Part VI: The Shape of Magic

Overview

Magic in unGOD Magica manifests through structured systems that practitioners must understand to survive. The Seals provide power reserves; the Formant Imago makes casting visible and identifiable; Risk Class determines cosmic consequences; the Practices define functional capabilities; and Attunements create resource momentum. These interconnected systems shape how magic works, what practitioners can accomplish, and what prices they pay for pushing boundaries.

The Seals

Every practitioner carries the Seals on their body—distinctive markings that appear as patterns on the skin, resembling neither birthmarks nor tattoos but something uniquely arcane. They manifest at birth for those born to magical bloodlines, or appear when latent practitioners undergo awakening (spontaneous or Faerie-induced). The patterns vary individually but share common elements: geometric forms, spiraling lines, interconnected shapes that reference each other across the body like constellations mapped onto flesh.

Function and Mechanics

The Seals serve as power reservoirs—concentrated sources of magical energy distinct from a practitioner's baseline casting capacity. When drawn upon, Seals provide immediate, dramatic access to arcane power: spells requiring careful preparation become instantaneous; effects demanding exhausting effort flow freely. This emergency reserve allows practitioners to exceed their normal limitations during critical moments.

The cost is proportional. Seals drain when used, and they do not refill through rest, meditation, or conventional recovery methods. Only the Moon restores them—specifically, on the night of the full moon, once per month. During lunar restoration, practitioners report sensations of warmth in their markings, faint luminescence, and the return of full capacity. This monthly cycle represents one of the few direct, measurable connections between individual practitioners and the cosmic force governing their world.

The Formant Imago

When a practitioner casts magic, a visible signature manifests—not the spell's effect itself, but the casting process. This personal manifestation is called the Formant Imago, and it is unique to each individual practitioner. The Imago represents the WORD made visible: the fundamental magical identity, the constellation of internal chakras expressing themselves externally.

Manifestation Types

Properties and Implications

Practitioners cannot consciously choose their Formant Imago. It emerges naturally as an expression of fundamental identity—the soul made visible. The Imago can evolve over time if a practitioner undergoes profound personal transformation, but it cannot be controlled, suppressed, or disguised during active casting. When you cast magic, you are seen.

This has significant practical consequences:

• Identification: Experienced practitioners can recognize each other by Imago; it functions as a magical fingerprint
• Tracking: During Walpurgisnacht, when magic becomes open, rivals can follow practitioners across cities by the distinctive trail of their casting
• Intelligence: Bloodlines maintain records of known Imagos; identifying an unknown practitioner's lineage or training becomes possible through Imago analysis
• Psychological Profiling: The nature of one's Imago reveals aspects of personality and magical philosophy; some practitioners use this for strategic assessment

Risk Class and Cosmic Backlash

Magic can accomplish anything. This principle is simultaneously promise and warning. The Risk Class (RC) system categorizes spells by their potential impact on reality, with cosmic consequences scaling proportionally to the magnitude of effects attempted.

Risk Class Classification

Backlash Mechanics

The Practices

Magic divides into Practices—eighteen functional domains describing what spells accomplish rather than how they aesthetically manifest. A Kinetics spell moves objects; a Cognition spell affects minds; a Binding spell summons and constrains entities. The visual and sensory aesthetics are determined by the practitioner's Formant Imago, not the Practice itself.

Complete Practice Overview

Practice Specialization

Practitioners typically specialize in four Practices, developing deep expertise rather than pursuing broad but shallow coverage. Bloodlines possess Affinity Practices—domains where ancestral techniques provide advantages—but no Practice is restricted exclusively to any Familia. Individual talent, personal inclination, and training circumstances influence specialization choices more significantly than lineage alone.

The Attunements

Magic organizes secondarily by Attunement—four suits representing different relationships between practitioner and power. Every spell attunes to one suit: Pikes, Hearts, Diamonds, or Flowers. Attunement matters primarily because of Arcana Assi (singular: Asso)—tokens practitioners earn through exceptional magical success.

Attunement Suit Characteristics

Arcana Assi System

When practitioners achieve exceptional success with spellcasting—rolling critically successful outcomes, executing flawless technique, or accomplishing particularly impressive effects—they earn Assi matching the spell's Attunement. These tokens can subsequently pay casting costs for spells of matching suit, creating a momentum system where skilled performance generates resources enabling further skilled performance.

This resource loop encourages specialization: practitioners who focus on spells within specific Attunements accumulate matching Assi more reliably, enabling increasingly ambitious effects within their chosen domains. The system rewards both breadth (multiple Attunements for flexibility) and depth (single Attunement for explosive capability).

See Also

• Bloodlines and Feuds — Affinity Practices inherited through lineage
• The Moon and the Wish — Cosmic force that restores Seals monthly
• Walpurgisnacht — Competition where Risk Class restrictions progressively unlock
• The Veil and the Masquerade — Secrecy that Formant Imago complicates
• The Rules and the Sabbath — Governance including Risk Class regulations