I have a question
Why are mages in Toril unable to cast magic in places within realmspace where the weave is damaged or dead, but are able to still do so in the outer planes where Mystra doesn’t reach at all?1)
The Weave (Mystra) is one way of accessing the natural energies of a plane or world; arcane spells used by mages are means of calling on those energies (wind, tide, magnetism, kinetic energies such as flowing or falling…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 1, 2020
2)
…water, heat/convection, etc.) to power specific effects (e.g. a fireball). Where the Weave is damaged or dead, the “trigger” (cast spell) is missing its gun to produce the effect (fire the bullet). In all cases on an outer…3)
…plane where an arcane spell does work (and there are long, long lists of spells that don’t work, or that produce different effects than in the Realms), this means the magic has found a way to call on the natural energies of…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 1, 2020
4)
…that plane to produce the desired effect, or at least an effect. Yet there’s a reason magic is called “the Art” and not a science; it’s often unpredictable at best. 5)
Hence the continued utility of a sword or even a club, and someone to swing it.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 1, 2020
I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around this, but that may be the point. What is the catalyst for the unpredictability of arcane spellcasting? Improper components, faith in the spell / weave, or is it truly arbitrary? Spellcasting always has some unpredictability, most commonly due to Weave surges/ripples (you're trying to swim out to sea from a beach, and a monster wave comes in), or the presence of previous magic (you might be unaware of) in a locale, that your magic reacts with.#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 2, 2020