Sorcery Foundations
Sorcery foundations is the entry-level guide to what sorcery actually is — the definition, the operating principle, the cost, and the limits. Without these in place, every later page feels like it's missing context.
What makes sorcery distinctive among power systems is that it cannot fire freely. Every operation has a structure that has to be assembled correctly, a condition that has to be met, a medium that has to be present, and a price that has to be paid. Foundations is where each of those four pieces gets defined.
On this page we walk all four foundations together — what sorcery is, how it works, what it costs, and where its limits sit.
Core characteristics
The defining properties that set this category apart from others.
- Foundation-onlyThe four pieces of sorcery's basic definition.
- Beginner-friendlyThe first page to read for anyone new to sorcery.
- Cross-axis baselineEvery later sorcery page assumes these foundations are in place.
- Cost-awareMakes the cost of sorcery legible from the start.
How it differs from neighboring categories
Even within the same family, each category has a distinct character. Comparing side by side is the fastest way to grasp the differences.
Foundations
The basics of sorcery — definition, principle, cost, limits.
Activation Structures
How sorcery is fired.
Medium Types
What sorcery uses to carry its work.
Effect Types
What sorcery actually does.
When the foundations help
Best when you're newly meeting sorcery in any form.
- First visitYour first look at MoonWiki's sorcery classification.
- New workPicking up the sorcery system of a new novel, game, or film.
- Cost-checkingWhen you need to verify whether a spell's cost is plausible.
- Right before a deep diveA final cleanup pass before an axis-specific page.
The four foundation pieces
Sorcery foundations split into four pieces.
Definition
What sorcery actually is.
Principle
How sorcery operates.
Cost
What sorcery exacts.
Limit
Where sorcery cannot go.
Limits of the foundations page
Foundations trade depth for breadth.
- AbstractSpecific operations live on the individual sorcery pages.
- No spell listThis page doesn't show actual spells.
- Supplement neededPair with axis-specific pages for the full picture.
Subcategories
How to use the foundations
This page is meant to be a doorway into the rest of sorcery.
First, anchor what sorcery even is.
Then carry the four pieces — definition, principle, cost, limit — into every later sorcery page.
Finally, return here whenever a specific spell's cost or principle feels off; the foundations are the reference.
To go deeper on the foundations
Open the next-axis pages directly.
Start with Activation Structures for how sorcery is actually fired.
Move to Medium Types for what carries the operation.
End with Hierarchy to see how big a spell can get.