Sorcery
Sorcery is the broadest bucket for power that operates through 'ritual, condition, and price.' Where magic channels external mana and martial arts cultivates inner energy, sorcery operates through structures: a specific ritual, a binding condition, a medium that carries the work, and an unavoidable cost.
What sets sorcery apart is that 'no operation is free.' Every spell exacts something — lifeforce, an organ, a relationship, a vow, sometimes the practitioner themselves. The sorcerer who refuses the price refuses the operation; the sorcerer who pays it cannot easily walk back.
MoonWiki's sorcery hierarchy splits along several axes: foundations (definition, principle, cost, limits), activation structures (ritual, incantation, pact, sacrifice), mediums (totem, sigil, blood, true name), pact origins (spirit, ancestral, demonic, fate), effect types (curse, blessing, binding, divination, transformation, mind), and hierarchy (minor through forbidden). This page walks the big picture.
Core characteristics
The defining properties that set this category apart from others.
- Ritual-drivenOperates through specific structured rituals.
- Condition-boundCannot fire without the right conditions in place.
- Medium-requiredNeeds a physical or symbolic medium to carry the work.
- Cost-payingEvery operation exacts an unavoidable price.
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.
Sorcery
Ritual power built on conditions and prices.
Magic
Operations that channel external mana.
Martial Arts
Strength cultivated from within the body.
Aura
Inner power projected through body and weapon.
Where to start in the sorcery hierarchy
Sorcery is fastest read 'foundation → structure → medium → effect.'
- Start with foundationsIf you're new, start at the foundations to anchor what sorcery even is.
- Move to structuresHow a spell is activated — ritual, incantation, pact, sacrifice.
- Then medium and originWhat carries the work and where the power comes from.
- End with effect and rankEffect type and rank tell you what the spell actually does and how big it is.
The six axes of sorcery
MoonWiki organizes sorcery along six axes.
Foundations
Definition, principle, cost, limits.
Activation structures
Ritual, incantation, pact, sacrifice.
Mediums
Totem, sigil, blood, true name.
Pact origins
Spirit, ancestral, demonic, fate.
Effect types
Curse, blessing, binding, divination, transformation, mind.
Hierarchy
Minor through forbidden.
Limits of this top-level view
Because it's the biggest bucket, the limits are clear.
- AbstractConcrete spell descriptions live on individual sorcery pages.
- Varies by workWhat 'sorcery' even means shifts dramatically across works.
- Hybrid systemsWorks that mix sorcery with magic or martial arts get tricky to classify.
Subcategories
How sorcerers grow
A sorcerer's career is the slow climb from a single ritual to operations that bind the world.
Minor sorcery handles small curses, light blessings, and basic binding. The price is small; the operation is too.
Standard sorcery is the working sorcerer's daily toolkit — operations that handle one specific need.
High sorcery brings out signature operations strong enough to anchor a single client's lifetime arrangement.
Grand rites and forbidden sorcery operate at era scale — operations that shape entire regions or futures.
Digging deeper into sorcery
Open each axis directly.
Start with Sorcery Foundations to anchor the basics.
Move to Activation Structures and Medium Types.
Read Pact Origins, Effect Types, and Hierarchy in order.