This page details the thematic differences in treatment between classical ("Vancian") and psionic magic, as well as the differences between classical arcane magic and classical divine magic.
Magic is an invocation of the power of the world. There are rules and essences suspended within the fabric of Reverie and the Tapestry around it, and these rules and essences are invoked by creatures with power over magic in order to perform impressive feats.
Arcane spellcasters perform rituals, invoking the rules and patterns of Reverie in order to produce grand effects.
Bard
A bard follows the music in their head. Just as improvised music is jamming around a shared base template, so also do bards dance around and coax a far greater power than themselves into acting, striking at the deeper resonant rituals with power chords and throaty solos.
Sorcerer
Sorcerers intuitively feel their way through rituals in the morning, relying on the power granted to them by their ancestry to reinforce their bonds with the Tapestry. They lack study and the rigidity required to delve into the precision of new rituals, but their raw power and intuition makes them plenty valuable.
Summoner
A summoner is the most careful of the spontaneous arcane casters, with many of their powers based on careful preparation and precaution. Rather than intuitively feel their way through magic, they hone their connection to eldritch powers, and through them satisfy their need for power.
Arcanist
An arcanist is a butcher of history. As devoted to study as a tick is to benevolence, an arcanist gathers knowledge on how to cheat rules more than to follow them and prefers shortcuts over respect. Sacrificing the raw power granted by following the leylines of the ancient schools, an arcanist blends many rituals together every morning, and at any time, can call on any one, fuelling it with the power of the others.
Magus
A magus learns both the graceful improvisation of martial combat and the rigidity of arcane ritual; there is no fluidity in the arcane, and there is little give from metal arms. A magus carries a honed, structured mind, taught by modern tactics and ancient crypticism.
Witch
Witches learn the secrets of the world's veils through their masters among the Tapestry. Whispering promises to their unseen masters, performing solemn rites, and moving in step with the they were told during their communion, witches speak exactly what they are told. Unknown benefactors of a powerful influence, witches invoke their mysterious patron to impose their will on their opposition.
Wizard
A wizard learns from the "invented" - more properly, discovered - rituals passed down from ancient, forgotten forebears. They recite from spellbooks before their day begins, carrying unfinished works with them throughout, and call on those pieces of historical knowledge with concentrated effort.
Divine spellcasters apply the will of the power from which they derive their strength to manipulate the fabric of the Tapestry. Although they are the most removed from the power of the Tapestry of all, they also call on the greatest source of power - neither ancient laws nor a petty mind, but the world and the gods themselves.
Cleric
Clerics tap into the raw power of the Arbiters or the Pristines, devoted to upholding a single deity. They invoke spells granted to them by the divine, backed by a power woven deeply into the Tapestry which resonates throughout Reverie.
Inquisitor
A Loyalist inquisitor acts on behalf of the Council of the Holy Arbitration, and a Conspirator acts on behalf of the cults. Wielding the symbolic focus of their religion, an inquisitor calls on the power invested in them by the Council, the rituals prepared for them by the cultists.
Oracle
Oracles are granted power by their Principle, a shining star in the unending darkness of the Tapestry. Powered directly by their mystery which comes forth from their Principle, an oracle performs blessed rituals brought forth by reflection and introspection.
Paladin
Paladins uphold the Arbiters or the Pristines as a whole, forces of good or evil as they are. Rather than praising their religion or their god, they fight for the powers that be, sending their message to all they encounter; in return, the pantheon grants the paladin their power.
Druid
Druids exchange promises to the wild for its power. Borrowing the might of nature, a druid devotes her life to its protection, guiding and restoring it to its rightful place. Their magic is a maddening gift, away from human touch and the Culture of Arbiter Order, the King of Reverie.
Ranger
Rangers extract what they need in a mutual understanding with Reverie. Much like two fellow members of a guild, they have a healthy competition interspersed with assisting one another in times of need. A ranger knows how to get what they need from Reverie, and their magic reflects this respect.
Psionic manifesters work with forceful demands that the essence of magic bow to one's will. Psionic magic is not about invoking laws set in place; it's about creating those laws impromptu based on basic principles.
Cryptic
Cryptics recognise patterns in the world as a shortcut to psionic strength. The basic principle a cryptic works with is the patterns in the order of the world, and their abilities reflect this deep understanding - including how to subvert them.
Psion
Psions have a supreme understanding of magic - unlike an arcanist, a psion breaks what seem to be the rules of the world by their eidetic memory of the algorithmic structures that underpin the world. A psion masters many basic principles, but theirs could be said to be the mind: Circuitous and impossibly deep; a master psion holds billions of facts about the world at their beck and call.
Psychic Warrior
Psychic warriors are rigid and devoted, combining martial training with psionic augmentation. Their training focuses on empowering the body, and likewise their basic principle is the path: All roads lead to Rome, it is said; and so also does a psychic warrior find the shortest path to achieve their goals. Algorithmic, like severing a limb; like a kick practised a thousand times; like lightning.
Tactician
Tacticians are composites - amalgamates, collectives - more than they are independent beings. They are also the only formally-trained psionic manifester to demonstrate this trait. Likewise, by their training, their basic principle is easily the array: A well-ordered collection, where disorganisation is a tool; there is a defined final state, and all a tactician does is attract magic's attention to it.
Dread
Wilder
Aegis
Marksman
Soulknife
Vitalist
Alchemist
Kineticist
Medium
Mesmerist
Occultist
Psychic
Spiritualist
Occultist
Vizier