TODO- Intro of some sort
(This is a book that updates itself- a physical web site)
Abstract: Most commonly relating to magic among anartists or uninitiated magic users, this magic is for traditions that cannot be otherwise categorized. They typically have only one practitioner, or a few. Some abstract magic (Such as Flow) can become a more explicit tradition if the number of users increases significantly. After all, this encyclopedia is merely a description of what can be observed, not “what is.”
Alchemical
Blood: A type of sacrificial magic where power is drawn from blood. This is also used as a term for magic users who draw upon life force or souls, though the methods and powers received differ greatly based on the source of this magic.
Compel
Core/Red/Yellow
Dancer/Kinetographic: A type of inherent magic where the spell is created by the use of gestures or movements. This is also used to describe compel spells that create movement.
Death: A type of sacrificial magic where power is drawn from death or the state of dying. This method need not take the sacrifice’s life force, but the line between drawing magic from the sacrifice’s rolling death and the sacrifice’s pain is thin, and may be closer to emotional magic.
Divination/Probability/Luck
Dream
Emotional: This is used to describe magic that affects emotions, magic that detects emotions, and magic that draws power from emotions. A spell or magic user need not use all of these to be considered emotional, and in fact, it is rare for them to use all three types, at least within a single spell. It is also considered inefficient to draw power from the same source you wish to affect.
Enhancement/Enchantment
Flow
Inherent: This is used to describe magic that does not need an external power force. Sometimes, external power can be used to enhance these spells, but often these spells are too interwoven within the universe for it to have any effect, and will typically backfire upon or devour the magic user who tries. It’s best to stick to the script with inherent spells.
Masquerade
Memory/Memetic
Pattern/Exploit/”Glitch in the Matrix”: This is included due to the comprehensiveness of this encyclopedia.
Ritualist
Runic/Symbolic
Sacrificial: This is a way of collecting power or powering a spell. The power received varies greatly- the blood of a powerful mage taken by force pales in comparison to the blood of a normie, freely given.
Scribed/Textual: A type of inherent magic where the spell is created through writing. Although this can also apply to spells created through painting, this is typically described as runic or symbolic, and sometimes as pattern magic. This is also used to describe spells that have an effect on textual sources. One example is this encyclopedia. Its copies are updated remotely by its anonymous writers. This effect is much less impressive, given Earth’s information age.
Spoken/Audiographic: A type of inherent magic where the spell is created through speech, sound, or song. The speech need not be natural, but recordings must come from a powerful user in order to have any effect. This is also used to describe spells that primarily create sound.
Summoning
Worship/Faith
Alternative Models
Chromagraphy: This model is used by bookburners GOC a particular group. It categorizes magic users based on the effects they have. Most magic users, as they define it, would be type blues. However, there is a lot of overlap for magic users with greens (“Reality Benders”), reds (“Regenerators”), and yellows (“Shapeshifters”). To go into detail of the benefits and drawbacks of this system would devolve into argument on our end, so I will leave it to the reader.
Medieval Revisionist: This model, popularized in Earth’s 1980s primarily by young human magic users, is based on board games of the times. It categorizes natural blues as ‘sorcerers,’ learned blues as ‘wizards,’ greens as ‘psions,’ those with access to healing magic as ‘clerics,’ and those who bargain for power as ‘warlocks.’ The main issues with this model are the broad categories that do not encompass all types, the reliance on the GOC’s bookburner’s a particular group’s system, and the assumption that healing magic must come from a divine source. However, its system of ‘multiclassing’ is useful for It completely neglects core magic users, and the inspiration for this system treats core magic users as ‘monsters.’ This system is almost never used by those within the Library community, but has persisted for decades in the ‘uninitiated.’