(07-10-2015, 06:37 PM)Sigil.9054 Wrote: So, out of context, these are my questions:
- What are the factors in learning magic? Â
- Does it require study?
- Does it require a sort of "attunement" with the magic of the world?
- What kind of components are involved? IE, Vocal, Somatic, Material, Focus, etc.
- Does magic draw energy of some kind from the user?
- Does it vary depending on the kind of magic? Â If yes, how so?
More contextually...
My character is currently an archer, and I eventually plan to have them start studying magic (what kind will depend on roleplay). Â She's very intelligent, and learns things quick. Â What other obstacles would she have to deal with, and how long would it take for her to learn how to, say, heal a wound or toss a fireball?
1. There are multiple factors, but perhaps the most important ones are:Â
- Aetherial environment: Aether is the energy people in Eorzea use to shape and form magic. It varies on intensity depending on the area you are in. Every living being has aether within them, some more intense than others, so there's a lot of variables in there.
- Character's aetherial pool: This is more about how much energy your character has to spend in the magical arts. This can be your mana pool, but t may extend to their life force under extreme situations.
- Character's education: Obviously, a character is bound to be a better mage if they were educated to be one, this, however, does not mean they can't be self-taught.Â
2. Does it require study? Magic weaving is more of a skill, so the more you practice/study it, the more you are bound to show talent in the area. A character cannot pick up a tome and three days later be like "LOOK, I CAN SUMMON A CARBUNCLE!" At least not under a realistic time-frame. Basic spells should take a few weeks. if your character is gifted, maybe you can tighten it t a week, but I'd be careful with that.
3. Does it require a sort of "attunement" with the magic of the world? Yes and no. If you ant to practice, say, conjury, your character must become attuned to the elementals. But other forms of magic like thaumaturgy and arcamina require your character to at least be able to keep their aether in check. Astrologians must "attune" to constellations. Magic is very volatile in nature, so trying to cast a spell with no prior knowledge out of nowhere is bound to be messy at best.
4. What kind of components are involved? IE, Vocal, Somatic, Material, Focus, etc. The lore is extremely flexible regarding this, so I cannot answer it. Some people rp as making it vocal, others as material/somatic/etc. It's up to the roleplayer.
5&6. Does magic draw energy of some kind from the user? Does it vary depending on the kind of magic?  If yes, how so? From the official schools of magic (this excludes headcanon and other forms of magic we see in the MSQ, but we can't use OOC.) Magic DOES require to be powered by aether. Arcamina and Thaumaturgy take energy from within the caster (so they directly take from the character's mana pool.) while conjurer's "borrow" energy from the elementals. In other words, the source of energy for Arcamina and Thaumatrgy is "internal", while for Conjury it's "external."Â
7. What other obstacles would she have to deal with, and how long would it take for her to learn how to, say, heal a wound or toss a fireball? For a relatively small wound/fireball? If your character is REALLY gifted, probably a couple of weeks, you could maybe tighten it to a week. Maaaayyybe. Something a little bigger would probably take at least a month (again, if they are very gifted). If you want to go even BIGGER, then I'd say years. HOWEVER, you could bypass this on a rare occasion if, say, for example, your character is going through an extremely intense situation and the aetherial conditions happen to be just right. Even then, something will probably go wrong.
Magic is very flexible when it comes to lore here, so don't be scared to experient with headcanon, just make sure you know the basic laws of aether and you're golden! Do know that just because magic is flexible does not give someone the right to godmod or be OP. Magic is powerful, but keep it within a mortal's capacity.
Sorry for the terrible grammar/spelling. Kind of wrote this in a hurry. I have VERY extended research logs regarding magic lore in the game, if you're interested in seeing them, just shoot me a message! I might actually post them in the forums.