08 Starter Spell Packs

#rules #character-creation #spells #guide

Purpose: Choosing your first spells from a catalogue of 800+ options is overwhelming. This chapter provides curated recommendations — 3-5 reliable Tier 1–2 spells per Core School that are thematically iconic, mechanically useful, and appropriate for a first-year Academy student.

These are recommendations, not restrictions.

You are free to pick any Tier 1–2 spell from the Spell Index for your school. These packs simply highlight the spells that will serve you best in the widest range of situations during your first loops.

Projection — Generate

The bread-and-butter combat school. If you want to throw bolts of force and light, start here.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Combat Flare	1	A sharp flash of light designed specifically for combat. Unlike decorative light spells, this one is optimized for disorientation.
Pressure Wave	1	Extends their palm and releases a flat pulse of kinetic force. Objects within arm's reach are pushed back...
Ignite	1	The simplest elemental Evocation. Snap fingers to produce a small, completely controllable flame or a localized chill.
Mana Bolt	2	The ranged attack. Condenses raw mana into a glowing, high-velocity projectile. Your primary combat spell for early Loops.
Detonation Charge	2	Creates a small, sticky sphere of compressed energy, attaches it to a surface, and detonates it remotely for demolition or traps.

Alteration — Restructure

The utility and crafting school. Changes material properties — invaluable for preparation and problem-solving.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Chameleon Skin	1	Superficially alters pigmentation of skin, hair, and clothing to perfectly match the background. Seamless camouflage.
Purify Water	1	Restructures contaminated water at the molecular level, separating toxins and pathogens from clean water.
Blood Clot Minor	1	Forces a small wound to instantly seal using mana. Essential, cheap first-aid.
Iron in the Blood	1	Concentrates the iron naturally present in their blood, hardening their fists and forearms for brawling or blocking.
Bone Set	2	Realigns broken bones and accelerates the fusing process. Heals a weeks-long fracture in minutes.

Dimensionalism — Displace

The mobility and spatial-control school. Teleportation starts small but scales enormously.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Blink	1	Briefly folds space to instantly teleport to a visible location within a few dozen meters. Amazing tactical mobility tool.
Conjure Tool	1	Pulls existing particles together to rapidly weave a simple, temporary mundane object (crowbar, rope, wooden stake).
Object Swap	1	Precisely swaps two small objects of similar size that are both within arm's reach.
Ammunition Cache	2	Creates a dimensional pocket that continuously feeds ammunition into a weapon without needing to manually reload.
Escape Artist	2	Safely teleports free of all physical restraints — ropes, chains, manacles, or grapples.

Divination — Perceive

The information school. Pure observation — changes nothing, but knowledge is the true currency.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Clairvoyance	1	Detaches sensory perception to create a localized invisible sensor up to 100 meters away. Look around corners or through keyholes.
Object Reading	1	Touches an object and receives a brief flash of its most recent significant use. Excellent for investigations.
Echoes of the Past	1	Touches a location and visually replays the events that happened there up to 24 hours ago as a silent, ghostly hologram.
Micro-Haste	2	Slightly accelerates own personal time-stream. Gives the crucial edge of observing fast-moving attacks in slow motion.
Map Render	2	Uses scrying to create an aerial view of the surroundings, rendering a perfect mental map.

Illusionism — Deceive

The stealth and deception school. Nothing is real, but the targets don't know that.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Ghost Sound	1	Creates a brief, simple sound effect — a footstep, a cough, a creaking door — at a point within earshot to cause a distraction.
Minor Glamour	1	Creates small, localized cosmetic changes. Change eye color, smooth wrinkles, or make clothes look dirty or clean.
Attention Divert	1	Subtly redirects a target's attention away from something specific, allowing you or an ally to slip by unnoticed.
Disguise Self	2	Generates a complete, hollow optical illusion over the body, projecting the exact visual appearance, voice, and smell of another person.
Invisibility Matrix	2	Seamlessly bends light around the target to vanish completely into the background. (Does not silence footsteps).

Animation — Animate

The automation school. Infuse objects with fragments of your mind for autonomous helpers.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Clay Figurine	1	Shapes a tiny clay figure and animates it to walk, climb, and carry objects up to its own weight. A tiny physical scout.
Stone Fist	1	Shapes a fist-sized stone golem that launches itself and punches a target with surprising concussive force.
Repair Golem	1	Animates a damaged golem's materials, causing cracks to seal and chips to fill. The essential maintenance spell.
Brick Golem	2	Assembles bricks or stones into a small humanoid construct that can carry loads and perform manual labour.
Stone Hound	2	Sculpts a reliable dog-sized golem from stone that serves as a guard dog, tracking target scents and hunting.

Abjuration — Defend

The defense and preparation school. Counters magic and sets spatial anchors that trigger on conditions.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Personal Shield	1	Creates a brief, simple personal barrier that absorbs one hit. A cheap, life-saving reflex.
Minor Deflection	1	A tiny, passive ward that slightly redirects weak kinetic impacts or projectiles.
Arcane Lock	1	Fuses a locking mechanism with a simple magical cipher, forcefully barring access to unauthorized hands.
Reflective Shield	2	Polished invisible mirror shield that bounces targeted spells (like a Mana Bolt) back at the attacker.
Counter Ward	2	Pre-casts a ward that waits for and automatically counters one incoming spell. Ultimate passive safety.

Soul Magic — Violate (Forbidden)

Forbidden Magic

Soul Magic requires the Forbidden Knowledge merit (3 points, costs 1 permanent Sanity). Taking even a single dot in this school is a capital crime. These spells are included for completeness, but choosing them has severe narrative consequences.

Spell	Tier	Why Pick It
Soul Echo	1	Reads the spiritual residue left by a soul's passage — sensing where souls have recently been. Essential for supernatural tracking.
Soul Integrity Check	1	Examines a target's soul to assess its current condition — checking for damage, corruption, or foreign influence.

For the full catalogue, see the Spell Index. Remember: you learn exactly one spell per dot placed in a Shaping Skill during character creation.