I'm not certain about this, thus the "maybe", but I do get the impression that the "pure" practitioners have a greater potential for huge world-shaking magics. However, this may be due to differences in society.
However, Greg seems to indicate that pure magic is more powerful, while mixed magic is more adaptable. I'm trying to find Glorantghan evidence for this...
> All seem to have the similar pattern of
> commoners use easy magic, while powerful magic is restricted
> for the few.
That's true, but in the mixed magic societies mentioned, the commoners have more magic than in the pure ones. Again this may be due to social differences rather than inherent properties of the magic approaches.
> >For example, take the Dara Happans as pure theists. I assume
> >that they can do impressive magics, but this requires huge
> >and elaborate rituals and highly specialized priests.
>
> IMO this is an artifact of the Empire intent on having as
> much magic as possible (like taxes, it is something that
> one can never have too much of).
And the fact that the empire is highly centralized and organized.
> Pure Theists bereft of the
> benefits of Imperial Rule (like the Lodrili in the fields)
> would have weaker priests and more magically adept commoners.
Would they? I'm not too sure. Weaker priests I agree on, as they don't benefit from the imperial resources. If you mean that the Lodrili commoners aquire more magic because they have to fend for themselves to a higher degree I can see a point, but I still don't think of them as very magically adept.
> >Take the western Malkioni as pure sorcery users. There only
> >highly specialized wizards work magic.
>
> The Commoners, Knights and Lords also use lesser magic and
> I believe this to be true of the Brithini.
And the Loskalmi knights certainly do. But I think that a Malkioni commoner's magic is very limited as he would normally trust the local wizard to supply the magic he needs and is entitled to.
> >I'm sure the mixed
> >tradition Stygians have more people who can do magic feats,
> >even if they may not be as powerful as a full sorcery adept.
>
> IMO a full sorcery adept would be scared shiteless of tangling
> with his Stygian counterpart.
Bad phrasing, I was comparing a common Stygian to a Malkioni adept. Yes, the sorcerer would probably be scared of the stygian adept, not necessarily because he is powerful, but because of the unknown factor. I think the sorcerer is firm in his belief that his magic is superior, and thus more powerful, but there is still the nagging fear that the stygian has gained an unfair advantage because of his dealings with infernal forces.
> >With pure shamanism, I suspect that most magic/spirit
> >manipulation is done by specialized shamans,
>
> This would be the Doraddi and I believe virtually
> all Doraddi would know some magic and that the spectrum
> of magical power within their society resembles the
> Orlanthi or the Praxians.
That is something I have a slight problem with. What we know about the Doraddi stems from a time when they seemed a lot more theistic when they are supposed to be now. In Sandy's Pamaltelan work, they seem about 50/50 theist/shamanic.
> >while the
> >mixed tradition Praxians have a fair amount of personal
> >magic in everybody's hands.
>
> I don't think the Praxians are mixed and their most powerful
> magic is concentrated in the hands of a few.
I think they are a shamanic/theist mix, but with the proportions reversed as compared to the Orlanthi. The religious leaders are shamans, but the Paps seems more theist and there is a cult of sorts of the Storm Bull.
> >Finally, pure mystics are your classic world-denying monks,
> >spending life in isolated meditation. Only a few people in
> >a society take this path. [...] In a mixed mystic tradition,
> >common people can have some (lesser) powers.
>
> Virtually all mystical lands are now mixed AFAIK. The pure
> mystics practice the orthodox route while the commoners
> approach mystical concepts by other methods (martial arts,
> worship of gods etc).
Correct, most East Isles commoners are theists rather than mystics for example, while thinking that the mystic mode is superior. I think the muxed mystic traditions are rather weak magically, as mysticism abjures all magic use. Martial arts is not necessarily a mixed tradition btw, the first martial artist, Darja Danad, was a mashunasanic monk for example.
/Nils W
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #270
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