Good evening! Tonight we will cover the three types of magical use, and cover some famous examples of each! Please take your seats, and class shall begin in fifteen minutes!

1538756\
Sounds like another interesting class.

1538756
I'm here.

Evening!

Right. so, there are three types of magic available for everyday use by normal magic users. These are invocative, evocative, and retained magic. Could either of you tell me the difference between them?

1538857
Retained magic is magic used to augment something, evocative magics affects the world around it, and invocative magic affects things inside of things?

1538857
Invoked magic is magic that is externally controlled through the power of spoken or written magical runic. Evoked magic is magic that is channeled internally without spoken or written control. Retained magic is sort of like a canceled spell. The power is retained by the user. Invoked magic usually involves aethreal or ley line magic. Evoked is "soul" magic.

1538870
Not exactly. Invocative magic focuses on drawing magic from within, and using the reservoir of magic inside of you to accomplish specific goals. Evocative uses magical sources found outside of the body, such as crystals or ley lines. And retained magic resides in artifacts such as amulets and potions. Therefore, the only magic non-magic users can use is retained magic.

1538883
You were very close! Well done!

1538884
So I'm guessing that usually something with retained magic has some sort of trigger for a non-magic user to use or is it always active?

1538902
It depends. Potions, for example, are always active. There is no activation procedure for a potion. Other items, like enchanted tools, need to be held to be activated, or are given a command such as "sweep" or "scrub".

1538888
It actually just looks like I've switched the definitions between invoked and evoked magic.

1538913
Like I said, close!

1538912
Couldn't a non-magic user use evocative magic through other means like a device or would that still fall under retained magic?

Right, so invocative magic is the magic you will be using most of the time, at least until you can buy or create your own sources of power. Even then, you will still probably use invocative magic more often than not. Evocative magic is considered to be difficult, because the spellcaster must rely on their power source without knowing if there will be sudden fluctuations in power, or if the source will run dry.

Latent magic, while difficult to create, is often considered to be the most reliable. It has known boundaries and is easily manipulated to do a pre-specified set of tasks.

1538935
It's largely a matter of semantics at that point, since the device in question would likely be considered an example of retained magic.

1538919
So, retained magic in the case of enchanted/hexed/cursed items or perhaps spell scrolls is usually set up initially by evocative magic? That would fall under the category of magical runic, right?

1538949
Wouldn't if you created your own sources not have to worry about surges or running dry without knowing its coming?

1538971
It depends on your level of craftsmanship. Any idiot can make a crystal that expends all of its energy at once, but it takes skill to create one that leaks slowly and at a set rate over time.

1538966
That would be correct, yes.

1538971
1538982
C(dV/dt) + V/R = 0 Simple capacitor is simple.

1539005
And now we take steps towards Minuette's Lesson.

1539009
As a (undergraduate) Computer Engineer, that story rather piqued my interest.

Now, we'll begin with Invocative magic. This is the most basic kind of magic, used every day by unicorns. Technically, it is used by Pegasi and Earth ponies as well, to help move clouds and make plants grow, but since they cannot exert conscious control over their magic, they are discounted from this.

Invocative magic is the simple act of drawing upon one's own internal energy to accomplish a goal normally outside of physical possibility. In other words, spellcasting.

With me so far?

1539041
So far, so good. Where does it all turn south?

1539041
Alright, definitions. Yeah.

1539041 Got it.

1538850
*Pokes Subsolar Drift with a stick.* *whisper* Pssst, hey buddy. You awake?

1539050
When you run up against your limits. It's very straightforward. Put more energy in, get more results out. But push yourself too hard for too long, and you run the risk of seriously injuring yourself, or losing control of your magic entirely. Many combat casters run into this problem during their training.

Now, the effects of this can be alleviated with training, which allows you to more efficiently convert energy into magic, but even the best magic users have a limit. This includes the Avatars, who are very skilled and have access to massive reservoirs of potential.

You can get more mileage out of your magic by using it creatively. For example, instead of lifting a boulder with magic, try loosening the ground around it and pushing it.

1539094
Magical burnout. Yeah.

There are endless examples of excellent invocative magic, far too many to name. In my opinion, the Evening Rebellion gave rise to some of the best uses of invocation, especially in its final battles. Of course, the games held every four years by Celestia and Lady Everstar are an opportunity to see invocation at its finest.

Of the four Schools, who can tell me which would be the most likely to produce good examples of invocation?

1539094
So then creating containers to hold magic came about to combat this?

1539136
The Magi.

1539136
By what you just said I would have to guess Paladins and Mages.

1539139
Yes. They are considered the answer to low reserves of magic. Constructs run on that principle, actually, the slow burn of magic and the ability to refill their reserves.

1539145
1539155
While all four use invocative Magic, Paladins and Mages tend to produce the most visible examples of invocation. Not to say that they are more proficient at magic, I am simply pointing out that their efforts are more immediately visible to the untrained eye.

1539157
Crystalssssss crystaaaalssssssss

1539173
Dammit Sombra go home

1539189
Sssssstairsssss sssstaiiiiiirsssss

Right. Our next type of magic is evocative magic. This type of magic tends to take time and preparation to use, but comes with the benefit of not draining one's reserves, allowing for the magic to be simply directed instead of forced out. This leaves you as a magic user ready to use your own magic in the event of an emergency.

Evocative magic comes in a few different varieties. Crystals are a popular method of evocation, requiring relatively little training to use and store. They are durable, specified for different purposes, and can be stored without fear of breaking like other kinds of evocative containers. For this reason, crystals are a much more popular storage medium than wood or metal.

Another major evocative source is a ley line. While dangerous to work with, a group of skilled magic users can use the latent magic of the lines to accomplish tasks that would have been beyond them without its use, even working together.

1539262
Does it depend on the material, configuration, or amount of material how much energy one can store in a container?

1539262
Okay a few questions:
How desperate or perhaps crazy/uneducated would somepony have to be to think "I'm going to charge this length of oak/birch/yew with magic and try to use that later. It isn't as if flaws that are already or could easily be introduced to the structure could cause the collapse and release of the magical energy inside."?
How does one safely channel magic from a ley line or convergence? What do you focus the magic through, because I'm assuming that mortals just trying to harness that themselves would fry up?

1539312
Yes. Higher-quality crystals can store more magic, and only one type of magic can be stored in each. The types of power are determined through a lengthy process involving the application of runes.

1539328
By type of magic, do you mean Logic, Binding, Breaking, and Emphatic?

1539319
Wands and staffs are occasionally used, though the former draw power from runes carved into the haft, and the latter tends to be the housing for a crystal or similar. Failing that, runes could be carved into the wood as well. It takes great skill to enchant wood in such a fashion, but it can be done.

The horn, typically. It's not something we cover in a beginner's class, because too many damn fools of apprentices have gone out and tried to use a ley line on their own. The results are never good.

1539337
More like heat, growth, containment, cold, that sort of thing.

1539356
Then, in an emergency, would a container that was destroyed or purposely had a flaw introduced release the magic inside as the type put in or just as pure force?

1539348
So the trick with wood is to use it as a means to house the structure that will channel magic, rather than just as a mana battery like crystals?

1539383
The standard issue flash powder grenade uses heat crystals for that exact purpose. The button, once depressed, cracks the crystal. After a short pause, the crystal releases all of its heat, igniting the powder.

1539387
Correct. Wood's a poor place to store magic. It's much too fragile and porous.

1539392
How do you determine what kind of magic is held in a crystal? Is it just the runes engraved on the crystal itself or is in the charging process?