Urban Fantasy: Mages

What's an Urban Fantasy setting without mages of some kind, right? They are just as much a staple as Vampires and Werewolves (*cough*) so it come to no surprise there would be some form of primarily-human spell casters running around. There's a bit of just about everything under the sun rolled into these Mages. This leave 'magic' both a very specific thing within the greater ecology of the setting and also something that's rather hard to define as to what exactly they are. There is definitely some influence here from Unknown Armies and Shadowrun, I think.

On Mages

Oddly accurate.

To wield magic is to wield a power beyond conventional science and understanding. These powers can range from the subtle and etheric to the much more flashy and blatant, although the D&D-styled Vancian fireballs are quite rare in the modern world notably because wielding destructive magic is extremely hard to hide and also quite hazardous in any urban center. Mages come in all shape and form and all manner of levels of power, with the vast majority of them being rather weak all things considered. Magecraft exist in all cultures but how it is viewed and understood is something no two mages would ever agree on: indeed most would not recognize each others as a 'proper' practitioner of magic as their craft, tradition, culture and personal philosophy would vary. In the modern age there are just as many mages following ancient, half-lost traditions and techniques as there are self-taught weirdos whose entire magic and world view is shaped by their personal philosophy and beliefs on the nature of the world.

The first thing to understand is that a mage is created, never born. While there might still be highly isolated and insular bloodlines and clans of witches and the like somewhere in the world, the power that mages wield isn't something carried 'in the blood'. Mages are not a distinct sub-species of human nor do they really have a secret world where everyone is a wizard and treat each others as such. A mage is created when a non-supernatural human claim a fragment of cosmic power through its arcane research or pact. In theory this is a power anyone can acquire but there is a reason why this is just theoretical and not the reality.

One could argue that the things a Mage studies, examine, replicate and belief are impossible things. These can range from studying implausible supernatural creature and phenomena to being a loony with strange beliefs about the nature of the universe, ranging from some hardscore post modernist shroom-snorting and anarcho-whateverism to people who think that space is actually still aether and modern science is lying. Simply reading a text on the theory and principle behind another Mage's entire life work is not enough to grasp the process. One could ready such a detailed account (if it ever existed) and replicate all the experiments, all the movements, all the formula and all the rituals and not be able to cast a single spell. There's a very personal and also maniacal side to magic. Magic is a mindset. It is also a philosophy and a state of mind and each state of mind is unique to either a pre-existing magical tradition or one which is self created.

Becoming A Mage

This mindset, understanding and philosophy is the first catalyst to magecraft but it is also what limits the mage in the long run. It is the focus and angle through which one's magic is expressed and this isn't something that is changed. It is a fundamental, profound change and dedication. There are a few dabblers who are able to learn just about any weak spell and incantation but these are individuals who treat magic more as a tool, which forever locks away the truth depths of power from them.

The second catalyst is actual power (in an abstract) form, which is bargained or taken/stole from the universe. People have long debated how exactly this works and even to this day there's no real consensus because that explanation may just be an abstraction. Through years of dedication, study, experimentation and a lot of nutty ideas there is a real breakthrough for some mages and they become imbued with the power they need to wield their form of magic. Others however, bargain for it. They spend years beseeching the blessing of various and often disparate spirits, ancient deities and more and take this power into themselves. Other people believe this power is somehow 'stolen' but, again, this is all quite abstract. The final, quickest and most dangerous way to wield magic is to flat out sacrifice parts of oneself by offering it to entities willing to empower a mortal in a way not to dissimilar to the concept of Patron for Warlocks in D&D. Indeed it is likely most mages technically have one or more patron but that patron is unaware of their use of power. Those who contact an active, listening power can expect great results in a short amount of time...at a high, high cost. Many individuals fail at the transcendence, however.

Unsurprisingly, it is Demons which love to empower such a mage and the cost they demand is a steep one which invariably will doom the mage, either killing them or possibly damning them until they become a demon-like being of their own, even if the former scenario is the most common and likely. Demonic magic excel at destruction and corruption and often exert a physical toll on the user just as much as it exert a mental toll. These flaws in the magic are, of course, entirely deliberate in design since demons are assholes and revel in suffering and imperfection. Many of these demonic spellcasters become shriveled husks consumed by diseases and/or madness but by the time they have degenerated their sanity and morality (if they ever had any) are long gone.

But What For?

The thing is: why dedicate oneself to such a craft? Well, why do some people dedicate massive chunk of their lifespan to some hobbies? Or maybe drugs? Or, perhaps, to some ideology and way of life? There are a myriad of reasons and it would be somewhat reductive to simply state 'power' as an obvious choice. Power is nothing by itself: it is always a mean to an end. Generally speaking said end is often an attempt at a greater understanding of the universe, oneself and one's place in it. For others it is less about an understanding of said place as a desire to redefine said place. This is where the Mage's relationship with their patron or 'power source' if you will can greatly color their way of thinking. Most will never truly go far in their quest. A rare few, however, will achieve transcendence over their humanity.

Playing A Mage

This is where it gets complicated. There are so many ways to approach magic, so many different style and traditions that creating a spell list for Mages can get very complicated. Using Stars Without Numbers revised, a mage is a (Heroic) Magister class. This mean it naturally and automatically learn its spells, even if in-universe there might still be more work involved. Creating a spell list is where it would get complicated and need more works from a GM. Finally, it is generally assumed that Heroic Magister are a pure class and not a hybrid via the Adventurer, as their work is rather all consuming. The rare few Partial Magisters are mere dabblers in the art of magic, incomplete mages forever crippled and denied their full potential.