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Reading over the descriptions, I find it very difficult to separate these thematically. Can anyone help clarify what the difference is flavor wise?
Both deal with Mind affecting spells. Meanwhile, whereas Arcane magic also deals with Material (Energy + Matter) spells, Occult magic deals with Spirit (soul) related spells.
At least, that's what the old dev team blog and the CRB's page 300 tells me.
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Arcane magic is more disciplined, you systematically seek to understand magic that is directly observable and manipulate those observations to your advantage, and with enough expertise you can eventually use this lens to understand the entire world around you (Unified Theory feat).
Occult magic is inherently not disciplined. You deal with spiritual essences that are not generally observable in order to wield power. These work in strange, counter-intuitive ways that make the collection of occult knowledge eclectic and result in understanding odd things (Oddity Identification).
The wizard, master of arcane magic, studies magical schools and arcane theses to understand and wield arcane power. The bard, master of occult knowledge, collects songs and stories to learn magic in a roundabout manner and wield unusual powers.
At least, that is my impression of the two.
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My impression is that Arcane magic is formulaic, and on some level needs to be understood to function properly. That's why wizards are so good at basically taking their spells apart and putting them back together with metamagic.
Meanwhile, Occult magic is the magic of results - the bard doesn't really know why blending thyme and chamomile counterclockwise in a cup stolen from a disgraced noble creates a draught that repels spirits; he just knows that it works.
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it's arcane with all the transmutation and evocation replaced with necromancy and divination magic.
edit: looking deeper into the four essences, there's this strange dualism between occult magic and primal, and of course divine and arcane.
primal being essentially represents things as they are, at their simplest, while occult deals with things as they are idolized, stories passed down and is quite literally the spirit and thought of things.
Divine and arcane, obviously are the age old, critical thinking versus faith, arcane being only mind and matter, while divine is spirit and life.
I wasn't expecting it all to be laid out so concisely.
Isn't Occult magic also supposed be Psychic as well?
Isn't Occult magic also supposed be Psychic as well?
it still uses somatic and verbal components and not thought or emotive one, so i'd say no.
In the same sense of the Occult classes where psychic, I suppose.
In the same sense of the Occult classes where psychic, I suppose.
you know, looking back, i don't know why i didn't understand what you meant.
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Actually, I expect the person with Count Lowl's portrait to enumerate the divergent fluctuations expressed by each tradition as demonstrated by the ephemeral metaphysics of dynamic magical essences to the rest of us.
But seriously, the central thematic difference is that arcane magic relies on intense research and intellectual effort to create its formulaic magical effects, while occult magic uses unusual methods to tap into poorly understood spiritual and soul/psychic phenomena, thereby mucking with topics that divine casters otherwise tend to stake a claim.
The result is that arcane magic manipulates matter and energy in ways that occult magic never can, such as through a Grease or Wall of Fire spell. Occult magic manipulates spirits and souls the way arcane casters never can, such as by the Bind Soul, Possession or Wail of the Banshee spells. Crossover appears where powerful mental and illusory magic is involved, such as various prismatic spells and things like Crushing Despair, Dominate and Nightmare.
In the same sense of the Occult classes where psychic, I suppose.you know, looking back, i don't know why i didn't understand what you meant.
in that sense, is it the "psychic" spell school? Like when we get the occult classes some day, isn't that likely their source of choice?