Getting Started as a Master

Magic
In order to qualify for a position as a Master, one must at the least have the capacity for and awareness of magic. In order to cast a spell in any way, the user requires a pool of magical energy, mana, and magic circuits, which transfer the mana from your body into the form of magic. Magic effecting the mind of a target takes a toll on the casters mind as well. All non-mental magic, after going through the magic circuits requires something to give it shape, either an incantation or a magic circle. The third way is via a Magic Crest, which is essentially a magic circle carved into the magi's body, containing all the spells and magical knowledge of the family's past generations, which allows them to be cast without incantations or forming another circle. These only exist in families of magi that go back at least one generation. Magic Crests can only be passed down to one child, who must share the same bloodline, and has to be transferred slowly, to prevent the body from rejecting it. As such, most magical families will put any child not intended to be their heir up for adoption.

Types of Magi
In practice, there are three types of magi. Members of the Mage's Association, Rogue Magi, and fledgling mages. The first and second groups can contain magi with and without Magic Crests, while the third group is highly unlikely to. Each group comes with benefits and costs.

The Mage's Association is an international, self-preservative and self-defense organization formed by practitioners of magecraft for the purpose of controlling, concealing, and developing Magecraft. Members of the Mage Association have the potential for having or receiving a full magic education, as well as knowing any other members of the association in the area, and might be able to call in favors. As a rule, all magi practice equivalent exchange, so helping one magi will result in them helping you. On the downside, members of the Association are monitored by non-participating magi, and will be held to all the Association laws. Essentially, any member of the Association researching vampirism, using magic to develop society, or using magic in a way that might reveal its existence to outside world will be quickly silenced.

Rogue Magi are magi who are aware of the Association and refuse to work with them, and are forced to hide their existence from Association mages. While they are not monitored, and the Association will blame any of their magic that effects society at large on their member in charge of the location, leaving the Rogue Magi relatively free, they are unlikely to find friends, even temporary ones, among any other mages engaged in the Grail War. Both Rogue and Association mages should prioritize the elimination of any non-magical witness of magic and the grail war.

Fledgeling Mages are either first or second generation mages who are unaware of the magical world at large, are unnoticed by association mages, and likely lack a great deal of important knowledge about both magic and the Grail War they find themselves engulfed in. They have the potential to befriend both Association and Rogue Magi, who may help them, but they also are far behind in skill and knowledge, and can be easy prey.

Workshops
A workshop is a vital part of any mage's dwelling. It is essentially a magical laboratory where a magus preforms their research and experiments. Workshops generally have stone walls or are underground to prevent mana from seeping out and becoming detected by others. Magi usually set up Bounded Fields (any form of invisible field around an area with any of a variety of effects when entered, such as sounding an alarm to causing physical pain) around their workshops to protect them. Stepping into the workshop of a magus without his permission is seen as an act of open hostility. Workshops generally have premade magic circles, giving the home mage and advantage when fighting intruders.

Types of Magic
All Magi have the potential to perform spells from any school, provided they posses the knowledge to cast the spell or a Magic Crest with the same information, though those who specialize in a field will be much more effective.

Examples areas of magic

• Thought Acceleration: is the ability of Alchemists that allows them to perform high-speed calculations. It is considered the necessary skill for being an alchemist in the first place.
  
• Transmutation: the ability to do things like manipulating the configuration of noble metals. The precision of the shapes and the fluidity of the change between them is determined by how much one excels in Alchemy.
  
• Gandr Shot: is a simple curse that decreases the physical health of the target. Because the curse is released from the caster’s index finger and the target must be within the field of vision to be aimed at, it is dubbed Gandr Shot. A Gandr with enough mana concentrated into it that becomes capable of physical interference has roughly the destructive power of a pistol bullet and while a single hit is not enough to kill someone, is still capable of knocking out a normal person.
  
• Geas: the act of forming a curse over a target that imposes a mystical restriction over one's action with the consent of both parties. The verses of the incantation travel through one's body and mind, and the bind of the spell, described as a "second heart", is placed right next to their heart. Once bound by a Geas, the bearer is forced to fulfill the terms, or die. This first style is essentially a one sided oath. A second type of Geas is possible, where instead it is placed upon the user, and both parties agree to conditions. Once the second party fulfills their terms, the Geas forcibly is activated, preventing the caster from violating their terms.
  
• Flowing and Transferring of Power: these spells are those that deal with the transference of energy or information from an object to another.
  
• Jewel Magic: a specialized field of magic, Jewel Magic is the ability to store mana into a jewel, which then acts as a specialized Magic Circuit, allowing it to be extracted later for use in a spell without draining the mage's own current stores of magical energy. By releasing all the energy of the jewel at once, it will produce the effect that is most tuned for at maximum power, but at the expenses of burning out the jewel to ashes. Depending of the amount of mana stored inside the jewel, it is possible to cast a High Thaumaturgy-level spell instantly. The same rules apply if the magus decides to use the jewel as a single use explosive. It is possible to preserve the jewel by simply removing the power stored from inside of it and use that to strengthen a spell cast by normal means, but overall effect will be decreased.
  
• Shared Perception: is a spell that allows a Magus to share the sensorial inputs (sight, hearing, etc.) of a creature that they are sharing mana with (such as the one established in a contract between Master and Servant). Approval from the other party is a requirement. Uses include monitoring of target’s activities at distance and it is especially effective if said target is trained for scouting operations.
  
• Transference of Consciousness: a highly difficult spell whose effect is to transmit one’s consciousness into another object to acquire information from a different perspective. Widely used by magi onto their familiars or dolls to remotely control them at distance and as well as to performing spiritual possession on inanimate objects. If the target has his own soul and personality, the body control will remain with him. If the magus own body is disturbed, the spell will be immediately canceled and his consciousness will be forced back.
  
• Alteration Magic: is to give an object a property or effect that it originally didn’t have.
  
• Strengthening/Reinforcement Magic: is one of the most difficult spells, it enhances the existence of the target by pouring mana into it. There is no clear limit to how much an object can be enhanced, though significant reinforcements are rare. It is essentially adding something to an object that is already complete, in case of failure the target will receive it as a poison. Success requires a good grasp of the inner structure to fill openings with mana. Reinforcing the purpose of existence would be increasing the sharpness of a knife, the nourishment of food, the hardness of metal, or in the case of a living creature, physical strength and durability. It is impossible to reinforce something vague. As living things will resist invasion of your mana, reinforcing someone else is the hardest.
  
• Memory Manipulation: an alteration of the mind’s records to make a person forget about a certain event, effectiveness is limited by the number of deviations between what the target remembers and what the people around him remembers. A magus that has been discovered by normal people is expected to at least cast this on his witnesses.
  
• Command Magic: bends the target's will to the caster's. The subjugation lasts for short periods of time on success, but during that time the subject will do anything the caster wants as long as it does not contradict his basic nature. It can be cast and recast as necessary.
  
• Rune Magic: the art of inscribing a rune into an object to create an effect.
  
  
  
  • Ansuz: this rune is used to enhance flames, and make them flames spread over the target. A powerful user could burn down entire buildings.
    
  • Berkano: is a rune used for tracking purposes.
    
  • Ehwaz: is a rune used for hardening an object.
    
  • Kenaz: is a rune used to enhance sight.
    
  • Other, unknown runes exist.
    
  
  
  
• Bounded Fields: are a type of magic created by knitting a network of mana and spreading it around a base area, such as a piece of land or a building, to create a mystic boundary line that separates the inside from the outside. By definition, it should not be possible to move them once they are set. The original purpose of this type of magic was to create a safe haven, as such, the majority of the effects used in a Bounded Field are aimed to protect the caster. Offensive variants do exist, but as they work through indirect magical interference their efficiency against those who can protect themselves magically is low. Well made Bounded Fields work on a subconscious level to prevent onlookers from noticing it, but placing those on a large area increase the chances of being detected by a trained mage. Pretty much all full magi can produce a basic boundary field.
  

Alignment
A mages alignment is what determines what kind of attributes a magus' magic is going to be likely to have, or what kind of magic they are going to have good chemistry with, is going to be the element aligned with the magus. An alignment traditionally takes the form of one or more of the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, and using their alignment to one element as a base point, a mage can learn to manipulate the other elements, though not as easily. However, some magi have non-elemental alignments. These will be capable of outstanding effects in that field, though will never easily perform standard elemental magic. For example, a magi with the alignment of "Cars" would be able to create, strengthen, improve, modify, destroy or otherwise use magic with regard to cars to a degree surpassing someone with an alignment of Earth who had spent the same amount of time and effort in the same field.

[note: unless you have something specific planned, you should probably go for a standard elemental alignment]

Command Spell
When becoming a Master, a mage is given three Command Spells from the Holy Grail, which appear on the back of their hand, revealing the connection between Master and Servant. As long one of the spells remains active, the Master most provide some mana to their Servant to keep them in the world and to fuel their actions. The spells generally appear symmetrical, though can take a variety of forms, as long as it has three distinct shapes. Command Spells react with each other, so two Masters will know each other when they meet. After being used, a Command Spell fades, and if the Master uses all 3, they have no more control over their Servant, and cannot make a contract with a new one. However, if a Master has even one spell remaining when their Servant dies, they can form a contract with a Masterless Servant and continue the war. Command Spells can be transferred between Masters.

Each of the three spells can be used once, and acts as an absolute order that can either restrain or reinforce the action of a Servant, to the point of making it perform an otherwise impossible action. If it is within the scope of the mana of the Master and the Servant, then it can be realized through the power of a Command Seal-backed order - even if it is something the Servant isn't normally able to do. Truly impossible orders cannot be accomplished.

If a given order is meant to apply over a long period of time or if the order is vague, the strength of the order will grow weaker. Of course, the opposite works as well: an order that is very specific will be more effective and will hurt the Servant if he disobeys - although it is still possible to resist the order at the cost of ever-increasing pain. For example, an order such as "obey everything I say" is largely meaningless, where as an order such as "Dodge that attack" or "Come here" could force the Servant to dodge, or pull them through space to your side, even if the Servant could not have physically dodged it before, or lacks the ability to teleport.

Statistics
Human Magi all posses certain rankable statistics, the first two being Magic Capacity and Magic Output, which are how much total mana a mage can store, and how much they can output in any single spell, which are born, not trained, and generally based on the mage's Magic Circuits. A mage with a low Capacity and high Output will quickly run out of mana if they use their full strength in their spells, where as a mage with a high Capacity and low Output could last much longer, but may find their spells overwhelmed by the force of a higher Output mage.

The four trainable statistics are Magical Resistance, Strength, Agility and Endurance, which are how well a mage can resist physically and mentally controlling spells, the physical strength of the body, the quickness of reflexes and movement, and the resistance to damage. Keep in mind that baring exceptional circumstances, the best even an A ranked Master can hope for when fighting another Servant is to last long enough for their Servant to arrive. Ranked E-A, with C being roughly average, and A being quite exceptional.

Mystic Code
A Mystic Code is a support weapon that a magus carries as a magical artifact. There are two general types of Mystic Codes. The first type functions as an amplifier for Magecraft. They are an orthodox Mystic Code for support, that can be used for mana amplification or storage, prepared to strengthen a spell. The other type is a Mystic Code that have a predetermined usage. They are activated by the magus's mana and can perform a given effect as long as it is supplied with energy. As each one is custom made their usage is generally unique, but specific to one use, so they aren't really good for generic usage, but this also means they can be tremendously efficient in what they do.

Examples of Mystic Codes could be magic swords that store energy to be released in one attack when used, gloves to protect a user from handling magical fire, a staff made to cast spells, or a tool made to form a substance into a golem.