Magic

Magic is a strange and powerful force on Remnant, one used extensively in ages long gone past. Few elements of magic remain in the modern era, the age of the old world long gone past, and those that do are mostly shadows of the former True Magic wielded then. Magic is not nearly as limited as semblance or dust use, more limited by the user's ability and imagination than anything else. All magic is very tightly regulated in the world of Remnant, with possession of even a very basic product of a tamed wild magic effect usually requiring registration and licensing by the kingdoms or Vytal Council if it's discovered, and blood magic often leads to the practitioners being imprisoned for the rest of their lives. There are several categories of magic, and within those categories of users:

True Magic: The most powerful type of magic, and its purest form. Little more than legend in the modern era, only a very select group of individuals still possess this, the rest having been scrubbed away from the world - such examples include a small number of reincarnating Wizards and the elders of Sentinel. The limits of true magic are far beyond that of other magics, let alone modern semblances and dust use. Not accessible by player characters.

Blood Magic: Those who were not borne from dust, and their descendants, still possess shreds of true magic clinging to their bloodline. The corrupted essence of magic in their blood can be drawn out for use in 'blood magic', creating effects that can rival that of even true magic at an increasing cost.

Blood magic is itself split into several categories. Minor blood magic is little more than semblance augmented by the traces of magic in the user's blood, or very minor effects even by the standards of dust used by cannibalizing aura. Moderate blood magic requires the physical spilling of "demon" blood, but can create greater effects that defy reality as the people of Remnant know it, but isn't near the power of true magic. The greatest blood magic effects, major blood magic, requires human sacrifice, as the death of someone marked by the blood of the old world can work effects on par with true magic.

Blood magic is a forbidden art, however, as any use of blood magic permanently stains the user, bringing them closer and closer to the creatures of Grimm - literally and physically - and even the most minor of blood magic uses activate the High Lacansian blood in the user that brings madness and darkness. In plain English, using blood magic causes the user to have a permanent background count, drawing the Grimm to them, and can lead to sociopathic impulses consuming the user. It is traced exclusively to the black-eyed 'demons' of the Lacansian region who supposedly bear the blood of the old world, though 'angels' may also be sacrificed in its use.

Wild Magic: The most commonly encountered form of magic in Remnant. A more general description for metaphysical effects defying reality effecting the world, it is less a controlled form of magic and more of an observed natural phenomena that can be manipulated by understanding with triggers it and manipulating it in a desired way. It is not fully known what wild magic actually is; whether it is a remnant of true magic from ages long past; borne from the natural presence of life; or even something deeper, connecting to the world itself; many theories have been proposed, but an inability to confirm any of them keeps them as just that.

Wild magic that has been sufficiently analyzed to be exploited at least somewhat reliably is known as 'tamed' wild magic. One of the most well-known examples of tamed wild magic is the Well of Unity in Mistral, which has been used for hundreds of years to combine two objects which can then be replaced with each other, giving rise to the duality weapons that inspired modern transforming weaponry.