Categories of Effects

Confused? Consider the following.

Just as electrical energy or mechanical energy can be harnessed to accomplish specific tasks, it is also possible to channel magical energy to accomplish specific results. But while electrical and mechanical energies are limited by physics and other natural sciences, magical energy knows no such mundane boundaries. Magical energies can be channeled to produce any of the following list of effects.

Transformation: When this type of effect is produced, an object or condition is changed to give it different physical properties or new special abilities.

Creation: When this type of effect is produced, an object or condition is created that did not previously exist.

Requisitioning: When this type of effect is produced, an existing object or condition is summoned from a different location.

Paranaturalism: This type of effect involves the manipulation of forces and phenomena that exist beyond the confines of the material world and the laws governing it. (This can also be considered a catch-all category that includes effects not covered in other categories.)

All of the existing schools of magic can be assigned to these categories.

The schools of alteration, enchantment/charm, and abjuration all involve Transformation.

The schools of illusion and invocation/evocation involve Creation.

Conjuration/summoning involves Requisitioning.

Divination and necromancy involve Paranaturalism.

Although some overlapping occurs (for instance, magical energies that Requisition existing objects may Transform them as well), all magic schools channel magical energies to produce the effects defined in these four categories.

What differentiates one school from another is the type of effects produced. For example, both illusion and invocation/evocation channel magical energy for Creation. However, illusions create unreal objects and conditions; invocations create objects and conditions that cause direct physical effects

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