Technique

In Ars Magica, which is mostly about magic, Technique almost exclusively refers to Techniques in the context of Hermetic Arts.

A Technique is a method applied to a Hermetic Form. It more or less describes an action, whereas Forms determine the object or subject the Technique applies to. The combination of both is required to create a Hermetic magical effect.

The nomenclature used to describe Techniques is Latin verbs in the first person singular form, all of which end in “-o” to represent that grammatical form. Unlike in Latin, where the predicate or verb concludes a linguistic expression, Techniques usually precede the corresponding Form to describe the Form-Technique combination.

There are 5 different Techniques:

  • Creo (Lat. “I create”)
  • Intellego (Lat. “I examine/perceive”)
  • Muto (Lat. “I transform”)
  • Perdo (Lat. “I destroy”)
  • Rego (Lat. “I control”)