Chapter III · Volume I The Disciplines

Traditions — schools of magic —

The disciplines of magic — from the rites of the faithful to the arts a kinder world would forbid. Each tradition is a vessel for spells and learnèd talents.

42 Traditions · 42 Total
[ art · air ]

Air

Spells of the Air tradition harness the power of the wind, allowing casters to direct it where they will.

Has Talents Open
[ art · alchemy ]

Alchemy

One of the most scholarly of the magical traditions, Alchemy stands at the crossroads of science and the supernatural.

Has Talents Open
[ art · alteration ]

Alteration

A versatile tradition of magic, Alteration spells work by augmenting a target’s existing capabilities or by bestowing onto it new ones.

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[ art · arcana ]

Arcana

One of magic’s purest forms, the Arcana tradition offers reliable attacks, means for unraveling enemy spells, and a bevy of protective effects to help casters stay alive.

Has Talents Open
[ art · battle ]

Battle

Battle magic stands apart from other traditions in that it exists solely to enhance the user’s ability to fight and, ultimately, triumph over one’s enemies.

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[ art · celestial ]

Celestial

The faeries saw Celestial magic as sacred, the pure distillation of magical energy that could chase away the dark and burn those hateful things that live in it.

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[ art · chaos ]

Chaos

One of the most dangerous traditions of magic, the powers of Chaos appeal to those in the grip of madness, nihilists who care nothing for the consequences of their actions, and the thoroughly wicked who delight in wreaking havoc.

Has Talents Open
[ art · conjuration ]

Conjuration

Conjuration magic taps into the same creative forces that genies used in ancient times to fashion reality from unformed substance.

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[ art · curse ]

Curse

The Curse tradition originated in ancient faerie magic that has since been corrupted.

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[ art · death ]

Death

The antithesis of Life magic, Death magic exists solely to end lives and send the souls to whatever fate awaits them in the afterlife.

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[ art · demonology ]

Demonology

Although Forbidden magic is foul, to be sure, the Demonology tradition is downright dangerous— not just to the caster, but the whole world, since its spells punch holes in reality to apprehend power from the Void itself.

Has Talents Open
[ art · destruction ]

Destruction

Destruction is a tradition of dark repute, one feared and used with great caution.

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[ art · divination ]

Divination

One of the oldest traditions known to mortals, practiced by both religious and secular folk, Divination spells use magic to reveal secrets, to anticipate the future and see into the past.

Has Talents Open
[ art · earth ]

Earth

Earth magic leaves an indelible mark on its users, causing people who study the tradition to increasingly appear to be made from the element they command.

Has Talents Open
[ art · enchantment ]

Enchantment

Enchantment magic twists minds and emotions, making creatures behave in ways they otherwise would not.

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[ art · fey ]

Fey

The magic of the Fey tradition once belonged exclusively to the immortal faeries, but the secrets have slipped out and spread into the world, usually through the efforts of mischievous goblins.

Has Talents Open
[ art · fire ]

Fire

Of all the elemental traditions, Fire magic holds the most appeal to those who would harness one of the fundamental forces of nature and use it for destructive ends.

Has Talents Open
[ art · forbidden ]

Forbidden

Spells from the Forbidden tradition exist to make the world worse, to subject its targets to torments unspeakable, disgusting, and profoundly wrong.

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[ art · illusion ]

Illusion

Anything is possible with Illusion magic—or, rather, anything seems possible.

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[ art · invocation ]

Invocation

An ancient and rarely seen tradition, Invocation magic encompasses the art of calling forth the essence of a powerful being and temporarily binding it to the caster’s physical form.

Has Talents Open
[ art · life ]

Life

The Life tradition stands in opposition to death.

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[ art · madness ]

Madness

The Madness tradition taps into forces beyond mortal reckoning, reaching into dimensions and realities beyond those that are known and drawing forth energy to spawn horrors that bend and break the mind.

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[ art · metal ]

Metal

The dwarfs, gnomes, and molekin, when they were driven out of their subterranean homes, brought with them to the surface world the secrets of Metal magic.

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[ art · nature ]

Nature

Among the oldest of the traditions known to the people of Urth, Nature magic originated with the faeries, who first learned to use the magic that envelops reality to change the natural world to suit their needs.

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[ art · necromancy ]

Necromancy

The tradition of Necromancy was established for the purpose of subverting the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth to enable mortals to extend their existence beyond their normal life span—in direct defiance of the will of Father Death.

Has Talents Open
[ art · order ]

Order

When the genies took substance from the Divine and used it to shape reality, they used words of power to give form to the formless.

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[ art · primal ]

Primal

Believed to have been revealed to mortals by the faerie folk they first encountered, Primal magic taps into the beast within all living things, drawing forth one’s innate wildness to grant strength and durability in the face of adversity.

Has Talents Open
[ art · protection ]

Protection

One of the most widely practiced forms of magic, the Protection tradition serves the interests of those who need to safeguard places, people, and objects of import.

Has Talents Open
[ art · rune ]

Rune

The use of Rune magic normally requires the caster to inscribe a symbol on a surface, whereupon the act of drawing channels the magic through the caster’s implement and binds it to the rune.

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[ art · shadow ]

Shadow

Shadow magic offers its users control over darkness, allowing them to shape shadows, create darkness, and banish the light from the world.

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[ art · song ]

Song

Perhaps there is magic in music. Who hasn’t been moved by a beautiful melody or felt sorrow from hearing a mournful dirge?

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[ art · soul ]

Soul

Most living things have souls. From the beasts in the fields to the fish swimming in the ocean, as well as in people of nearly all kinds, the soul within the flesh defines the essential essence of the individual’s character and nature.

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[ art · spiritualism ]

Spiritualism

The Spiritualism tradition finds its roots in the First People, who called forth the spirits of animals and of their ancestors to acquire their wisdom and their power.

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[ art · storm ]

Storm

With ties to Air and Water magic, the Storm tradition grants control over the weather such that users of these spells can call down rain, loose bolts of lightning, and unleash the most brutal storms imaginable to scour the landscape.

Has Talents Open
[ art · technomancy ]

Technomancy

Bridging the gap between magic and technology, Technomancy spells create all kinds of mechanical wonders by assembling devices from the scraps technomancers pick up along the way.

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[ art · telekinesis ]

Telekinesis

One of the few traditions that has almost universally arisen from natural talent rather than formal training, Telekinesis magic grants its user the ability to move and manipulate objects and creatures by thought alone.

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[ art · telepathy ]

Telepathy

The mind’s potential has no limits. One must merely surmount the barriers of self-restraint, doubt, and fear in order to use one’s own thoughts to affect change in the world.

Has Talents Open
[ art · teleportation ]

Teleportation

Reality has numerous gaps, soft places that make possible instant transport from one place to another.

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[ art · theurgy ]

Theurgy

A tradition born from the faith of believers, Theurgy magic captures the essence of the divine and uses it to work miracles in the world.

Has Talents Open
[ art · time ]

Time

The greatest practitioners of Time magic, called chronomancers, move between temporal moments to step back into the past or ahead into the future.

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[ art · transformation ]

Transformation

The magic of the Transformation tradition enables casters to change not only their outward appearance but their very nature.

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[ art · water ]

Water

Spells of the Water tradition grant command and control over liquids and ice, allowing users to blast enemies with jagged shards of ice or entrap foes in giant, undulating orbs of water.

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Chapter IV · Refinements

Tradition Talents

Refinements granted by mastery — passive graces and active rites that deepen a magician's bond with their chosen tradition. Not every school grants them; the ones that do, reward commitment.

Browse Talents
42 traditions · select one to read its spellbook