(01-30-2015, 07:56 PM)Intaki Wrote: Is there anything in the lore that would specifically preclude the insertion of a thaumaturgic gem into an organic staff conducive to conjury? And on a slightly related note, does a master of arcanima absolutely need a book of spells or can the geometric patterns be invoked from memory?
It's an interesting thought, but I couldn't say for sure since there's no lore evidence of it ever happening before. That is to say, no Magi (that we know of) has yet tried to master both Conjury and Thaumaturgy, giving little need to establish a dual-medium stave. However, given that the lore only specifically states that these mediums are used in the casting of magic, I don't see why a gemstone could be embedded into an organic stave to produce a dual-foci? Similar to something like Gandalf's staff in Lord of the Rings.
On the subject of needing the foci to cast, the lore seems to bend towards needing them, but does not outright state they are required to perform even the most simple of spells. What the mediums allow for is a focus to channel and condense aether into a physical manifestation of magic. So for Conjurers, the living staff allows them to feel nature's touch within their grasp. For Thaumaturges, the gemstone creates a focal point to direct their aether into. For Arcanists, the aetherially augmented ink within the grimoires allows for easier conduction of energies from the caster through the tome.
I would say that it is within the realm of possibility that a master at one of these schools would be able to perform spells without such mediums, but from the way the magic seems to be described it might dampen his/her potential?
Anyways, here's the original text about the mediums:
EDIT: Thought I'd read somewhere about Arcanists and their grimoires lately so took a look through my notes. Sure enough, we have this explanation from the Lv.25 Alchemist Quest.
Anonymous Arcanist Wrote:For an arcanist to weave his spells, he must conjure in his mind the image of distinct mystical diagrams known as arcane geometries. These geometries are inscribed upon the pages of a grimoire, such as the one you constructed at my request.
The most important aspect of any grimoire is the quality of the ink used to illustrate its pages. Geometries drawn with ink that is especially conductive to the flow of aether allow the arcanist to more effectively channel his magical strength.
