D&D schools of magic

Types[edit]
In the Dungeons & Dragons game, magic is a force of nature and a part of the world. Since the publication of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1977), magic has been divided into two main types: arcane, which comes from the world and universe around the caster, and divine, which is inspired from above (or below): the realms of gods and demons. While there is no mechanical difference between arcane and divine magic, Jeremy Crawford, Co-Lead Designer of the 5th Edition, said:

Bards, sorcerers, warlocks and wizards learn to cast arcane spells, which are typically flashy and powerful. Clerics, druids, rangers and paladins cast divine spells, which draw their power from a deity, from nature, or simply the caster's inner faith. While some spells can be cast by both arcane and divine casters, other spells are limited to one type or the other. Crawford highlighted the thematic difference between divine and arcane magic, where the spell lists for divine spellcasters have fewer destructive spells and instead "tend to be filled with healing magic, magic that protects people. [...] Arcane power at its heart is really in a way about hacking the multiverse". As a result, spell lists for arcane spellcasters have "more spells that change the form of things, transmutation magic that completely alters the shape of something" and "more spells that will just alter reality culminating with the spell of spells wish".

Arcane magic[edit]
These are typically spells devoted to manipulating energy, converting one substance to another, or calling on the services of other creatures. Under the Vancian magic system, wizards would have access to spells that were committed to memory after a session of meditation upon a spellbook containing the details of the incantation. Once prepared, the spell is cast using specific words and/or gestures, and sometimes a specific material component; but the act of casting the spell causes it to fade from the wizard's memory, so that they cannot cast it again without first re-memorizing it. As the 3rd edition moved away from the Vancian magic system, some arcane spellcasters, such as sorcerers and bards, just knew their spells innately.

Sorcerers are innate casters whose magic is influenced by the origin of their arcane connection. "Some sorcerers trace their magic back to a powerful ancestor, like a dragon, a celestial, or a djinni. Others can delineate their magic to an extraplanar source, such as the shrouded lands of the Shadowfell, or the roiling chaos of Limbo". This origin adds both thematic and mechanical constraints on the types of spells a sorcerer can learn.

Bards have access to both destructive and healing spells. The healing aspect is "influenced by Irish mythology" where bards use "music and storytelling to weave together this magic to restore vigor and health to other people". Arcane power can also be accessed by more martial classes in the form of specific subclasses such as the arcane trickster and the eldritch knight in 5th edition.

Divine magic[edit]
Divine spells take their name from the fact that they are mainly granted to clerics by the grace of the cleric's patron deity, although the spells cast by druids, rangers and paladins also come under this category. Divine spells do not need to be prepared from a spell book. These spells are generally less overtly powerful than arcane spells and have fewer offensive applications.

Cleric spells are typically devoted to either healing the wounded, restoring lost abilities, and acquiring blessings, or to inflict harm and to curse opponents. These spells must be prepared by the caster daily through a session of meditation or prayer. Clerics also have the ability either to turn (drive off or destroy) or to rebuke (cow or command) undead, based on their alignment. The spells and abilities of a cleric are based on their deity, as well as their alignment.

Druid spells are typically devoted to communing with nature, interpreting or directing the weather, communicating with creatures and plants, and the like. The druid shares some spells with the cleric, such as some healing spells, and has a number of offensive spells which use the power of nature—calling down lightning storms, for example, or summoning wild animals to fight. They also gain special powers such as shapeshifting; but these are not considered spells and do not need to be prepared.

Paladin and ranger spells are similar to cleric and druid spells, respectively, but they are allowed fewer spells per day, only gain access to lower-level spells, and gain access to them more slowly. Both classes have some unique spells that can be fairly powerful, despite their low level. In compensation for their diminished spellcasting ability, paladins and rangers have a more martial focus than clerics and druids.

In 2nd edition, divine spells were divided into 16 thematic spheres, with clerics, druids and specialty priests gaining access to spells from different spheres. The core spheres are All (generic divine spells), Animal, Astral, Charm, Combat, Creation, Divination, Elemental (optionally divided into Air, Earth, Fire and Water sub-spheres), Healing, Necromancy, Plant, Protection, Summon, Sun and Weather. Tome of Magic (1991) introduced the Chaos, Numbers, Law, Thought, Time, War and Wards spheres. Spheres were not retained in subsequent editions.

Schools of magic[edit]
There are eight classic schools of magic in Dungeons & Dragons: abjuration, alteration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, invocation, and necromancy. Each spell belongs to one of eight schools of magic. The ability to specialize in specific schools of magic was formally introduced in the 2nd edition Player's Handbook (1989) and then greatly expanded on in The Complete Wizard's Handbook (1990). Jeff Howard, in his book Game Magic: A Designer's Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice, highlights that the schools of magic do not "necessarily refer to an academic institution for learning and teaching" but rather "schools of magic constitute a taxonomy of reality, in the sense of methodical and ordered classification of the chaos of existence and experience into a structured and order whole. The domains are aspects of existence over which various spells operate".

In 4th edition, spell schools are initially absent but were reintroduced with the Dungeons & Dragons Essentials supplement. The spell schools introduced are Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Nethermancy (corresponding to the Shadow subschool of the Illusion school from the previous editions). The spells of other classical schools are present in the form of utility spells (like True Seeing being available but not being specifically named a Divination spell) or spell descriptors (like Conjuration or Summoning).

Dweomer[edit]
In Dungeons & Dragons, a dweomer (/ˈdwɛmər, ˈdwɪ-, ˈdwiː-/) is an aura of magic; especially that which enchanted items radiate.

Gary Gygax encountered the Middle English word dweomercræft in Susan Kelz Sperling's book Poplollies & Bellibones: A Celebration of Lost Words (1977), where it is defined as "the art of magic or juggling." Gygax invented such derivations as dweomered, dweomercræfter, and dweomercræfting.[citation needed]