Magery 0 Magic in World Building

Thanks largely to D&D, much of the focus on how spells shape a world involves to the big flashy stuff like Fireballs, Lightning bolts, and Earthquakes. But in a world that is high or very high mana or where Magery 0 (but not higher levels) can be learned that is turned on its head...the overlooked "flavor" spells became as powerful as if not more powerful then their flashy counterparts.

Note that Alchemical Items are a different type of magic that have the potential to be just as powerful as any spell given the effects of many Alchemy Elixirs. In fact, in a low mana region they may replace spells as only the time to make them is effected.

Baseline[]

All the following spells have the following criteria:

Cannot require magery to learn

Spells in bold have the following additional criteria:

Must be useful to the average person
Would have a profound effect if common enough

The number of prerequisites for spells is (x); an (A) denotes a spell from Magic: The Least of Spells. In a Ritual Magic setting this become less of an issue as spells are learned as techniques of their respective colleges. Spells in italics have prerequisites from outside the college. If the world extends Fractional Magery to all forms of magery then these spells become more common. The Variant Count Calculation method (each 10 points = -2 to skill^[1]) makes spells with Magery 1+ viable to Magery 0 wizards.

It should be noted that many of these spells totally mess up Adam Smith's Labor Theory of Value as goods produced for an hour of labor is totally hit upside the head.

Air College[]

Predict Weather (4): farmers were often at the mercy of the weather. Having the ability to predict it with accuracy on par with our TL8 methods is insanely powerful
Rain (5): droughts are no longer an issue.

Special situation spells (Air)[]

Diver's Blessing (A)
Purify Air (0)
Seek Air (0)
Create Air (1)
Devitalize Air (1)
No-Smell (1)
Stench (1)
Destroy Air (2)
Odor (2)
Shape Air (2)
Air Jet (3)
Air Vision (3)
Body of Air (3)
Wall of Wind (3)
Walk on Air (3)
Windstorm (3)
Clouds (4)
Earth to Air (4)
Wind (4)
Concussion (5)
Breathe Water (6)
Resist Lightning (6)
Snow (7)
Warm (8)
Atmosphere Dome (9)
Cool (9)
Storm (10)
Lightning Armor (12)

Animal College[]

There are a lot of very useful spells for the farmer in this college. All non (A) spells require the Animal Empathy advantage:

Call (A)
Beast-Rouser (0)
Beast-Soother (0)
Beast Link (2)
Beast Seeker (3)
Repel (Animal) (2): insects are a problem even at TL8; this spell takes care of that problem for an hour.

Special situation spells (Animal)[]

Animal Control (1)
Beast Summoning (1)
Master (1)
Beast Speech (2)
Rider (2)
Hybrid Control (3)
Rider Within (3)
Beast Possession (4)
Repel Hybrids (4)

Body Control College[]

While a large number of spells in this college don't require Magery none of them is really useful to the average person.

Special situation spells (Body)[]

Climbing (0)
Debility (0)
Itch (0)
Touch (0)
Frailty (1)
Hinder (1)
Might (1)
Spasm (1)
Boost Strength (2)
Clumsiness (2)
Pain (2)
Rooted Feet (2)
Stop Spasm (2)
Strike Dumb (2)
Tickle (2)
Vigor (2)
Boost Health (3)
Fumble (3)
Grace (3)
Perfume (3)
Stun (3)
Tanglefoot (3)
Ambidexterity (4)
Balance (4)
Roundabout (4)
Strike Blind (4)
Strike Deaf (4)
Boost Dexterity (5)
Cadence (5)
Hair Growth (5)
Nauseate (5)
Reflexes (5)
Retch (7)
Haircut (8)

Communication & Empathy College[]

A college with a huge number of spells not requiring magery

Truthsayer (2): This spell is insanely powerful from a cultural standpoint even at TL8+
Lend Language (3): the subject can now understand the caster at an Accented level
Mind-Reading (3), Mind Sending (4), Mind Search (4), Telepathy (5), and Control Person (5): security? Oh we use to have that. And no looking for incriminating documents hasn't helped
Borrow Language (4): Translator? Don't need a translator...but what you get is going to be only at the accented level.
Gift of Letters (5): no need to translate that document...though you do need to know three languages and put in a lot of energy to read at Native level.
Gift of Tongues (5): Effectively the spoken version of Gift of Letters
Lend Skill (5), Borrow Skill (6): these don't work on Languages or Spells.

Special situation spells (Communication & Empathy)[]

Sense Foes (0)
Sense Life (0)
Sense Emotion (1)
Hide Emotion (2)
Persuasion (2)
Vexation (2)
Dream Sending (3)
Dream Viewing (3)
Hide Thoughts (3)
Compel Lie (4)
Dream Projection (4)
Mind Sending (4)
Soul Rider (4)
Dispel Possession (5)
Retrogression (6)
Insignificance (8)
Presence (8)

Earth College[]

This college has few spells that are useful to the average person and would have a profound effect if common enough.

Shape Earth (1): borderline for farmers for plowing and forming irrigation channels.
Essential Earth (6): This form of earth is three times as fertile: plants germinate three times faster and grow three times taller or bigger than normal

Special situation spells (Earth)[]

Seek Earth (0)
Seek Pass (1)
Earth Vision (2)
Earth to Air (4)
Predict Earth Movement (4)
Walk Through Earth (4)

Enchantment[]

Since all non Least Spell spell require Enchant (Magery 2) except Scoll (which requires Magery 1) there are no useful spells in this college for Magery 0 mages. If Enchantment by non-mages is possible it is through other means

Fire College[]

Create Fire (1): Creating a fire at TL1 or lower is hard but this spell makes it a snap.
Extinguish Fire (1): While it won't stop really big fires (not without a lot of people) it will stop relatively small fires that could easily wipe out a TL6 or lower town.
Heat (3): Great way to heat things without an oven or forge.
Cold (4): In a pre refrigeration (Late TL6) world the power of this spell cannot be over stated as cold makes food last longer. Note that this is gradual cold so one will get that "mushy strawberry" taste if one uses this to freeze food.
Resist Cold (4): Keep from freezing to death
Warmth (4): An alternative to Resist Cold.

Special situation spells (Fire)[]

Ignite Fire (0)
Seek Fire (0)
Phantom Flame (1)
Shape Fire (1)
Fireproof (2)
Slow Fire (2)
Fast Fire (3)
Flame Jet (3)
Resist Fire (3)
Smoke (3)
Essential Flame (6)

Food College[]

"From century to century, corn (grain) is a better measure than silver, because, from century to century, equal quantities of corn (grain) will command the same quantity of labour more nearly than equal quantities of silver." - Adam Smith Wealth of Nations^{[note 1]}

While the Food College is arguable the college for any society it reduces the labor needed and therefore takes a sledgehammer to how wealth would be normally figured.

Seek Food (0): Find out where there is food
Test Food (0): Find out if that thing you want to eat is safe.
Season (1): The spice trade was a key focus of the Western world well into the 1500's; with this spell there no need for those trade networks.
Mature (2): Excellent for any food that must age and mature. Wine, Cheese, and Beer production just took off.
Preserve Food (2): Even at TL9 preserving food can be a challenge; cold can only do so much. This does more.
Purify Food (2): Removes all the bad things (foreign objects, poisons, and decay) from food. If the food is bad enough it leaves nothing.
Cook (3): Quality of the food is dependent on what goes into the "pot".
Prepare Game (3): A critical spell for those who hunt to survive.
Create Food (5): Can keep people from starving to death though the spell says nothing about the food it creates being nutritious.
Essential Food (8): A far more powerful spell then Create Food. Not only is the food unbelievably good, filling, and nutritious but it does not spoil. The spell of any army operating in a high mana area or with only Magery 0 mages.

Special situation spells (Food)[]

Decay (1)
Poison Food (3)
Foul Water (4)
Water to Wine (5)
Distill (7)

Gate College[]

No spells useful to the average person that don't require magery here.

Healing College[]

Sadly most of the really useful spells for the average person require magery

Sense Disease(1)
Relieve Sickness (2)
Remove Contagion (2)
Stop Bleeding (2)
Resist Disease (3): Disease was a major problem before TL6; most child deaths were due to disease.

Special situation spells (Healing)[]

Lend Energy (With Empathy advantage) (0)
Body Reading (1)
Detect Poison (1)
Lend Vitality (1)
Awaken (2)
Minor Healing (2)
Share Vitality (2)
Resist Disease (3)
Resist Poison (3)
Restore Memory (3)
Restore Hearing (4)
Restore Sight (4)
Restore Speech (6)
Suspended Animation (7)
Relieve Madness (9)

Illusion and Creation College[]

This college is more of a detriment than helpful for the average person.

Simple Illusion (0): The merchant's bane. Finding out that the silver coin you were given was actually copper really messes with the profits
Illusion Disguise (1): No one, merchant, customer, or town guard, likes this spell. Can't trust what you see is what you get and can't trust what you are given in exchange. Thieves can easily hide brands or maiming that mark them as thieves. The only thing is it must be cast on a living object and requires another illusion spell to be cast on the object first.
Illusion Shell (1): Regarded in the same vein as Illusion Disguise
Know Illusion (1): In worlds where Illusion spells abound this is a must have. Every Merchant, Customer, and Town Guard will known this spell.

Special situation spells (Illusion and Creation)[]

Independence (1)
Complex Illusion (2)
Inscribe (7)
Initiative (9)

Knowledge College[]

Tell Time (0): This is most useful in naval navigation with regards to Longitude.
Alarm (1): you need to really wake up at a certain time.
Tell Position (1)
Test Load (1): critical for building structures

Special situation spells (Knowledge)[]

Small Vision (1)
Measurement (0)
Glass Wall (3)

Light and Darkness College[]

Continual Light (1): No candles to accidentally knock over, no gas needed to light rooms, no electricity needed for light either. Streets can be effectively lit without candles, gas, or electricity
Night Vision (1): See what is out there in the darkness without giving them a target of light.

Special situation spells (Light and Darkness)[]

Bright Vision (1)
Colors (1)
Hawk Vision (1)
Infravision (1)
Remove Shadow (1)
Shape Light (1)
Dark Vision (2)
Darkness (2)
Flash (2)
Gloom (2)
Glow (2)
Hide (2)
Light jet (2)
Mirror (2)
Remove Reflection (2)
Wall of Light (2)
Blackout (3)
Blur (3)
See Invisible (3)
Shape Darkness (3)
Invisibility (6)

Making and Breaking College[]

Dye (4): Some colors (like royal purple) were considered important because they were so hard and expensive to make. That distinction just went out the window.
Copy (5): Documents before the invention of the Printing Press (TL4) are rare or gone because copying them was so time consuming. This spell turns anyone who knows it into a human printing press.
Rejoin (8): fix an item for 10 minutes
Mapmaker (9): Have accurate maps well below TL5.

Special situation spells (Making and Breaking)[]

Restore (1)
Clean (2)
Soilproof (3)
Find Weakness (4)
Weaken (5)
Inscribe (7)
Stiffen (8)
Knot (9)
Transparency (9)
Fasten (10)

Meta-Spells[]

None

Mind Control College[]

No spells useful to the average person that don't require magery here.

Dull Sense (0)
Fear (0)
Foolishness (0)
Bravery (1)
Daze (1)
Disorient (1)
Panic (1)
Terror (1)
Alertness (2)
Berserker (2)
Dullness (2)
Encrypt (2)
Fascinate (2)
Mass Daze (2)
Mental Stun (2)
Sleep (2)
Emotion Control (3)
Loyalty (3)
Mass Sleep (3)
Rear Vision (3)
Drunkenness (4)
Lure (4)
Will Lock (4)
Peaceful Sleep (5)
Memorize (6)
Wisdom (6)
Boost (IQ) (7)

Movement College[]

Sadly some of the more useful spells require at least Magery 1.

Haste (0)
Glue (1)
Grease (1)

Necromantic College[]

No spells useful to the average person that don't require magery here.

Special situation spells (Necromantic)[]

Final Rest (If Holy or has Spirit Empathy) (0)
Turn Zombie (If Holy) (0 or 5)
Steal Energy (3)
Steal Vitality (4)
Skull Spirit (4)
Weaken Blood (5)
Animate Shadow (9)

Plant College[]

Seek Plant (0)
Identify Plant (1)
Heal Plant (2)
Bless Plants (3): doubles crop yields
Plant Growth (3): Not as powerful as Bless Plants but great for seed germination.
Forest Warning (4): a useful spell that warns its caster of anything in the area that could harm them. Its more expensive cousin that works in areas without plants is Nightingale.
Essential Wood (6): at three times as strong with three times the HP and DR of normal wood^[2] this makes larger wooden structures possible.

Special situation spells (Plant)[]

Shape Plant (2)
Hide Path (3)
Plant Vision (3)
Pollen Cloud (3)
Blight (4)
Blossom (4)
Conceal (4)
Tangle Growth (4)
False Tracks (5)
Plant Sense (5)
Walk Through Plants (5)
Wither Plant (5)
Plant Control (6)
Walk Through Wood (6)
Animate Plant (7)

Protection and Warning College[]

Nightingale (1): Anyone who depends on stealth, such as thieves and assassins, hates this spell. It's not just it makes it next to impossible to sneak around but it also lasts for 10 hours.
Watchdog (1): At 10 hours this spell's ability to warn its caster or anyone or anything with hostile intent is a must have for anyone traveling
Weather Dome (8): Bad weather is not a problem for 6 hours

Special situation spells (Protection and Warning)[]

Sense Danger (0)
Sense Observation (1)
Reflect Gaze (3)
Atmosphere Dome (9)
Freedom (9)
Resist Pressure (9)

Sound College[]

Sound Vision (0): the blind can see...to some degree.
Wall of Silence (2): Be able to converse without worrying about someone listening in.
Great Voice (3): The spell for those who need to be heard by large crowds

Special situation spells (Sound)[]

Sound (0)
Sound Vision (0)
Thunderclap (1)
Silence (1)
Voices (1)
Garble (2)
Imitate Voice (2)
Mage-Stealth (3)
Noise (3)
Resist Sound (4)
Sound Jet (4)
Silver Tongue (6)
Hush (7)
Alter Voice (8)

Technological College[]

Many Tech spells are technological skills (B168), and must be learned at a particular TL

Seek Machine/TL (0): Find the nearest machine
Reveal Function/TL (1): find out what a machine does before trying to actually use it.

Energy Spells[]

Seek Fuel/TL (0):
Test Fuel/TL (0): discover any impurities, decay, and foreign objects that would interfere with the fuel's intended purpose.
Preserve Fuel/TL (1): Prevents fuel from spoiling, decaying, or otherwise becoming unusable.
Purify Fuel/TL (2): Removes foreign objects and impurities from a fuel. If the fuel is bad enough it leaves nothing.
Create Fuel/TL (5): make finding wood, coal, oil, or any other fuel far easier
Essential Fuel/TL (6)

Metal and Plastic[]

Identify Metal (0): very useful at determining what metal one has in front of them

Special situation spells (Technological)[]

Identify Metal (0)
Identify Plastic (0)
Seek Plastic (0)
Seek Power/TL (0)
Magnetic Vision (1)
Radio Hearing (1)
Seek Radiation (1)
Spectrum Vision (2)
Irradiate (4)
See Radiation (0)
Resist Radiation (7)
Radiation Jet (8)

Water College[]

No civilization can survive without water, making this as important as the Food College.

Seek Water (0)
Purify Water (1)
Seek Coastline (1): The sailor's friend
Create Water (2)
Walk on Water (4): Why walk around the big lake when you can walk on it?
Rain (5): Also an Air spell
Waves (6): Greatly desired by sailors
Create Spring (8): No spring in the area? No problem one can make one with this spell
Distill (7): Also in the Food College
Essential Water (6): This is three times effective in quenching thirst as actual water
Tide (8): quickly raise or lower the water level in an area.

Special situation spells (Water)[]

Umbrella (1)
Resist Water (2)
Icy Weapon (3)
Shape Water (3)
Destroy Water (3)
Body of Water (4)
Foul Water (4)
Freeze (4)
Ice Sphere (4)
Icy Missiles (4)
Melt ice (4)
Snow Shoes (4)
Water Jet (4)
Water Vision (4)
Whirlpool (4)
Coolness (5)
Condense Steam (5)
Create Ice (5)
Dehydrate (5)
Ice Dagger (5)
Current (6)
Dry Spring (6)
Snow Jet (6)
Boil Water (8)
Create Steam (9)
Geyser (9)
Steam Jet (10)

Weather College[]

All the useful spells in this college are learned in other colleges

Predict Weather (4)
Rain (5)
Weather Dome (8)

Special situation spells (Weather)[]

Frost (3)
Clouds (4)
Fog (4)
Waves (4)
Wind (4)
Snow (7)
Hail (8)
Warm (8)
Cool (9)
Cloud Walking (9)
Storm (10)

Notes and Additional Information[]

↑ Corn in Smith's time referred to all grain - wheat, barley, oats, rye, and "Indian" corn

References[]

↑ GURPS Thaumatology p.72-73
↑ Basic Set p. 558

[2] Corn in Smith's time referred to all grain - wheat, barley, oats, rye, and "Indian" corn

[1] GURPS Thaumatology p.72-73

[3] Basic Set p. 558

[1]

[note 1]

[2]