A planeswalker was more a talent than a particular profession, so many planeswalkers also followed another path of power, such as being a mage, psionic, bloodline sorcerer, or warrior. Ryan would undoubtedly choose the path of the mage and follow it to the end.
That also raised the question of magic and magical power. Most mages in Faerûn were so-called spell-slot mages. They inscribed magic in their Spellbooks and, when needed, spoke a short incantation to cast a spell. This saved time and avoided a complicated casting process. The downside was that after using a Spell Slot, they had to prepare the spell again the next day.
Arcanists took a different path: they analyzed magic themselves. Instead of relying on the Weave, they used their formidable intellect to construct spell models and channel magical energy to cast spells. Thus, they weren't limited by spell slots, but they needed exceptional talent.
A mage traveling through the multiverse was bound to face the problem of connecting to the source of magic. After all, places like dead-magic zones existed, and there were many kinds of magic: chaotic magic, orthodox magic systems, ki-based magic, idealistic magic, and so on. That was where Ryan's planeswalker abilities came in handy.
Someone reminded me that I could choose psionics as an alternative, but psionics just felt a little out of place alongside being a mage. Maybe I could expand the concept of magical energy in my setting: spiritual energy, arcane energy, and elemental energy were all just different forms of aether. How could magical energy be so inconvenient!
The Weave was a great innovation on the continent of Faerûn in the Forgotten Realms. While it allowed magic to flourish, it also restricted the power of mages. You could see just how powerful its lousy administrator was. That was why Ryan had started learning to analyze spells on his own with the help of the system early on, gradually learning to cast spells without the Weave. His spell list was as follows: (as of Chapter 34)
Cantrips
Light Spell—an extra-large flashlight, essential for walking at night and unrivaled for attracting monsters after dark.
Read Magic—knowledge is power!
Mage Hand—though it could only lift five pounds, it was incredibly convenient. An essential trick for lazy people.
Prestidigitation—Mom, I can do magic too! I could go on the Spring Festival Gala!
(There were too many cantrips, so I chose a few representative ones. Anyone interested can look up a complete D&D spell list.)
Level 1
Sleep—great against both monsters and people. Who wouldn't want the ability to hypnotize someone?
Magic Missile—low damage, maximum humiliation.
Grease—crowd control is king. And as for damage? Wasn't that what the bruisers in the party were for?
Magic Alarm—safety first, life above all. Master the art of playing it safe, and you'll have nothing to fear in all of Faerûn.
Level 2
Rope Trick—a lifesaving trick for the whole party. You can't deal damage if you're dead. (You perverts looking for that thing called Animated Rope—don't get them mixed up.)
Stone Bullet—Who said my slingshot was no good? Come try taking one of my stone bullets!
Darkvision—surely no one needs reminding how important vision is. And you still haven't placed a ward, you useless support!
Level 3
Fireball—the one and only!
Fly—Surprise! I can fly.
Dragon Skin Spell—Threefold Bloodburst!
Level 4
Dimension Door—Bring a blink, not a sprint, you filthy idiots!
Wall of Fire—an essential tool for a barbecue.
I'm still learning about Intelligence modifiers. Ugh, translating the D&D rulebook is driving me insane. Forgive a data-obsessed perfectionist. Damn it, I even based my map on the big 5e map, just so you wouldn't criticize me.
Ryan's spell analysis (casting without the Weave—yes, these are the spells he can cast on his own)
Simplified Magic Missile—a simplified, even further simplified version of Magic Missile. It was less powerful, but the casting difficulty was greatly reduced.
Identify—information was a valuable asset, and identifying magic items was a major source of income.
Comprehend Languages—what a despairing experience it must be to find yourself in another world without understanding the language.
Lesser Summon Undead—actually, skeletons were kind of nice to look at, weren't they?
Ray of Weakness—necromancy was actually pretty useful. It was just that the teacher didn't like it. Sigh.
Feather Fall—Mom, I'm not afraid of heights anymore!
See Invisibility—I hate thieves, whether they're pirates or plagiarists.
Fly—flight was one of humanity's greatest dreams.
Fireball—explosions are art.
Dimension Door—on the importance of blinking.
Before you continue