Divine Magic
Divine Magic
Classification: Specialization
Parent School: Support Class
Divine Magic refers to the historical miracles and spells once granted directly by the gods to their priesthoods. In the modern era, true divine magic is functionally extinct, replaced by highly advanced Medical Magic and secretive Soul Magic.
Specialization Rules
This is a highly restricted, effectively obsolete Specialization. To learn Spells (Powers) in this field, a mage must have specific campaign permission, as the gods have fallen silent.
Progression
Acquiring dots and Powers here requires deep dedication. The spells are extremely potent but narrowly focused.
Example Powers
| Tier | Example Effect | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Minor Blessing | Grants a slight, ambient aura of luck or resilience to a target. |
| Tier 2 | Purify Food and Drink | Instantly removes toxins, poisons, and diseases from consumables. |
| Tier 3 | Divine Healing | A flawless, consequence-free healing spell that knits flesh without the complex anatomical knowledge required by Medical Magic. |
| Tier 4 | Smite | Calls down a pillar of pure, radiant energy that specifically incinerates undead and demonic entities. |
| Tier 5 | Resurrection | Returns a recently departed soul to its body, restoring it to full life (Currently impossible). |
Lore Deep Dive
The Silence of the Gods:
Centuries ago, priests did not need to study complex magical theory. They prayed, and the gods granted them miracles—most notably, flawless healing magic and the ability to banish the undead. However, the gods eventually fell silent. They stopped answering prayers and stopped granting spells.
The Birth of Medical Magic:
When the gods vanished, humanity was left without a way to cure plagues or heal grievous wounds. This crisis led to the founding of Medical Magic, a multi-disciplinary field of Alteration and Divination designed to replicate divine healing through raw science and magical surgery.
Modern "Clerics":
Today, the priesthoods of the Triumvirate Church still exist, but their "miracles" are simply standard spells dressed up in religious dogma. A modern priest casting a "smite" is usually just using Projection (Evocation), and a priest performing an exorcism is secretly using highly illegal Soul Magic—which the Church hypocritically sanctions for its own inquisitors while executing secular mages for the same crime.
Design Boundaries
Divine Magic CAN:
- (Historically) Heal wounds flawlessly without anatomical knowledge.
- (Historically) Damage souls, banish demons, and destroy undead with extreme prejudice.
Divine Magic CANNOT:
- Be learned through standard Academy study.
- Be relied upon in the modern era. Any player character utilizing "Divine Magic" is either an ancient being, using an Imperial Artifact, or secretly just a highly skilled Medical/Soul mage pretending to be a conduit of the gods.