In my setting , there are three types of magicArcaneDivine both of which exist and are called that because at the end of the day , if we ' re gonna play DnD , I ' m not gonna rework everything mechanically , just lore wiseand Spirit , which is my own creation . All magic basically works off the premise that there is a large amount of power to be accessed but , trying to simply reach in and grab power will destroy you and probably the land around you . In theory , anyone can get access to magic , but arcane magic is incredibly dangerous , as it focuses around creating rituals that make magical power trickle out , and single error could destroy you . Divine magic focuses on dedication , to the caster ' s godwhich may or may not exist who metes out power to the caster . The closer the caster is to the ideals of their god , the stronger the magic will be . This is hard in its own right because gods are effectively Flanderized emotions and traits . The final type is spirit magic which is the closest to hereditary magic that exists . This magic focuses on binding or appeasing spirits of the land or ancestral spirits to help conduct your magic . This is also the progenitor of Arcane and Divine , as Arcane takes the concept of binding to an extreme and Divine takes appeasement to an extreme . Due to the fact that your ancestor spirits help grant magic , each successive shaman would be more powerful in theory . Of course , this doesn ' t always work out because the spirits retain their personality , and may not cooperate with the shaman . Despite the fact that each generation of shaman isn ' t necessarily stronger , this doesn ' t stop that idea from being spread out around people , and the Spiritslayers of Kar Devoth seek to end lines of shamans who have persisted for too long . For elemental spirits may need to be appeased , and should you try to bind one , they will fight back . Spirit magic may be the easiest to learn , it is rife with its own dangers . Oh , and each type of magic can always fall back on blood sacrifices , or even better , selfsacrifice , to enhance their magical powers as blood and magic are two sides of the same coin .