Laws & Limits of Magic

Laws of Magic

There are six fundamental Laws of Magic. Any spellcaster can try to invoke one or more Laws when casting. If you succeed at invoking a Law, you have advantage or the target has disadvantage (DM's choice). Alternatively, you can avoid some or all of the Strain (DM's choice).

The 6 Laws of Magic are:

• Inertia: things continue as they are
• Possibility: anything can happen until something happens
• Harmony: likeness is sameness
• Contagion: once in contact, always in contact
• Displacement: raising this lowers that
• Entropy: things fall apart

Limits of Magic

Magic is very powerful. However, as magic is understood by most spellcasters, it has limits. All spells and most other magic obey these limits.

• Limit of Divinity: There are some beings and forces whose nature, intent, and influence cannot be understood or changed by magic. Some spellcasters see this limit as arising from the cumulative belief of a large number of mortal beings, while others see it as evidence of one or more higher powers.
• Limit of Essential Nature: Each thing has an essential nature. This includes including all beings, matter, energy, and forces. A thing's essential nature is tied the thing's identity, including its origins and composition. Magic can change any or every other aspect of a thing except this essential nature.
• Limit of True Belief: Magic can't create, change, or destroy a being's true belief. Magic can repress a belief or create a false contradictory belief, but the true belief will eventually revert back. Some spellcasters view this limit as a special case of the Limit of Essential Nature. True love and similar pure feelings are true beliefs, so they also can't be fundamentally changed with magic.