Results 1 to 8 of 8
-
2018-12-17, 07:27 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Gender
Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
I saw a post on another thread that reminded me of an ongoung debate at work.
Is there a difference between arcane and divine magic anymore?
I've seen people tweaking builds and having to manage multiple classes because they want theurgey 'master of all magic, arcane and divine' thing. I struggle to see the point.
In previous editions things were clearly spelled out as either arcane or divine (and sometimes psionic, and once primal) but now there is no real difference. The classes make it even blurrier. Paladins, sorcerers and (maybe) bards have inborn magic. Clerics, druids and warlocks draw on a higher power outside themselves. Wizards, (maybe) bards as well as specialized fighters and rogues get it from study. Bards heal almost as well (and sometimes as well) as a cleric or druid.
Do other people maintain the distinction? Does it have any real impact in your world? Where do you differentiate in situations like an arcane cleric, celestial warlock or a divine sorcerer and why?
-
2018-12-17, 07:31 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2014
- Location
- Los Angeles
Re: Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
Last edited by LudicSavant; 2018-12-17 at 07:31 AM.
Originally Posted by ProsecutorGodot
Nerull | Wee Jas | Olidammara | Erythnul | Hextor | Corellon Larethian | Lolth | The Deep Ones
-
2018-12-17, 08:50 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2013
- Location
- NW USA
- Gender
Re: Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
But in a world-building sense; it is still noted as distinct a few places... and a few of the module settings have social distinctions between the two in-setting
-
2018-12-17, 08:53 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2018
- Location
- Illinois, USA
- Gender
Re: Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
I consider the Wizard, Sorcerer, sometimes Druid, and the Bard to have arcane magic. Paladin, Warlock, and Cleric are divine casters.
(EK and AT are arcane as well)
-
2018-12-17, 09:07 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
Re: Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
They are still flags attached to various magics, but there aren't many explicit uses for those flags. You can still have people/peoples who have different opinions on various magics, based on whether they are arcane or divine. You can also have campaign effects which boost/inhibit magics based on arcane or divine.
-
2018-12-17, 09:08 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2015
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
Yes, some differences exist, in particular that divine casters have access to ALL spells of their level, but they have to choose what to prepare on a given day. Some spells are only available to wizards, some only to clerics, etc.
Paladins, sorcerers and (maybe) bards have inborn magic.
Clerics, druids and warlocks draw on a higher power outside themselves.
Wizards, (maybe) bards as well as specialized fighters and rogues get it from study.
Bards heal almost as well (and sometimes as well) as a cleric or druid.
Where do you differentiate in situations like an arcane cleric, celestial warlock or a divine sorcerer and why?Avatar by linklele. How Teleport Worksa. Malifice (paraphrased):
Rulings are not 'House Rules.' Rulings are a DM doing what DMs are supposed to do.
b. greenstone (paraphrased):
Agency means that they {players} control their character's actions; you control the world's reactions to the character's actions.
Second known member of the Greyview Appreciation Society
-
2018-12-17, 09:29 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2015
- Location
- Paris, France
- Gender
Re: Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
Here is how the PHB explains arcane/divine magics and sorts classes between them:
Originally Posted by PHB p205, The Weave of Magic
* Monks aren't in either list. The magic of ki seems to be its own category.
* Warlocks have a direct access to the Weave, despite having learned/drawn from a patron.
This does look mainly relevant for worldbuilding.
-
2018-12-17, 03:26 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2017
Re: Is magic arcane or divine anymore?
Some classes have acccess to divine magic, others have access to arcane magic.
The only real, critical mechanical distinction is that the designers deliberately wrote the spell lists so divine magic and arcane magic have differences.
For example, Clerics have access to far fewer destructive spells than Wizards, while Wizards have few if any healing spells.