Spell Specializations
Some spells can only be understood within the context of a specific field of study. Whether because they have intricacies that are indiscipherable to those who aren't familiar with the fundamental concepts of their associated field or because they require additional actions or components that would be unfamiliar to the typical spellcaster. Whatever the case may be, these highly specialized spells can only be learned by those who have invested significant effort into their study.
Alkemancy Magic Spells
Blood Magic Spells
Chaos Magic Spells
Illumination Magic Spells
Labyrinth Magic Spells
Mythos Magic Spells
Temporal Magic Spells
Winter Magic Spells
These specializations are different from subclasses because they are not quite as involved for the player. They generally do not grant additional mechanical benefits or battlefield prowess through study. These are just sets of spells that can only be invoked by a spellcaster who intimately understands the principles and methodologies of their type. Consult your GM to determine whether your character might know one or more of these specialized magics. Typically, a player can expect that adding a specialization to their class will involve finding a teacher of the specialty and some form of substantial monetary investment. There may also be a need for a time investment, meaning it could take more than a few sessions of roleplay before the new specialization can become a part of their repertoire. It is also reasonable to request that your character know a specialization as a part of their background, thus entering the campaign with some additional knowledge.
Alkemancy Magic
Too many arcane spellcasters and scholars view alchemy as magic’s poor second cousin—an academic pursuit with practical applications, but still nothing that wizards with real talent would devote serious time or effort to. While alchemy can achieve astounding, even nearly miraculous feats, it’s always been overshadowed by the power and versatility of arcane magic. Because alchemy requires extensive preparation and forethought, adventurers tend to prefer the flexibility and immediacy of spellcasting.In some areas, a branch of alchemy is practiced that surpasses the simple alchemy familiar to the rest of the world. Known as magical chemistry, or simply alkemancy, this discipline delves into the properties of common alchemical substances, such as brimstone and salt, and the means by which they can be used to achieve physical and metaphysical transformation in objects and creatures on levels unseen in most lands. Alkemancy practitioners combine their understanding of alchemical reagents and elixirs with their knowledge of spellcraft to create new and formidable magical effects.
Even more than this, though, alkemancy embodies a unique philosophy of life and nature. Alkemancers don’t concoct useful potions and philters as an end in itself. Ultimately, they seek to expand their minds past mortal limits, or even to achieve true immortality, and alkemancy is simply the path they follow in pursuit of that goal.
Transmuters and alkemancers belong to similar schools of thought. But where transmuters have little use for alchemy and its secrets, preferring to rely on brute magical force to achieve their aims—at least, that’s the opinion held by traditional alchemists—alkemancers combine extensive knowledge of alchemy with the many ways that the six fundamental essences can be applied to arcane magic.
The power of alkemancy resides within the six fundamental essences: brimstone, lead, quicksilver, quintessence, salt, and void salt. These essences parallel the four standard elements, as well as the two more esoteric elements of metal and void, but are unique to alchemy.
- Brimstone. The yellow of brimstone (otherwise known as sulfur) represents activity, energy, and masculinity, and it’s related to the sun, volcanoes, and elemental fire. Brimstone is a destructive essence present in small amounts in explosives, various acids, and in substances such as alchemist’s fire.
- Lead. Also erroneously referred to as antimony (a different metal that lead is sometimes combined with), lead represents coldness and heaviness, transformation, and the removal of impurities in objects and creatures. It is associated with broader elemental metals and is often called the oldest or first metal. Lead is reactive and can be toxic in various forms over long periods of exposure— useful qualities in lingering poisons and slow-acting corrosives. It’s used as a component in many alchemical creations and supplies.
- Quicksilver. Also known as mercury, this silvery metal represents passivity, femininity, and malleability. It’s associated with elemental water and the moon. Quicksilver is seen as a creative essence despite its passive nature. It’s also a lethal poison, much faster-acting than lead, for example. A fluid dram of refined quicksilver is occasionally used in vials of both alchemical poisons and antitoxins.
- Quintessence. One of the rarest and most mysterious of the six fundamental essences, quintessence represents thought, life, and spirit. It is distantly related to elemental air; in its commonest form, it appears as a vaporous, silvery liquid. Quintessence is never used in common alchemical items, largely because it’s one of the most difficult of the essences to obtain and it dissipates as soon as it’s exposed to air. Alkemancers are always keen to find viable substitutes for quintessence in their concoctions.
- Salt. The most common of the six fundamental essences is salt, which represents matter, physicality, and the human body. It is closely related to elemental earth. Purified salt is used in many common alchemical items, and solutions of salt are used widely in mundane and supernatural formulas and rituals.
- Void Salt. Dull black crystals distilled from the blood of slain creatures of the Void, the substance known as Void salt takes its name from its granular appearance. Void salt is associated with dissolution, entropy, and madness. It is a dangerous substance to work with, because merely touching it with bare skin deals 1 necrotic damage. Anyone intending to work with Void salt should wear gloves of metal or thick leather, and even those substances corrode soon after coming in contact with Void salt unless they’re protected with an anti-necrotic energy coating. The use of Void salt is reserved for rare alchemical concoctions, mainly acids, poisons, and explosives.
Alkemancy Magic Spells
Angelic Magic
The heavenly planes shine with light and power, as deities both benevolent and stern look down from their thrones. Without question, the most powerful of those gods’ servants are the angels. Angels carry the word of their creators to mortal ears and bring down their righteous blades against creatures of darkness. These entities are mighty beyond mortal ken, and their very names seethe with the essence of creation. The secrets of harnessing the power of the angels are hidden within those names, and a select few mortals have learned how to realize that potential.The first angelic seals and wards were passed to worthy mortals as rewards for their sacrifice and valor in the service of light, and as weapons to be used in the struggle against the fiendish hordes. An angelic seal is the written form of the true name of an angel, inscribed on an object or a surface in a particular way to draw on the essence of that angel’s power. That power flows through the written representation and into the individual who carries it, or into a location that bears a ward. The angel isn’t harmed or hindered when a fraction of its power is siphoned this way, but it does notice, and woe befalls any wicked soul who steals the secret of a seal and misuses its power.
VARIANT RULE: VIRTUOUS CASTERS
Angelic spells are principally intended to be used by good‑aligned spellcasters, though nothing prevents non‑good casters from learning them. As an optional rule, the DM can declare that a non-good caster of angelic spells can gradually become more inclined toward a good alignment, provided that the caster uses such magic frequently for non-evil purposes.
Seals and wards aren’t the only expressions of angelic power available to mortals. In the ages since the first angelic names were carved into earthly forms, the battles between light and darkness have tested the limits of the heavenly host. In the wake of these struggles, mortal practitioners experimented with variations on the seals and found ways to isolate the power of the angels and shape it into spells.
Angelic spells are principally intended to be used by good‑aligned spellcasters, though nothing prevents non‑good casters from learning them. As an optional rule, the DM can declare that a non-good caster of angelic spells can gradually become more inclined toward a good alignment, provided that the caster uses such magic frequently for non-evil purposes.
The alignment of a spellcaster who satisfies that condition while advancing through two levels of experience moves from evil to neutral or from neutral to good (at the player's option, for a player character). After gaining an additional four levels, a caster who started out evil can move from neutral to good.
Angelic magic has no effect on the lawful or chaotic component of a caster's alignment.
Knowledge of angelic spells is rare, and it’s not possible for a spellcaster to develop or learn these esoteric spells without being trained in these specialized practices. Occasionally, the powers of light make a gift of a particular spell to a favored champion. Also, tomes containing the notes and experiments of the first angelic scribes still exist in hidden libraries and forgotten shrines.
A spellcaster fortunate enough to discover an angelic spell in written form can gain access to it through study. The usual method of gaining this access is through the pursuit of the angelic scribe wizard specialty. Angelic scribes preserve the knowledge embodied in the angels’ names and pass those secrets to their apprentices so the forces of good will always be able to wield their mightiest weapons in times of need.
Angelic Magic Spells
Blood Magic
Blood is life, and blood magic is closely tied to the dark gods, blood sacrifices, and malevolent casters. Typically, this style of magic is found among vengeful druids, dark magical societies, cultists of forbidden gods, and lone arcane practitioners with a wanton disregard for others.Blood Magic Spells
Chaos Magic
There exists a form of raw arcane power with no rules or structure—only an unthinking addiction to changing the reality with which it comes into contact. This force is known as chaos magic. Those who learn to channel this energy eventually expand and aid this magic in its chaos; to master it, though, chaos demands an emotional price of extreme highs and lows. An eccentric lifestyle or even full-on madness is common among chaos magic specialists, who are collectively known as chaos mages.Chaos Magic Spells
Clockwork Magic
Clockwork magic is a style of magic from the Midgard Campaign Setting, divinely granted to humans and dwarves by the goddess Rava, patron of industry and mistress of time.If you play in Midgard, or if you want to add clockwork magic to your game, this category of magic includes several temporal magic spells and some of the spells described earlier in this book. For additional, specific spells to heal or control clockworks, see the Midgard Heroes Handbook.
A wizard who embraces clockwork magic can use the find familiar spell in a special way. A small clockwork device in the form of an animal (worth 10 gp) is substituted for the spell’s usual material component. The device must resemble one of the allowable animals listed in the spell. When the casting is complete, the clockwork animates. It has the statistics of the chosen animal form, but is a construct, rather than a beast.
A clockwork familiar’s form can be changed by rebuilding the clockwork device into a new form of animal and casting the spell again. If the familiar is destroyed, it can be rebuilt (in the same form or a new one) with the same components, if they are recovered; otherwise, 10 gp must be spent on replacement parts.
Clockwork Magic Spells
Dark Magic
Although it is possible that some of these spells will find their way into the hands of spellcasting player characters, most good-aligned characters might (understandably) have doubts about using magic fueled by bloodletting, the forces of the Void, or the Elder Gods. How far the GM allows player characters to progress along this dark path is an individual decision, but it should be clear from the nature of the material that anyone who uses these purely maleficent forms of magic must be prepared to accept the unpleasant and sometimes debilitating consequences.The tradition of apocalypse magic is one road that evil wizards and other arcane casters can follow to power. It also leads clerics and prophets into the service of ambitious, destructive deities.
Entropy is sometimes seen as synonymous with death and the end of days. In truth, it’s a facet of nature as inescapable as the four elements and the laws of alchemy. Doomsday cults relish the approaching apocalypse, espousing love while threatening damnation for unbelievers; kings and lords threaten to tear down all of civilization just to add a new province to their realms.
Apocalypse magic isn’t widely practiced, because of its inherent destructiveness. At the same time, practitioners can be found in a vast variety of situations. Devotees of dark lords, emissaries of hostile interplanar beings, leaders of vicious cults, and a host of other villainous threats might be workers of apocalypse magic.
When and where this branch of magic originated is unknown. Some scholars see it as the ultimate expression of natural law, while others consider it a divine gift or the manifestation of a chaotic deity’s will. Whatever its source, apocaplyse magic’s potential to harm, weaken, terrify, and empower makes it one of the most dangerous magical arts.
Dark Magic Spells
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Dragon Magic
Some scholars believe that true magic springs only from deep inside an individual creature, such as a dragon or a demon, and those possessing bloodlines from such terrible creatures can tap their personal magical stores. Others speculate that magic comes only from other planes of existence or from the gods themselves.The truth is that magic comes from several sources, and powerful beings can utilize any wellspring of magic to craft spells and fuel seemingly miraculous effects. One of the first creatures to master all types of magic were the majestic and terrible dragons. Although they were capable of controlling the elements and inducing terrible fear, they also mastered more subtle magic. They wove a tapestry of magic into their homes, giving their lairs innate defenses. They taught their servants, from humans to kobolds to elves, how to make use of the magic that permeated the atmosphere. And they also passed on to their kin—both true dragons and lesser creatures—the kind of magic that roiled in blood and bone.
Dragon magic is a distinct branch of arcane study, founded in the Draconic language and in an elemental understanding of arcane forces.
Dragon Magic Spells
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Elven Ritual Magic
When the elves first developed their magic long ago, the spells they learned to use were all cast as rituals. Over time, researchers who came later discovered how to cast most spells more quickly and with greater potency—at the expense of sapping their energy and leaving them in need of recuperation.Some of the original elven rituals are still being taught and used today—and just as in the distant past, they can be cast only as rituals. That aspect of their nature sets them apart from all other spells, because it means that anyone who can cast one of these spells can do so repeatedly, without needing to draw on enough of their inner power to deplete their magical ability.
- Ritual Focus. Another quality unique to elven ritual magic is the ability of the caster to call upon inner reserves and expend extra effort to improve or enhance the effect of an elven ritual spell. This extra effort is represented by the caster’s ritual focus. Each of the spell descriptions ends with a paragraph that explains the effect of expending the ritual focus on the casting of that spell.Unlike a normal spellcasting focus, a ritual focus is not an object; it’s a state of mind. And once this mental energy has been expended, a caster’s ritual focus can’t be used again until he or she finishes a short or long rest.To expend a ritual focus, pay twice the cost of the material component in the ritual. This might represent the material component’s construction of higher-quality materials, or it might simply mean using more of the listed material component, whichever is most appropriate. If a ritual’s material component normally does not cost any gold, to expend its ritual focus, spend 100 gp.
- Group Spellcasting. The final aspect unique to elven ritual magic is the ability of the caster to enlist the aid of other casters to increase the effectiveness of the spell. When the primary caster casts the spell, each aiding caster must expend a 1st or higher spell slot during the ritual, though only the primary caster needs to have the elven ritual spell on their spell list. An aiding caster can be of any level, so long as the aiding caster can cast spells of 1st level or higher. Casters that can’t normally cast ritual spells, such as sorcerers and paladins, can still aid the primary caster.
RITUAL CASTER OR NOT?
Elven ritual magic can be incorporated into the game in one of two ways, depending mainly on whether the GM uses the rules for feats. If so, then it might be necessary for a character to have the Ritual Caster feat before any of these spells can be employed. If not, then — unless the GM decides otherwise — a character can cast any of these spells as normal, provided that they appear on his or her spell list.
Elven Ritual Magic Spells
Elven ritual magic can be incorporated into the game in one of two ways, depending mainly on whether the GM uses the rules for feats. If so, then it might be necessary for a character to have the Ritual Caster feat before any of these spells can be employed. If not, then — unless the GM decides otherwise — a character can cast any of these spells as normal, provided that they appear on his or her spell list.
Fiendish Magic
Any mortal in the world can be evil by choice, or can be forced into performing evil acts. The same cannot be said for certain denizens of other planes, particularly demons and devils. These fiends are not only innately evil—no choice about it for them, no forcing needed—but also the very personification of evil.Some spellcasters take up the practice of a certain kind of magic that enables them to emulate or interact with those fiends, or to protect themselves from being annihlated by the evil creatures they revere. The largest repertoire of fiendish magic belongs to evil wizards, but like-minded clerics, sorcerers, and warlocks can also traffic in these spells.
Fiendish Magic Spells
Illumination Magic
Illumination magic concerns both the manipulation of light and observations of the heavens. Its practitioners have been likened to elemental specialists who have an affinity for light instead of fire, earth, air, or water. Naturally, these individuals are anathema to creatures and spellcasters that lurk in places where darkness and shadow hold sway.Illumination Magic Spells
Labyrinth Magic
The minotaurs created what they call “labyrinth magic” long ago, a result of their fascination with and mastery of mazes. Spells of this sort tend to involve elements of confusion, dimensional manipulation, and the strengthening of the minotaur’s natural weapons. They are rarely taught to outsiders.Labyrinth Magic Spells
Mythos Magic
The work of author H. P. Lovecraft—the so-called “Cthulhu mythos”—has been a cornerstone of RPG storytelling since E. Gary Gygax immortalized its influence in his “Inspirational and Educational Reading” list. Taking its name from Lovecraft’s famous story, “The Call of Cthulhu,” the mythos has become the backdrop for a subgenre of fiction sometimes called cosmic horror. At the foundation of cosmic horror are two ideas: that the human mind is too tiny and weak to comprehend more than the barest glimmer of the vastness of the universe and the alien mysteries it contains; and that among those mysteries are entities so ancient, powerful, and malevolent that they could extinguish Earth’s insignificant civilization without caring or even noticing.With that in mind, this section explores those “hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars” that Lovecraft and his contemporaries pioneered in their strange fiction. Herein you will find a host of forbidden secrets and eldritch lore; a clandestine sort of magic that is full of both cosmic potential and horrific consequences, and knowledge of which erodes the sanity of all who pursue it.
Essence of the Void
The spells in this category resemble Void magic in that they harness the power of the Void, but they are not beholden to it. Mythos magic uses the Great Old Ones as a conduit for its power, while Void magic originates from the Void itself (a place of negation and emptiness that devours the cosmos, not an entity).Mythos spells can be learned by anyone with magical aptitude—any character who has the ability to cast spells can add mythos spells to their spell list. All other characters can acquire a mythos spell only if they learn it from one of the forbidden and furtive tomes of the Cthulhu mythos or see the spell being cast.
But this power comes at great risk. Casters of mythos magic literally exchange their sanity for magical ability. Unless a character is protected by great Wisdom or a bulwark of arcane wards, using these spells will certainly lead to madness.
Flesh Warps
d10 | Effect (Lasts Until Cured) |
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1 | Barbed Hide. Spiny barbs protrude from the creature’s skin. Any creature grappling the affected creature takes 2d4 piercing damage at the start of its turn. The affected creature experiences constant pain while wearing armor or heavy clothing, giving it disadvantage on Dexterity checks made under those conditions. The creature has disadvantage on Deception and Persuasion checks unless the barbs are hidden from sight (which might require covering the creature’s face, at the GM’s discretion). |
2 | Eyeless. The creature’s eyes rot away, vanish (leaving behind smooth flesh), or otherwise become useless. The creature permanently gains the blinded condition. This condition can’t be removed without curing this flesh warp. The creature’s other senses are enhanced by the Void, granting it blindsight out to a range of 10 feet as long as the creature can hear. |
3 | Gleaming Skin. The creature’s skin takes on a waxy, unnatural sheen. It might be pale, translucent, or even crystalline in appearance. The gleam grants other creatures advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to locate the creature by sight. If the creature is in bright light when it is the target of a melee attack, it can use its reaction to add 1 to its Armor Class if the attacker can see its skin. |
4 | Pliant Bones. The creature’s skeleton becomes cartilaginous and pliable. The creature can move through a space as narrow as 6 inches wide without squeezing (provided the creature isn’t wearing rigid armor), and the creature’s Strength is reduced by 2. |
5 | Prehensile Tail. The creature grows a 3-foot-long prehensile tail. The creature can use the tail to make one melee weapon attack with a simple weapon weighing 2 pounds or less, or to make one unarmed strike that deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + the creature’s Strength modifier. The creature has disadvantage on Acrobatics checks. |
6 | Proboscis. The creature’s mouth mutates into a long, tubular organ like the maw of a mosquito, moth, or worm. The creature loses the ability to speak and has disadvantage on Deception and Persuasion checks unless the proboscis is hidden from sight. The creature can use the proboscis to make a blood-draining melee weapon attack. The attack roll can be made using Strength or Dexterity; a hit deals piercing damage equal to 1d4 + the creature’s Strength modifier, and the creature becomes attached to the target. While attached, the creature can’t attack but deals the attack’s damage automatically to the creature it is attached to. The creature can detach by spending 5 feet of movement. The creature being attacked or one of its allies within 5 feet of it can free the creature from the proboscis automatically by using an action to do so. |
7 | Sentient Tumors. Large cystic tumors sprout from the creature’s shoulder, arm, or back. These growths are sentient and emit a weak psychic field. The character’s mind cannot be read telepathically or affected by divination spells. If the character takes psychic damage, however, he or she must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effects of a confusion spell for 1 minute. The character also has disadvantage on Deception and Persuasion checks unless the tumors are hidden from sight. |
8 | Stench. The creature exudes the stink of rotting flesh, acrid chemicals, sickly sweet perfume, or some other odious aroma. Any other creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the affected creature must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature’s next turn. This stink clings to any objects that remain in the creature’s possession for at least 24 hours. Attempting to sell any such object might be impossible, or yields only half the normal price at best. Food in the creature’s possession spoils after 24 hours. |
Mythos Magic Spells
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Ring Magic
Dwarves are renowned as shapers of the physical world. Earth, stone, and metal bend to the will of dwarven hammers. It’s easy to assume that because dwarves have such great skill at shaping material, they must lack the time and energy to become masters of the arcane, too— but that assumption is wrong. Taking unformed matter and shaping it to conform to one’s will is an effective way of blending the physical and arcane arts. The dwarves’ greatest magic has come from this effort, as evidenced by the legendary weapons, armor, and implements of war that emerge from their mountain strongholds. Few dwarves pursue the study of magic aside from devotion to their deities, but one discipline bridges the gap between creation and spellcasting: ring magic.Ring magic is the dwarven art of forging metal into rings, often with runes inscribed on their surface, and using those rings to produce or bring about magical effects. Dedicated practitioners known as ring wardens channel their magic through specially prepared rings, increasing the devastation wreaked upon their foes, and they can even imbue spells into rings that they or someone else can unleash later.
Rings created for the purpose of invoking ring magic are more than decorative hand jewelry. They often take the form of circlets of precious metal large enough to adorn a weapon, a staff, or a suit of armor. Wizards who devote themselves to ring magic are rare outside the dwarves’ lands, but they’re instantly recognizable by the ring-adorned staffs they carry.
Although ring magic spells often require a ring of some form as a material component, the effects they produce are quite distinct and variable, from illusions to transmutations and evocations. What they have in common is that dwarves have uncovered a way to bind the effects into rings; the deeper arcane connection between the rings and the spells is sometimes elusive.
Ring Magic Spells
Shadow Magic
Darkness brings a tingle to the spine, reminding us of a time when we felt trapped without light and the darkness itself seemed a companion to fear.When the light goes out, the hair on the back of your neck stands up. Was that the wind, or is something lurking in the dark, waiting to attack you? When nature’s deadliest predators hunt in darkness, their ability to see when we can’t makes us feel weak against their power.
Shadow magic can lend a sinister feel to an NPC, or cast a player character as a cursed hero who uses the power of darkness for good—at the cost of his or her soul. Spellcasters who manipulate shadow draw this mysterious, unsettling energy from alien dimensions and turn it to their own uses.
Shadow Magic Spells
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Temporal Magic
The control and manipulation of time is an esoteric and mysterious branch of magic. Spellcasters who seek to alter time have the potential to perform incredible deeds. That potential is tempered by the great danger of intervening with time, which resists mortal interference. Many gods, too, look unfavorably on those who try to divert or dam the currents of time, and their disfavor should never be taken lightly.Temporal Magic Spells
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Void Magic
Void magic comprises a dangerous offshoot of wizardry that exists in the shadows of the more well-known practices. This form of magic is anathema to existence itself, making it difficult to master and dangerous even to study. Dabblers rarely produce effects more profound than minor injury, property damage, and psychological scars to themselves and those around them. More serious investigations into Void magic can spell disaster. Only alien creatures whose psychology and physiology defy human understanding seem capable of commanding Void magic with relative ease; even beings as anomalous as aboleths respect and fear the power of Void magic.A Void spell can never be added to a wizard’s spellbook as one of the two free spells obtained for gaining a level. To learn a Void magic spell, a wizard must find an NPC who is willing to impart the knowledge, or else discover the spell written on a scroll, in a captured spellbook, or carved on a temple wall, or find it in some other form of recorded lore. Alternatively, if the GM allows it, a character who sees and hears a Void magic spell being cast can add it to his or her spellbook, using the same rules as for transcribing a spell from a scroll.
Despite the unique origin of Void magic, it still functions similarly to other arcane magic on a fundamental level. Void magic follows all the normal rules for spellcasting and is susceptible to dispelling, counterspelling, and antimagic as normal.
Void Speech. Every Void spell has a verbal component—an utterance in the dark syllables of Void Speech—and can’t, under any circumstances, be cast by someone who cannot speak it. The written form of Void Speech is used to create Void glyphs, which are involved in the casting of some Void spells.
Void Magic Spells
Winter Magic
Winter has considerable power, regardless of how it presents itself. In its most obvious manifestation, it is snow and ice driven by howling wind that reduces visibility to zero and covers everything in a frozen shell. Just as dangerous as this overt display of power is winter’s deceptively beautiful form, when an ineffective sun shines brightly on a serene tableau of glistening trees and smooth, powder-coated landscapes. Those who travel unprepared through this misleading peacefulness are liable to end up blinded or frozen.Winter Magic Spells
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