Was: [DARK-SUN] - Elements

I've heard of this Positive/Negative power scheme before, but by old gamers
talking about first edition. I haven't seen anywhere in my second edition
books where this is mentioned. The closest thing I have seen to discussing
the power source for magic is in the Complete Psionics Handbook, where it
states that magic draws its power from the universe instead of the caster.

I don't really see a need for it to be extra-planar in nature at all.
Extra-dimensional, maybe, but in AD&D those are two different birds. And
then there's the possibility that magic is self-created--that murmuring
certain words, making just the right gestures actually creates energy which
can then be shaped. After all, no one said we have to obey the law of
Conservation of Energy; not in a SJ universe. :)

Hemlock


>> I disagree that mages draw power from the Energy Planes, whether Positive
>> or Negative. If that were the case, mages would be unable to cast spells
>> while in the Phlogiston, which is really a _far_ more effective planar
>> insulator than the Grey or Black.
>>
>> Hemlock
>
>  Hemlock,
>        This is however AD&D canon, the core rules books say that this is
>so... therefore I have ruled (for consistancy) that the phlogiston blocks
>access to all outer planes while allowing access to all the inner planes.
>  The phlogiston is the prime material plane after all and it is supposed to
>heve direct acces to all the innerplanes.
>
>   This allows magic to work normally in the phlogiston.  Of course we could
>go ahead and say that the phlogiston does cut off everything... This means
>something powers magic while out in the flow.... perhaps the helm has a
>magic 'generator' or battery as part of its construction which allows this
>to occur... spells draw on this 'battery' or generator to power its effects.
>This would explain the draining of spells from mages etc.
>
>  Please follow up on the Spelljammer list and/or e-mail.