Linkage

Every magic discipline must be linked to an appropriate element. This does not mean that Everway magic is restricted to "elemental magic" that you might be familiar with from other systems - "fire mages" who do tricks with flame; "air mages" who summon sylphs and storms etc. Magic links to an element in its Everway sense. Air is the element of speech and logic, so if your discipline involves researching spoken and/or written spells, it would be "Air magic," even if one of those spells conjured a fireball and another summoned a gnome. Fire is the element of energy and transformation, so a tradition that enabled the mage to create effects by drawing on his internal stores of bodily energy would be linked to fire, even if one of those effects was a huge windstorm and another a flood.

The Limits - Your magic score (what you spend) can not be higher than the score of its linked element. If you have Nasty Allies magic (Air- linked, since you summon them with spells and converse with them) and an Air score of 5, you can't have more than 5 points in your magical discipline. No beginning player character may have more than 7 points in a single magic discipline. Note that the 20-point budget for beginning characters sets some practical limits on PC magical ability. To buy 7 points of magic is to spend 7 points on one element also, for a total of 14 points. That leaves just 6 points for the other three elements. Since PCs may not have scores of 1, the 7-point mage will have scores of 2 in three of his four elements. Any magic score over 5 ensures that at least one element will be below average.

Magic Levels

Like element scores, these range from 1 to 10 with an average of 3. Here follows a general guide:

1. Rank beginner. Please stand farther away.
2. Still kind of new at this. Or are you a slow learner?
3. A competent journeyman. Not up to the real tough stuff. How many like you are there? Maybe one in a thousand people.
4. Looking good! You obviously know what you're doing. You're one in 10,000.
5. You could be in the magic Olympics. 1 in 100,000.
6. You could win the magic Olympics. In a realm of a million people, you're probably the best.
7. Frankly, the magic Olympics bore you. It's unlikely you'll find an equal on this continent.
8. Sorceror supreme. Probably the most powerful mage on your sphere.
9. We are not worthy. Most spheres have never seen your like.
10. You're awesome, baby. Mind you, you're not really human anymore...

Shadow-Walking

Shadow-walking is treated as magic because it allows for levels of competency from beginner to legendary master. It is linked to two elements - your shadow-walking score can not be higher than the lower of your fire and air scores. To shadow-walk one must survive a traversal of the Pattern in Amber/Rebma.

1. Very Slow. May only make minor changes; adding or subtracting one item at a time, such as a flower, a tree, a bird, or a rock: incidentals. (this does not include people)
2. Slow. May add or subtract environmental elements (forests, grass, mountains) but not change them. For example, while riding across a savannah, the shadowwalker could add a road stretching off into the distance.
3. Slow. May change environmental elements, including skies. (changing the sky is an essential element in moving towards or away from Amber.) May add or subtract multiple elements, such as a herd of cattle or a group of people.
4. Average. May add or subtract cultural elements, such as cities, governments, and the like. May change multiple elements. May use the 'Royal Way', and go slowly and safely, or Hellride, but only toward incidental elements. This is the minimum level needed to find loyal armies.
5. Fast. May add or subtract mystical or temporal elements, such as a bird fated to find its way through shadow to a particular person, or a shadow where something is fated to happen. May hellride to environmental elements.
6. Fast. May add or subtract individual shadow people, or find shadows where some CLASS of person is fated to appear. May hellride to multiple elements.
7. Very Fast. May hellride to cultural elements. May alther a shadow's mystical or temporal nature.
8. Fastest. May hellride to virtually anything that exists in shadow. Shadow tunnels can be found that make multiple changes simultaneousy.
9. No one has this level of shadowwalking.

Pattern Mysteries

This power contains the abilities one can get from STUDY with the Pattern (rather than semi-instinctive shadow-walking, which involves merely visualisation) The techniques require rigorous mental acuity and sensitivity to mystical energies: Water and Air. One must survive a Pattern-walk to be initiated into the mysteries.

1. Trump Divination - Water score determines how accurate the messages are. Most Amberites were taught this out of hand.
2. Pattern of the Mind - The hero may bring the Pattern to mind, useful as a magical defense. Only Pattern-based magics (see below) may penetrate it.
3. Shadow Path Creation - The hero, by keeping the Pattern in mind while slowly shadowwalking (as if score were 3 lower) may create new shadow paths. Only very near shadows may be so connected, though a string of them may be used to reach more distant points.
4. Pattern Enchantment - The hero may incorporate a part of the Pattern into an artifact (such as a sword) in addition to making the object indestructible, there may be other benefits. Try it and see!
5. Pattern Magic - The hero now understands the relationship of certain parts of the Pattern to the fundamental nature of reality, and may incorporate them into his other magics. By doing so, his magics acquire certain benefits.
6. Trump Creation - You can make those magic cards that talk.

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