Branches of Magic

In total, there are seven primary branches: Battle Magic, Sorcery, Healing, Illusion Magic, Elemental Magic, Nature Magic, and Enchanting. Subdivisions also exist, as well as certain abilities that lie outside the branches, such as reading magic.

Index

Battle Magic - Warriors

Sorcery - Sorcerers
      Necromancy - Necromancers

Healing - Healers

Illusion Magic - Illusionists

Elemental Magic - Elementalists

Nature Magic - Wardens

Enchanting - Enchanters

Psionics - Psychics

Warriors are the masters of physical combat, having a range of magic to support and strengthen themselves in battle. Unlike most forms of magic, theirs channels directly to their physical condition, improving their speed, endurance, and strength. As a result, they are often much more heavily built than other magic users. Those who reach old age, too, will find that these benefits remain, and older Warriors often find that they are still quite capable of thrashing young humans and mages, or single-handedly moving furniture and other objects around with ease.

Possibly one of the most misunderstood branches, Sorcerers have a particularly bad reputation. Their talent lies in summoning demons, monsters, and the like, and then taking control of the creature's will. The power of the controlled is proportionate to the strength of the Sorcerer. If the Sorcerer begins to tire, they must either dismiss the creature, sending it back to where it came from, or risk losing control and having the creature turn on them. They usually do not have much physical strength, leaving melee fighting to the summoned. Familiars are permitted only for powerful Sorcerers.

One specific division of sorcery is necromancy. This magic, while rare, becomes very obvious at a young age as the Necromancer is able to perceive the spirits of the dead. Upon developing their powers properly, they are able to manipulate spirits or raise corpses, which has a higher energy cost. While controlled, the dead slowly feed off the life of the Necromancer, and the longer they are controlled and the more there are, the more risk the Necromancer runs of killing themselves. Their physical ability is often low from the constant drain on their lives, and lifespans tend to be shorter than usual.

Healers rarely fight directly in battles. Instead, they keep their distance, stepping in to heal their allies as needed. Some are also capable of temporarily generating protective shields. They tire extremely quickly while healing. The worse the wound, the more it takes to be healed, and the more powerful the healer must be to fully heal it. Inexperienced healers or those with low energy often leave scars after healing physical wounds.

Illusionists attack the mind. They assault their opponents with illusions, isolating them from reality and tricking their senses. However, these illusions only appear to cause physical harm; in fact, simply relying on their magic, Illusionists cannot deal physical wounds at all. Something grounded in reality is necessary in order to truly injure their enemy. They make up for this by breaking them mentally, overloading senses and nerves with illusionary injuries or causing madness. Most tire easily, and as such, their illusions cannot last long. If they are physically harmed or their concentration is broken, the illusions will disappear. They are physically the weakest of all the branches, as their magic only deals with the mind, not the body.

Elementalists are the most varied of magic users. They could fight at close range, with distance, or only shield their allies, depending on their particular alignment. They could be swift as the wind, fierce as the fire, steady as the earth, fluid as the water, bright as the light, or silent as the shadow. They run out of energy fairly slowly under the condition that they are within their element. Each typically only has one alignment, but may instead specialize in a dual subdivision (i.e. Ice from water and air, lightning from fire and air) while only having those abilities - as in, a lightning Elementalist would not hold sway over fire or the air unless directly connected with lightning.

Wardens focus on nature magic. They are skilled with animals, often having a companion to aid them. They are capable of communing with spirits of nature where available, and they have a natural sense of direction. It's difficult to escape when a Warden is on your trail; tracking is considered a necessary skill. In terms of physical strength and stamina, they are second only to Warriors. All Wardens are permitted to have a familiar.

While they may initially appear to be the weakest branch of magic, an Enchanter is not to be messed with. They aid themselves and others in an indirect manner. They have special skill in weaving magic into objects, granting it special properties. This can range from protective shields to temporary combat boosts. Each enchantment is only useable once and has a time limit, however. Their energy runs out quickly, so it's best they have their enchantments prepared beforehand.

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