Item from Mage Errant by John Bierce
The magic system of Anastis — where mages develop natural connections to specific substances or concepts during adolescence, with more specific affinities granting stronger but narrower power.
The affinity system is what makes Anastis's magic unique. Rather than learning spells from a universal system, each mage develops natural connections to specific substances, concepts, or forces during adolescence. These connections are deeply personal and cannot be chosen — a mage born with a crystal affinity will always be a crystal mage, regardless of their preferences. Affinities are categorized into five types: compound, cluster, structural, monolithic, and meta. The key principle is specificity: a mage with an affinity for 'granite' is more powerful within that domain than a mage with a broader 'stone' affinity, but the granite mage cannot affect marble or limestone. This creates a world of specialists who must cooperate to cover each other's weaknesses. Warlock pacts bypass this limitation by allowing bonded mages to share affinities — which is why Hugh's group, each bringing different affinities to their pact, became collectively far more powerful than any of them could be alone.
Affinities manifest differently depending on type and strength. Some produce visible effects — lightning crackling along a mage's arms, stone flowing like water under their touch, paper folding itself at their gesture. Others are subtler — dream affinities shift the quality of light around a mage, healing affinities create a warmth perceptible to the injured. Spellforms — the structured constructs through which affinities are channeled — glow in colors unique to each mage when actively cast.
Also known as: affinities, the affinity system, magical affinities, affinity magic