#schools of magic

[markscherz]

Is frogs were wizards, what kind of magic would they have?

Look, I think the Basic™ answer is that frogs belong to the Transmutation school of magic because, hello, metamorphosis, but galaxy brain herpetologists know that more than a quarter of all frog species don't have tadpoles.

Toxicologists could tell you of the venomous species that can deliver a real Shocking Grasp that leaves you with Burning Hands—mainstays of Evocation magic.

Ecologists will tell you frogs are pivotal mesopredators and those with tadpoles occupy two trophic niches over their lifespans—classic Abjuration magic.

Some field biologists will tell you how hard it is to find some frogs, even when they are calling from immediately in front of you—archetypal Illusion shit.

Other field biologists might tell you that sometimes frogs start calling a few minutes before the rain actually comes. Obvious hallmark of Divination school.

Conservation biologists will tell you that some species that were declared Extinct or likely Extinct have been rediscovered recently, so I suspect at least some are from the Necromancy school

Behavioural ecologists might tell you that some frogs have familiar pet tarantulas (Big Spider want you to think it's the tarantulas keeping the frogs as pets, but don't be taken in by their biased lies). You want to tell me that they're not Conjuration wizards?

But Frog Fans (Frans) will tell you they belong to the Enchantment school, because hearteyesmotherfucker.gif. I mean, they somehow got you following me, right?

[honourablejester]

One of the things that fascinates me, thematically, about wizards in D&D is the consciousness of their interactions with magic. They learn their craft by study, by conscious thought. And they choose their school, too, by conscious thought. When you make a wizard, you choose what elements of magic they choose to prioritise. What draws them, what repels them, what do they rely on, what do they seek out. The choice of school is as much a characterisation detail as anything else. It’s not just a case of learning spells by rote out of a book (well, no, it can be, but that’s probably a discussion in and of itself). Wizards are the class where you can dig in and get nerdy. There’s magical theory up in this joint.

The eight schools in themselves are also an interest mesh of themes and rationalisations, and that makes sense from a Doylist perspectives, because the game designers are choosing schools and effects outside the game, but it also works from a Watsonian perspective, because these are in-universe classifications based on what wizards assume is how magic works. All the spells are tied to a school, and thus the eight-school classification system, even if there are wizards who aren’t. And with any system of classification, there are arguments. Which is, of course, the fun of it.

So. With that in mind. Eight schools. Abjuration. Conjuration. Divination. Enchantment. Evocation. Illusion. Necromancy. Transmutation. Some essay questions slash thought experiments slash personality quizzes for student wizards in a D&D world, focusing on the classification of magic:

If you were choosing (or have chosen) a school of magic to specialise in, what would it be?

What do you think is the overriding purpose of your school of magic?

What element of your school of magic excites you the most?

What is one common derogatory misconception about your school that makes you angry?

What’s one spell of your school that you think should belong to another school? Explain your reasoning.

What’s one spell of a different school that you think should belong to yours? Explain your reasoning.

What would you consider the school of magic most diametrically opposed to your own? Explain your reasoning.

What would you consider the school of magic most similar to your own? Explain your reasoning.

Name one area of overlap or potential overlap between your school of magic and each of the other seven.

Name one area of conflict or potential conflict between your school and each of the other seven.

Which other school of magic would you consider it necessary of have a good understanding of in order to better study your own?

If you were grouping the eight schools into subgroups, what would the groups be, which schools would they include, and why?

Do you consider the purpose of magic to be useful or to be extraordinary? Which schools do you think best match each outlook?

What do you consider the primary ethical concerns with your school of magic? What would you consider the primary ethical concerns with each of the other schools?

Which school of magic do you find most difficult or unpleasant to work with? Why?

Which school of magic do you find easiest and most reassuring to work with? Why?

What is one question about the workings of each school of magic that keeps you up at night?

Do you think that magic should be divided into schools at all? If you think that it should, do you think that the eight schools currently agreed upon are the most accurate choices, or do you believe that they should be rearranged or replaced?

Do you believe that rigid classification aids or hinders the understanding of magic as a whole? Explain your reasoning.

Do you think that a spell should be considered part of a school of magic based on its effect, or based on the methods or rationale that created it, or based on some other criteria?

Is there a school of magic that you considered to be particularly badly defined? Is there a school that you consider particularly well defined? Do you consider this a clarifying factor or a limiting one?

Which school of magic do you most want to disassemble to base parts and understand the workings of? Is this the same school you are happiest using, or a different one?

What is your favourite spell that you have learned of? Is that spell of your own school or a different one?

What is one spell of your least liked school of magic that you consider worthwhile, and why?

What is one spell that you think should never have been invented, and why?

And, finally, just for fun and so everyone knows where we all stand: which school of magic do you find the adherents of most annoying? Not necessarily the school you think shouldn’t exist, but the one where when you meet a wizard of that school, you kneejerk want to punch them in the face, just because?

[thetownsendsw]

I like to imagine the in-world reason for Pathfinder ditching spell-schools is that everybody held on to this ancient Thassilonian system, and then the actual Thassilon starts showing up again, and we see how different they are from the mythology and go “oh, this whole taxonomy is gobbledygook.

“In retrospect yeah, some wizard despots who lionized their own personality flaws all declared the kind of magic they liked to do an innate classification, and we all just went along with it. Gods’ sake, half these ‘schools’ do 6 unrelated things, but DIVINATION is their waste bin taxon?”

[ericgrimoire]

THE MERCURY TOWER

Academy of magic and arcane studies

Teachers Master post

[sewi-li-suwi]

Opinions on the best schools of Magic ?

ooh, tough question! obviously the commonly studied ones are quite fun - y'know, transmutation, conjugation, etc - but the smaller ones are fun! like Defamation! or Disorientation! Hyperfixation's amazing, especially if you have the ADHD buff. Unionisation! That's a REALLY useful one. Penetration's a cool one too! that's the school that Unending Penis Barrage is from, if you've heard of that. kiinda problematic tho.

[araiyana]

Transmutation

Stained Glass WIP

(part 2 of 9, part 1)

Stay tuned for the finished version

[official-ilvermorny]

So how do school transfers go? Not all schools have the same curriculum so do they decide their classes before the switch? Do they get assigned a new House with the first years or privately?

School transfers are generally very rare, but they do happen! Essentially, schools are preparing students for the LAMP and SALEM tests — standardized tests that allow the Department of Magical Education to ensure that basic magical knowledge is known across the country. These tests are only given for some of the "core" subjects — Charms and Magical Theory, Transfiguration, Potions, Astronomy, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and History.

(I may not agree with it, but that's how it works. Just be glad the tests are given for each individual subject, so that at least those who score low in Transfiguration can still get an "Exemplary" in Charms.)

There's an interscholastic board that meets with members of the DME to discuss the best curriculums to make sure students can be successful in the standardized tests. Ultimately, it's up to the school and the individual teachers to determine what is best.

So with that explanation, basically, all "core" classes will be generally the same across all schools, but other electives probably won't be. You may just have to hope that whatever school you transfer to has the class you want.

However, all of the officially-recognized schools are boarding schools, so you would rarely need to transfer anyway, especially after your second or third year.

When that does happen, though, the transfer student will be Sorted with the first-year students.

[girlsofthemagixclub]

Four Great Schools of Magix

It's been a long time since I've last posted. Let's talk about the Four Great Schools of Magix, shall we?

~~~~~~~~~~

Magix: A History

Back in the time when Magix City was founded as the centre of the Magix Dimension, magic users and warriors alike flocked to the new centre to establish a place for themselves. In that time, many years ago, schools of magic or warcraft were not commonplace. Rather, magic users learnt their skills from masters that took young children on as apprentices, whilst warriors would have to learn their craft from local guards or soldiers.

Three siblings had initially come to Magix City to start a new life for themselves. The eldest was a warrior, Stephan Vandestalk, the Dragon Tamer. The middle child was a fairy, Eledyssia Vandestalk, Fairy of Protection. The youngest was a witch, Celestina Vandestalk, Witch of Archives.

Celestina, as befitting her role, was always obsessed with the thought of recording down information and knew that despite her best attempts, she could never manage to record down all the knowledge of the past or of the future. She was the one who first gathered many different dark magic users to join her cause, creating a research unit to dig into the mysteries of magic.

Stephan established a guard platoon to ensure the safety of Magix City, and over time as the city's population grew, so too did the number of young men and women joining the platoon. To ensure that these new guards were able to keep the city safe, Stephan separated them into teams, each team working with a different aspect of the guard platoon. These teams eventually came to be known as the Specialists.

Finally, Eledyssia took to her role as the Fairy of Protection and became the first Guardian Fairy of Magix. Many young fairies and paladins flocked to her, wanting to be like her and keep Magix safe with their magic, which most guards did not use. It was then that Eledyssia had the idea to create a school with her senior light magic users so that they could all teach these bright-eyed students equally and in batches at a time, rather than taking only a select handful on as apprentices.

This was the event that catalysed the creation of the Three Schools of Magix. The Vandestalk siblings decided that they would take their respective groups and construct schools around a lake on the city outskirts, one that was named in honour of their home realm, the Fortress of Light — Lake Roccaluce.

Eledyssia constructed her school closest to the city as the centrepoint of all her siblings and the city's range, for her Enchantix powers were strongest when she was surrounded by people to protect. She called her school Alfea College for Guardian Fairies, after the Vandestalk siblings' mother, dedicated to raising Guardian Fairies that would protect not just Magix, but any planet whose fairies made the journey to Magix in search of a teacher.

Stefan constructed his school between his sisters', placing it at first on a tall cliff, where Magix's native dragons preferred to roost and nest. He made his Specialists renowned warriors, and eventually made them a force that others would call upon for help even outside of Magix City. He called his school Red Fountain School for Specialists, to honour the guard platoon he had established, and after the volcano that he had tamed his first dragon at in his home realm of Roccaluce.

Celestina constructed her school furthest away, nestled in the heart of the Gloomy Wood Forest. She made her school from the living wood of elder trees and made it reach for the skies, giving it a living heart and soul nestled amidst the clouds. She called her school Cloud Tower Institute for Young Witches, dedicated to the research of dark magic, of which teaching could only guide a young practitioner along their journey, and for the tall spires that nestled among the dark storm clouds over the Dark Forest.

Such is the origin of the Three Great Schools of Magix.

~~~~~~~~~~

Schools of Magic: Magix and Beyond

In the intervening years, more planets and realms began to adopt the school system that was set up by the Vandestalk siblings. Other schools have since risen to incredible prominence in Magix and other major realms. Such schools include the following:

Linphea College of Magic for Fairies and Paladins

Beta Academy for Magical Creatures

Malacoy Paladin Academy

The Golden Auditorium

However, none have reached such fame as Zaltora Academy of Sorcery, alma mater of King Consort Nabu Andros-Kasper. Unlike its sister branches of magic in dark and light, neutral magic and sorcery had remained a mostly unknown concept until several centuries prior. In response, Zaltora Academy had been established by the now-renowned Sorcerer Antonio Alabaster of the realm of Andros, meant to cater to sorcerers and sorceresses that did not belong in conventional schools of magic.

After King Consort Nabu used his mastery of sorcery to close the shadow abyss opened by the Wizards of the Black Circle, Zaltora began rising to prominence. Zaltora's fame reached an all-time high several years after Queen Aisha and King Consort Nabu wed. At the same time, it brought much attention to sorcerers and sorceresses in the Magix Dimension. As more and more students came to Zaltora's original institute in Andros, the original school building could no longer afford to teach so many students. The headmaster of the time, Sorcerer Nicolaus Amidelian of Attica, was offered the chance to move Zaltora to Magix and join the Three Great Schools around the bank of Lake Roccaluce. Headmaster Nicolaus agreed, moving the main school to Magix with an expanded building, while the original building remained a branch in Andros, which has historically produced the most sorcerers and sorceresses in all of Magix.

After Zaltora Academy's main building was moved to the shore of the Lake Roccaluce, it became known as one of the schools on par with the Three Great Schools itself, and the term was thereafter changed to acknowledge Zaltora's presence, becoming the Four Great Schools instead.

~~~~~~~~~~

Interested in hearing more about each school and the important characters currently present for Magix Club: Arcane Wings? Check out the links below! (To be updated when the posts come out. Thank you for your patience!)

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[thaddeuspole]

Time for some head-canon:

Magicians/Magus/Mage deal primarily in the art of incantation (that is to say speaking words, or the waving of hands or implements to invoke magical effects), while witches deal closer in alchemy by infusing ingredients with magical properties and thereby creating potions/tinctures etc. It is not uncommon for one or the other profession (because that is what they are. Jobs.) To dabble in the other because they both fall under the umbrella of "Wizard". A magician is one who imposes their will upon latent forces of chaos to produce an effect that otherwise had no reason to happen (setting a hex, or producing fire). This is why attaining the title of "Supreme Wizard" is so difficult, because it implies mastery of both crafts.

I think its also important to distinguish alchemists from what witches perform. While an alchemist uses the natural properties of elements to produce a natural result (enhanced strength, explosions, mutagens, etc); a witch infuses magic into her ingredients. Theoretically an experienced witch could use any ingredients to create a brew but some ingredients tend to retain certain facets of magical imbuement better (e.g. eye of newt will manipulate light magic more readily than say frogs legs, or wormwort).

Its also important to distinguish these abilities from sorcery, and patron based magic such as warlock, and clergy. The magics of the Wizard profession are exclusively attained by diligent study and practice, where as sorcerers, warlocks, clerics and the like deliver chaos from outer planar sources, like deities, cosmic radiation, and dense chaos anomalies. I won't be getting into those in this post though.

[msboutofcontext]

[honourablejester]

Okay, so Archives of Nethys has updated to have some material from PF2e’s Remaster. And I like the new Wizard Arcane Schools? They’re actually really exciting to me.

Moving away from D&D’s schools of magic, abjuration, necromancy, etc, spells don’t have a school anymore, though studying an arcane school will let you learn certain spells. But these schools are more … I don’t want to say ‘practical’, but they do kind of feel like … magic you study towards a purpose? It’s not about what the spells are, the arbitrary categories they’re deemed to fit into, it’s about the kind of things you want your magic to do. Your school is a collection of magic you’ve studied towards a goal. I’m not sure how to phrase this, but I like the ethos. And. There’s just a couple of particular schools that excite me just for existing.

Particularly, I’m just going to be honest here, the School of Civic Wizardry. Is it a good subclass? I have no clue. But I love that it’s a thing that exists. If you want to study magic to build things, to transport things, if you want to be an architect arcane, honey baby, have we the school for you! If you became a wizard to help build and maintain cities, there’s now a school for that. That just makes me happy.

I also enjoy the School of Ars Grammatica. It’s the school of runes and wards, the magic of words, the underpinning geometries of magic. Wards are an idea in fantasy that have always fascinated me, and you also can’t go wrong with the magic of communication.

Then there’s the School of the Boundary, for when you want to get spooky. This is the school of summoning, seeing, traversing. Trespass and transgress. I really really really like the boundary, the liminal, as a theme. People may have noticed. So, yes. Excellent school. Do enjoy it.

And then, of course, there’s the School of Mentalism. The magics of the mind. I just really like illusions?

This is not to knock the schools of Battle Magic, Protean Form or Unified Magical Theory, of course. I’m just. Likely gonna pick a few of the others first.

I do also love that the entries for each give examples of actual schools, as in places in the setting, where you might have learned particular Arcane Schools. Embedding your mechanics in your setting, and vice versa, is always a thing I enjoy.

But yes. I really just want a wizard construction worker now? An architect arcane. None of this arty farty ‘what is the meaning of magic’ stuff, magic is so you can build a building without having to move rocks with your body like an idiot. Okay? Magic exists so we can make things easier. There’s no need to get complicated and silly about it.

It’d be funny to have a party that’s a small wizard construction/building inspection firm? You have your Civic Wizard who does the building, your Ars Grammatica Wizard who does the warding and puts the magical phones in, and then you have the black sheep, the Boundary Wizard, who does building inspections and tells people whether their shit’s haunted or if they just built too close to the sewer and the ventilation in this end of the city isn’t the best.

I’m intrigued, let’s say. I like where this is going. And yes, I’m gonna make a dwarven wizard in a hard hat and sturdy boots. Naturally. Heh.

[batneko]

okay okay okay one more dungeon meshi thought

I keep seeing people saying Falin is "better at social cues" than Laios. Y'all she's just quiet. 😭 She just keeps her mouth shut. 😭😭 Girl was proposed to, said "let me think about it," and then did not even tell her own brother. She doesn't know what's going on either she's just quieter about it!!! 😭😭😭

[egophiliac]

now that I can think semi-coherently again...whooooo's ready for Friday WEEHOO

[ichimakesart]

Finally

You've successfully distilled an eye of a beholder.

The source of all beauty