Based on the ARR story arcs, it seems that most magic is indeed spell-based in the setting. That jives with the formal study that many use (but is not required) to learn to work magic. We also know that some people have an innate talent for and ability to use certain forms of magic...
What we don't know is how "formulaic" magic is. While I think it's a safe bending of lore to say that you can modulate the effects of spells downward (for example, if you know Fire, you can go from "incinerating ball of pain" to "light a pipe"), we don't really have lore support on what kind of power casters have to go laterally (for example, from "light a pipe" to "create a fireworks display" or even further to "warm armor" or "boil water").
Another thing we know from mechanics is that the power of magic is affected by the instrument used to channel it. With no such artifice, magic is comparatively weak (though still enough to cause injury).
As for other classes' abilities, I don't recall any of them (Jobs aside) being inherently magical in lore, but I think that's a grey area. I'd say most of them fall into the category of "extraordinary" abilities -- possibly empowered by an innate and intuitive channelling of Aether, but not necessarily inherently magical. I will say that I'm not entirely conversant with all the class storylines in ARR, though.
So, all in all, I think there's a lot grey areas in the lore on how magic actually works, and so lots of different equally valid interpretations are possible.
This thread is particularly interesting to me because I've been thinking of starting an LS that's a semi-secret society for spellcasters.
Seeing a lot of interpretations means that there's some interesting RP that concept can tap.
What we don't know is how "formulaic" magic is. While I think it's a safe bending of lore to say that you can modulate the effects of spells downward (for example, if you know Fire, you can go from "incinerating ball of pain" to "light a pipe"), we don't really have lore support on what kind of power casters have to go laterally (for example, from "light a pipe" to "create a fireworks display" or even further to "warm armor" or "boil water").
Another thing we know from mechanics is that the power of magic is affected by the instrument used to channel it. With no such artifice, magic is comparatively weak (though still enough to cause injury).
As for other classes' abilities, I don't recall any of them (Jobs aside) being inherently magical in lore, but I think that's a grey area. I'd say most of them fall into the category of "extraordinary" abilities -- possibly empowered by an innate and intuitive channelling of Aether, but not necessarily inherently magical. I will say that I'm not entirely conversant with all the class storylines in ARR, though.
So, all in all, I think there's a lot grey areas in the lore on how magic actually works, and so lots of different equally valid interpretations are possible.
This thread is particularly interesting to me because I've been thinking of starting an LS that's a semi-secret society for spellcasters.
Seeing a lot of interpretations means that there's some interesting RP that concept can tap.
The Freelance Wizard
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
