Magic Disciplines

I’ve been thinking a bit about how I want to handle Magic-Users in my next campaign. In my current game I have a few specialist Magic-Users that get access to unique spells and I was thinking of codifying this a little bit more for my next game. However, instead of creating new spells I decided to break up my spell list into 5 disciplines. These are the orthodox disciplines used by the Academy in the old Thulian Empire and doesn’t cover any kind of tainted or corrupted magic. (Necromancy and Dark Magic will each have their own spells lists.)

Some of the spells are a little out of place, but that can be solved by theming each spell heavily as it’s discipline. For example, Shield is now a pyromancy spell. This works if you think of the shield as being a fire that doesn’t burn hot, but that makes the caster indistinct and hard to see. Each Magic-User will have an affinity with a certain type and a disaffinity with 2 others. I may go further into the actual rules I use for magic in a future post, (they’re very similar to ACKS), and if I do I’ll explain how I plan for affinities and disaffinities to work.

Here are the Disciplines and each one’s affinities and disaffinities. The spells for each discipline will be listed further down.

Pyromancy: Fire/Energy

• Pyromancy evokes energy.
• Harmonies: Hieromancy, Mutamancy
• Disharmonies: Umbramancy, Psychomancy

Umbramancy: Illusion/Shadow

• Umbramancy is the discipline of the insubstantial. It incorporates both illusions and summoned creatures.
• Harmonies: Psychomancy, Mutamancy
• Disharmonies: Pyromancy, Hieromancy

Hieromancy: Light/Divination

• Hieromancy incorporates light, but also protection and meta-magic.
• Harmonies: Pyromancy, Psychomancy
• Disharmonies: Umbramancy, Mutamancy

Psychomancy: Mind/Enchantment

• Psychomancy is the magic of the mind.
• Harmonies: Umbramancy, Hieromancy
• Disharmonies: Pyromancy, Mutamancy

Mutamancy: Change/Movement

• Mutamancy is the magic of change. It covers anything that directly changes one thing into another, takes on the characteristics of another, or translocates in any fashion.
• Harmonies: Pyromancy, Umbramancy
• Disharmonies: Psychomancy, Hieromancy

And the spells:

Pyromancy:

• I: Magic Missile, Shield
• II: Heat Stroke (Ray of Enfeeblement), Pyrotechnics, Choking Smoke (Stinking Cloud)
• III: Fireball, Lighting Bolt, Protection from Normal Missiles
• IV: Flame Shield, Wall of Fire
• V: Cloudkill, Conjure Fire Elemental
• VI: Inflame (Disintegrate), Flame Wave (Death Spell)

Umbramancy:

• I: Darkness, Ventriloquism, Magic Mouth, Unseen Servant, Summon Familiar
• II: Invisibility, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force
• III: Invisibility 10’ Radius, Summon Shadow Beasts (Summon Monster I)
• IV: Hallucinatory Terrain, Massmorph, Wall of Solid Shadow
• V: Conjure Greater Shadow Beast (Conjure Elemental), Telekinesis
• VI: Invisible Stalker, Project Image

Hieromancy

• I: Detect Magic and Chthonic, Light, Comprehend/Read Languages, Protection From Chthonic
• II: Continual Light, Detect Invisible, Locate Object
• III: Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, Protection from Chthonic 10’ Radius, Tongues, Dispel Magic
• IV: Arcane Eye, Remove Curse
• V: Contact Higher Plane, True Seeing
• VI: Anti-Magic Shell, Arcane Window

Psychomancy

• I: Sleep, Charm Person, Message
• II: Read Thoughts, Amnesia, Scare
• III: Hold Person, Suggestion
• IV: Charm Monster, Confusion, Fear
• V: Possession (Magic Jar), Hold Monster, Feeblemind
• VI: Geas, Mass Suggestion

Mutamancy:

• I: Spider Climb, Slipperiness, Hold Portal, Floating Disk
• II: Arcane Lock/Knock, Levitate, Web
• III: Fly, Haste/Slow, Waterbreathing
• IV: Polymorph Self, Polymorph Other, Dimension Door
• V: Passwall, Stoneshape, Atmosphere Bubble, Teleport
• VI: Reincarnation, Stone to Flesh