Quintessential Magic: An Introduction To Charms (2nd Ed.)
A useful text for First Year Charms students, Quintessential Magic delves into the basic methods of casting a spell. From incantation to willpower, Wand-Lighting Charm to Severing Charm, this text covers all the basics.
Last Updated
05/31/21
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Example Theoretical Spells
Chapter 19
Professor Quilmane has added a few example spells that, while non-functional, demonstrate acceptable answers for his "Create A Spell" assignment.
Grade: 100% (O)
Charm Name: The Tarot-Organizing Charm (also known as Trelawney’s Charm)
Incantation: Ordino (Or-DEE-noh) (from Latin ‘ordinare; to organize)
Wand Movement: Point wand above the tarot and drag down whilst pronouncing ‘Or’, as you reach the bottom, one pronounces ‘DEE’, and then drags back up, saying ‘noh’.
Focus Component: You must focus upon the deck of tarot cards you want to be affected. It can be simply Major Arcana, then Minor Arcana, or Major, then Swords, Cups, Wands, Pentacles, or a different variation, depending on how one wants their cards to be structured. Personally, I prefer to have them mixed, to focus on a mixed tarot deck.
Willpower Component: You must will the spell to set the deck in the desired order and channel enough magical energy to make sure it happens. If you don't, the cards won’t all shuffle correctly and you could end up with a pile on the floor.
Concentration Component: One must concentrate upon how they wish for the deck to be organised. Should one’s mind wander - even a tiny bit - the spell will fail. Stressing the ‘dee’ in the incantation is vital. If one doesn’t, one could end up with the opposite of the desired effect!
Summary/Description: As the name suggests, this charm is used to organise a set of tarot cards into a deck in they way in which you wish for them to be organised. It is not a complex spell, but requires attention to detail, a clear throat, and a steady hand. Casting the spell correctly will cause the cards to fly upward, flying around as they jumble themselves depending upon the casters will, and then come back down in a neat stack ready for use. The cards ordering is considered magically divined because it’s impossible to cause the cards to be ordered in a specific pattern, though you can focus upon the deck being organized Ace to King in each suite with the Major Arcana in order (basically completely non-random).
Grade: 90% (O) - The descriptions are too short and the spell is a bit overpowered.
Charm Name: The Snowflake Charm
Incantation: Descenditis Nix (deh-sen-dih-tis nicks) The words roughly mean "falling snow".
Wand Movement: Gentle downward spiral movement, mimicking snowfall.
Focus: The focus for the spell is the area where you want the snow to fall.
Willpower: Determines the amount of snow generated.
Concentration: Determines the duration of snowfall. The spell can last up to half an hour.
Summary: As its name suggests, this charm generates genuine snow by condensing and freezing the air and pulling moisture into the target area. The spell doesn't work as well when it's extremely hot or extremely dry as it also has to chill the air and, when necessary, conjure the water to make it work.
Grade: 85% (E) - There are a few spelling/grammar mistakes and the focus and concentration seem reversed. I would expect that focusing upon the needles and fabric as the spell is cast is the Focus component while maintaining focus on the needles and the shifting patterns (a thought) are concentration components. The goal is to properly note all parts of the spell.
Spell Name: The Knitting Charm
Incantation: Knacocio (nah-co-CI-O)
Wand Movement: Starting from the top right hand corner, draw a V, ending at the top left corner, then making a U shape curve back to the top right hand corner. (Incantation said after the wand movement)
Focus Component: The caster must focus closely on the knitting needles and how each stitch is made. As there are different types of stitchings, the caster needs to constantly focus on the type of stitching they would like to use during the knitting. The caster needs to visualise the knitting design in their minds and if they were to lose focus, they will end up having a messy ball of yarn.
Will Power Component: The spell requires minimal will power as there is no backfiring effect if the spell is casted wrongly. The caster will merely have a problem unstitching the yarn. More willpower will be needed if the design is complex and constantly changing. Also, varying willpower is needed when knitting different types of product. For example, knitting a scarf would definitely need less willpower than knitting a sweater.
Concentration Component: Knitting requires two knitting needles and thus it will be a challenge to split the concentration into two parts that are actively happening concurrently.
Summary/Description:This spell is a necessary spell as it is use for common activities. The spell cast may seem like an easy task however, there is still some minimal complexity in terms of concentration when it comes to controlling both needles at the same time. When spell is successfully casted, the caster would be able to knit things such as scarf, sweats, mittens, hats etc.