From: Raymond E. Feist
Date: Sat, 21 Sep 1996
Subject: RE: Kelewanese Magic
Actually, the term focus is probably missunderstood, due to the way I have Kulgan use it in _Magician_. Steve is incorrect as to "focus" insofar as I'm reading what he wrote as "exterior focus" and in that he is correct. But the lesser path can also use a mental focus or his/her own body. Which is why they can shape change and do other incredible stuff that greater paths can't do. On the other hand, the greater paths can "grab" energy out of the cosmos and make things happen, simply by using mental skills. I guess the easiest way to describe it is that greater paths are like programmers or system designers. They deal in abstract codes to get results. Lesser paths are more like artists and they directly manipulate the "stuff" that Nakor is always talking about, but through a focus, i.e. an object that's constucted for a specific purpose, through their own bodies, through their totem creature. Lesser path's are big on ritual, use of iteams (drugs, powders, potions, etc.), creating things, and are more exploratory by nature than Greater Paths. At least that's how I felt it worked when Jon Everson and I wrote the lesser path rules. Maybe an even better comparison is that greater paths delve more into the abstract, while lesser paths are dealing with concrete things. That's why devices are created by lesser paths, new life-forms are created by lesser paths, etc. One of the problems with the game, however, is that lesser paths don't get run very often, at least not in comparison with greater paths, because of the very reasons Steve cited; lower level LPs are pretty weak and end up dead on a regular basis. Also, before we wrote the rules, Jon was the only one running LP's and it was always sort of taken at face value that Jon could do whatever weird thing he had the character attempting. As our game was low on "my character wants to take over the universe" aspects, Jon being weird was usually entertaining and always welcome. I suspect what we're really doing is looking at a system, and trying to explain it in systemic terms, when we're really dealing with two divergent needs: one mechanical, so it's playable in a game context, and one dramatic, so it reads well in a story. With that in mind, I have little problem with the obvious inconsistencies between the two, but it's always more rewarding to have stuff in concert. Anyway, by heading into the "there is no magic" paradigm, what Nakor is opening the door to is a sense that "there is no 'right' system," just a way in which each individual approaches "magic." Which means we can start looking more easily at the disparity between game and books.
From: Raymond E. Feist
Date: Sat, 21 Sep 1996
Subject: RE: Kelewanese Magic
Without going into heavy detail, the high level lesser path can control major forces. For example, a greater path can do stuff like "big fireball," while a high lesser path can do things like "make weather." So, if you're attacking a city do you want the guy who can toss a six hit die lightning bolt at the walls, or the one who can make a hurricane hit it while you're guys are sitting on the hills watching from their warm and dry position? If we ever get the rules published, you'll see. If you want a long term campaign character, getting a lesser path to survive is worth the payoff as time goes by. You go high enough with a lesser path in the arcane vitris discipline, for example, I think they get to a "create life" level where they're building lifeforms, which can be pretty awesome. They can summon and control demons. They can build devices which can do things beyond the scope of the most powerful greater path.
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