Primal Spellcraft¶
"Primal spellcasting is a raw and emotional connection of energies. It has nothing to do with intellect, calculation or formulas. In this sense it is the opposite of Arcane Spellcraft." — Fae Magic (S279)
Primal spellcraft is the way Fae magic is cast: by feeling, will and skill rather than by formula. Its casters "shape and act as conduits for energies that they don't necessarily understand" (S208). It takes four forms, the shaman's catalogued science of totems and powers, the Spellfury's magic poured through body and weapon, the bard's music and emotion, and the shapechanger's innate change of form. The energy they work is described under Fae Magic and its divisions under Fae Domains.
The primal way¶
"Primal Spellcraft is a form of raw casting that relies mostly on willpower and skill" (S208). "Primal spellcasters are often magical beings which don't fully understand or control their powers. A Primal spellcaster requires a focus through which to channel their energy which produces the Spell's effects. For magical creatures, the focus is their own bodies. For other primal magic-users, a totem or other focus object is required. Primal spellcasters do not need to prepare or memorize Spells. However, the spells that they can control tend to be very simplistic in comparison to their Arcane counterparts" (S279). Even arcane casters can be pushed into the primal way: the Hollowlocks of the Hollowing "have more in common with primal Fae casters in that they just feel the energies of the Hollow and shape and form them into spells out of sheer will" (S208; see Hollowcasting).
Shaman¶
"Often known as Shaman, these spellcasters have turned Primal Spellcraft into a science, cataloging totems and powers and measuring results. Their mastery and discipline allows them to construct and manage more complex spells than most other Primal casters" (S208, S279). A shaman's spells are learned by demesne, one Fae domain at a time: the Sancturi lists survive for Sun, Wind, Sand and Wither (S289, S290, S288, S291). A shaman of Sand begins by binding sand to themselves, "an area of sand or sandy loose soil", which "is required for many other sand spells" (S288). A shaman of Wither brings thirst, desiccation and rot (S291). The Wind shaman's greatest working calls on the four Winds of the Autai (S290; see Fae Domains).
Shamans are not loved everywhere. Among the Silek, whose rulers are demonic casters, "Shamans (Fae casters) are considered heretics and outcasts (though still exist in some places)" (S025, cited on Demonic Magic).
Spellfury¶
"Often known as Spellbaldes, Spellfists or Spellarrows, these primal spellcasters focus their energies as an extension of themselves, their weapons and emotions" (S208, S279). The Spellfury's paths are written by realm: the Forge Spellfury "brings a metal plate out of the earth" to shield a flank, and for the Rock Spellfury "the earth engulfs your feet and legs, making you immune to knockback and prone effects" (S286, S287).
Orphic casters¶
"Often known as Bards or Spellweavers, these primal spellcasters are masters of emotion and weaving it with sensory effects such as music ... Their spells are usually simplistic but with a long duration and often build to a powerful crescendo" (S208, S279).1
Shapechanger¶
"Innate. These beings can use their primal magic to change forms, often initially uncontrollably. With practice and discipline, Shapechangers can learn to control their shifting and eventually change into different forms. This ability should not be confused with the Fae plague known as Lycanthropy" (S208, S279). Lycanthropy is discussed under Fae Magic.
Contract casters¶
The 2017 notes once listed a fifth primal craft, Contract Spellcraft, "Witch/Warlock": casters "not content to cast simple spells. In their quest for more power they have contracted with other spirits, demons or other creatures in order to harness their spellcraft. These contracts are two-way and there is normally a steep price required for their services" (S279). The notes mark it "moved to Elder"; such casters are now described under Demonic Magic and Witchcraft.
Gap
No source describes how a shaman is taught or chooses a demesne, where Spellfuries train, or a bard's place in society beyond the Curcian bards of the Compendium, "welcomed across the continent" for their music (S372), who are not said to be casters.
Earlier accounts¶
The archive's Terrun Cosmology has a Shaman or Witch Doctor focus of its own, working not the elements but life: "Casters use this focus to manipulate and re-arrange the forces associated with living things. They are considered mystical healers, soothsayers, agents of forces nature and are known to have power over bodies of water ... Shaman are often self-taught, and found among primitive cultures that are incapable of pursuing more academic-based wizardly focuses. That is not to say that Shaman are not found among the membership of the most powerful and scholarly wizard orders" (S389, S421). Such a shaman "may briefly enchant a totem which greatly aids in the Shaman's channeling of living energy" (S389). Its tables pair the Life focus with the Shaman (S389, S391). That focus is described with its siblings under Casting Focuses of the Earlier Ages.
Legacy rules for the primal casters are kept under Mechanics: Fae Shaman and Spellfury.
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The Orphic Spellweaving talent in ARCS: Orphic Spellweaving ↩