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utterkungen
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Societal Perception of Magic in FbL

Thu 03 May 2018, 16:27

 How often does the average person in FbL witness magic? Are those that exhibit magical proficiency revered or feared? Are there schools/paths of magic that are more taboo no matter the kin?

I'm curious what others think about the perception of magic within the Forbidden Lands. Within the various kin I could see certain schools being common, like Stonesingers in a Dwarven society, and Druids of the Path of Healing in most others. However, Shapeshifting Druids or Sorcerers who wield Blood Magic or Death Magic might be more likely to hide their powers and practice away from the prying eyes of others.

What do you all think? How do you have your NPCs react to the use of magic by your PCs?
 
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Klas
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Re: Societal Perception of Magic in FbL

Thu 03 May 2018, 20:59

With a druid and a blood mage in the group I am going to GM it that it's fairly common. They are way too dangerous without enough counterweights.
 
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Arnold
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Re: Societal Perception of Magic in FbL

Fri 04 May 2018, 07:26

Very interesting and stylish question.

I for myself will create  a forbidden land where magic is quite often, but mostly within a streight connection between kin and political fraction and magic classes.
For the scorcerers, i will give stonesinger to nearly every dwarven scorcerer. Elves will have mostly rune magic, and so will elvenkind half-elfes and the elvenfreindly humans have.

Necromancy could be for more tribal and barbarian scorcerers like wolfkind, the human riders or orcs. 
Blood magic is for the evil rust brothers and their allies. 

With this, i have the benefit that a pc scorcerer hasn´t access to every spell list, but that he has to befriend another wizard of an opposed fraction and earn his trust to learn his spells.
I think this way is quite logic in a land where the different kins and cultures lived very isolated because of the deadly mist which lay over the land.

For druids, i see the thing a little bit different. Most of my NPC- druids will be healers, and there should be one or two in every village. Shapeshifting and awarness would be very rare, but open to more than one or to kinds. 
 
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Brior
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Re: Societal Perception of Magic in FbL

Fri 04 May 2018, 09:27

I think the key to perception of magic lies in where it came from:

Stone singing is an art and a craft among dwarves and those who command it have great respect. Other kin probably think it's wierd but somewhat intimidating.

Most healing and constructive magic performed according to nature and the creator gods comes from the elves who claim to have fallen to earth as guardians of life as such (not necessarily of individuals or even genera). The elvenspring – half elves raised in elvish culture – learned magic from the elves and it is performed in veneration of tradition and laws of nature.

Necromancy, demonology and taming of elements that have been twisted from godly intentions and laws of nature were developed by frailers – half elves raised in human culture. They also learned the basics from elves, but have no moral or cultural restrictions.

Shapeshifting etc has been developed by Raven sisters, but these are OK  to elves and elvenspring.

Basically each group will justify what they do and mistrust / hate all others. People in the villages probably like healing, nice weather control, enhancement of crops etc, but otherwise mistrust magic as something strange and dangerous – they have good reasons for these beliefs. Various religious bans and blessings of magic applies and are spread among believers.
 
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utterkungen
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Re: Societal Perception of Magic in FbL

Fri 04 May 2018, 15:15

With a druid and a blood mage in the group I am going to GM it that it's fairly common. They are way too dangerous without enough counterweights.
By counterweights I am guessing that you mean that the PCs need to encounter other magic users as a means of providing challenge in encounters? I would agree with that. I wouldn't want to say that magic is rare and there by limit the tools at my disposal as a GM. Magic exists and should be utilized. I am more just curious about others thoughts on what magic exists where and is who is often wielding it.
Stone singing is an art and a craft among dwarves and those who command it have great respect. Other kin probably think it's wierd but somewhat intimidating.
Outside of Dwarven strongholds how would you envision say a human or Goblin coming to learn this ability? Would it be more likely that these kin would have some close relationship with Dwarves and had the chance to learn through trade? Or could a frailer, seeming to have innate magical prowess, witness stonesinging and teach themselves through trial and error?
My initial thought on how to build a stonesinger who isn't a Dwarf... Say they are a human who toiled in fields that were near mountains. Throughout their life they would constantly need to pull large stones from the earth when readying the land for planting. They always respected the stones and maybe carved them into depictions of the god Huge (I think that's the dwarfy one). Maybe through some accident or otherwise they manifested the abilities of an initiate stonesinger, possibly from divine intervention or something. Proximity to Dwarves or at least mountains seems paramount to me.
Necromancy, demonology and taming of elements that have been twisted from godly intentions and laws of nature were developed by frailers – half elves raised in human culture. They also learned the basics from elves, but have no moral or cultural restrictions.
Is it widely known that Zygofer (sp?) was/is a frailer? How much blame would other frailers carry just for being the same kin as the person responsible for bringing the Blood Mist to the Ravenlands?
 
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Brior
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Re: Societal Perception of Magic in FbL

Sun 06 May 2018, 14:21

Outside of Dwarven strongholds how would you envision say a human or Goblin coming to learn this ability? Proximity to Dwarves or at least mountains seems paramount to me.
Personally I don't see the need nor indeed the point of every option being open to every character in the game, but if you do want a non-dwarf mastering stone singing (which of course is fine if you like the idea), proximity to dwarves would be a good start. I'd say that the burden of narrative lies with the one wanting this.
Is it widely known that Zygofer (sp?) was/is a frailer? How much blame would other frailers carry just for being the same kin as the person responsible for bringing the Blood Mist to the Ravenlands?
No it´s probably not well known or even a big deal. I wouldn't say frailers are a cultural group identifing themselves as such (unless you prefer this of course). It's more an explanation for the GM to understand the difference between half-elves raised among humans and half-elves raised among elves. Frailers would take pride in their elven blood (which migh be more or less present) and their beauty and longevity, but would probably see themselves culturally as elite alderlanders. Elvenspring might be the only group keen on distinguishing themselves from frailers, while frailers would see themselves as equals to elvenspring.

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