A Few Important “Laws” Of Magic 101

This was Originally Created As A Player Handout For the first Zamani Playtest at Vericon 2006 and has since been updated to work under the Zamani mechanics rather than Hero v5 mechanics as originally used.

Magic in Zamani is hardly a cut and dried science, it is an art intermingled with concepts of philosophy and sometimes religion. Still there appear to be some laws of magic in effect that should be realized when dealing with this power that most practitioners believe are always in effect.

The numbering of this list is purely for your convenience and does not represent a hierarchal system or importance to the laws.

1. Religious Magic comes in part from a being or beings outside of normal 4 dimensional space/time (there are 8 dimensions, 4 more than normal mortals perceive reality being composed of). These are the Outer Dimensions aka "upper Dimensions".

2. Not all beings in the Outer Dimensions are necessarily divine or benevolent.

3. Divine beings are not omnipotent nor omnipresent nor omniscient. They are finite in their power, knowledge, perception and focus of interest. True Monotheism is an alien concept that runs in the face of observed knowledge.

4. Magic is not necessarily religious nor of divine origin. There are many schools, traditions, and paths of magic that have no direct connection with religion or divinities.

5. Religious magic has the drawback of being potentially withdrawn from access if the desire of the caster goes against the desires of the deity.

6. Most religious magic spells require an incantation, a prayer or request to the source of the power, to function. A religious mage who cannot speak is a religious mage who cannot cast.

7. Anyone who practices any kind of magic must have a certain innate talent to perceive in some way beyond the limits of 4th dimensional reality. Without this talent one cannot learn how to cast a spell, draw or retain power or even understand the basic concepts of how magic works.

8. Non-religious magic draws energy from the higher dimensions into the caster without the assistance of guidance of a deity. It is a more raw, less refined kind of power, and has a higher probability of having side effects or unexpected results.

9. Non-religious magic usually uses complex symbols, gestures and forms to produce a result (though it may include verbal symbols, instruction, code or tonal waves). Generally a non-religious mage who is bound cannot craft a spell, though some may work with but a single limb, appendage or limb that is free.

10. Magic items are items that have an active effect bound within them, and do not necessarily need a mage to activate them as the work of the magic was done when the item was sealed. They generally have one or more triggers that can turn their powers on or off, be they actions, words, or things that they detect to be present, true, occurring or absent.

11. Magic items are always traceable back to their creator, so long as they remain intact and contain their power. The energy of the item will match the energy of it’s creator (thus a form of magical ballistics/fingerprinting is possible with an item or ongoing spell effect).

12. A mage of either type cannot cast two spells at the exact same time. Only one spell can be cast (by gesture, word or action) in an action. Once a spell has started it is possible to have more than one spell functioning already. Thus a mage might put up a protective spell, then while that still was working, cast as their next action an attack spell or a movement spell etc.

13. A mage’s senses work without anything more than a thought, so changing from one type of sensory perception to another can be done at the same time as casting a spell without conflict.

14. All mages are magical in nature. The power that runs thru a mage is constant, and can be detected even if the mage has no spells on going or being cast. Each mage has a unique energy signature that is all their own.

15. There are supernatural creatures and beings that exist in the upper 4 dimensions that can extend themselves in to the lower 4 dimensions, or be drawn down to them by magic. These are known as Diva. Some of these are unable to touch things or beings in the normal 4 dimensions, those that are so limited CAN touch a mage or be touched by one as if they were of the same dimensional type. Thus to become a mage is to open oneself up to unusual dangers that normal mundane beings cannot necessarily perceive or be affected by.

16. All mages need to develop a spell casting skill to perform acts of magic. They may need more than one skill if they are performing drastically different kinds of magic that draw from different upper dimensions.

17. There is no such thing as “Psi” effects in Zamani. Spells that affect the mind and it’s abilities, yes, but all are still magical effects. Aliens claim something about a non-magical power base called ‘Psi’ but it does not seem to work in Zamani Space. They also claim magic does not work outside of Zamani Space, but that is highly unlikely.

18. Non-mages are not unaware of the existence of magic, but most avoid it and it’s effects. Many non-mages suffer from a vulnerability to magic, susceptibility to it, or have phobias and other psychological problems when it comes to dealing with it and beings of higher dimensions. The exception is within certain religious contexts, where they are able to overcome their fears and limitations.