Each spell belongs to a school of magic. The schools are listed in the Schools of Magic table. These categories help describe spells but have no rules of their own, although some other rules refer to them.
Schools of Magic
School
Typical Effects
Abjuration
Prevents or reverses harmful effects
Conjuration
Transports creatures or objects
Divination
Reveals information
Enchantment
Influences minds
Evocation
Channels energy to create effects that are often destructive
They are a way of grouping similar spells together based on what the spell does. They used to matter more. In the past there was a wheel, and a wizard who specialized in one school couldn’t learn spells from the opposing school. So it’s largely a vestige of that, imo. Though it does still matter for wizards, as most wizard subclasses focus on specific schools. And there had been some ‘14 rules about classes like EK only being able to take spells from certain schools, for example. But in general in ‘24 they seem only to matter to wizard subclasses, I think. At least so far.
In many adventures, when Detect Magic is used, it's helpful to give players information about the school of magic. This can sometimes be important for decision-making and can lead to different outcomes.
In many adventures, when Detect Magic is used, it's helpful to give players information about the school of magic. This can sometimes be important for decision-making and can lead to different outcomes.
The problem with this is that often the answer is "uhhh.... *frantic flipping through PHB to find a vaguely similar spell* abjuration?"
The categories are somehow very broadly defined and also there are plenty of things that don't fit well into any of them. Many of the categorizations are weird. (Banishment - Abjuration. Banishing smite - conjuration? Blnk and Blindness/Deafness - both transmutation? Etc.)
In many adventures, when Detect Magic is used, it's helpful to give players information about the school of magic. This can sometimes be important for decision-making and can lead to different outcomes.
The problem with this is that often the answer is "uhhh.... *frantic flipping through PHB to find a vaguely similar spell* abjuration?"
The categories are somehow very broadly defined and also there are plenty of things that don't fit well into any of them. Many of the categorizations are weird. (Banishment - Abjuration. Banishing smite - conjuration? Blnk and Blindness/Deafness - both transmutation? Etc.)
Yes, sometime that happens :D
But if you previously noted those schools in a homemade adventure, there's no problem.
In any case, when I wrote the reply, I was thinking about official adventures. There are plenty of examples.
The traps can't be perceived except with a detect magic spell, which reveals an aura of conjuration magic in the trapped areas.
A detect magic spell reveals an aura of evocation magic around the sarcophagus.
A detect magic spell reveals an aura of conjuration magic radiating from the locked door.
When viewed with a detect magic spell, the area emanates a faint necromantic aura.
A detect magic spell reveals an aura of abjuration magic emanating from the tome.
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What are spell schools, why do they matter, what are the categories, and what do they mean???
School of Magic
Each spell belongs to a school of magic. The schools are listed in the Schools of Magic table. These categories help describe spells but have no rules of their own, although some other rules refer to them.
Schools of Magic
They are a way of grouping similar spells together based on what the spell does. They used to matter more. In the past there was a wheel, and a wizard who specialized in one school couldn’t learn spells from the opposing school. So it’s largely a vestige of that, imo. Though it does still matter for wizards, as most wizard subclasses focus on specific schools.
And there had been some ‘14 rules about classes like EK only being able to take spells from certain schools, for example.
But in general in ‘24 they seem only to matter to wizard subclasses, I think. At least so far.
In many adventures, when Detect Magic is used, it's helpful to give players information about the school of magic. This can sometimes be important for decision-making and can lead to different outcomes.
The problem with this is that often the answer is "uhhh.... *frantic flipping through PHB to find a vaguely similar spell* abjuration?"
The categories are somehow very broadly defined and also there are plenty of things that don't fit well into any of them. Many of the categorizations are weird. (Banishment - Abjuration. Banishing smite - conjuration? Blnk and Blindness/Deafness - both transmutation? Etc.)
Yes, sometime that happens :D
But if you previously noted those schools in a homemade adventure, there's no problem.
In any case, when I wrote the reply, I was thinking about official adventures. There are plenty of examples.