Faculties
Among practitioners of the arcane arts, six principal faculties of MGC are universally recognized; each faculty is intimately tied to a core attribute governing mortal prowess and perception. These are Somatism [Strength], Celerism [Dexterity], Vitalism [Constitution], Noeticism [Intelligence], Animism [Wisdom] , and Thelism [Charisma].
Alongside these stands a seventh, more general path: Thaumatism, the faculty of pure macro-geometric theory and metamacro-geometric manipulation.
Somatism
Harness Raw Power, Bend Matter, and Claim Dominion Over Force
Somatism is the foundational art of imposing will upon the physical worldâwhere sheer macro-geometric might becomes tangible, manifesting as kinetic force and indomitable presence. Practitioners of this faculty are known as Somatists: spellcasters who channel primal energy into feats of breathtaking strength and devastation. While some perceive Somatism as the bluntest tool in a mage's arsenal, true adepts know it to be a nuanced discipline, equal parts vigor, precision, and control.
Somatismâs Sphere: At its heart, Somatism manipulates the invisible tapestry of forceâthe vectors through which things push, pull, break, or endure. It is the MGC of momentum and mass, shattering stone with a gesture, flinging adversaries with telekinetic might, or steadying the earth beneath oneâs feet to resist the fiercest onslaughts. Where others finesse or whisper to the world, Somatists speak with a voice of thunder, reshaping realityâs most robust barriers.
Attribute Association: Somatism directly reflects the core attribute of Strength. Just as the stalwart let muscle define power, a Somatist enforces supremacy over force itself, allowing mind and spirit to magnify their bodily prowessâor to project it outward and reshape the battlefield.
Applications & Traditions: The facultyâs tools range from the dramatic to the subtle:
- Evocations: Hurling stones or foes, erecting walls of crushing pressure, or conjuring concussive bursts that scatter armies.
- Transmutations: Imbuing limbs or weapons with supernatural might, shifting the composition or resistance of materials, or altering the pull of gravity itself.
- Augmentations: Granting self or allies Herculean strength, forging warriors from ordinary mortals, or dulling pain beneath an aura of invincibility.
A Somatistâs spellbook may include Force Bolts, Telekinetic Grasp, Earthshatter, Mass Enhancement, and Gravity Well. In the hands of a master, these arts blend seamlesslyâturning the Somatist into both shield and hammer on the field of magic.
Philosophy & Roots: To walk the path of Somatism is to understand that even the grandest changes begin with simple, irresistible effort. Somatists respect the tangibleâstone, steel, sinewâand strive to extend that integrity into their sorcery. Many are drawn from the ranks of warriors and laborers, channeling a respect for endurance and action into spellcraft that honors movement, impact, and resilience.
Mages of Might: While all spellcasters touch upon the elements of force, only those who truly delve into Somatism can claim absolute dominion over it. Whether raising city-blocking bulwarks or splintering fortifications with a single thought, Somatists are the epitome of macro-geometric strength made manifest.
âTo embrace Somatism is to grasp the world with both handsâand remake it to the measure of your will.â
Celerism
Command Motion, Dance Through Time, Move Beyond the Boundaries of Space
Celerism is the exaltation of movement itselfâthe practice of harnessing macro-geometric energy to transcend limitation, guide the flow of battle, and seize the advantage of the liminal moment. Those who perfect its art are known as Celerists: mages whose spells emulate speedâs thrill, the grace of unfettered motion, and the breathtaking precision of a world in perfect flow. Celerists are the swift and the uncatchable, their MGC placing them everywhereâand nowhereâthat danger may threaten or opportunity beckon.
Celerismâs Sphere: Celerism is theorems of velocity writ into spellcraft, the harness of agilityâs potential through arcane force. A Celerist bends the ephemeralâwarping brief instants, distorting the fabric of space to blur and blink between threats, and tracing projectiles through impossible paths. Through their will, a body blurs, a step becomes a sprint, and a scattered arrow sings unerringly to its mark. The very notions of place and time become suggestions, not rules.
Attribute Association: Celerism resonates profoundly with the Dexterity attribute. Where mortals train for swiftness in body and reflex, a Celerist employs MGC to attain superlative agilityâand then refines it further, ensuring there are no slow hands nor hesitant thoughts to hinder their art.
Applications & Traditions: Celerists embrace the full panorama of accelerated existence:
- Transmutations: Freely quickening the self or infusing others with speed, heightening reflexes beyond natural limits, or transforming terrain to hinder foesâ motion.
- Conjurations: Masters of spatial relocation, Celerists blink across short distances, evade peril by stepping between spaces, or conjure shifting boundaries in reality itself.
- Precision Spells: Unerring accuracy with ranged enchantment, guidance of spells to bypass hindrance, and imposition of time-slowing zones amid combatâs chaos.
Within a Celeristâs spell repertoire may be found Haste, Blink Step, Guided Strike, Fleetfoot Enchantment, and Phantom Blur âall designed to ensure they, and their allies, act first, adapt fast, and finish conflicts before others can hope to react.
Philosophy & Roots: To master Celerism is to understand not only movement, but the value of the moment. Celerists train mind, body, and spell in unity; a philosophy of flow that honors momentum, flexibility, and the creative impulse. Many trace their ancestry to acrobats, messengers, hunters, or dancers, each weaving a tradition of motion into living magic.
Mages of Motion: While many wield MGC to shape the worldâs static fabric, Celerists focus on its constant change, setting events in motion that bring victory before opposition forms. Whether darting undetected through shadowed streets or bending time so that a single blow becomes a flurry, these mages are the beating heart of every living conflict.
âThe world changes in the space between beats; Celerists are those who already stand there, waiting.â
Vitalism
Wield Lifeâs Essence, Endure Hardship, Mend that which is Broken
Vitalism is the arcane discipline devoted to the mysteries of life itself: the fostering, fortification, and manipulation of everything that endures and thrives. Its practitioners, called Vitalists, are magicians of the living formâinvigorating allies, quelling decay, and steering the flow of health and ailment alike. True masters of this faculty touch the boundary between growth and entropy, wielding spells that restore, fortify, and even remake the bodies of those who would defy fate.
Vitalismâs Sphere: Vitalism commands the tide of vitality and resilience. Vitalists draw upon the primordial energy that courses through veins and stems, reviving spent warriors, closing wounds with a whispered prayer, or shielding flesh from blade and blight. Yet their authority transcends healing alone; through their spells, disease withers, poisons flee, bodies adapt to changing hardship, and nature herself bows to their arcane nurture. Just as a mighty tree stands resolute through the ages, so does Vitalism make the living strongâand help the fallen rise again.
Attribute Association: Vitalism is intimately bound to Constitution: the seat of endurance and bodily tenacity. From ironclad champions to indefatigable survivors, Vitalists employ MGC to safeguard themselves and others, rendering their well-being a bulwark against adversity.
Applications & Traditions: Vitalismâs art is both shield and salve, encompassing spells such as:
- Necromancy: Mastery over the ebb and flow of life forceâcuring wounds, accelerating recovery, banishing infection, or (darkly) sapping vitality from foes.
- Transmutation: Transforming the fleshâhardening skin, mending bone, resisting toxins, or awakening latent potential within the bodyâs frame.
- Botanurgy: Channeling growthâsummoning verdant life, coaxing plants to entangle the enemy, or calling upon the healing wisdom of herbs and wild places.
A Vitalistâs spellbook may boast Restorative Surge, Ironhide Adaptation, Purge Affliction, Vigor Bloom, or Lifebond âeach a testament to their power to bless, shield, or reshape the living.
Philosophy & Roots: To study Vitalism is to revere the persistence of lifeâits ability to recover, resist, and redefine itself in adversity. Many Vitalists arise from among healers, herbalists, or wardens of wild and wounded lands, drawing inspiration from natureâs endless cycles of growth and renewal. In their hands, MGC becomes not just a tool, but a promise: to restore hope and forge strength anew.
Menders and Wardens: While all mages can offer aid, none rival the Vitalistâs profound empathy with living essence. Whether on the battlefield raising the fallen, deep in forests coaxing gardens to bloom, or at the edge of civilization staving off plague and withering, Vitalists embody natureâs answer to adversity: adapt, endure, and heal.
âIn every whisper of breath and pulse of blood, the MGC of life endures. Vitalists merely listenâand lend it their strength.â
Noeticism
Shape Thought, Command Perception, Forge Reality with the Power of the Mind
Noeticism is the exalted study of mindâs force upon the worldâa faculty for those who perceive reality as a latticework of interpretations, symbols, and hidden truths. Practitioners, called Noeticists, become masters of intellect incarnate. Through sheer cognitive discipline, they unravel mental mysteries, impose their visions upon reality, and tamper with the very framework of memory and perception. To study Noeticism is to hold both oneself and the multiverse to the scrutiny of perfect reason.
Noeticismâs Sphere: At its core, Noeticism governs the arts of knowledge, mental manipulation, and illusion. Noeticists wield spells that bridge minds, read hidden thoughts, and shatter falsehoods as easily as bone. Using disciplined reason, they seize upon the architecture of sentienceâclouding awareness with figments, assaulting foes with psychic force, or constructing mental bulwarks that stand unbroken against intrusion and deception. With the same elegance, Noeticists extract secrets from memory, weave illusions that disturb the senses, and conjure runes and patterns that encode their intellect into reality itself.
Attribute Association: Noeticism is inexorably tied to Intelligence. As sharp minds define mortals at their brightest, so too do Noeticists pursue insight, innovation, and the precision of intellect sharpened upon the whetstone of the arcane.
Applications & Traditions: To a Noeticist, thought is a tool, a weapon, and a shield:
- Enchantment: Manipulating or dominating the minds of othersâfostering alliances, instilling courage or fear, revealing or rewriting memories, or clouding intentions in polished deception.
- Illusion: Crafting intricate phantasms, sensorial deceits, or mental projections that shape the subjective world, sow confusion, or illuminate hidden truths with guiding visions.
- Psionics: Invoking psychic energy for telepathy, telekinesis (on a mental rather than purely forceful level), safeguarding thoughts, and projecting consciousness between bodies or into the aether.
Archetypal Noeticist spells include Thought Probe, Cerebral Lance, Veil of Lies, Mnemonic Imprint, and Rune of Comprehension âeach a testament to mastery over cognition and cunning.
Philosophy & Roots: To claim Noeticism is to seek supremacy through understanding. Noeticists are often scholars, oracles, scribe-mages, or psionic savants, delving ceaselessly into study and debate. They regard the mind as the foremost frontier, and knowledge as both prize and paramount defense. The greatest among them can craft new axioms from mere speculation, rewriting the limits of what a mindâand magicâmay do.
Conjurors of Thought: Where other mages hurl elemental fury or mend wounded flesh, Noeticists wage war and make peace in the shifting expanse of thought. On the battlefield, they bewilder and expose. At court, they glean your secrets almost before you know them yourself. In the sanctum, they populate all reality with splendors plucked straight from a wellspring of ordered imagination.
âAll power is the power of the mind. Noeticists suffer only a single weakness: the boundaries they have not yet reasoned beyond.â
Animism
Commune with Spirits, Channel Natureâs Pulse, Perceive the Hidden Currents of the World
Animism is the discipline of connectionâan arcane art rooted in intuition, spiritual resonance, and harmonious dialogue with the myriad unseen forces that breathe within all things. Animists, attuned to the rhythms of existence, entwine their own souls with the wild and the ethereal. Their MGC is not forced, but invited; not dominance, but attunement and understanding. With a whisper or a plea, they awaken the worldâs hidden allies and unveil truths that elude the unheeding.
Animismâs Sphere: At heart, Animism encompasses the subtle magics of perception, communion, and elemental sympathy. Animists sense omens in the wind and whispers beneath the earth; they read the mood of untamed places and the intent of animals with uncanny certainty. Spiritsâbe they ancestral, natural, or elementalâanswer their summons, lending aid or insight. The Animistâs MGC shields against intangible threats, forecasts danger, commands the respect of beasts and fey, and channels the primeval powers infused within the land itself. Healing, too, comes by way of Animism, restoring soul and spirit, not only flesh.
Attribute Association: Animism stands in resonance with Wisdomâthe deep current of mindful perception, gut instinct, and unyielding will. Animists train themselves to listen to the worldâs quiet voice and respond to truths hidden beyond sight and sound.
Applications & Traditions: Animism is a tapestry of spiritual and natural magic:
- Divination: Peering past the mundane to glimpse hidden knowledge, augury, or the veiled intentions and presences of surroundings. This includes scrying and prophetic insight inspired by communion with spirits.
- Conjuration: Calling forth spirit allies, nature elementals, ancestral guardians, or even the animating force of a glade or mountain. These bonds are built on mutual respect and exchange.
- Attunement and Warding: Empowering senses, reading macro-geometric auras, creating protective circles against extraplanar or ghostly invasion, and restoring or rebalancing spiritual harmony within people and places.
- Restoration: Purifying maladies that afflict the soul and patching the boundary between the living and the unseen, sometimes mending maladies that stymie other forms of macro-geometric or mundane healing.
Common Animist spells include Spirit Invocation, Natureâs Voice, Ward Against the Unseen, Eyes of the Owl, and Elemental Pact, reflecting the boundless relationship between caster and the living world.
Philosophy & Roots: The path of Animism invites humility and respect. Flickers of wisdom are as likely to rise from the sighing forest or the quiet counsel of ancestor-spirits as from dusty tomes. Many Animists hail from druidic circles, tribal shamans, wandering hermits, or philosophical seekers exploring the boundary between self and world. Ultimately, Animism is a living traditionâits truth is found outside walls and in the pulse that binds all things, seen and unseen.
Mystics of Connection: Other mages command; Animists commune. Amid times of strife, they call the forestâs wrath, or shield a village with ancestral blessing. In moments of calm, they listenâand the worldâs mysteries reveal themselves in return.
âListen deeply. The stoneâs patience, the riverâs laughter, and the whispers of forgotten kinâthese are the wisdom of Animism, and the sorcerous song of all things.â
Thelism
Impose Will, Inspire Fealty, Bend Reality with the Force of Presence
Thelism is the arcane mastery of dominance, inspiration, and conviction: the force of will that shapes mortal and metaphysical realms alike. Practitioners of this faculty, known as Thelists, wield their personalities as keenly as a blade, forging pacts, conjuring awe, and warping the hearts of those within their sphere. In their hands, the nature of belief and command becomes an instrumentâempowering MGC that charms, compels, and binds, or even infuses the very fabric of reality with the indomitable stamp of self.
Thelismâs Sphere: Thelism is the MGC of influence and proclamation. Thelists reach into the inner natures of others, turning foes into fervent allies or sowing terror with a word. Their spells can conjure the intangible: a commanderâs aura bolsters legions, a whispered curse undoes empires, and a mere demand tangles fate itself. Wherever relationships, faiths, or hierarchies dwell, Thelists find their stageâdrawing on the energies of desire, loyalty, and fear to reshape the worldâs consensus. From forging contracts with powerful beings to blessing (or dooming) the hearts of cities, their MGC commands attention and compels obedience.
Attribute Association: Thelism finds root and resonance in Charisma, the attribute of presence and persuasiveness. Thelist mages manifest their inner force with uncanny magnetism, their voice and convictions shaping not only opinion but, on the arcane level, the laws of MGC and fate.
Applications & Traditions: Thelist MGC is both invitation and edict:
- Enchantment: Casts of charm, compulsion, fear, or emotional manipulation can win the hearts or shatter the morale of individuals and crowds alike; truths can be laid bare or concealed behind masterful falsehoods.
- Abjuration: From shining auras that repel evil by sheer resolve, to sacred oaths that bind spirits or ward sanctuaries against trespass, Thelists distill the power of belief into macro-geometric fortresses and geas.
- Ritual Influence: Blessing or cursing with the force of legend, enacting rituals that sway communities, and formally binding outsiders through force of pact or word.
Signature spells include Commanding Word, Aura of Majesty, Compelling Geas, Zone of Truth, and Shadowed Presence, conjuring miracles from the interplay of trust, fear, and devotion.
Philosophy & Roots: Thelism is the study of connection and commandâthe revelation that reality is bent as much by will, belief, and emotion as by laws of nature or mind. Many Thelists begin as orators, leaders, or visionaries, learning that with each fervent speech or loyal oath they blur the line between inspiration and compulsion. Whether as charismatic priests, cunning summoners, or forceful monarch-mages, their MGC is rooted in a belief: belief changes worlds.
Commanders of Fate: Thelist power reaches where arm and mind falter: into the hearts of mortals, the allegiance of spirits, and the shifting eddies of collective conviction. In courts and battlefields, rituals and revolutions, Thelists stand at the vanguardârewriting destiny itself with glamour, conviction, and commanding presence.
âFaith moves mountains, fear topples kings, and desire kindles miracles. Thelism is the art of awakening all threeâand ruling what they ignite.â
Thaumatism
Transcend Schools, Rewrite Spellcraft, Touch the Essence of Magic Itself
Thaumatism is the rarest, most enigmatic branch of wizardry: a faculty of metamagic, devoted to the art and science of MGC itself. Those who walk this pathâThaumatistsâare spell-shapers and arcanists without peer, wielding the keys to the structure of spells and the flow of raw mana. Where others specialize in elemental command or the weaving of particular manifestations, Thaumatists operate in the liminal space between all magics, bending, amplifying, and unmaking energies at their most fundamental level. Their true talent is not to do more, but to do almost anythingâby understanding how MGC works.
Thaumatismâs Sphere: Thaumatism is the faculty of possibilitiesâthe manipulation of the spellcasting process and the transformation of arcane potential itself. Thaumatists do not conjure fire or command spirits directly, but recast spells to new purposes, weave disparate effects together, or unravel enchantments at their roots. They manipulate range, power, and durability, splice new properties into existing formulas, and impose their will on the subtle latticework of all magic. In their hands, a spark becomes a storm or vanishes into nothing; a single spell can echo endlessly, or a curse be turned back upon its author.
Attribute Association: Unique among the faculties, Thaumatism is governed by Manaârepresenting an individualâs attunement to the very force of magic, their capacity to withstand and channel spellwork without collapse or corruption. For the Thaumatist, Mana is both resource and paradigm: the invisible current guiding all acts of spellcraft.
Applications & Traditions: Thaumatists specialize in the manipulation of macro-geometric fundamentals, both as architect and critic:
- Metamagic: Modifying existing spellsâextending their reach, increasing potency, hastening casting, dulling or intensifying effects, or seamlessly combining multiple macro-geometric effects.
- Dispellation: Unraveling or countering other spells with surgical precision, suppressing enchantments, undoing curses, or warding MGC against disruption or theft.
- Spellcraft Innovation: Emulating foreign faculties, echoing recently-cast spells, or reworking macro-geometric signatures for unique, often unpredictable, effects. Spell forking, feedback manipulation, backlash redirection, and safeguard layering showcase the Thaumatistâs boundless repertoire.
Quintessential Thaumatist spells include MetaMGC Surge, Spellwarp, Arcane Safeguard, Nullification Field, and Mana Confluence, each a demonstration of transcendent macro-geometric ingenuity rather than brute force or tradition.
Philosophy & Roots: To study Thaumatism is to humbly acknowledge the infinite diversity of all MGC and to crave mastery of its architecture. Thaumatists are scholars, theorists, improvisers, and sometimes heretics, often emerging from arcane academies as spellcrafters, artifact-artisans, or macro-geometric duelists. Their ethos: there are no limits to magic, only boundaries not yet set aside or laws not yet rewritten.
Artisans of the Impossible: Unlike specialists obsessed with one river of power, Thaumatists sail the confluenceâtaming, twisting, and rechanneling the mighty tide. Where traditions end, their art begins: in the heat of battle, the walls of lost libraries, or the heart of macro-geometric cyclones, Thaumatists unravel, amplify, or birth magics unimagined by any conventional school. To duel a Thaumatist is to duel the ever-shifting laws of the arcane itself.
âAny spell, given enough insight and will, becomes clay within my hands. The only limits to MGC are those accepted by those too timid to reforge it.â