soft magic

[hengest]

I have been brushing up against this idea for a little while now, but only noticed it and thought of the name "soft magic" tonight.  "Areal magic" might be another name for it.

Rather than simply working on tone and "spirit of place" or "sense of place" as I tend to, I want something for the ref or worldbuilder to hold on to if necessary.  "Soft magic" is the thing to hold on to.  It probably works between values 5 and 8 in my system here, but of course you could use it without reference to any of that or within that system but outside that range.

By soft magic I mean an (often) areal magic of place, variable in extent (forest clearing to entire valley, or perhaps even wider, a whole mountain range).  The magic should be limited in place (even if the place is large) but effectively unlimited in time.  The valley has these properties, otherwise unaccounted for, that make it distinct from the area around it.  These properties might

• imitate the familiar effects of Vancian magic in some way (bonuses, healing, etc.)
• encourage or suppress certain behavior
• encourage or suppress certain phenomena
• do something quite different (you decide)

Further, the magic might wax and wane with natural processes that humans can observe, such as the phases of the moon, the tides, or day and night.  For example, a given clearing might have healing properties at night but none during the day, or the other way around (like the area "Erana's Peace" in the game Hero's Quest / Quest for Glory I).  Or something else entirely, sinister, detectable by characters, or not.  

For a more involved system, the magic / area might respond to the actions of sentient creatures.  Micro-actions (those taken by PCs or others in a given instance) or macro-actions (plans put into motion for a village, town, or kingdom) might summon, or tend to summon (random table possible) a certain response, supportive or destructive, from the area.  

More ideas and examples to come, I hope.  

[hengest]

Under this heading there is nearly infinite variety and I don't want to restrict it too much by formally defining it.  So here are a couple examples, unrelated to each other.  In each instance, one might find that the magic is deeper than it appears (i.e. has other effects not noted here).

In the foothills of an old mountain range, all free-running water acts as a mild healing potion once a day (1d2 HP or equivalent for your system).  This is true of springs and running water aboveground and below, but is not true of lakes or ponds.  The property is lost if the water is bottled.

The throne room of the keep has the quality that all present are strongly inclined to obey the one who sits on the throne, a rough cube made of drystone.  On leaving the room, the effect fades rapidly, but orders that are consonant with one's general outlook and understanding are likely to be obeyed anyway.  This is not a geas or mind control but simply a strong inclination.  Words spoken in support of this inclination while in the throne room tend to have the effect of increasing resolve when the effect fades.  

A very dense old-growth forest where fire does not burn.

A village where strength increases as the Moon grows, to a maximum increase of about 50% when the Moon is full.  Applies to visitors as well as locals, although locals have the skill to control their strength as it waxes each month.

A kingdom where the earth becomes more minable and produces more metallic ores when the blacksmiths are very active at their forges.

[hengest]

A section of rocky coast where, for about half an hour on either side of high tide, land-dwelling creatures can breathe the salt water of the ocean.  

When birds are in flight in the air within and above a walled city, their song and calls can be understood as if spoken in the local language.  They do not speak to other races, only to each other.  When the birds are not in flight, their speech cannot be understood.

In the hush of the first night of snow in this northern fiefdom, no one needs sleep and all wounds, diseases, and injuries are healed.  

[mao]

Sept 13, 2021 10:52:41 GMT -5 hengest said:

Under this heading there is nearly infinite variety and I don't want to restrict it too much by formally defining it.  So here are a couple examples, unrelated to each other.  In each instance, one might find that the magic is deeper than it appears (i.e. has other effects not noted here).

In the foothills of an old mountain range, all free-running water acts as a mild healing potion once a day (1d2 HP or equivalent for your system).  This is true of springs and running water aboveground and below, but is not true of lakes or ponds.  The property is lost if the water is bottled.

The throne room of the keep has the quality that all present are strongly inclined to obey the one who sits on the throne, a rough cube made of drystone.  On leaving the room, the effect fades rapidly, but orders that are consonant with one's general outlook and understanding are likely to be obeyed anyway.  This is not a geas or mind control but simply a strong inclination.  Words spoken in support of this inclination while in the throne room tend to have the effect of increasing resolve when the effect fades.  

A very dense old-growth forest where fire does not burn.

A village where strength increases as the Moon grows, to a maximum increase of about 50% when the Moon is full.  Applies to visitors as well as locals, although locals have the skill to control their strength as it waxes each month.

A kingdom where the earth becomes more minable and produces more metallic ores when the blacksmiths are very active at their forges.

ok these are pretty cool but I have a question.i don't understand where 'soft' is from

[hengest]

mao I just liked the sound of it.

[hengest]

Cave complex where magical light does not work.

Range of hills where speech is incomprehensible. Speech can be produced but cannot be understood. Writing that represents speech is also unreadable. This is true even for the speaker or writer.

[mao]

Sept 14, 2021 15:16:26 GMT -5 hengest said:

mao I just liked the sound of it.

thats what  i thought