×
Create a new article
Write your page title here:
We currently have 508 articles on Independent Witch Hat Atelier Wiki. Type your article name above or click on one of the titles below and start writing!



 Independent Witch Hat Atelier Wiki
English

Magic is a supernatural force harnessed through the use of seals. Drawn with conjuring ink, seals generate magical effects known as spells. If someone possesses conjuring ink and a means to draw, they can cast magic. Those trained in the art of magic are called witches.

Seals[edit | edit source]

To cast a spell, one must first draw a seal. The size and neatness of a seal have a strong effect on the quality of a spell: larger seals are more powerful than smaller ones, and neatly drawn seals are more stable and long-lasting than messy ones. Seals are made from three primary parts: sigils, signs, and rings.

Sigils[edit | edit source]

Sigils, typically placed in the center of a seal, control what type of spell a seal will generate. For instance, the pyreball seal, which creates a floating ball of flame, contains a fire sigil, while the watershot seal, which shoots a jet of water, contains a water sigil. While sigils are not required to create a functional spell, the vast majority contain at least one. Regardless of a sigils size or location within a seal, it's behavior will be the same (with specific exceptions).

There are four primary sigils: fire, water, earth, and wind

Fire Water Earth Wind

All other sigils are either variants of those above or some form of time sigil. Of these, light (a fire variant), crystal (likely an earth variant), and reptition are the most distinct.

Light Crystal Aireforms Wind Underfoot Repetition

Signs[edit | edit source]

See main page, Signs Explained, for information on the effect of each sign

While sigils determine spell type, signs control what form spells will take. They serve as modifiers, allowing the effect of a spell to be altered.

Currently, 35 signs have been identified, with more yet to be deciphered. Each one has a unique effect which it can contribute to a spell.
Signs have signifigantly more complexity than sigils in how they can be used and modified. As such, visual aids will be used help demonstrate their use.

Different Signs[edit | edit source]

The seals pictured below both contain water sigils yet possess different signs. While the seal on the left uses levitation signs to form a "levitating" orb of water, the seal on the right uses column signs to shoot a "column" of water.

Sign Balance[edit | edit source]

While some signs will have fairly consistent effects regardless of their placement in a spell, there are a few signs that, depending on their size, placement, and rotation, will massively alter the direction in which a spell manifests.

When the signs within a spell are unbalanced, the spell will shoot off in unexpected directions. This can be seen in the image above. The seal on the left has column signs which are all the same size, and as such, the same power. This results in a balanced spell that shoots straight up. Conversely, the seal on the right has one column sign which is far longer than the others. This longer sign has more power, causing uneven pressure which makes the spell shoot off to the side. Spells can be made balanced by ensuring they have a high degree of symmetry. Oftentimes, adding more signs to a spell can help to average them out, resulting in a more balanced result.[1] When making seals, it is generally best practice to maintain at least bilateral symmetry to maintain spell stability.

Sign rotation[edit | edit source]

By tilting the signs within a seal, it is possible to produce a spell that rotates. The more tilted the signs, the more spin but less reach the spell will have.

Ring[edit | edit source]

All sigils and signs in a spell must be drawn within or somehow connecting to a spell’s outer ring. If they are not, they won't contribute towards the effect of the spell Spells will only activate if their ring is complete, making it possible to prepare spells ahead of time by leaving a small gap in the ring which can quickly be filled in later. A ring is the bare minimum required to produce a spell. If a ring is the only thing drawn, the spell generated will simply be a rapid discharge of energy, i.e. an explosion.[2]

Advanced concepts[edit | edit source]

Beyond the basics of spell construction, there exist concepts and phenomena which expand the options available in spell function and design.

Sign Inversion[edit | edit source]

If a sign is flipped around, it will produce an effect opposite to the one it produces normally. Good examples of this can be seen in the Floating Expansion and Spell of Reduction, which grow and shrink objects respectively, as well as between Wall Breaker Seal and Integration, which act to reduce items to dust or reform those items from dust. If there are two spells which are identical to one another but one has its signs inverted, the two spells will cancel out each other's effects, effectively negating their magic. Some forbidden spells seem to not be affected by this phenomenon, however, for reasons currently unknown.

Linked Spells[edit | edit source]

When two seals are connected by a line, the effect of their spells will link together and combine. Some seals, such as the [[Sealchair Glyph sealchair glyph]], make use of this to generate complex effects with a large number of unique seals linked together and interacting with one another. On the other hand, sometimes many identical seals will be linked together in order to boost their power. When several small, identical seals are linked together, their combined strength will often be more than would be possible for a single large spell that took up the same amount of space. This allows for very powerful spells to be drawn in small areas, as seein in the Raincleaver. However, drawing such small, intricate spells can be incredibly difficult, so they are difficult to come across.

Nested Glyphs[edit | edit source]

It is possible to have seals enclosed within one another, allowing their effects to combine, as is seen in Serpent's Bed of Sand or in the Cloak Spell, this method working for both spells drawn on the same object or spells on separate objects entirely.[3] This technique can be used to boost the power of spells,[citation needed] quickly change part of a spell's effect without redrawing it entirely,[citation needed] or to create much more sophisticated and complex spells than otherwise possible. In nested glyphs, the inner ring will only activate if the outer ring is completed, even if there is no gap in the inner ring. This suggests that seals can somehow tell whether or not they are it's surrounded by an incomplete ring, only activating if there is no ring surrounding it or if the ring surrounding it is completed. While this behavior is seen in multiple spells, the exact mechanism behind it is unknown.

Spell Toggling[edit | edit source]

As a spell will only activate when it’s ring is closed, it is possible to toggle spells on and of by breaking and completing their ring . To do this, it is necessary to divide the ring of the spell between two separate objects. When the two objects are brought together and properly aligned, the ring will be completed and the spell will turn on, turning off as soon as the halves are separated. This can be seen in contraptions such as the Glowstone Path, which glows only when stepped on, with a person's weight allowing the two halves of the spell to come together.



Glaives[edit | edit source]

Neither signs nor sigils, glaives are the claw-shaped protrusions seen on both the memory erasure and liquification spells. Nearly forgotten since the Day of the Pact, glaives determine how firmly a spell will imbed itself into one's body.[4] It is unclear if this refers to how deep the effect extends into the body or how thoroughly the effect lodges itself into the body.

Spells[edit | edit source]

See main page: Spells

There are several spells which are in use by witches everywhere, by both Pointed Cap Witches and Brimmed Caps.

Spell List:

A description of each spell can be viewed by clicking that spell's link.

Forbidden Magic[edit | edit source]

See main page: Forbidden magic

Forbidden Magic refers to any magic that is deemed excessively dangerous, has an uncanny amount of power, warps reality itself, or is drawn on/affects the body (including healing magic). They were declared forbidden by the Pointed Hat Witches after the Day of the Pact, and performing forbidden spells will result in expulsion from pointed hat witch society and/or the erasure of memories. The only permitted spell affecting the body is the memory erasure spell.

Forbidden Spells List:

A description of each forbidden spell can be viewed by clicking that spell's link, or by visiting the page Spells page.

Contraptions[edit | edit source]

Contraptions are tools created by drawing a glyph somewhere onto an item. This gives the item the capability to preform magic on it's own, making it a valuable tool for the user. Contraptions are the only way in which Outsiders are able to use magic.

The contraptions:

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Witch Hat Atelier Manga: Chapter 17, Page 7
  2. Witch Hat Atelier Manga: Chapter 46, Page 7
  3. Witch Hat Atelier Manga: Chapter 7, Page 20
  4. Witch Hat Atelier Manga: Chapter 63