Magic
Your capabilities are not constrained by your abilities—especially when it comes to magic. Your existing magical abilities are a suggestion of what is possible with your magic, or they represent some kind of special effect you wouldn’t be able to perform otherwise.
Each type of magic is different in what it can or can’t do. Some are tied to matter manipulation, while others are more effective at healing or causing harm. The game master (GM) has final say on what is possible. However, you should try to experiment as much as possible.
Aura Magic
Aura Magic has to do with the manipulation of essence as an extension of the self. In this context, essence is also known as aura, ch’i, ki, soul, or chakra. With Aura Magic, a person can enhance their physical capabilities to jump higher and run faster, project their essence to damage the essence of others, or even manipulate essence to heal physical wounds.
Blood Magic
As a subset of psi magic and spirit magic, Blood Magic allows cybermancers to use the energy inherit in all living beings to push their magic beyond its limits. Blood magic users may even use their own lifeblood or the lifeblood of others to gain vitality and power.
Divine Magic
Divine Magic is embodied by holy light and is most effective at healing. It can restore wounds, remove ailments, and abate the effects of some of the worst known diseases. It can also be used as an offensive weapon to burn or blind targets with searing light.
Earth Magic
Earth Magic is a subset of elemental magic with a focus on controlling earth-based matter, such as rock, dirt, sand, or metal. A person with Earth Magic can still perform elemental magic, but they are strongest when manipulating earth-based matter.
Elemental Magic
At its core, Elemental Magic is about matter manipulation. Everything in the universe is made up of subatomic particles. Elemental Magic has the power to control these particles to perform feats of magic on a macro scale—such as moving rocks, shifting air currents, extinguishing fires, or redirecting rivers. Elemental Magic is not effective on organic entities and similar beings, since their physical form is held cohesive by essence—which Elemental Magic cannot manipulate.
Fire Magic
As a subset of elemental magic, Fire Magic is focused on manipulating the energy of matter. Rather than manipulating the matter itself, Fire Magic looks to create, extinguish, and manipulate heat, fire, and flames. An elemental magic user with Fire Magic can still perform elemental magic, but they are strongest when manipulating the energy of matter.
As a subset of psi magic, Fire Magic is focused on the manifestation of heat, fire, and flame into existence via the subtle manipulation of reality. A psi magic user with Fire Magic can still perform psi magic, but they are strongest when manifesting heat, fire, and flame.
Frost Magic
As a subset of psi magic, Frost Magic is focused on the manifestation of cold, frost, and ice into existence via the subtle manipulation of reality. A psi magic user with Frost Magic can still perform psi magic, but they are strongest when manifesting cold, frost, and ice.
As a subset of spirit magic, Frost Magic is focused on draining the inherent energy within essence to accelerate entropy. A spirit magic user with Frost Magic can still perform spirit magic, but they are strongest when draining energy from essence.
Lightning Magic
Lightning Magic is a subset of psi magic with a focus on manifesting energy in the form of electricity via the subtle manipulation of reality. A psi magic user with Lightning Magic can still perform psi magic, but they are strongest when manifesting electricity.
Primal Magic
Primal Magic has to do with the natural world—flora, fauna, and anything else organic whose building blocks are powered by nature. Primal Magic is most effective at allowing its users to communicate with the natural world. By communicating with nature, they can use plant growth to heal wounds, swarm their opponents with aggressive animals, or affect major changes to the natural world around them. The power of Primal Magic is limited to communication with flora and fauna.
Psi Magic
Psi Magic is incredibly versatile, allowing anyone who uses it to perform incredible feats of magic, such as:
- Animation
- Cryokinesis
- Mind Control
- Precognition
- Psychokinesis
- Pyrokinesis
- Remote Projection
- Telepathy
- Teleportation
At its core, Psi Magic is about the manipulation of reality. A Psi Magic user can imagine something to be real, and Psi Magic will manifest that reality for them. From moving things around to controlling another’s mind, there’s little Psi Magic can’t do. However, it is most effective as an offensive magic. It’s nearly impossible to heal wounds or remove ailments using Psi Magic. More often than not, Psi Magic actually corrupts its users the more they use it.
Shadow Magic
As a subset of psi magic, Shadow Magic is focused on the manifestation and manipulation of darkness. A psi magic user with Shadow Magic can still perform psi magic, but they are strongest when manipulating darkness and vile intent.
As a subset of spirit magic, Shadow Magic is focused on manipulating darkness and vile intent to overwhelm the essence of others with feelings of despair. A spirit magic user with Shadow Magic can still perform spirit magic, but they are strongest when manipulating darkness and vile intent.
Spirit Magic
Spirit Magic has to do with the manipulation of essence as a substance in of itself. Essence is what makes life possible, and Spirit Magic uses that fact to cause harm, cleanse ailments, and imbue fear into others. Spirit Magic users are also able to communicate with spirit remnants—sapient essence left behind when someone or something dies.
Storm Magic
Storm Magic is a subset of elemental magic with a focus on controlling sky-based matter, such as gas and water vapour, as well as the manipulation of the energy of matter to create electricity. A person with Storm Magic can still perform elemental magic, but they are strongest when manipulating sky-based matter and the energy of matter to create electricity.
The Impact of Magic
Those that study magic understand its potential for creation—as well as its ability for destruction. For all others, magic is a mysterious and often intimidating phenomena. Not all cultures vilify magic, but almost all civilised beings regard magic with caution. For this reason, there’s a chance that using magic in the presence of some non-player entities (NPCs) will worsen their disposition. While you can choose to use your magic with subtlety, the use of magic is often very noticeable. How noticeable is something you should decide during Session 0.