I was thinking about the 3.5 rule that let clerics worship things other than gods and still get power. I've long assumed that this was because divine magic came from within, like arcane magic; their faith and devotion aren't a key to divine power, but a source of personal power.
I decided to think about why that might be, and if I could link that to a core source of all magic. What do clerics and wizards have in common? Their discipline. Clerics need discipline to follow their god's commandments and need to pray regularly; wizards need discipline to comprehend magic and need to study regularly.
What if it is, at heart, this discipline which lets one use magic? Discipline would be like exercise for the soul, letting one's inner magic come forth. Gods would likely assist their clerics' use of inner magic, and wizards' understanding of magic would help their spellcasting, but the discipline is still powering their magic at heart.
How would this work for other classes?

  • Bard: Like the wizard, except with music; their magic comes from extensively practicing their magic. That still doesn't justify playing "Smoke On the Water" for three hours straight.
  • Druid: The druid's discipline comes from living in whatever manner they feel is natural. This makes them less predictable than most types of casters; clerics are restricted by dogma, and wizards can at least be expected to act and think in a scholarly manner, but a druid could just as easily be a fearsome predator, a kindly gardener, or apathetic bystander.
  • Monk: Halfway between "discipline as exercise for the soul" and "discipline as boring normal exercise".
  • Paladin: The paladin gains power from doing good and fighting evil. Their discipline comes from a rigid adherence to their code of conduct, which is why nearly all are LG. Oathbreakers who retain shreds of their former power (ie, who have the Oathbreaker subclass from the DMG) maintain it by methods as diverse as the reasons behind their fall. Some keep their empty rituals without their original purpose, others cling to whatever is left of their shattered honor with even greater urgency than before, a few find a darker cause to champion, etc.
  • Ranger: Somewhere between druid and paladin. The way of life they draw power from has less to do with acting as nature and more to do with acting alongside nature—coexistence, not mimicry.
  • Sorcerer: Vanilla sorcerers have magic for no apparent reason, just some weird innate power; much the same is true here. The sorcerer's magical potency is enough to imbue seemingly-mundane rituals, quirks, or superstitions with arcane power. The sorcerer doesn't have to do much to maintain their power, as long as they don't lose their magical habits.
  • Warlock: Somewhere between the cleric and the wizard is the warlock, someone whose discipline comes from both holding up their end of the pact and studying whatever arcane secrets they bought.
  • Eldritch Knight/Arcane Trickster: Could be like any of these, but sorcerer seems to fit best.


This sort of thing would fit a campaign storyline built around the strength of belief and conviction, whatever those beliefs and convictions are. If you were going to incorporate it, you'd probably want to add some other alternatives:
  • A Devoted Champion archetype for the fighter, similar to the eldritch knight but with different spell restrictions and abilities focused around strengthening and protecting a specific person.
  • Some kind of paladin oath relating to loyalty to one's liege or nation. I'd call it something like "Oath of Patriotism," but that feels hilariously anachronistic even for a setting where stone age lizardmen coexist with crossbows and plate armor.
  • A bard-like class for crafts or skills which don't lend themselves to active performance so much as static (but permanent) displays.
  • A druidey wizard archetype for those who want to study and understand nature rather than magic.
  • Paladin oaths for dark philosophies (imagine Andrew Ryan as a warrior empowered by Randian ideals, for instance).