In the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms, the Weave is the fundamental force of both arcane magic and divine magic, from which spellcasters draw their strength. It permeates the world, comparable to aether, the mystical substance.
The Weave is the means by which raw magic is tapped into and used by casters. The Weave is the way in which magic presents itself to beings for their use, and it flows throughout the world, touching almost every corner or existence, with exception of dead magic zones. The Weave coexists with the Shadow Weave.[1]
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The Weave is considered many things, including Mystra's body, the source of magic, all the studies of casters, arcane and divine alike, and the many energies and forces that exist around the planes. It can be thought of as a "fabric" on which magic is "drawn", and damaging the fabric causes magic to go awry.[1] There occurs some deliberate falsification of the nature of the Weave in textbooks, as an attempt to limit the knowledge associated with spellcasting.[2]
Casting a spell is equivalent to telling the Weave to rearrange itself to create an effect.[1]
The Weave is able to grant extra powers to certain individuals. Silver Fire is an ability granted by Mystra only to the Chosen of Mystra and enables its user to envelop itself in silvery white flames that bestow many potent magical powers. Spellfire is a rare talent that allows its user to manipulate the Weave in a variety of powerful ways.[3]
Because Mystra (and formerly Mystryl) was inextricably bound to the Weave (one cannot exist without the other),[2] when Mystra was assassinated by Cyric and Shar on 29 Tarsakh 1385 DR, the Weave collapsed and initiated the Spellplague.[4]
Places such as dead magic zones or wild magic zones are places where the Weave has been damaged or is non-existent.[1]
In wild magic zones, a spell can backfire upon its caster, target the wrong location, be dramatically increased in power, or many other things. A wild magic zone and its parameters can be detected using a detect magic spell. A caster can temporarily fix a wild magic zone with any dispel or permanently fix it using a wish spell.[1]
During the Time of Troubles, the Fall of Netheril caused the emergence of severe wild magic zones after the Weave was heavily damaged. The mythals of the elves can also create localized zones of wild magic, but these areas are under the control of the elves and they can define the parameters under which the mythal operates, such as which spells will not work and which are enhanced in some way.[1]
Dead magic zones are places where the Weave is no longer in existence. Both it and its boundaries can be detected in the same way a wild magic zone can be detected, but from outside the zone. However, unlike wild magic zones, most casters innately know when they've stepped into a dead magic zone. A dead magic zone can only be fixed with a wish spell or silver fire.[3]