Starting a new character, you gain access to one of the Schools of Magic when you first purchase the Mana skill. An additional school may be purchased as a basic skill. Advanced skills may allow you to learn even more outside of that. Listed below are the beginner level spells for each school. You may choose starting incantations from the Schools of Magic you have access to during character creation only.
You will find a complete list of all the spells available to the Schools of Magic in the appendix. The Lexicon provides definitions for magical calls, effects, and casting methods. An explanation of how spells work is provided in the Magic section.
Earth
Focused on protection, the school of Earth is densely packed with spells that are defensive in nature. Shields are the Earth wielder’s specialty and there are few attacks they can’t stand against.
Fire
The destructive nature of Fire lends itself well to forcefully removing obstacles from its path. Those interested in an offense-oriented mage tend to find themselves attuned to the flames.
Water
The fluidity of Water, and its ability to take the form of whatever vessel holds it, lends this school a lot of utility. While it lacks the same focus as the other schools of magic, it does lend itself well to filling in gaps.
Wind
Colloquially known as the School of Motion, Wind is all about controlling movement and direction. Need a path cleared? Need to silence a pesky spell caster? Need to get your friends free of pesky binding magics? The Wind is at your back.
Bardic
This school of magic takes performance arts to a whole new level. Through the act of performing, be it song, spoken word, or a musical instrument, those who practice Bardic magic are able to inspire people to push beyond their normal limits. Unlike more traditional schools of magic, the duration of Bardic spells last until the Bard’s performance comes to a close.
Gravrad
Founded by PAG shortly after the Collapse, the Gravrad School draws on the ambient Radiation levels of the world and subverts the sciences into magic. Mainly focused on redistributing radiation and producing gravitational effects, the practitioners of this school have recently made discoveries that assist with the medical arts.
Psionic
Mental manipulation and altering emotions are at the heart of those who practice Psionics. Shortcuts to making temporary allies aren’t without their costs, but those of this school tend to find them worth it.
Runic
Preparation goes a long way towards a successful encounter, and none are more prepared than those who know the Runes. Being able to set a spell in waiting for the perfect moment to use it, there is a Rune for almost every situation.
Rune Magic ignores the standard rules for spell stacking, but this ability comes at a price. All runes expire at the end of the night and must be removed even if not activated. A target may have multiple runes of a single type cast upon them at a time.
Only one Barrier may be active at a time. Only one Bestow may be active at a time.
To activate a Runic Barrier or Bestow, smudge the rune drawn on you and then state the incantation. To activate a Runic Aura or Shield, state the call and then smudge the rune as soon as safely possible (you do not need to pause combat for example). The Runic School of magic only has one delivery method, Drawn. The rune must be drawn on your target – preferably with an eyeliner pencil or something that is easily washed off – sometimes in a specific location. The symbols for the runes will be provided in the final release draft of the rule book