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How far can Druids go when channeling their Astral Form?


Narnio.9402

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We know that druids in their astral forms are able to do such things as summon a 'Lunar Beam' to the surface, as well as a 'Solar Beam' with the staff. How far could druids go with this power? Are they actually channeling the magics of worlds, moons and stars to their own will? They have an ability that allows for them to create an artificial black hole, so is it possible for them to do more with that kind of thing?

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An Elementalist doesn't actually summon meteoroids from space with Meteor Shower, she creates them and they strike with magical force. Similarly, the Druids' powers aren't pulling magic directly from the sun or moon, but creating light beams, as a Guardian/Dragonhunter or a Holosmith would, and imbuing them with solar or lunar properties, such as heat and cold.

The stars of Tyria, however, do hold a special magic. A magic which Canthans have studied and used for centuries. The Stars seem to represent a border between our reality and the (appropriately-named) Astral Plane, a section of The Mists closely parallel to our world, where specific mortal beings can rise to near-godhood. This power can only be bestowed by and to beings who become Ascended "Weh no Su", or "Closer to the Stars". Astral power has been used to great effect in the past, such as: creating powerful constructs, enhancing one's martial prowess, healing impossible wounds, and manifesting draconic powers. It is this power that Druids touch upon.

As a Mists-based power, Druid magic bends space-time, but without rending it as a Revenant does. Based on the Revenants' powers, we can conclude the "fabric" of space-time is incredibly resilient (not only resists being bent, but repairs itself near-instantaneously when torn by Revenant magic), which limits the scope of what the Druid can do with it. We also know that it is permeable to great magical power, which means though Druid may not be able to do as many things, but what it can do should be incredibly powerful. So, for example, a Druid couldn't force planets to collide or warp the veil to create pocket spaces, but could create a giant, celestial kaiju or restore someone who had died to life.

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@"Narnio.9402" said:We know that druids in their astral forms are able to do such things as summon a 'Lunar Beam' to the surface, as well as a 'Solar Beam' with the staff. How far could druids go with this power? Are they actually channeling the magics of worlds, moons and stars to their own will? They have an ability that allows for them to create an artificial black hole, so is it possible for them to do more with that kind of thing?

The first thing to understand is how the mechanics if "magic" in Tyria works. Magic isn't really "magic" in the high fantasy sense, but instead is a blanket term for the multitude of energy types imbued in the material plane. This energy can be gathered, released, processed, stored, or converted to a variety of formats, for uses ranging from conjuring an object, powering a lantern, or altering the state of reality. It has some unclear relation to the Mist, however (as far I've heard) is not a zero sum system.

To understand the fundamental nature of these energies, you can gather a lot of information through the Tyria's development of Magi-Tech, and the descriptions of the classes between GW1 and GW2. In GW1 there was more emphasis on "divine power" which was given to man by the Gods. But it was later revealed that the Gods are not the source of Magic, but are PlaneWalkers merely imbued with large amounts energy and information. This raises some other huge theories about the nature magic and the mists, but thats for another time. Fast forward to GW2, and where classes once thought to draw power from Divine sources are now shaped one individual will. As the will and knowledge of an individual increases, they allows them to manipulate larger amounts of magical energy to greater effect. However, magical energy responds to patterns and structures, which is what directly enables the various forms of Magic-powered Technology in the Tyrian universe.

Each race and each class has a different philosophy when it comes to how these energies are gathered and shaped. For instance, Guardian powers are formed by sheer conviction, and the force of will to back it. Engineers use this energy to power mechanical devices, with the Holosmith currently being the most advanced with their ability to create hard light constructs. Elementalists use the energy to manipulate materials that exist in the natural world, oddly similar in concept to Bending from Avatar. While it might seem counter-intuitive, both Thieves and Warriors focus magical energy to enhance physical abilities, with Spell Breakers being the first to externalize this beyond their physical bodies. Necromancers channel energy to once living objects to reanimate them, or displaces ambient energy in order to create a vacuum that can draw energy from other objects. Rangers (oddly) are conduits for natural energy, resonating with the spiritual threads that connects both sentient and non-sentient life to the material plane. Revs and Mesmers are arguably the most powerful mortals to exist, as they have the ability to alter reality with Energy that can cross between facets of the world, the mists, time and space.

But the boiled down version of all of this is..... Magic and Energy are the same thing in this universe. The only thing that sets the different types apart is what the energy can interact with, and if/how it can be converted to a different type. Like how Ley-Energy and Draconic energy are basically the same primordial energy, except Draconic is a fragment/facet of the Ley-Energy's prismatic whole. Once you start to wrap your mind around this idea of Magic as Energy, just about anything is plausible, yet outlines clear rules as to what they can or can't do within a given school of thought.

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Dang, this all has been... actually really helpful. I didn't ever think this far into how druids would work in terms of lore, but it's definitely been a great help to me so far! I can safely say that there is a LOT more to druids than meets the eye.

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