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☄️5e - Spell Categorization☄️

Every Spell is organized by 3 distinct categories: its ☄️Spell Sources, ☄️Schools of Magic, and ☄️Spell Tags. Together, these categories explain where a Spell’s power originates, how it’s understood in the world, and how it functions within the rules.

☄️Sources of Magic

Sources of Magic represent the origin of magic. All Spells draw power from at least one of the four fundamental Sources: Arcane, Divine, Occult, or Primal. These Sources determine how a Spellcaster accesses and channels magic.

Some Spells list 2 or more types as their Source (such as both Arcane and Primal for many fire Spells).

☄️Arcane Spell Source

Arcane magic is the invisible energy that permeates through all of existence, surrounding and connecting every part of the universe. It is a pure, formless energy that can be shaped through study, focus, and discipline. Many mortals learn to harness this power by mastering incantations, runes, and rituals that channel raw magic into structured, purposeful spells.

☄️Divine Spell Source

Divine magic draws power from divine beings (good, evil, and indifferent), such as deities (greater and lesser gods), their followers (angels, archons, etc.) or the manifestations of abstract universal concepts (order, love, peace, war, etc.). Divine magic is granted to mortals either through faith, duty, or desperation. Creatures that wield Divine magic are often servants of their deity, seeking to fulfill their agendas and grow their following.

☄️Occult Spell Source

Occult magic draws power from forces beyond the universe, or at least from a part that isn’t fully understood, and is the most mysterious of the Spell Sources. Occult magic can be learned in some way, but often the feelings and the state of mind of the spellcaster decide if they are able to understand this magic. Curses, Blood magic and “black magic” often derive from the occult. The practitioners of occult traditions seek to understand the unexplainable, categorize the bizarre, and otherwise access the ephemeral in a systematic way.

☄️Primal Spell Source

Primal magic draws power from the physical forces of the universe (land, air, water, fire, plants, animals, and even the planes themselves). This magic comes from a deep rooted connection to the living essence of the world and its elemental energies. Those who wield Primal magic channel the wild rhythms of existence itself; storms, beasts, natural disasters, and the oceans.

☄️Schools of Magic

Schools of Magic define the lore and philosophy behind different magical effects. A School of Magic serves as a way to classify magical effects by answering two key questions: what kind of action is the spell performing (such as creating, summoning, or altering) and the subject it’s being performed on (such as the elements, a creature’s body, mind, or spirit). This structure helps mages, priests, and sages study, understand, and organize the many forms of magic that shape the world.

List of the Schools of Magic

☄️Spell Tags

Spell Tags describe the characteristics of a spell. Some Tags represent clear in-world effects (such as manipulating fire), while others exist mainly to support game mechanics (such as a type of creature the Spell can target). Spell Tags define how a Spell interacts with the game system, such as the damage it deals, the Conditions it inflicts, or the creatures it affects. Certain Ancestry Traits, Class Features, and Talents reference specific Spell Tags, allowing characters to specialize in particular types of magic (such as Fire, Illusion, or Summoning). Spell Tags help players and GMs quickly understand a Spell’s function, theme, and how it interacts with other parts of the game.

In a spell’s description, Spell Tags are called “Effect”.

Quelle

Quelle/Inspiration

DC20