General Principles of Magic

Magic Doesn’t Make Things Happen: at least not in the physical world; magic merely increases the probability of something happening. In matters of mind and spirit, however, magic is more powerful. Most spells work on both levels at the same time.

Magic is Not Science: Science is based on repeatable experiments, but magic doesn’t work the way. Magic works — when it works at all — through invisible effects and apparent coincidences. Magic responds to arcane influences, some of which can be roughly charted while others are still unknown even to the most accomplished mages. You can never predict the effects of magic exactly.

Magic is Not Mechanical: Magic is closely intertwined with the activity of various invisible, incorporeal entities who often influence whether and how magic expresses itself. Some of them may appear to behave like wild animals, house pets, or small children, but that might just be our own failure to understand how they think. It’s good to have friends.

Magic Doesn’t Want to be Proven: Magic likes to maintain plausible deniability. It seldom works in ways which cannot be explained away as chance, luck, delusion or fraud, at least from the point of view of a third party. Most magic-users feel that they have proven magic to their own satisfaction, but they had to already believe in magic to reach that point.

Magic is Dangerous: Magic is inherently dangerous. It draws the attention of dark and inscrutable forces, some of whom find ways to impose their will upon the material world.