Magic Architecture
| Magic Architecture | |
|---|---|
| Basic Information | |
| Type | Theoretical Framework |
| Related | Mana, Magic, Magicology, Mage, Arcane Academy |
1. Overview
Magic Architecture is the layered framework that underlies every act of spellcasting, tracing the full path from the mana circuit etched into a practitioner's body, through the Path by which that circuit is governed, to the individual Spell it ultimately produces. This structure divides the practice of magic into eight layers, each layer building upon and fully encompassing those beneath it.
Beneath Magic Architecture lies a more fundamental layer: the laws of Mana Dynamics, which govern mana itself regardless of whether magic is being practiced at all. This layer lies outside Magic Architecture proper, forming the ground upon which the framework is built.
2. The Eight Layers
| # | Layer | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foundation | Governs what magic can, in principle, accomplish. The eight forms of energy conversion, Arcane Magic, complete determinism, the two-stage structure of mana runaway and Mana Critical Incidents, and the tiered model of difficulty all belong to this layer. Common to every Path without exception. |
| 2 | Constitution | Governs how an individual body gives physical form to the principles of Foundation. Casting speed, the capacity for true parallel casting versus sequential casting, the distinction between flow rate and total capacity, precision per variable, and total mana capacity all vary at this layer. |
| 3 | Grammar | Governs how the dual states of mana are reflected at the level of the circuit itself, and defines the physical upper limit of variable width. |
| 4 | Awakening | Governs the procedure by which a circuit first becomes active — the initial emergence of a practitioner's own circuit, and the inscription by which a circuit is etched into a Mana Stone or Magic Stone. |
| 5 | Regulation | Governs the real-time management and allocation of resources during casting — the practical scheduling of parallel casting, interruption by dispelling or counter-magic, and the allocation of resources to sustained magic such as summons, wards, and enchantments. |
| 6 | Convention | Governs the conventions and standards specific to each Path — the Path-specific standard values for variable width, and the differences in efficiency, speed, and stability between Paths. |
| 7 | Attunement | Governs the conversion of a practitioner's understanding into an active circuit. Complete understanding is itself this act of conversion. |
| 8 | Manifestation | Governs the final realization of an individual spell — the concrete effect produced, and the distinction between Spell and Craft. |
Arcane Magic belongs in principle to the Foundation layer, yet in practice it also functions as a complete, independently viable technique in its own right, placing it within the Manifestation layer as well. This overlap is regarded as a natural consequence of Arcane Magic's dual role, rather than an inconsistency requiring resolution.
3. Difficulty and Output
The tiered model of difficulty and the principle governing output are treated in full within the article on Magic (see Tiers of Difficulty; Output and Difficulty). Within Magic Architecture, the tier itself is classified as a Foundation-layer principle, held in common across every Path.
Variable width (N) alone spans two layers: its physical upper limit belongs to Grammar, while the standard value adopted by each Path belongs to Convention.