The Magic of World of Equestria-Craft

So, I've had a few inquiries about how magic in World of Equestria-craft: Beyond the Portal works. I figured that this subject deserves a more -in-depth explanation than a simple comment can do justice. This also gives me a nice chance to try my hand at my first blog post, so it's like killing two birds with one stone!

Earth Pony magic draws its power from within - a form of power that will be refereed to henceforth as Energy. Energy is the power that a being has within themselves. It fuels physical strikes, and also grants the Earth Ponies their connection to the Earth. All creatures can harness Energy, and it isn't really 'magic' per say, but simply a form of power. Earth Ponies (and Night Elves to a lesser extent) can utilize it as 'true' magic to enhance their physical strength further, or else to aid in the growing of crops and other plants. Dragons in Equestria also rely on Energy for their own magic, and their bodies are specifically designed to store vast quantities of energy.

Unicorns are very similar to most magic users in Azeroth in that they are able to harness Mana - another energy force that exists in the universe. Mana permeates all things, living or otherwise, and affects all things. Unicorns are able to harness this magic and focus it with abstract thoughts and desires to perform their own magic. Mana-fueled magic is highly varied, and can be expressed in a variety of ways, from healing and teleportation to the conjuration of creatures from other planes of existence (Demons, elementals, etc) and destructive blasts of fire, ice, lightning, etc. Using Mana for magic does require an innate ability, so only only Unicorns on Equestria, or people born with a natural affinity for magic on Azeroth, can use it. - Pegasi and Earth Ponies cannot manipulate mana, and therefore cannot use it for magic.

Every planet in the universe is criss-crossed with lines of power called leylines. These leylines are rivers of highly-concentrated mana. Knowledge of these leylines, their locations and positions and the directions of their flows, is essential to performing magic with mana. Mages, warlocks, and other magic-users from Azeroth who rely on mana would technically be able to continue to use magic on Equestria, but they would need to relearn the layout of the leylines on Equestria before they'd be able to do anything more complicated or destructive than summoning mana water. Unicorns on Equestria are born with an innate knowledge of the leylines, enough to perform most basic and indermediate-level magic, but further study is required for expert or master-level magic. Mana-users on Azeroth do not have this innate knowledge, and must devote months or years of study to the subject before they can utilize these leylines effectively.

Priests and Paladins in World of Warcraft have mana as their resource for game balance purposes, but in the lore they do not rely on mana at all. Instead, they rely on prayers to the Light, a mystical benevolent force akin to a god. It is these prayers that draws the power of the Light. Priests and Paladins pray to the Light to perform their feats of magic, which generally involve either healing the injured and sick or defending their allies or themselves from harm. The Light can be twisted by certain Priests to perform acts of dark shadow magic, or harnessed by Paladins to smite evil-doers, inflicting pain rather than relieving it. Because the Light is a universal force, Priests and Paladins would be able to use their powers just as effectively in Equestria as in Azeroth. The nature of the Light also means that Ponies of any variety can learn to ask the Light for aid as well, so long as they have the faith and devotion necessary.

Pegasi and Druids draw their power from similar sources - from nature itself. Druids call upon nature to heal their allies wounds or shapeshift into ferocious beasts, or call upon the sun and moon to assault their foes with powerful spells. Pegasi call upon nature for their own magic, including flight and weather management. Nature magic is a very abstract kind of energy, and only those with a natural affinity for the druidic arts can learn to harness it effectively. Pegasi are born with an innate knowledge of how to harness nature magic, similar to a Unicorn's innate knowledge of leylines. This means that all Pegasi know how to fly and how to control clouds at birth.

Finally, there is Chi. Chi is the life force that permeates all living things. It is similar to mana in that respect, but whereas mana infuses all things, Chi only infuses things with life. Chi can be channeled directly from the caster, or it can be channeled from the Monk's surroundings. Monks can also meditate to become more closely attuned with the Chi of the world, allowing them to harness it more freely. Meditation also calms the mind, further enhancing the Monk's abilities. Part of meditation may involve the Monk having an 'out of body experience', where they have their vision flash through the minds of nearby creatures. The most masterfully skilled Monks can concentrate on the Chi of a particular individual, granting an effect similar to a Priest's Mind Vision spell, though this is far beyond Kyle's abilities.

Monks may be trained to harness Chi, but it is a long and arduous process for those without a natural affinity. As such, any creature that has the perseverance and focus to complete the training may become a Monk and learn to harness Chi. However, very few have the willpower to complete the training from beginning to end. Kyle had a natural aptitude for harnessing Chi, and so was allowed to become a full fledged Monk years before he would have otherwise. Perhaps too soon...

So yeah, there's my explanation on various types of Magic in this Universe I'm setting up. If there are any further questions on the subject, shoot me a PM and I'll try to answer it.