Revenge of the nerd

So, once again, I've been thinking about gaming (I know, more action, less talk, right?) Probably thanks in no small part to the gift of Neverwinter Nights (Platinum) from my in-laws. Regardless, I've been going through the books I do have (and eyeing with vicious intent the ones I don't) to try and figure out exactly what I want to get out of a campaign and what I think people would enjoy. I've also been surfing the web reading forums and the like. It appears the creator of Eberron (Keith Baker) has some pretty well-thought out opinions on how he thinks the world spins. I recommend checking out his FAQ on the wizards message boards to anyone interested in Eberron. Fair warning, there's A LOT there.

But to the task at hand, I've been trying to understand the difference between divine and arcane magic. To make things even more difficult, I've thrown in psionics too. Partly because I think they make a great plot structure that would be fun to throw my adventurers into, partly because I have the expanded psionics handbook (which is highly recommended to everyone. The original psionics handbook sucked. This one, not so). *Quick disclaimer: there is a variant rule that psionics are different from magic, and I have enough problems with magic so I'm throwing that right out. Psionics and magic come from the same "source."

Anywho, the best example I could wrap my head around is a bowl of water. The goal: make the water boil.
--Arcane magic user: Puts a flame underneath it (frankly this could easily be done with a cantrip, or the low-level spell 'heat metal' if it's a metal bowl). Why? Magic is scientific. The mage knows that by creating an action he'll get a reaction (we're not talking theory of relativity here, but simple stuff)
--Divine magic user: Prays. Why? Faith. If I believe hard enough that my (insert spiritual force here) will help me to boil this water, it will. And he'd be right. Thing is, where is the power coming from? That's a philosophical debate even for a fictional world. Is it the cleric's force of will, or is it some divine being exerting (in this case a really small amount) of divine influence? You decide.
--Psionic user: Thinks. Hard. Why? Well, I always imagine a psion as seeing things beyond our capabilities. I imagine the psion thinking of the individual particles of the water and then agitating them. Result heat. Take this to a farther extreme and you get the creation of materials from perceived nothingness, and the ever popular disintegration power.

Here's the short version. All three do the same thing, they make water boil. They have different tools at their disposal. The arcane user uses his mystical knowledge to bend the world. The divine user has his faith and strength of will in that faith to do it. And the psion literally uses his brain to do it.

I know, I think too much.


**unrelated information: from the blog of the creator of 'Dork Tower': "I'd give my left arm to be ambidextrous."
(think about it)