1720740
Calm down. Magical creatures is next class.

1720748
*Puts away magic monster book of monsters.*

So, let's take a look at the different ways that a student might be exposed to a magical predator.

A student of magical arts and disciplines can be exposed in one of several ways. The first and most simple is through random exposure. This is a favorite tactic of the more minor predators, such as sprites, gibbers, tweaks, and hums, who are more opportunistic. Many of us come in contact with them daily, and hardly even recognize the drain on our power. They're like vermin, but a bit less annoying.

1720748
So without going into more detail on magical creatures specifically, is there ways of protecting oneself from the predations of these creatures?

1720757
The mosquitoes of magical creatures?

1720760
Sure. Most practitioners have at least one pendant they can wear out that renders them invisible to that sort of creature. They're not very bright. And almost all dwellings can keep out sprites and such through a surprising blend of folk remedies and actual magic. They don't like smoke, for one, so most buildings with a heater or fireplace tend to be free of them.

1720757
What about the ones that scatter like cockroaches when you turn the lights on really fast?

The next is the "targeted strike", and those can be very dangerous under certain conditions. An example of this can be found among varieties of the lesser and non-sentient Fae. A target will be stalked over the course of several minutes to a few hours, and the creature in question will make a quick strike, feeding off of the victim while they are incapacitated until they are driven off or have had their fill.

1720812
Magic vampire animals?

1720812
And each one of this type would have a different way to incapacitate its target instead of just waiting for the opportunity to present itself?

1720827
Correct.

1720823
Vampires are a type of predator, yes. Others include wraiths, dreamsnatchers, and sirens.

1720836
What about changelings? I know they're parasitic by nature, but do they drain their victims or can they feed off ambient emotional magic energy?

1720866
They are perfectly able to feed off of latent energy, though directed energy would do them the most good. And as a bit of friendly advice, don't call them parasites. That's like using a particularly nasty racial slur. In this day and age, they are not listed as magical predators, for two reasons. One, they don't feed off of magic, just emotion. Two, it's just not done. Once upon a time, maybe they would have been called such, but not now.

1720880
So is anything that feeds off of magic classified as a magical predator?

1720887
Technically, yes. However, we are considering updating that definition. As with all magic, intent is everything. If it is taken with hostile or selfish intent, then the being is called a predator.

1720898
So by that definition, would the minor magical predators that you listed earlier still be considered predators?

1720905
Yes. Their intent is selfish, they need magic to survive. Vampires are predators because they drain life force as well as blood when they attack.

1720880
Oh, I didn't even realize. How do changeling, I don't know what they're called hives? Colonies? Nests? Just cities? Can they share the "emotional food" amongst themselves?

1720909
Is it really selfish if it's just trying to keep itself alive?

1720911
Ah, Changelings. They're fascinating. If you like, I can send you a brief summary of them after class.

1720921
I would like that.

1720920
Is the motive of a wolf selfish when it brings down a deer?

1720909
Do they take more than they need to survive? If they don't, then I wouldn't consider that to be selfish intent.

1720928
It's the purest form of selfishness, the selfishness born of a need to survive. That doesn't make it bad or wrong, but it is depriving another of something so that you may, in turn, possess that thing.

1720924
If it's part of a pack it is looking after it's young and other pack members. If it is alone, it needs to stay alive so it can find an opportunity to reproduce and ensure the survival of it's species. If it is a wolf, is it really capable of thinking of itself in higher terms of doing things as part of a scheme to place itself above all other living creatures?

1720935
So you agree that it is selfish in that it does what it does to ensure its genetic legacy? And sentient thought is hardly a prerequisite for selfish behavior.

1720939
I think at this point we're arguing over semantics. To say that it is selfish seems to imply ill intent to me, but I agree with the concept.

1720947
There's a lot of negative connotations that go with the word "selfish". I happen to think being selfish isn't a bad thing. But that's just me.

1720939
Adding on to this, applying the quality of selfish to an entity that doesn't have higher thought processes that can actively distinguish between taking what is needed and more than that, selfish doesn't fit then. Otherwise shouldn't everything with the ability to drain magic be called a predator?

1720961
I'm afraid I don't follow.

Right. The last type of predation encountered by magic users is the sustained, continuous draining of magic. This applies only to sentient predators such as high Fae and doppelgangers.An example of sustained predation is the hunting technique used by dopplegangers. Could either of you describe it to me?

1720966
Well you said that everything that takes magic with selfish or hostile intent is a predator. Since I figure that there are spells designed to drain individuals of their magic, that would be classified to me as hostile intent. Therefore, anyone that could perform a spell like that would be considered a predator. Hostile intent can be applied a lot more easily than I think selfish intent can be applied when dealing with a predator.

1720984
Dopplegangers steal the form of the victim. They then imprison the victim and assume their role, so as to avoid suspicion. The good ones can read minds so that they can learn everything they need to keep the victim's loved ones and associates in the dark.

1720984
I think I read about an incident involving a unicorn named Shining Armor and his wife to be...

1720993
But then wouldn't the victim really be in that case the loved ones and not really the replaced individual? I mean you would have already gotten away with the food in that case, why stay around to be discovered?

1721006
I think they stick around to not be discovered. Why would anyone go looking for someone who isn't missing?

1721000
That'd be a Changeling. And they aren't near as deadly as a doppelganger.

1720993
Doppelgangers are dangerous in that they choose their victims very carefully. Over time, they slowly begin to feed off of that victim's magic, making them weaker and weaker. They keep hidden while they do this, often in the very homes of their targets. Soon, their target becomes weak. When that happens, they feed on them for one final time. They absorb everything, from their memories to their habits and their looks. Oftentimes, they will finish up by quite calmly breaking their meal's neck. They can then take the place of their target, and use their new life to locate another source of food.

Fun fact, the only populace exempt from doppelgangers are Changelings. Would you care to guess why?

1721011
You might have a point there.

1721017
Changelings can't feed off of another changeling's latent emotional energy. As hard as a doppelganger tries, it isn't a perfect copy and can be sensed by changelings.

1721017
It's probably pretty hard to copy something that lives in a close knit community like the changelings where everyone knows what's going on everywhere.

1721028
Correct, but for a different reason.

Changelings have a functional hive-mind that they can use at any time by vibrating their wings. The only exception to this is when they are shifted into another form. This hive-mind keeps track of every individual Changeling. Any minute differences in a Changeling's state are noted and addressed by the hive-mind. If one is being fed off of, even if they aren't aware of it, others will be.

1721047
For the swarm!

1721056
Of course, it's not as dramatic as that. Changelings can make their own decisions, drop out of the hive-mind when shifted, and so on.

Now, the last hazard faced by any young magic user is that of magical corruption. This is not just a problem faced by young users, but it is a very dangerous one. What are a few sources from which corrupting magic could come?

1721063
We need more minerals! Spawn more overlords! Nuclear launch detected! Evolution complete!

1721082
Heresy! For the Emperor!

1721078
Demons, necromancy, the void, the shadow, sangremancy, and your mother in law.

1721087
Get sooome! You gonna give me orders? By the numbers boys. This is my C14 Impaler Gauss Rifle! There are many like it, but this one is mine!

1721078
Outsiders of any stripe?