Practical Magic is a novel written by Alice Hoffman that was published in 1995. The story revolves around the lives of two sisters, Sally and Gillian Owens, who come from a long line of witches in a small town named Massachusetts. The novel explores themes of love, family, and the power of magic. It tells the story of the Owens sisters as they navigate through the challenges of life, love, and their unique abilities. Sally, the elder sister, is the responsible and practical one, while Gillian is more wild and free-spirited. Throughout the novel, the sisters face numerous obstacles and encounter various magical experiences.
“We wanted to keep the same kind of vibe,” Bonner said, “which is a fairly complex game with a lot of choices, a lot of options, a lot of ways to customize your character, and to feel like the rules are supporting the story you want to tell with your character.”
Secrets of Magic includes two revised character classes, the Magus and the Summoner, both of which are tailored for the tabletop role-playing game s second edition. Now, in getting to the two new classes, I kinda skipped over Chapter 1 and I feel a little guilty doing that because there s still good work and creativity that went into that as well.
Throughout the novel, the sisters face numerous obstacles and encounter various magical experiences. They cast spells, brew potions, and even resurrect the dead. However, their magical abilities also come with consequences.
RPG Reviews – Pathfinder 2E: Secrets of Magic (Paizo)
I love magic. Despite that, I don’t often play magic-users in RPGs unless I’m playing Ars Magica or Mage. Honestly, I think it’s because I like swords/weapons and having them be an integral part of the character (my Ars character is basically a fighter-mage type.) Thankfully, Pathfinder: Secrets of Magic comes to my rescue with the Magus, a core class that is devoted to spells AND a weapon, giving Freud the opportunity to run amok in my psyche.
Hilarity aside, Secrets of Magic is the best book I’ve ever read on magic for any game that is, or has ever been, descended from D&D. Hands-down, no contest. I think I realized that about page 8, because after the lovely Introduction begins the in-character treatises on the nature of magic in the Pathfinder universe. Four characters, each representing the different traditions of magic, give a firsthand look at what it is to see the universe through their eyes and, in doing so, present all the rules and mechanics of Pathfinder magic as actual parts of the setting – for example: the Arcane Tradition actually divides spells up into Levels and Schools in-setting. This means you’ve got Wizards running around discussing their “4th-level incendiary” spells – which I don’t think I’ve ever come across as an in-character discussion topic. Besides Eberron, I haven’t seen this integration of rules and setting since Dragonlance, where they justified the minimal weapon and armor choices for Magic-users with in-game reasons.
Each entry is written evocatively and with so much flavor, with the Divine Tradition reading like a religious treatise and the Occult Tradition including the hilarious “Why does flawed occultism always involve tentacles?” When discussing the Essences of Magic: Matter, Mind, Spirit, and Life – which combine in pairs to create the Traditions, the essay goes so far as to discuss the morality of negative energy and the undead – specifically what makes them “evil.”
The Essentials of Magic chapter then goes into the eight Schools and we get a really nice rundown of what practitioners of those Schools are like and what the School of magic can accomplish – its merits and flaws. Honestly, if there was a way to hook me on this book, opening with a philosophical treatise on F20 magic was it. I had so much fun reading it and, though by default it’s for Golarion, it adds so much to any setting because at the era in which most FRPs are set, magic should have been studied. It should have been analyzed and taken apart and put back together and have all sorts of theories flying around about it and how it works. So often you just get a set of rules and a rough idea of how they work in the cosmology, but there’s no academia. I absolutely love it. Oh yeah, and there are some new Backgrounds for magical types, like Academy Dropout, False Medium, and Occult Librarian, all of which are fun and I’d love to use, and then Rare Magical Backgrounds which I’d also love to use, because who doesn’t want to be a Magical Experiment, Chosen One, or Time-Traveler?? Before I read this book I started to brainstorm a dungeon crawl setting that my gut wanted to use Pathfinder 2E for, and I idly thought, “maybe I’d like to include time-travel…” Well gut, good thinkin’
You know how I just said I loved the academic tone of this book? It doesn’t stop with the introduction but continues into the new Classes, as their description talks about their role in a group in such a way you’d imagine hearing from an instructor at a lectern, not an overenthusiastic rules-shepherd. The two new Classes are the Magus, a martial spellcaster that infuses their weapon or body with arcane energy to fight the enemy, and the Summoner, who calls upon and summons an “Eidolon”, an otherworldly entity with whom it acts in harmony to achieve their goals.
Both these classes are really cool. The Magus combines martial ability with Arcane spellcasting, using their Spellstrike ability to deliver Touch range spell attacks. If they hit, they discharge the spell effect and inflict weapon damage. While it does take Actions to recharge the Spellstrike, this can be made easier through the casting of Conflux spells – Focus spells that recharge the Spellstrike. Whether you want to fight sword and board, with a staff, ranged weapon, or just fists, the Magus will suit you well.
The Summoner is Pathfinder’s shoutout to Final Fantasy. They are spellcasters who have a deep connection to an Eidolon – an otherworldly entity that channels magical energy to the Summoner. When summoned, the two pair up for their Actions and can combine their efforts as levels increase. The Eidolon can be a pretty hefty companion, with strong natural attacks – just don’t let it get too far away from the Summoner or it will return to its home plane. Eidolons belong to each of the four magical traditions, so you’ll have Angels and demons for Divine casters, phantoms for Occult, constructs and dragons for Arcane, and elementals and fairy for Primal. I briefly wondered if Demons might also be Arcane or Occult, on account of the wizard/cultist summoning demons thing, but it actually makes less sense for the Summoner class, as the nature of their relationship is different than a wizards casting a summoning spell. Though it might make for an overall weaker Eidolon, I really want to try out the Archetype rules for the Summoner and attach a martial class to this, taking the phantom of an ancient warrior as my Eidolon, as I think the roleplay opportunities and “cool factor” are pretty high for that concept!
I’m never certain how exactly to critique new spells (unless there’s only a handful), so I’ll at least say that Secrets of Magic has a ton of new spells with some pretty fun effects. I particularly like the ones with “utility” effects like “Restyle”, which changes your clothing, “Magic Mailbox”, which connects two containers dimensionally, “Read the Air”, which helps with societal cues, or “Shift Blame”, where you alter the target’s memories to think someone else was responsible for a particular attack or skill check. There are spells that enhance Eidolons and assist the Magus in doing what it does best as well.
In the same fashion I won’t list all the new magic items, but some of my favorites include the Grimoire “Instructions for Lasting Agony”, causing the target of one of your harmful necromancy spells to become sickened; the “Shortbread Spy”, a cookie that comes to life, runs away and then returns before falling down immobile, granting the ingested knowledge of everything the cookie saw (if you gave it eyes.) There’s also the exceedingly cool section on creating “personal staves.” You get to design a staff and imbue it with a variety of spells it can cast. I’m always a fan of customizable items and this is perfect for Wizard characters who enjoy a powerful walking stick.
Reading the Book of Unlimited Magic, the final chapter which presents a huge variety of alternative styles of magic, was an absolute delight. While still designed in Golarion, each style could totally alter a cosmology in your home setting and make for a very unique experience – I haven’t seen so many different magical variants I wanted to use since Fantasy HERO. Lots of them are acquired through picking up a new Class Archetype, showcasing the flexibility and diversity of the “multiclass” rules. In other cases they’re just new class feats and spells or larger changes to the world. My two favorites are “Pervasive Magic”, where everything is magical – including the land, so a stream can “charm” you and everyone’s got a little spellpower, and the other is “Soulforged Armaments”, where you bind arms and armor to your soul through a ritual, granting the ability to summon and dismiss the item, as well as bestow special abilities upon them. However, this is only possibly if you set yourself upon a Soul Path – a great cause that compels you to act and put yourself in danger. Should you stray though, you risk corrupting your soul and introducing flaws to you and your armaments.
This is an incredible book. The presentation is excellent, with copious amounts of in-character narration and analysis, great art, and an easy-to-read style. It’s also so full of so many amazing options for magic you’ll have to toss it all in the kitchen sink if you want to give everything it’s time to shine in your lifetime. Besides the two new fun-looking classes, I’m most enamored with the alternate magic styles and am really excited to try them out. Secrets of Magic will be an absolute asset to your table.
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The eidolon-summoner relationship admittedly starts out a little clunky – you basically have to share one turn between you when you first start. In fact, there’s a Level 1 feat called “Meld Into Eidolon” where you just acknowledge the early-level futility, use your eidolon as a battle suit, and hide behind its hit points. But as you level, you can take different feats that improve your eidolon, including feats that improve action efficiency. Though where’s the fun in that when you can also add far more interesting abilities? Spellcasting, different movement types, weapon proficiency… you know… in case the aforementioned Dippin’ Dots golem needs to wield a katana. (And again, I ask… who WOULDN’T want that?)
The Owens women are believed to be cursed, causing any man who falls in love with them to meet an untimely end. This curse is a central theme in the novel and has a significant impact on the sisters' lives and relationships. Practical Magic is a tale of sisterhood and the bonds between family members. The relationship between Sally and Gillian is complicated yet profound. They rely on each other for support and go through both joyful and challenging experiences together. The novel also delves into the power of love and its ability to overcome obstacles. Despite the curse, both sisters find love and strive to make it work. They learn that love is not always easy, but it is worth fighting for. Alice Hoffman's writing style in Practical Magic is mesmerizing. She beautifully weaves together the elements of magic, love, and family in a way that captivates readers. Her vivid descriptions of the Owens sisters' world and their magical abilities immerse readers in a realm of enchantment. In 1998, the novel was adapted into a film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. While the film received mixed reviews, it further popularized the story and introduced it to a wider audience. Overall, Practical Magic is a compelling novel that explores the complexities of love, family dynamics, and the allure of magic. It is a story that reminds us of the power of women and the strength that comes from embracing our uniqueness..
Reviews for "Practical Magic for Empaths: Techniques for Managing Energy"
1. Elizabeth - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Practical Magix Novel". The characters were flat and uninteresting, and the plot felt disjointed and forced. I didn't feel any connection to the story and found myself bored for most of the book. Overall, it just didn't live up to the hype for me.
2. Matthew - 1 star - I couldn't stand "Practical Magix Novel". The writing was weak and clichéd, and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The author seemed to rely on overused tropes and predictable plot twists. I found myself rolling my eyes at several points throughout the book. It was a complete waste of time for me.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - "Practical Magix Novel" was a major letdown. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I struggled to stay engaged with the story. The magic elements felt underdeveloped and lacking in originality. The characters were forgettable and lacked depth. I expected so much more from this book, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.
4. Michael - 2 stars - I didn't enjoy "Practical Magix Novel" at all. The writing was overly descriptive to the point where it became tedious to read. The author seemed more interested in creating a magical world than actually telling a compelling story. I found myself skimming through pages just to reach the end. It was a disappointing read for me.