Foundations

These magic skills that are either the foundations for other spells, are those that are most common in everyday use. Even non-mages can use them to a degree, making them a regular part of everyday life. Your character not knowing about them would be very strange, so even if you don't plan to let them pursue advanced magic, they would still know about these skills!

Manipulation

Also known as: Elemental Shaping or Elemental Adjustment

Classification: All-Element Application

Recommended Level: Novice

The most fundamental form of magic lies in the direct control of naturally occurring elements. Through concentration and refined intent, a caster may alter, redirect, compress, or disperse the element already present in their surroundings to achieve the desired effect.

Manipulation does not create matter or energy, but reshapes what already exists. Each element responds differently to magical influence, and mastery demands both environmental awareness and a precise understanding of the element’s inherent behaviour.

Limitations:

Manipulation requires the chosen element to be naturally present in the environment. Any element conjured through creation magic does not qualify as manipulation.

Light

Light manipulation is among the most versatile disciplines. A beam can be sharpened into a blade, diffused to soften visibility, or refracted to bend perception itself. Skilled practitioners can distort illumination so precisely that an object—or even themselves—becomes invisible to ordinary sight.

Darkness

Darkness manipulation governs the absence of light. It can thicken shadows into tangible veils, suppress visibility, or absorb illumination entirely. Advanced users may dampen other forms of elemental energy that rely on light, creating zones of perfect obscurity.

Fire

Fire manipulation centres on the control of existing flame or heat. A caster may redirect a blaze, condense it into focused streams, or spread it thin to create smouldering embers. Precision determines whether the flame burns, warms, or merely illuminates.

Water

Water manipulation concerns the redirection and reshaping of liquid in any form—rivers, mist, or even ambient moisture. Practitioners may shape currents, alter pressure, or extract humidity from the air. Fine control allows for techniques such as water blades or vapor veils.

Air

Air manipulation involves directing wind currents and pressure systems. Casters can create gusts, lift objects, or alter airflow to silence movement. Subtle use enables control over balance and flight, while overexertion risks destabilizing surrounding weather patterns.

Earth

Earth manipulation governs the movement and shaping of solid ground, stone, and living plant life. The element embodies stability, growth, and resilience. A skilled earth mage can raise barriers, anchor themselves for balance, or reshape terrain for defence and construction.

Plantlife responds to the same command: roots may be guided to entangle, branches compelled to move, or vines urged to grow and form living structures. The caster does not create new growth but rather coaxes and redirects what already exists. Precision determines whether such motion is harmonious and controlled—or violently upheaving.

Conjuration

Also known as: Elemental Production or Elemental Creation

Classification: All-Element Application

Recommended Level: Student

Elemental conjuration is the act of producing an element in its raw form directly from the caster’s own mana, rather than shaping an existing source. The caster’s energy acts as the catalyst that brings the element into being.

Unlike naturally occurring elements, conjured matter is bound to the caster’s will. Its properties—intensity, temperature, density, and state—can be finely adjusted, but it remains stable only while sustained by the caster’s magic.

This discipline allows for a degree of precision and versatility unattainable through manipulation alone, yet it demands continuous energy and focus. Should the caster’s reserves deplete or concentration falter, the conjured element collapses back into raw mana.

Limitations:

Conjured elements lack permanence and natural equilibrium. They cannot self-sustain, draw fuel, or propagate naturally once severed from the caster’s control.

Light

Conjured light does not depend on reflection or celestial sources. It can shine in complete darkness and vary in colour, brightness, or solidity. Such light may behave more like a tangible substance—forming barriers, blades, or constructs of pure radiance—but dissipates instantly when focus fades.

Darkness

Conjured darkness is not mere absence of light but a substance-like void sustained by magic. It absorbs illumination unnaturally, even where physical shadow would not exist. This artificial darkness can act as a smothering mist, a blinding shroud, or a medium that distorts perception itself.

Fire

Magical fire burns on mana rather than fuel or oxygen, allowing the caster to set its temperature, colour, and spread with exact control. It can burn cold, produce no smoke, or even reverse heat to draw warmth inward. However, once contact with the caster’s energy is broken, it extinguishes immediately.

Water

Conjured water forms from condensed magical energy rather than atmospheric vapor. It carries no natural impurities and can vary in viscosity or temperature by design. It might flow uphill, hover in place, or freeze or boil on command—but vanishes without trace when its sustaining magic is released.

Air

Conjured air differs from ambient atmosphere: it exists as a controlled current or pocket of pressurized energy. It can remain still in motionless spaces or form vacuum zones by displacing normal air. Because it isn’t bound by natural wind patterns, it can behave in precisely shaped flows or bursts.

Earth

Conjured earth encompasses both inorganic matter and organic growth. The caster may form soil, stone, or living vegetation directly from their magic, bypassing the need for natural ground or seed. Such creations are sustained constructs—plants grown from magic rather than life, and minerals condensed from energy rather than pressure.

Magically grown flora can bloom or wither at will, taking on impossible forms, rapid growth rates, or colours not found in nature. However, these plants lack true lifeforce; they cannot reproduce or persist once the caster’s magic is withdrawn. Similarly, conjured soil and stone lose structure over time, reverting to inert dust as the spell dissipates.

Enchantment

Also known as: Imbuement

Classification: All-Element Application

Recommended Level: Student

Enchantment is the discipline of embedding a pre-formed spell into a physical medium, allowing the spell’s effect to persist independently of the caster’s continuous focus. Rather than altering the object itself, the process anchors an existing spell matrix within the material’s structure through direct mana infusion.

The longevity and potency of an enchantment depend largely on the material’s magical responsiveness—its ability to absorb, conduct, and retain mana. Precious metals such as gold and silver, as well as gemstones and crystalline minerals, are favoured for their stable energetic lattices. Common materials, being less responsive, can only hold weak or short-lived enchantments.

Once an enchantment is completed, the spell remains active for as long as the imbued mana endures. When that mana is fully expended, the enchantment dissolves, returning the object to its inert state. Even the most skilfully forged enchantments are temporary by nature; while powerful works may persist for centuries, none are truly permanent.

Because enchantment relies on channelled, structured mana rather than raw manipulation, it cannot be performed through Mana Interaction. Only properly cast spells—those shaped through an elemental or affinity-based discipline—can be bound into matter.

Limitations:

A suitable conduit is required.
Enchantments draw upon the caster’s own mana reserves and cannot self-replenish.
Overcharging unstable or non-conductive materials risks structural failure or magical backlash.
Complex enchantments require proportional precision in the spell matrix; even minor flaws can cause unpredictable results or premature dissipation.

Invocation

Also known as: Spell Activation, Channeling

Classification: Pre-Elemental Magic / All-Element Application

Recommended Level: Student

Invocation is the discipline of supplying raw mana to an existing spell matrix. The injected mana allows the matrix to perform its intended function, sustain ongoing effects, or replenish its stored reserves.

The spell itself does not determine the resulting magical effect. Every spell matrix carries its own instructions, defining how the supplied mana is received, regulated, and converted into the intended outcome. Invocation simply provides the energy required for that process.

Most spell matrices require only a brief flow of mana to activate, while others demand continuous channelling for as long as their effect is maintained. The amount of mana required depends on the complexity, scale, and condition of the matrix itself.

Invocation is widely used to operate enchanted objects, replenish their stored mana, activate prepared spell circles, maintain magical wards, and power other magical constructs designed to receive external mana.

Limitations:

Requires an existing, functional spell matrix.
Cannot establish a new spell matrix.
Damaged or deteriorated enchantments may fail to respond or behave unpredictably.
The required mana depends entirely on the complexity and condition of the enchantment.
Element-dependent enchantments require the caster’s primary or one of the secondary elements to match the enchantment's requirements.
Powerful enchantments may require more mana than the caster can safely provide, causing mana depletion and resulting in mana sickness.

Glamour

Also known as: Illusion, Veilcraft or Perceptual Weaving

Classification: Affinity Magic

Recommended Level: Student

Glamour magic conceals or reshapes a subject's apparent appearance without physically altering its true form. Depending on the caster's affinity, this is achieved either by manipulating light itself or by influencing the perception of observers.

Light-aligned glamour changes the image itself. It manipulates light, colour, shadow and reflection. Because the altered image exists independently of any observer, all onlookers perceive the same glamour simultaneously.
Dark-aligned glamour changes perception. The subject is not visually altered; instead, observers are influenced into perceiving them differently. The illusion exists only within the minds of those affected, requiring each observer to be influenced individually.

Function and Use:
Glamour is widely employed to mask scars, enhance appearance, or alter features. Skilled casters can craft more elaborate effects—reshaping outlines, projecting false attire, or cloaking their presence entirely. Its accessibility and flexibility make it a common, if deceptively subtle, form of spellwork.

Strength and Duration:
The strength of a glamour depends on the caster’s mana reserve and precision. Weaker glamours falter under scrutiny or appear translucent, while powerful ones can deceive even trained mages. All glamours are temporary; once the invested mana dissipates, the illusion unravels.

Enchantments and Conduits:
Glamours can be imbued into physical conduits through enchantment, commonly in mirrors, jewellery, armour, or similar responsive materials. Such items sustain the illusion for extended periods without active concentration and are prized for their reliability in social or ceremonial contexts.

Limitations:

Glamours alter only a subject's apparent appearance—they do not physically change the underlying form.
Physical contact or magical inspection may reveal discrepancies between the illusion and the subject's true form.
Those with high mana sensitivity can easily discern weaker glamours.
Prolonged or large-scale illusions that don't rely on enchantments demand continuous mana expenditure.

Light

Strong lighting changes, reflections, or viewing angles may expose flaws.
The illusion is limited to visual appearance and cannot influence other senses such as touch, sound, or scent.

Darkness

Aura shielding, mental resilience, or large numbers of observers make the spell increasingly likely to fail.
Each observer must be influenced individually, increasing mana expenditure in crowds.

Pocket Dimension

Also known as: Hold or Reality Pocket

Classification: Pre-Elemental Magic / All-Elemental Application

Recommended Level: Student

Pocket dimensions, commonly referred to as holds, are self-contained folds of space formed through the compression and stabilization of mana fields (aura). Their existence stems from mana’s inherent ability to distort physical boundaries, allowing the creation of isolated, contained spaces that can be accessed or shaped by a caster’s will.

There are two recognized forms of pocket dimensions: Innate and Artificial.

Innate Pocket Dimensions

Every living being possesses a faint dimensional fold within their personal mana field, a private and self-regulating space that exists as long as the individual’s mana remains alive.

At student level, only small and simple objects can be stored within it, and accessing this pocket dimension requires careful focus. The size and capacity of the fold scale with the mage’s mana reserves, allowing more powerful individuals to contain larger quantities of matter.

These innate pockets are permanent for the lifetime of their owner and cannot be accessed or maintained by others.

Common uses include carrying personal belongings, safeguarding small artifacts, or storing basic supplies for travel or study.

Artificial Pocket Dimensions

Artificial pockets are created via enchantments or sustained spellwork that compresses mana into an independent spatial bubble. Unlike innate pockets, they are non-living and persist only as long as the bound mana remains stable.

They require a responsive conduit—such as crystal, gemstone, or precious metal—to anchor and stabilize the dimensional boundary. If the mana dissipates below a stability threshold, the pocket collapses, releasing its contents. Enchanters may include conditional triggers for collapse or spell release, making them useful for traps, protective wards, or temporary storage.

Limitations and Risks

Mana Dependency: Artificial pockets collapse when deprived of energy, expelling or destroying their contents.
Spatial Instability: Overloading or overlapping multiple artificial pockets can result in distortions or rupture effects.
Living Restriction: Pocket dimensions cannot sustain living beings for extended periods; the dimensional field destabilizes in response to active life-force and ejects it.
Irretrievability: If a pocket collapses during storage, its internal contents may be permanently lost or displaced.

Scholarly Theories

Theorists propose that pocket dimensions represent residual echoes of the ancient world’s lost dimensional access—traces of the greater reality-folding once practiced before the fall of the World Tree. Whether innate or artificial, each reflects mana’s natural inclination toward balance through distortion.

While their study remains complex, the mastery of pocket dimensions is a cornerstone of all magical education, bridging the boundary between personal aura control and high-level enchantment craft.