@TheEdVerse
Hi there! I am about to DM a new campaign for my group, and I had a question about FR magic: if a Giftless wizard from a world where an innate Gift is not necessary to learn magic (only study and effort) arrived in Toril, would they still be able to use their powers?— ValetheHowl (@ValetheHowl) January 7, 2022
1)
“The Gift” is merely the name given in the Realms for the ability to wield arcane magic (some folks can carry a tune and others can’t, some are tone-deaf and others have perfect pitch). So if your wizard from another world has been casting spells in that world, …
#Realmslore 2)
…they obviously possess the gift.
The question is not if they have the Gift or not (they do), but HOW the spells they've been casting (by study and effort) work. Almost all wizards in the Realms call on the Weave, as their means of drawing on natural energies…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 7, 2022
3)
…(wind, wave, tidal, kinetic, etc.) to power the effects that their incantations shape and specify.
The wizard from another world may be working spells that don’t call on the Weave, or that call on it in ways that will produce surprising-to-them effects (e.g. … 4)
…a Wand of Wonder). They may have to experiment for a bit (and these experiments may be dangerous or even fatal) until they learn what "works" in the Realms. Some of their spells may not work at all (nothing happens), and some may go "wild."
This has happened…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 7, 2022
5)
…to many individuals in the past. Quite a few have stopped casting magic out of fear, and taken other professions. 6)
The reason the term "the Gift" exists at all is as a handy way for saying if someone can cast arcane spells, but the precise term was coined by priests of various deities wanting to convey the impression that the gods bestow this ability (they can, using the…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 7, 2022
7)
…Imbue With Spell Ability spell, but it may or may not be church propaganda to assert that being born able to cast spells is always a “god-given” ability).
And when I say that “This has happened to many individuals in the past” I mean that I was writing and… 8)
…publishing Realms short stories establishing this phenomenon in the setting before the game of D&D existed. The D&D game has added more examples of "magic not working the way you're used to" when you enter other planes…or alternate Prime Material Planes.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 7, 2022