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These and millions of other patients find themselves caught in the web of psychiatric sorcery – a spell cast, hexed, potentially for life. They are told that they have chemical imbalances. They are told that the most important thing they can do for themselves is to “take their medication,” and that they will have to do so “for life.”. Child life specialists may have a lot of administrative duties, depending on the size of their program. In really large programs, there may be a specialist who handles all the donations, special events, and trainings. In smaller programs, they could be doing all of that plus things like keeping the toys clean.
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Home > Classes > Sorcerers & Wizards
Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells per Day | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | ||||||
1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Summon familiar | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | 6 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
11th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
12th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | |
13th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | |
14th | +7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | |
15th | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | |
16th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | -- | |
17th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | -- | |
18th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | |
19th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | |
20th | +10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Level | Spells Known | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |
1st | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
2nd | 5 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
3rd | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
4th | 6 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
5th | 6 | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
6th | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
7th | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
8th | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
9th | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
10th | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
11th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
12th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
13th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
14th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- |
15th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- |
16th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- |
17th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- |
18th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
19th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
20th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Sorcerer
Alignment
Any.
Hit Die
d4.
Class Skills
The sorcerer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level
(2 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the sorcerer.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a sorcerer’s gestures, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells
A sorcerer casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below).
To learn or cast a spell, a sorcerer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a sorcerer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the sorcerer’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a sorcerer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Sorcerer. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.
A sorcerer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A sorcerer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of your choice. At each new sorcerer level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a sorcerer knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known are fixed.) These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of by study. The sorcerer can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered sorcerer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the sorcerer 'loses' the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level sorcerer spell the sorcerer can cast. A sorcerer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a sorcerer need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level. He does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast.
Familiar
A sorcerer can obtain a familiar. Doing so takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp. A familiar is a magical beast that resembles a small animal and is unusually tough and intelligent. The creature serves as a companion and servant.
The sorcerer chooses the kind of familiar he gets. As the sorcerer advances in level, his familiar also increases in power.
If the familiar dies or is dismissed by the sorcerer, the sorcerer must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means he loses 200 experience points per sorcerer level; success reduces the loss to one-half that amount. However, a sorcerer’s experience point total can never go below 0 as the result of a familiar’s demise or dismissal. A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day. A slain familiar can be raised from the dead just as a character can be, and it does not lose a level or a Constitution point when this happy event occurs.
A character with more than one class that grants a familiar may have only one familiar at a time.
Wizard
Alignment
Any.
![Sorcery Sorcery](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125867853/823474500.jpg)
Hit Die
d4.
Class Skills
The wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level
(2 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
2 + Int modifier.
Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells per Day | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | ||||||
1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Summon familiar, Scribe Scroll | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bonus feat | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Bonus feat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
11th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | |
12th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | |
13th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | |
14th | +7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | |
15th | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +9 | Bonus feat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- |
16th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -- | |
17th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
18th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
19th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | |
20th | +10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Bonus feat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the wizard.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Wizards are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a wizard’s movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells
A wizard casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. A wizard must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time (see below).
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the wizard must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a wizard’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the wizard’s Intelligence modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a wizard can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Wizard. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score.
Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a wizard may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the wizard decides which spells to prepare.
Bonus Languages
A wizard may substitute Draconic for one of the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.
Familiar
A wizard can obtain a familiar in exactly the same manner as a sorcerer can.
Scribe Scroll
At 1st level, a wizard gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.
Bonus Feats
At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a wizard gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, she can choose a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, or Spell Mastery. The wizard must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums.
These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. The wizard is not limited to the categories of item creation feats, metamagic feats, or Spell Mastery when choosing these feats.
Spellbooks
A wizard must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic, which all wizards can prepare from memory.
A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from her prohibited school or schools, if any; see School Specialization, below) plus three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the wizard has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new wizard level, she gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new wizard level) for her spellbook. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards’ spellbooks to her own.
School Specialization
A school is one of eight groupings of spells, each defined by a common theme. If desired, a wizard may specialize in one school of magic (see below). Specialization allows a wizard to cast extra spells from her chosen school, but she then never learns to cast spells from some other schools.
A specialist wizard can prepare one additional spell of her specialty school per spell level each day. She also gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to learn the spells of her chosen school.
The wizard must choose whether to specialize and, if she does so, choose her specialty at 1st level. At this time, she must also give up two other schools of magic (unless she chooses to specialize in divination; see below), which become her prohibited schools.
A wizard can never give up divination to fulfill this requirement.
Spells of the prohibited school or schools are not available to the wizard, and she can’t even cast such spells from scrolls or fire them from wands. She may not change either her specialization or her prohibited schools later.
The eight schools of arcane magic are abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation.
Spells that do not fall into any of these schools are called universal spells.
Abjuration
Spells that protect, block, or banish. An abjuration specialist is called an abjurer.
Conjuration
Spells that bring creatures or materials to the caster. A conjuration specialist is called a conjurer.
Divination
Spells that reveal information. A divination specialist is called a diviner. Unlike the other specialists, a diviner must give up only one other school.
Enchantment
Spells that imbue the recipient with some property or grant the caster power over another being. An enchantment specialist is called an enchanter.
Evocation
Spells that manipulate energy or create something from nothing. An evocation specialist is called an evoker.
Illusion
Spells that alter perception or create false images. An illusion specialist is called an illusionist.
Necromancy
Spells that manipulate, create, or destroy life or life force. A necromancy specialist is called a necromancer.
Transmutation
Spells that transform the recipient physically or change its properties in a more subtle way. A transmutation specialist is called a transmuter.
Universal
Not a school, but a category for spells that all wizards can learn. A wizard cannot select universal as a specialty school or as a prohibited school. Only a limited number of spells fall into this category.
Familiars
Familiar | Special |
---|---|
| |
Bat | Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks |
Cat | Master gains a +3 bonus on Move Silently checks |
Hawk | Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in bright light |
Lizard | Master gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks |
Owl | Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in shadows |
Rat | Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves |
Raven1 | Master gains a +3 bonus on Appraise checks |
Snake2 | Master gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks |
Toad | Master gains +3 hit points |
Weasel | Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves |
A familiar is a normal animal that gains new powers and becomes a magical beast when summoned to service by a sorcerer or wizard. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but it is treated as a magical beast instead of an animal for the purpose of any effect that depends on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar. An animal companion cannot also function as a familiar.
A familiar also grants special abilities to its master (a sorcerer or wizard), as given on the table below. These special abilities apply only when the master and familiar are within 1 mile of each other.
Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on the master’s level.
Familiar Basics
Use the basic statistics for a creature of the familiar’s kind, but make the following changes:
Hit Dice
For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.
Hit Points
The familiar has one-half the master’s total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice.
Attacks
Use the master’s base attack bonus, as calculated from all his classes. Use the familiar’s Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to get the familiar’s melee attack bonus with natural weapons.
Damage equals that of a normal creature of the familiar’s kind.
Saving Throws
For each saving throw, use either the familiar’s base save bonus (Fortitude +2, Reflex +2, Will +0) or the master’s (as calculated from all his classes), whichever is better. The familiar uses its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn’t share any of the other bonuses that the master might have on saves.
Skills
For each skill in which either the master or the familiar has ranks, use either the normal skill ranks for an animal of that type or the master’s skill ranks, whichever are better. In either case, the familiar uses its own ability modifiers. Regardless of a familiar’s total skill modifiers, some skills may remain beyond the familiar’s ability to use.
Master Class Level | Natural Armor Adj. | Int | Special |
---|---|---|---|
1st-2nd | +1 | 6 | Alertness, improved evasion, share spells, empathic link |
3rd-4th | +2 | 7 | Deliver touch spells |
5th-6th | +3 | 8 | Speak with master |
7th-8th | +4 | 9 | Speak with animals of its kind |
9th-10th | +5 | 10 | |
11th-12th | +6 | 11 | Spell resistance |
13th-14th | +7 | 12 | Scry on familiar |
15th-16th | +8 | 13 | |
17th-18th | +9 | 14 | |
19th-20th | +10 | 15 |
Familiar Ability Descriptions
All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the master’s combined level in classes that grant familiars, as shown on the table below. The abilities given on the table are cumulative.
Natural Armor Adj.
The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus.
Int
The familiar’s Intelligence score.
Alertness (Ex)
While a familiar is within arm’s reach, the master gains the Alertness feat.
Improved Evasion (Ex)
When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells
At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.
If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of 'You' on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself.
A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).
Empathic Link (Su)
The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su)
If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the 'toucher.' The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. Mc groove dance craze videos 2017. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.
Speak with Master (Ex)
If the master is 5th level or higher, a familiar and the master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.
Speak with Animals of Its Kind (Ex)
If the master is 7th level or higher, a familiar can communicate with animals of approximately the same kind as itself (including dire varieties): bats with bats, rats with rodents, cats with felines, hawks and owls and ravens with birds, lizards and snakes with reptiles, toads with amphibians, weasels with similar creatures (weasels, minks, polecats, ermines, skunks, wolverines, and badgers). Such communication is limited by the intelligence of the conversing creatures. Dumb ways to die song lyrics.
Spell Resistance (Ex)
If the master is 11th level or higher, a familiar gains spell resistance equal to the master’s level + 5. To affect the familiar with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the familiar’s spell resistance.
Scry on Familiar (Sp)
If the master is 13th level or higher, he may scry on his familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day.
Arcane Spells And Armor
Wizards and sorcerers do not know how to wear armor effectively.
If desired, they can wear armor anyway (though they’ll be clumsy in it), or they can gain training in the proper use of armor (with the various Armor Proficiency feats—light, medium, and heavy—and the Shield Proficiency feat), or they can multiclass to add a class that grants them armor proficiency. Even if a wizard or sorcerer is wearing armor with which he or she is proficient, however, it might still interfere with spellcasting.
Armor restricts the complicated gestures that a wizards or sorcerer must make while casting any spell that has a somatic component (most do). The armor and shield descriptions list the arcane spell failure chance for different armors and shields.
By contrast, bards not only know how to wear light armor effectively, but they can also ignore the arcane spell failure chance for such armor. A bard wearing armor heavier than light or using any type of shield incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance, even if he becomes proficient with that armor.
If a spell doesn’t have a somatic component, an arcane spellcaster can cast it with no problem while wearing armor. Such spells can also be cast even if the caster’s hands are bound or if he or she is grappling (although Concentration checks still apply normally). Also, the metamagic feat Still Spell allows a spellcaster to prepare or cast a spell at one spell level higher than normal without the somatic component. This also provides a way to cast a spell while wearing armor without risking arcane spell failure.
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The Magician (I), an illustration from the first published in 1910.Magic is a category into which have been placed various beliefs and practices considered separate from both. Emerging within, the term has historically often had pejorative connotations, with things labelled magical perceived as being socially unacceptable, primitive, or foreign. The concept has been adopted by scholars in the and, who have proposed various different—and often mutually exclusive—definitions of the term. Many contemporary scholars regard the concept to be so problematic that they reject it altogether.The term magic derives from the magu, a word that applied to a form of religious functionary about which little is known. During the late sixth and early fifth centuries BCE, this term was adopted into, where it was used with negative connotations to apply to rites that were regarded as fraudulent, unconventional, and dangerous. This meaning of the term was then adopted by in the first century BCE.
Via Latin, the concept was incorporated into during the first century CE, where magic was associated with and thus defined against Christian religion. This concept was pervasive throughout the Middle Ages, when Christian authors categorised a diverse range of practices—such as enchantment, and —under the label magic.
In, often claimed that was magic rather than religion, and as Christian Europeans began colonising other parts of the world in the sixteenth century they labelled the non-Christian beliefs they encountered magical. In that same period, Italian reinterpreted the term in a positive sense to create the idea of.
Both negative and positive understandings of the term recurred in Western culture over the following centuries.Since the nineteenth century, academics in various disciplines have employed the term magic but have defined it in different ways and used it in reference to different things. One approach, associated with the and, uses the term to describe beliefs in between objects that allow one to influence the other. Defined in this way, magic is portrayed as the opposite to science. An alternative approach, associated with the and, employs the term to describe private rites and ceremonies and contrasts it with religion, which it defines as a communal and organised activity.
By the 1990s, many scholars were rejecting the term's utility for scholarship. They argued that it drew arbitrary lines between similar beliefs and practices that were instead considered religious and that, being rooted in Western and Christian history, it was to apply it to other cultures.Throughout Western history, there have been individuals who engaged in practices that their societies called magic and who sometimes referred to themselves as magicians. Within modern, which developed in nineteenth-century Europe, there are many self-described magicians and people who practice ritual activities that they call magic. In this environment, the concept of magic has again changed, usually being defined as a technique for bringing about changes in the physical world through the force of one's will. This definition was pioneered largely by the influential British occultist and is used in occultist movements such as,. Magic as a term is problematic.
It did not arise as a straightforward attempt to describe an object or an action; it does not represent an exclusive set of ideas. Instead, there developed an arrangement of ideas at a particular point in time (Christianity and Christian evangelization) that made the concept of magic as we have come to define it possible.—ArchaeologistThe historian stated that the word magic was 'beyond simple definition', and had 'a range of meanings'. Similarly, the historian Michael D. Bailey characterised magic as 'a deeply contested category and a very fraught label'; as a category, he noted, it was 'profoundly unstable' given that definitions of the term have 'varied dramatically across time and between cultures'.
Scholars have engaged in extensive debates as to how to define magic, with such debates resulting in intense dispute. Throughout such debates, the scholarly community has failed to agree on a definition of magic, in a similar manner to how they have failed to agree on a definition of religion. Even among those throughout history who have described themselves as magicians, there has been no common understanding of what magic is.Concepts of magic generally serve to sharply demarcate certain practices from other, otherwise similar practices in a given society. According to Bailey: 'In many cultures and across various historical periods, categories of magic often define and maintain the limits of socially and culturally acceptable actions in respect to numinous or occult entities or forces. Even more basically they serve to delineate arenas of appropriate belief.' In this, he noted that 'drawing these distinctions is an exercise in power'.
Similarly, Randall Styers noted that attempting to define magic represents 'an act of demarcation' by which it is juxtaposed against 'other social practices and modes of knowledge' such as 'religion' and 'science'. The historian Karen Louise Jolly described magic as 'a category of exclusion, used to define an unacceptable way of thinking as either the opposite of religion or of science'. Frontispiece of an English translation of Natural Magick published in London in 1658.During the early modern period, the concept of magic underwent a more positive reassessment through the development of the concept of (natural magic). This was a term introduced and developed by two Italian humanists,. For them, magia was viewed as an elemental force pervading many natural processes, and thus was fundamentally distinct from the mainstream Christian idea of demonic magic.
Their ideas influenced an array of later philosophers and writers, among them,. According to the historian, the concept of magia naturalis took 'firm hold in European culture' during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, attracting the interest of of various theoretical orientations, including, and.Adherents of this position argued that magia could appear in both good and bad forms; in 1625, the French librarian wrote his Apology for all the Wise Men Falsely Suspected of Magic, in which he distinguished 'Mosoaicall Magick'—which he claimed came from God and included prophecies, miracles, and —from 'geotick' magic caused by demons. While the proponents of magia naturalis insisted that this did not rely on the actions of demons, critics disagreed, arguing that the demons had simply deceived these magicians. By the seventeenth century the concept of magia naturalis had moved in increasingly 'naturalistic' directions, with the distinctions between it and science becoming blurred. The validity of magia naturalis as a concept for understanding the universe then came under increasing criticism during the in the eighteenth century.Despite the attempt to reclaim the term magia for use in a positive sense, it did not supplant traditional attitudes toward magic in the West, which remained largely negative. At the same time as magia naturalis was attracting interest and was largely tolerated, Europe saw an active persecution of accused witches believed to be guilty of maleficia. Reflecting the term's continued negative associations, often sought to denigrate sacramental and devotional practices as being magical rather than religious.
Many Roman Catholics were concerned by this allegation and for several centuries various Roman Catholic writers devoted attention to arguing that their practices were religious rather than magical. At the same time, Protestants often used the accusation of magic against other Protestant groups which they were in contest with. In this way, the concept of magic was used to prescribe what was appropriate as religious belief and practice.Similar claims were also being made in the Islamic world during this period. The Arabian cleric —founder of —for instance condemned a range of customs and practices such as divination and the veneration of spirits as sihr, which he in turn claimed was a form of, the sin of idolatry. Colonialism and academia In the sixteenth century, European societies began to conquer and colonise other continents around the world, and as they did so they applied European concepts of 'magic' and 'witchcraft' to practices found among the peoples whom they encountered. Usually, these European colonialists regarded the natives as primitives and savages whose belief systems were diabolical and needed to be eradicated and replaced by Christianity.
Because Europeans typically viewed these non-European peoples as being morally and intellectually inferior to themselves, it was expected that such societies would be more prone to practicing magic. Women who practiced traditional rites were labelled 'witches' by the Europeans. Many concepts of modern magic are heavily influenced by the ideas of.Modern Western magic has challenged widely-held preconceptions about contemporary religion and spirituality.The polemical discourses about magic influenced the self-understanding of modern magicians, a number of whom—such as and —were well versed in academic literature on the subject.According to scholar of religion Henrik Bogdan, 'arguably the best known emic definition' of the term 'magic' was provided by Crowley. Crowley—who favoured the spelling ' over 'magic' to distinguish it from stage illusionism —was of the view that 'Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will'. Crowley's definition influenced that of subsequent magicians.
Of the for instance stated that 'Magic is the art of changing consciousness according to Will'., the founder of, stated that magic was 'attempting to cause the physically unusual', while, the founder of, described magic as 'the change in situations or events in accordance with one's will, which would, using normally acceptable methods, be unchangeable.' The movement emerged during the late 20th century, as an attempt to strip away the, or otherwise ornamental aspects of other occult traditions and distill magic down to a set of basic techniques.These modern Western concepts of magic rely on a belief in correspondences connected to an unknown occult force that permeates the universe. As noted by Hanegraaff, this operated according to 'a new meaning of magic, which could not possibly have existed in earlier periods, precisely because it is elaborated in reaction to the 'disenchantment of the world'.' For many, and perhaps most, modern Western magicians, the goal of magic is deemed to be personal spiritual development.The perception of magic as a form of self-development is central to the way that magical practices have been adopted into forms of and the phenomenon.One significant development within modern Western magical practices has been. This was a practice promoted in the writings of and subsequently exerted a strong interest on occultist magicians like Crowley and.The adoption of the term 'magic' by modern occultists can in some instances be a deliberate attempt to champion those areas of Western society which have traditionally been marginalised as a means of subverting dominant systems of power. The influential American and author for instance stated that ' Magic is another word that makes people uneasy, so I use it deliberately, because the words we are comfortable with, the words that sound acceptable, rational, scientific, and intellectually correct, are comfortable precisely because they are the language of estrangement.' Academic definitions Modern scholarship has produced various definitions and theories of magic.
According to Bailey, 'these have typically framed magic in relation to, or morefrequently in distinction from, religion and science.' Since the emergence of the and the, magic has been a 'central theme in the theoretical literature' produced by scholars operating in these academic disciplines. Magic is one of the most heavily theorized concepts in the study of religion, and also played a key role in early theorising within anthropology. Styers believed that it held such a strong appeal for social theorists because it provides 'such a rich site for articulating and contesting the nature and boundaries of modernity'. Scholars have commonly used it as a foil for the concept of religion, regarding magic as the 'illegitimate (and effeminized) sibling' of religion.
Alternately, others have used it as a middle-ground category located between religion and science.The context in which scholars framed their discussions of magic was informed by the spread of European colonial power across the world in the modern period.These repeated attempts to define magic resonated with broader social concerns, and the pliability of the concept has allowed it to be 'readily adaptable as a polemical and ideological tool'. The links that intellectuals made between magic and 'primitives' helped to legitimise European and Euro-American imperialism and colonialism, as these Western colonialists expressed the view that those who believed in and practiced magic were unfit to govern themselves and should be governed by those who, rather than believing in magic, believed in science and/or (Christian) religion. In Bailey's words, 'the association of certain peoples whether non-Europeans or poor, rural Europeans with magic served to distance and differentiate them from those who ruled over them, and in large part to justify that rule.' Many different definitions of magic have been offered by scholars, although—according to Hanegraaff—these can be understood as variations of a small number of heavily influential theories. Intellectualist approach. Edward Tylor, an anthropologist who used the term magic in reference to sympathetic magic, an idea that he associated with his concept of animismThe intellectualist approach to defining magic is associated with two prominent British,. This approach viewed magic as the theoretical opposite of, and came to preoccupy much anthropological thought on the subject.
This approach was situated within the evolutionary models which underpinned thinking in the social sciences during the early 19th century. The first social scientist to present magic as something that predated religion in an evolutionary development was; in his A System of Synthetic Philosophy, he used the term magic in reference to. Spencer regarded both magic and religion as being rooted in false speculation about the nature of objects and their relationship to other things.Tylor's understanding of magic was linked to his concept of. In his 1871 book Primitive Culture, Tylor characterized magic as beliefs based on 'the error of mistaking ideal analogy for real analogy'. In Tylor's view, 'primitive man, having come to associate in thought those things which he found by experience to be connected in fact, proceeded erroneously to invert this action, and to conclude that association in thought must involve similar connection in reality. He thus attempted to discover, to foretell, and to cause events by means of processes which we can now see to have only an ideal significance'.
Tylor was dismissive of magic, describing it as 'one of the most pernicious delusions that ever vexed mankind'. Tylor's views proved highly influential, and helped to establish magic as a major topic of anthropological research. James Frazer regarded magic as the first stage in human development, to be followed by religion and then scienceTylor's ideas were adopted and simplified by James Frazer.
He used the term 'magic' to mean sympathetic magic, describing it as a practice relying on the magician's belief 'that things act on each other at a distance through a secret sympathy', something which he described as 'an invisible ether'. He further divided this magic into two forms, the 'homeopathic (imitative, mimetic)' and the 'contagious'. The former was the idea that 'like produces like', or that the similarity between two objects could result in one influencing the other.
The latter was based on the idea that contact between two objects allowed the two to continue to influence one another at a distance. Like Taylor, Frazer viewed magic negatively, describing it as 'the bastard sister of science', arising from 'one great disastrous fallacy'.Where Frazer differed from Tylor was in characterizing a belief in magic as a major stage in humanity's cultural development, describing it as part of a tripartite division in which 'magic' came first, 'religion' came second, and eventually 'science' came third.
For Frazer, all early societies started as believers in magic, with some of them moving away from this and into religion. He believed that both magic and religion involved a belief in spirits but that they differed in the way that they responded to these spirits. For Frazer, magic 'constrains or coerces' these spirits while religion focuses on 'conciliating or propitiating them'. He acknowledged that their common ground resulted in a cross-over of magical and religious elements in various instances; for instance he claimed that the was a fertility ritual which combined elements from both world-views.Some scholars retained the evolutionary framework used by Frazer but changed the order of its stages; the German ethnologist argued that religion—by which he meant —was the first stage of human belief, which later degenerated into both magic.
Others rejected the evolutionary framework entirely. Frazer's notion that magic had given way to religion as part of an evolutionary framework was later deconstructed by the folklorist and anthropologist in his essay 'Magic and Religion'; Lang did so by highlighting how Frazer's framework relied upon misrepresenting ethnographic accounts of beliefs and practiced among indigenous Australians to fit his concept of magic. Functionalist approach The functionalist approach to defining magic is associated with the French and.In this approach, magic is understood as being the theoretical opposite of religion.Mauss set forth his conception of 'magic' in a 1902 essay, 'A General Theory of Magic'.
Mauss used the term magic in reference to 'any rite that is not part of an organized cult: a rite that is private, secret, mysterious, and ultimately tending towards one that is forbidden'. Conversely, he associated religion with organised cult. By saying that magic was inherently non-social, Mauss had been influenced by the traditional Christian understandings of the concept. Mauss deliberately rejected the intellectualist approach promoted by Frazer, believing that it was inappropriate to restrict the term magic to sympathetic magic, as Frazer had done. He expressed the view that 'there are not only magical rites which are not sympathetic, but neither is sympathy a prerogative of magic, since there are sympathetic practices in religion'.Mauss' ideas were adopted by Durkheim in his 1912 book. Durkheim was of the view that both magic and religion pertained to 'sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden'.
Where he saw them as being different was in their social organisation. Durkheim used magic to describe things that were inherently anti-social, existing in contrast to what he referred to as a 'Church,' the religious beliefs shared by a social group; in his words, 'There is no Church of magic.'
Durkheim expressed the view that 'there is something inherently anti-religious about the maneuvers of the magician', and that a belief in magic 'does not result in binding together those who adhere to it, nor in uniting them into a group leading a common life.' Durkheim's definition encounters problems in situations—such as the rites performed by Wiccans—in which acts carried out communally have been regarded, either by practitioners or observers, as being magical.Scholars have criticized the idea that magic and religion can be differentiated into two distinct, separate categories. The social anthropologist suggested that 'a simple dichotomy between magic and religion' was unhelpful and thus both should be subsumed under the broader category of.
Many later anthropologists followed his example.Nevertheless, this distinction is still often made by scholars discussing this topic. Emotionalist approach. Further information: andThe emotionalist approach to magic is associated with the English anthropologist, the Austrian, and the Polish anthropologist.Marett viewed magic as a response to stress. In a 1904 article, he argued that magic was a cathartic or stimulating practice designed to relieve feelings of tension.
As his thought developed, he increasingly rejected the idea of a division between magic and religion and began to use the term 'magico-religious' to describe the early development of both. Malinowski understood magic in a similar manner to Marett, tackling the issue in a 1925 article. He rejected Frazer's evolutionary hypothesis that magic was followed by religion and then science as a series of distinct stages in societal development, arguing that all three were present in each society. In his view, both magic and religion 'arise and function in situations of emotional stress' although whereas religion is primarily expressive, magical is primarily practical.
He therefore defined magic as 'a practical art consisting of acts which are only means to a definite end expected to follow later on'. For Malinowski, magical acts were to be carried out for a specific end, whereas religious ones were ends in themselves. He for instance believed that fertility rituals were magical because they were carried out with the intention of meeting a specific need. As part of his approach, Malinowski saw magic not as irrational but as something that served a useful function, being sensible within the given social and environmental context. Ideas about magic were also promoted by Sigmund FreudThe term 'magic' was used liberally by Freud. He also saw magic as emerging from human emotion but interpreted it very differently to Marett.Freud explains that 'the associated theory of magic merely explains the paths along which magic proceeds; it does not explain its true essence, namely the misunderstanding which leads it to replace the laws of nature by psychological ones'.
Freud emphasizes that what led primitive men to come up with magic is the power of wishes: 'His wishes are accompanied by a motor impulse, the will, which is later destined to alter the whole face of the earth in order to satisfy his wishes. This motor impulse is at first employed to give a representation of the satisfying situation in such a way that it becomes possible to experience the satisfaction by means of what might be described as motor. This kind of representation of a satisfied wish is quite comparable to children's play, which succeeds their earlier purely sensory technique of satisfaction. As time goes on, the psychological accent shifts from the motives for the magical act on to the measures by which it is carried out—that is, on to the act itself. It thus comes to appear as though it is the magical act itself which, owing to its similarity with the desired result, alone determines the occurrence of that result.' In the early 1960s, the anthropologists Murray and Rosalie Wax put forward the argument that scholars should look at the 'magical worldview' of a given society on its own terms rather than trying to rationalize it in terms of Western ideas about scientific knowledge.
Their ideas were heavily criticised by other anthropologists, who argued that they had set up a false dichotomy between non-magical Western worldview and magical non-Western worldviews. The concept of the 'magical worldview' nevertheless gained widespread use in history, folkloristics, philosophy, cultural theory, and psychology. The notion of ' has also been utilised by various psychologists.
In the 1920s, the psychologist used the concept as part of their argument that children were unable to clearly differentiate between the mental and the physical. According to this perspective, children begin to abandon their 'magical thinking' between the ages of six and nine.According to, magic, science, and religion all have their own 'quality of rationality', and have been influenced by politics and ideology. As opposed to religion, Tambiah suggests that mankind has a much more personal control over events. Science, according to Tambiah, is 'a system of behavior by which man acquires mastery of the environment.' Magicians.
The ' card from a 15th-century.Many of the practices which have been labelled magic can be performed by anyone. For instance, some charms can be recited by individuals with no specialist knowledge nor any claim to having a specific power. Others require specialised training in order to perform them. Some of the individuals who performed magical acts on a more than occasional basis came to be identified as magicians, or with related concepts like sorcerers/sorceresses, or cunning folk.
Identities as a magician can stem from an individual's own claims about themselves, or it can be a label placed upon them by others. In the latter case, an individual could embrace such a label, or they could reject it, sometimes vehemently.There can be economic incentives that encouraged individuals to identify as magicians.
In the cases of various forms of traditional healer, as well as the later stage magicians or illusionists, the label of magician could become a job description. Others claim such an identity out of a genuinely held belief that they have specific unusual powers or talents. Different societies have different social regulations regarding who can take on such a role; for instance, it may be a question of familial heredity, or there may be gender restrictions on who is allowed to engage in such practices.A variety of personal traits may be credited with giving magical power, and frequently they are associated with an unusual birth into the world. For instance, in Hungary it was believe that a would be born with teeth or an additional finger. In various parts of Europe, it was believed that being born with a would associate the child with supernatural abilities. In some cases, a ritual initiation is required before taking on a role as a specialist in such practices, and in others it is expected that an individual will receive a mentorship from another specialist.Davies noted that it was possible to 'crudely divide magic specialists into religious and lay categories'.
He noted for instance that Roman Catholic priests, with their rites of, and access to and blessed herbs, could be conceived as being magical practitioners. Some historians have drawn a differentiation between those practitioners who engage in high magic, and those who engage in low magic. In this framework, high magic is seen as more complex, involving lengthy and detailed ceremonies as well as sophisticated, sometimes expensive, paraphernalia. Low magic is associated with simpler rituals such as brief, spoken charms.However, the most common method of identifying, differentiating, and establishing magical practitioners from common people is. By means of rites the magician's relationship to the supernatural and his entry into a closed professional class is established (often through rituals that simulate death and rebirth into a new life).Mauss argues that the powers of both specialist and common magicians are determined by culturally accepted standards of the sources and the breadth of magic: a magician cannot simply invent or claim new magic. In practice, the magician is only as powerful as his peers believe him to be.Throughout recorded history, magicians have often faced scepticism regarding their purported powers and abilities. For instance, in sixteenth-century England, the writer wrote, in which he argued that many of those accused of witchcraft or otherwise claiming magical capabilities were fooling people using illusionism.
Suspicions and accusations of witchcraft. See also:Those regarded as being magicians have often faced suspicion from other members of their society. This is particularly the case if these perceived magicians have been associated with social groups already considered morally suspect in a particular society, such as foreigners, women, or the lower classes. In contrast to these negative associations, many practitioners of activities that have been labelled magical have emphasised that their actions are benevolent and beneficial. This conflicted with the common Christian view that all activities categorised as being forms of magic were intrinsically bad regardless of the intent of the magician, because all magical actions relied on the aid of demons. There could be conflicting attitudes regarding the practices of a magician; in European history, authorities often believed that cunning folk and traditional healers were harmful because their practices were regarded as magical and thus stemming from contact with demons, whereas a local community might value and respect these individuals because their skills and services were deemed beneficial.In Western societies, the practice of magic, especially when harmful, was usually associated with women.
For instance, during the witch trials of the early modern period, around three quarters of those executed as witches were female, to only a quarter who were men. That women were more likely to be accused and convicted of witchcraft in this period might have been because their position was more legally vulnerable, with women having little or no legal standing that was independent of their male relatives.
The conceptual link between women and magic in Western culture may be because many of the activities regarded as magical—from rites to encourage fertility to potions to induce —were associated with the female sphere. It might also be connected to the fact that many cultures portrayed women as being inferior to men on an intellectual, moral, spiritual, and physical level. See also. Coleman, Simon (2008). 'The Magic of Anthropology'. Anthropology News.
Pp. 8–11. Dickie, Matthew W. Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World. London. Gusterson, Hugh (2004).
'How Far Have We Traveled? Magic, Science and Religion Revisited'. Anthropology News. CS1 maint: ref=harv. Hammond, Dorothy (1970). 'Magic: A Problem in Semantics'.
American Anthropologist. Pp. 1349–1356. O'Keefe, Daniel (1982). Stolen Lightning: The Social Theory of Magic.
Oxford. Wax, Murray; Wax, Rosalie (1963). 'The Notion of Magic'. Current Anthropology. Pp. 495–518. Meyer, Marvin & Smith, Richard (1994) Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power, HarperSanFranciscoExternal links Quotations related to at Wikiquote.
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