I've played Gothic 3 and now i an playing Gothic 2, so i have some questions.

1 - About Orcs. If orcs serve Beliar, why there are a lot of orc shamans using Ice Lance spell(transformation magic not summoning magic)?

2 - If you side with humans or orcs, you still able to learn spells and increase your status in Innos shrine. This have any explanation?

3 - And if Xardas destroyed the power of Rune magic, how you still able to learn ancient knowledge from fire mages like Sebastian? And how fire mages still able to make and sell scrolls?

4 - Magic uses his user power or uses gods power in gothic?

5 - Why there are no NPCs using high level magic like meteor?

Gothic 3 departs from the established lore of Gothic 1 & 2 big time. It's practically a different setting entirely. Magic is somewhat split among Fire Mages & Water Mages for humans, but I don't believe Orcs have any particular preference in G1/G2. Before G3 the spells weren't split quite so absolutely among the gods (also as long as you have the appropriate magic circle & relevant spell rune you can cast a spell no matter what god you serve, until G3 in which magic changes a bit, but that's actually explained by the lore).

EDIT: upon reading further I can't tell if you're talking about Gothic 2 or 3 in this question. It's been too long since I've played so I don't recall specifics. It's entirely possible that it actually doesn't make sense and you're correct in pointing out this thing that's inconsistent with lore. I think you're technically a 'chosen of the gods' no matter what path you take and thus can use things of all 3 gods. Ancient Knowledge supposedly predates runes.

I assume scroll-making can be done independently from runes in the same way spellcasting technically can be done independently from runes (as of Gothic 3, at least). Gods' power. The power of magic definitely comes from gods in Gothic's setting.

User power is determined by 'ancient knowledge' which means the greater your understanding of magic the better you're able to use it. That is a fine question. I have no idea, lol.

I think that some type of magic is "gods power"(aka Gothic 2 rune magic), some is user power. Because even after Xardas plan you still able to use magic in Gothic/Risen series.

Magic in the Gothic universe (Risen is not a part of that) comes from the gods.
There are only three gods, each with a specific function and set of spells/type of magic.

Different groups worship different gods, some don't really worship any as far as we know, some serve them but don't worship them directly, and so forth, it is varied. While there are some differences between Gothic, Gothic II and Gothic 3 in how exactly the magic works, it is essentially the same concept.
First of all, magical spells are not restricted to the servants of a god, which means any magician can cast any spell, normally. Orc shamans worship and serve Beliar, the god of destruction, but that doesn't mean they can't use Ice Lance or even the good old Fireball. Similarly, someone working for the orcs and mercenaries can still pray to Innos to increase his stamina, or to learn how to heal himself with magic.
In essence, think of it like that: the three gods exists, people like one more than the other two, but they can still accept their power and use it for their own purposes, to a certain degree.
It is important to note, that the player character is the chosen one, which means his destiny is not set by the gods, he has complete free will and is supposed to end the war between the gods, more specifically Innos and Beliar. While he was the clear champion of Innos in Gothic and Gothic II, he can choose between the different factions and all three gods in Gothic 3.

As for runes... in ancient days, every magician was able to learn how to cast spells and perform magic just by studying something specific. That knowledge was lost and later on magicians relied on runes to draw on the gods power unlimited. A rune is a stone which is bound with a spell and can be used forever, but only by magicians.
Scrolls are different, they store a spell for one use only, but can be used by anyone, non-magicians too. When Xardas destroyed the rune magic, he rendered the magicians of fire and paladins powerless in the magic department, until they rediscovered the old knowledge of the ancient days, which made runes useless anyway.

NPCs can't cast the most powerful spells of any one of the three gods, because they are gifts from the god to the chosen one. Once you have chosen a path, to either serve Innos, or Beliar, or Adanos (and restore balance), you will be given the chance to learn these spells. Remember, the magic comes from the gods. The spells are basically an aid in the task given by the god.


Now, I'll freely admit that most of these are simply explanations for some wonky game mechanics. Orcs really shouldn't use Ice Lance, but the do from a gameplay perspective, so this explanation serves to explain it well enough. The some goes for the other stuff, too. All in all I prefer the way things where in the first two games, when you were clearly supposed to be Innos' servant, or at least to destroy an evil demon/incarnation of Beliar.

In Gothic 3 he disabled Runes but magic from the gods still exists in the form of Ancient Knowledge.

Gothic 4 has nothing to do with the rest of the Gothic series so I don't really count it (different devs entirely, different game type). In Risen (which is hinted to be a spiritual successor to the Gothic series set after Gothic 3, because Inquisitor Mendoza mentions a single Mage is responsible for the removal of the gods which took place before Risen began, this Mage probably being Xardas) magic comes from the Fire Titan on the island in which the game takes place.

I have never gotten very far in Risen 2 (I don't think very highly of Risen 2) so I am not sure how the magic system is explained.

I have beaten Risen 3 multiple times but tbh I don't remember what the source of magic is in that. I'm not totally certain of this (since I don't think it's stated outright) but I think magic (even rune magic) IS supposed to be restricted to what kind of magic you're learning. Fire Mages only use Fire Magic, Water Mages only use Ice Magic and the Brotherhood Gurus only use the runes they have. I think you're an exception. (This is totally speculation though since, like I said, I haven't seen anything stated outright) A very interesting claim! I'd be very interested to see your source for where it is stated that NPCs can't use powerful magic because the gods won't let them. (I hope I'm not coming across as nitpicky) You aren't technically regarded as a servant of Innos, the Water Mages specifically regard you as a chosen of Adanos if I'm not mistaken.

You must like Risen 3. I've heard that from some people. I've never bothered with it because Risen 2 was so...well, not entirely bad, but mostly disappointing.

I did enjoy it indeed.

Risen 3 takes some of the better elements of both Risen 1 and Risen 2 and makes a game that's pretty distinct from both of them.

The combat is a LOT better in Risen 3 than in Risen 2 (Risen 2's combat is even worse than Gothic 3's initially).

That said, Risen 3's biggest problem is that it's too easy. Once I figured out how to do things I could crush pretty much anything even on the hardest difficult very early on.

It's been a little while but off the top of my head there is no mana in Risen 3, so spells just have cooldowns to limit their use. For magic in Risen 3 there is a basic attack thing added, which is way too powerful IMO. You can suppress entire crowds of enemies with practically no chance of retaliation.

I'm not certain either. As you've said, it isn't specifically mentioned anywhere and since the nameless hero is free to choose as he wishes anyway, it is difficult to say for sure. I mean, he actually goes from Fire Mage, to Water Mage, to Dark Mage in the first Gothic.
This is mostly my interpretation of the situation, from what I have seen in the game. I'd like to add, that there is a distinct difference between Gothic, Gothic II and Gothic 3 regarding this, every game is a bit different. In a way, there is a progression from relatively clear restriction to nearly complete freedom. In Gothic, spells are very restricted to the specific groups, as far as learning them goes, you can learn the brotherhood spells, as you've mentioned, only in their camp; they also seem to be uses mostly there. However, we do see how Water Mages experiment with fire/fire ball in the New Camp, so there is that. In Gothic II, you can only really join the Fire Mages, and there you find different teachers for different schools of magic. One for the ordinary fire-based spells, one for bolts and thunder, one for conjuring. You cannot become a Water or Dark Mage, yet you can learn the water magic from the Water Mages later on and with the add-on you can even use runes with dark magic as a Fire Mage. Which is all semi-relevant, since the nameless hero is supposed to be able to do that. But we also specifically see Water Mages use fire balls when in combat, and it would be odd for a Fire Mage to teach conjuring spells, if they'd be restricted to servants of Beliar.
In Gothic 3 you don't really join a guild at all, and spells are learned at shrines instead of teachers. Well, I think this is a bit more rambling than clearly written out thoughts, but it is a vague topic. I didn't say they can't use it because the gods won't let them, but rather that they are given to the nameless hero specifically for his quest. Which would mean they aren't known by most mages anyway. We are also not talking about powerful magic, but the most powerful magic each god has to offer. When you choose a god, he will tell you what to do in his name and grant you additional power of your choice, while also granting you the option to learn this magic.
Still, this is of course speculation, in an attempt to answer the question posed by the original poster. In Gothic the concept of the chosen one isn't that spelled out, you're mostly just a guy trying to escape the colony and destroy the Sleeper in the process. Since the Sleeper is a Demon and connected to Beliar, I think it is fair to say that the nameless hero is strongly linked to Innos.
In Gothic II it is really clear-cut, you are the chosen one of Innos, fighting against Beliar's servant/incarnation/Undead Dragon. Xardas often tells you how special you are, the Fire Mages acknowledge your position after a while, as do the Water Mages. However, the Water Mages never call you the chosen one of Adanos, but rather the 'decider' or 'chosen one' in a more general sense. This is a bit difficult for me to say tough, since I've only ever played the game in the original German language.
In any case, the final confrontation/conversation with the endboss, the Undead Dragon, reveals clearly that this is a fight between Innos and Beliar. He even mocks you for being the best Innos has to offer, and so on.
In a way this makes more sense to me than the system in Gothic 3. Beliar is clearly "evil" and Innos clearly "good", though neither are entirely good or bad, really. Adanos isn't very well defined, he is the balance between the two and you can never directly talk to him, or anything.

Thanks for sharing your impressions. I'll probably check out Risen 3 at some point.

Awesome, I hope you enjoy it!

Only a correction. Xardas can use army of darkness in G3. I believe that magic is taught by gods but uses the power of the user, not the god. Otherwise, magic will have no mana limitation. Risen 3 until you join in a "guild" is pretty similar to Risen 2, terrible due melee combat but after you join in a guild, the game is quite good. You will probably not like as Risen 1 but will not be a waste of time.