Tiers of power:

'Kay, I am going to start this post with my theories on Magic. Now I took this roleplay over from someone else and we didn't really discuss this as length. These are just observations compiled into what I think are the laws of the universe of this roleplay. (I know I am the GM and could change them, but I like the limits they place). Also I am not an expert on magic or physics (mathhhh on the other hand)

Magic: Chaos centralized. At its core, magic is the acting force that works to derail the natural order of the world. Similar to anti-matter (I think)

In terms of witches, no one can just become a witch. Everyone is born with a predisposition of their ability to affiliate with chaos. There are also different levels by which it affects each and every person. A weakly affected person is really the only person who has a true choice on if they become a witch or not. They could ignore it their entire lives, they do have an awareness to it, they just chose to ignore it, even if they don't know that they are. I kinda see that hunters generally are at this level of affiliated. It helps keep them aware of the situation--alive. Hunters without this vague sense of chaos either die very quickly or never face anything of importance. And it is kind of why they become hunters, because being around magic has a sort of rightness feeling to it. Even if they don't notice it, on some level it makes them happy but they don't know why. #drug

Now for those who do become witches. Some are born to witches and they have the potential utilize from the second they are born and know no other way. Some are born with a particularly strong affinity for it in a none magical house hold. Depending on the culture they are born into they are either looked on as gods and worshipped or as monsters and killed. The fourth type: those that have the potential, but it takes a catalyst to bring it to fruition. -see wendango-

Magic: It always has a cost.

Witches are human in some sense. Maybe that human element was lost years ago, but humans were not meant to successfully endure magic indefinitely (Unlike demons). It has less to do with the body, which may experience some changes, usually good ones, and more to do with mind. Chaos eats at the brain and it might take years and years and years for signs to occur, but the more powerful the magic is, the quicker the insanity comes on. And I am not saying they go crazy, each witch is effected differently. Some become highly logical and slowly lose their ability to understand compassion and suffering. Connections to other living creatures becomes difficult. Some become reckless and impulsive and some lose the connection to reality and live in the moment because they are incapable of living outside of it: years last for a seconds and minutes can go on for an eternity.

Taking on magic also has physical effects for the witch, while most of them are good--Making them more long lived is one of them-- there are some downsides. They become deadly allergic to lavender if it is consumed. A brand new witch might just get violently sick with a lethal dose, but anyone who has worked with magic for longer than week, dead. They also have a less sever--but not good-- reaction to silver, gold and wolves bane, but they don't have to eat it to be effected. I also see hunters, mostly older hunters, develop something similar to hay fever around these objects as they spend more time around magic.

Magic Drains and Powerful Magic takes time:

Sure with practice, certain spells become much easier for witches, they get better about knowing exactly how much energy needs to be used to get the needed effect. But, witches are using chaos to fight the laws of nature, nature pushes back so it take energy to cause the catalyst that makes things happen. Like swinging a sword, combat magics drains. You become physically tired. I think of all combat magics as anything that can happen in an instant, it took no forethought or planning to cast a fireball and you pay for it physically. (power surges, healing, anything automatic)

The above covers most types of magics I think we will see in the roleplay. But the other type takes time.

Seers: It takes time and quiet to look into the future. Typically, if a seerier is going to battle, they spend days if not MONTHS looking to the future to see how it'll play out for it to be useful.

Creature Creation: It takes time to unwrite the dna and recode. Hours for something simple, years for something difficult.

Runes/summonings: Some of the harshness of the magic can be lessened by using magical tools, such as runes, but you have to have these things ready for them to be of any use. It also usually costs something too. Usually blood, which is highly energized.

Hunters vs Witches.

Witches have weaknesses, and they usually are all the same. Hunters know this and exploit them. Without their tools most hunters would die, but they have their tools and that is what makes them more equal to the witches. Hunters also are willing to work with each other as equals, which helps. Witches tend to develop hierarchies that most of them instinctually want to be at the top of, which makes them a little less fluid at the teamworking thing