Your characters are Source Hunters, here to investigate possible Source magic...

The issue is that it isn’t obvious or clear what source magic is, why it’s bad, what the difference is between Source magic and normal magic, and how to detect clear signs of Source magic.

I have an idea for imparting that information to the player, without forcing them to sit through a lengthy explanation by an NPC. Simply have both characters start out with a book about Source Magic. “The Source Hunters manual”, if you will. They’re both level 1, so they’re clearly new at this, and the book will be there to sift through – or not – at their leisure. Maybe have another copy in the Homestead’s library. That way, the players can go to the crime scene, check the book and see that sure enough, the signs that the book lists as tell-tale indicators of source magic are indeed present.

One thing that is unclear is why should people use highly illegal Source magic when good-old fashioned regular magic seems like it works just fine. I think I know the reason, but one line in the source hunter book would explain it (feel free to use/rewrite this): “Normally it takes years of training attuning the mind to the world’s natural energies, before one can cast even the slightest cantrip of normal magic. What makes Source magic so insidious and dangerous is that it lets even those who are magically uninclined able to cast powerful spells. This makes it quite tempting for those of unpleasant disposition, who tend to naturally be weeded out of a normal wizard academy.”

Depending on how much lore is there, that might make for a long book, though. (If so, maybe the first page could be a table of contents?)


Last edited by Stabbey; 18/12/13 01:55 PM. Reason: crime scene