As Raiders of Arismyth is a class-less system, learning magic is simply just another skill. Each spell is a skill you can learn, and making it better is done by buying Advancements. To cast a spell, you count the Advancements you have on that skill and that is how many dice you get to roll. You see – magic really just works like any other skill in the game.

But of course, magic is a bit special. While mechanically, this is very similar to how, let’s say, riding, works, actually there are vast differences.

In Raiders of Arismyth, magic is something nearly everyone can learn. Once you understand how to do an incantation, how to shape the flows of magic with your mind, words, and gestures, you can start doing wondrous things.

The only drawback is that magic also requires one to put the special patterns and sigils onto the own body. Without these patterns connecting the body of the spellcaster to the flows of magic, it is impossible to do even the tiniest magic.

Magic users apply those patterns as tattoos, ritual scarification or brands, and add to them as they master the intricacies of their magic. Most magicians need to touch and activate these sigils and chant the proper incantations. At first, these sigils are about the size of a coin, but they rarely stay at that:

Over time, wizards add flourishes and refinements to these marks, imbuing magic and more power into themselves. With that, their spells become much easier to cast and more powerful.

The positioning of these sigils is important, especially if the mage still needs to touch it to perform the spell. One can learn a lot about a mage by looking what sigils are placed where…

Usually, one learns spells from a teacher, who guides one through the intricacies of these patterns, but less scrupulous ones learn by the study of spell books made from the preserved skin of deceased mages.