cosmos is viewed as a tapestry and magic is like the thread that forms the tapestry and holds it together; the Maker builds the tapestry while the Destroyer seeks to unravel it or corrupt it. When a person or entity uses magic they are manipulating the threads of the tapestry and reforming them to accomplish magical effects.
Is magic good or evil?
Magic is inherently neither; in its pure state it has no intent one way or the other. Magic is a neutral force that can be used to create or destroy, to heal or to harm. The manner in which Magic is used and manipulated, however, may place an imprint on the energy though making it positive or negative; light or dark
How are Clerics and Warlocks different if both manipulate magic through an outside entity?
A clerics faith is what allows them to act as a conduit for magical energy; in a sense it is not actually the deity that directs the power through the cleric (In this way a deity does not actually have to exist in order for the cleric to use divine magic). The clerics faith and belief in a deity or even devotion to a cause or principle (Domain) somehow allows them to tap into and manipulate the magical threads of the Tapestry. The stronger a clerics faith is, the more power they are able to draw. In essence it may not be the the deity that grants the power, but the clerics faith itself that allows them to access the magic. A warlock, on the other hand, is not capable of tapping into the magical threads of the Tapestry on their own, the power to do so truly is given to them by another entity. A warlocks faith is irrelevant unless their patron chooses to grant them more power based on their faith. If the warlock was accessing the power through faith in, or worship of, their patron then they would likely have attained levels as a cleric.
The use of magic is strictly regulated within the Kingdom by a subset of the Church known as the "Akashic Order" which employs "Inquisitors, which are essentially a specialized form of Paladin that hunt down those that utilize magic in a manner outside of accepted practice. Punishment is severe if it is discovered that mages are accessing their power through unapproved methods (I.e. Through the use of channeling spirits/demons) since it is often assumed that gaining power through these methods is indicative of being in league with the Destroyer. Often this means that the offending mage must be burned at the stake in order to purge them of the demonic influence.
Inquisitors
For reasons known only to the Akashic Order, there are no male inquisitors. Occasionally an inquisitor will arrive in a city, town, or village and round up all the young girls (Generally under the age of 6) and through some sort of process may select one or more among the young girls that have been gathered. Those selected are taken by the inquisitors and never seen again. Most speculate that the Order renews its ranks through this process.
An inquisitor has a great deal of authority and discretion given to them by the Church. They are not ordained clergy and cannot grant absolution for sins, but in terms of enforcing the arcane laws of the land they are essentially judge, jury, and executioner.
Magic Q&A
Do arcane and divine forms of magic come from different sources?
No, magic comes from one source but it is accessed using different methods. A wizard taps into the magical energy that infuses all things through intense study that allows him/her to utilize gestures and words that direct magical energy while a cleric appeals to their deity (And thus their faith) to make them a conduit but both draw from the same well so to speak. A sorcerer has a natural (Or supernatural) connection that allows them to access the magical well of energy while a warlocks patron is responsible for manipulating this energy through the caster.
Where does magic come from?
Magic flows through everything in the world which can in a way be seen as, and is often referenced as, an ever evolving tapestry. The world or cosmos is viewed as a tapestry and magic is like the thread that forms the tapestry and holds it together; the Maker builds the tapestry while the Destroyer seeks to unravel it or corrupt it. When a person or entity uses magic they are manipulating the threads of the tapestry and reforming them to accomplish magical effects.
Is magic good or evil?
Magic is inherently neither; in its pure state it has no intent one way or the other. Magic is a neutral force that can be used to create or destroy, to heal or to harm. The manner in which Magic is used and manipulated, however, may place an imprint on the energy though making it positive or negative; light or dark
How are Clerics and Warlocks different if both manipulate magic through an outside entity?
A clerics faith is what allows them to act as a conduit for magical energy; in a sense it is not actually the deity that directs the power through the cleric (In this way a deity does not actually have to exist in order for the cleric to use divine magic). The clerics faith and belief in a deity or even devotion to a cause or principle (Domain) somehow allows them to tap into and manipulate the magical threads of the Tapestry. The stronger a clerics faith is, the more power they are able to draw. In essence it may not be the the deity that grants the power, but the clerics faith itself that allows them to access the magic. A warlock, on the other hand, is not capable of tapping into the magical threads of the Tapestry on their own, the power to do so truly is given to them by another entity. A warlocks faith is irrelevant unless their patron chooses to grant them more power based on their faith. If the warlock was accessing the power through faith in, or worship of, their patron then they would likely have attained levels as a cleric.