Magic and the Cosmos

''Please note that a lot of information below is strictly player knowledge and NOT character knowledge. This page exists so that readers can know how magic and the world works. Each section will be marked as either being player OR character knowledge.''

Cosmology
Player knowledge

Kelik is simply just a continent that is part of the material plane, the material plane is a planet much like Earth. Other planes exist in the same solar system such as the Feywilds and The Nine Hells. Travel between these planes is very difficult as it requires someone with enough magical skill to traverse The Astral Sea which is much like space in the real world outside of this game.

The Astral Sea
Character knowledge

The Astral Sea is the space between the planes. Different scholars have different theories on how the planes work, some believe that they are a collection of worlds floating in a literal sea whereas some people from Atsmahni believe that the planes exist as branches of a giant tree. The most common accepted theory however is that each plane is layered on top of each other which attempts to explain why some planes such as the Nine Hells are so hard to reach because it requires a lot of travel through the Astral Sea.

The most common way of entering the Astral Sea is through the use of the spell plane shift (created by Vecna in 562BCE), a spell caster using plane shift is sent in a trance like state and is able to see each plane that they've been to before simultaneously and can simply will themselves to travel there. Such a spell requires someone with a good aptitude in magic as well as having the caster familiar with being in their intended destination. This lead to many arcane colleges constructing portals to other planes so that Wizards could later visit that plane independently.

The Astral Sea is also seen as the source of all magical energy, when someone casts a spell they normally draw power from the Astral sea; someone with more proficiency in the arcane arts is able to draw more power than a mere apprentice. Because of this people can be distrustful or fearful of magic as there have been cases of someone accidentally drawing power from something sinister or dangerous floating around the material plane.

Types of Spellcasters and Alternative Power Sources
Character knowledge

Different spell casters draw their power in different ways. Bards and Wizards dedicate many years of their life studying the cosmos and learning to summon power from it and Sorcerers have an innate ability to focus power from it through sheer force of will alone either through birth, freak accident or both. Because of the nature of where they get their spells they are often treated with suspicion and the attention of the modern Circle.

Druids are able to attune themselves with the natural world shaping it to their will, they're given a lot less attention from the Circle as their methods predate even the discovery of magic.

Clerics and Paladins devote themselves to a deity or another strong willed force in the world, in turn they are given a slither of power in order to carry out their will. Warlocks also gain their powers from similar powerful forces but they're often seen as a tool to be used by their patron instead of a cleric or paladin who are seen as loyal servants. All Warlock magic is outlawed.

The Tenets of the Circle
Character knowledge

All countries where The Circle operate allow for them to carry out their law regarding spell casters. Circle Knights often carry magical manacles that can be used to temporarily block a spell caster from accessing the Astral Sea, this is known as confiscation. Sorcerers, Bards and Wizards in a Circle-supporting Country must wear an Identification Ring at all times, this ring is used as proof that the spell caster is qualified to practice magic as well as it being a license to prove that a spell caster is safe to use one. Each ring keeps track of the spells used by the spell caster and any illegal spell will alert nearby Circle Knights within a 10-mile radius; likewise a trained Knight of the Circle can access these rings to check the history of spells cast by the magic user. In extreme cases where a spell-caster (legal or not) is unable to safely control magic (such as a sorcerer with the gift of wild magic) then a group of 12 Circle Knights can perform the ritual of severance. This ritual targets an individual permanently cutting them off from the Astral Sea, in some cases this can leave the individual with serious brain damage, unfortunately in all cases however removing someone's connection to the Astral Sea damages some brain functions making it impossible for the individual to feel emotion and use magic even if it's from non-Astral Sea sources such as a warlock's patron. These people are often colloquially referred to as severed.

The laws are as follows;"1. Necromancy is forbidden. Practicing Necromancers may be killed on sight by The Circle and local authorities.""2. Conjuration of demons and other denizens of the Nine Hells is forbidden. Practitioners may be killed on sight by The Circle and local authorities.""3. Conjuration rituals must be performed safely, a spell caster must make sure that they are equipped to combat what they are summoning in any event. Failure to comply will result in confiscation for one month.""4. Practitioners of magic must wear an identification ring at all times to prove that they are qualified for their field. Failure to comply will result in one month of confiscation.""5. Practitioners of magic from non-Circle countries must pre-arrange to have an identification ring on loan if they wish to use magic. If caught practicing magic without a ring then the nearest authority must hold them for a minimum of 1 week.""6. The use of magic given from a patron is illegal, these spell casters are known as Warlocks. Practicing warlocks may be killed on sight by The Circle and local authorities if they have accepted a denizen from the Nine Hells as their patron; the same applies if a warlock has accepted a patron from beyond the known planes. If a warlock uses power from a patron native to the known planes then they will be subjected to Severance.""7. If a magic user is unable to control their powers even after a year of formal training then they will be subjected to Severance.""8. If a magic user is caught using magic to charm or hurt an individual in any case other than self defense then they will be arrested on sight by The Circle or local authorities.""9. Any vigilante attempting to obstruct the work of a Circle Knight will be held as an accessory to the offender's crime and will receive similar punishments where applicable.""10. Anyone involved in the creation or distribution of fake identification rings will be arrested for a minimum of one year. Spell casters using a fake identification ring will be given the same punishment as a spell caster breaking rule 4 on top of a jail sentence for 1 year."

Spell Differences in 5e
Player knowledge

Even though the system allows for many things to happen from spellcasting some magical abilities just wouldn't work with the setting of Kelik. My aim isn't to nerf existing spells and classes but it is instead to change the mood of the game ever so slightly; in games that I've played that allow resurrection for example I've found that death is cheapened almost to the point where a player character death is seen as just a temporary inconvenience, I aim to give more of an impact to things such as these to allow for a more meaningful story without changing things too much so that you can still revive someone if you try really really hard.

Raising the (un)dead: Mechanically speaking there are no changes to spells such as animate dead that allow for someone to raise a corpse as undead. Rather than undead being filled with negative or necrotic energy they are instead merely filled with the essence of the spell-caster responsible for raising them. The undead are still seen as unnatural abominations however and any magic affect that normally disrupts the undead (such as divine smite or turn undead) will still work as normal.

Resurrecting a fallen friend: Spells such as revivify and resurrection can still be used however it comes at a great cost. Any spell which restores life to a deceased ally requires the user to learn that spell from a greater source of power; once any resurrection spell is used as intended the user loses the means to cast it again and must earn the power to do so once more.

Wish: Wishes may still be used to resurrect a fallen friend, the spell however is not only almost unheard of but it requires someone of great power like a genie or deity to actually teach someone the secrets of it. As a result you aren't able to pick the spell up automatically as you level up but there is nothing stopping you from finding someone who can teach it.