“What seek you, sister?”
“I just want to learn a little magic.”
“Be thou of the Invisible Church?”
“What? You mean a vislae? No. No, I just want to learn a little magic that will help with my life, you know? I don’t want to explore the universe or conjure demons or anything. I just thought magic also did, you know—other stuff. Fix things that are broken. Let me get a good night’s sleep. Make better sandwiches. I dunno.”
“Ah, magic can do such things. They are a trifle. But it can do so much—”
“Great, no. I’ll just go with the simple stuff. The ‘trifles.’”
“Oh, very well, obstinate woman. Look for the tomes on the left-hand shelves. And remember—a library this is not. You must purchase—”
“Got it.”
Minor magic is a catch-all term for what might be thought of as spells of very low power. Cantrips, charms, signs, and hexes are all minor magic. Cantrips are general effects little more than helpful tricks or prestidigitation. Charms are positive effects that cover generally mundane circumstances. Signs are protective. Hexes are offensive, but mostly in terms of being bothersome rather than truly dangerous.
All minor magic is considered level 0 in terms of a venture, if needed. The cost to learn any bit of minor magic is always 1 Acumen. A vislae cannot fail to learn a minor magical effect, and it takes only one day.
Even non-vislae sometimes know a few of these minor practices. It’s not uncommon for a shop owner to clean up using magic, a herder to tend a flock using magic, or a stage performer to enhance their act with (real) magic.
Minor magical practices are ill-defined because their power is so slight. In general, they last as long as seems appropriate, but rarely linger after the sun has next risen or set. If need be, a color can be assigned to a minor magical effect using the guidelines in the “Magical Practices” chapter, but most of the time, that distinction won’t matter.