Settings and Rules

Some important terms that you might want to know to flesh out your RP-ing or get more in character.

Magecraft: Standard magical powers a mage can use, and is limited in scale only as what can be recreated in science if provided infinite resources and time. Magecraft, which takes many forms including simply passing prana through one’s magic circuits, alchemy, or symbols such as runes. However, it cannot break through the limits of what's possible to do, to what is impossible.

Magic: Miracles, the impossible, and truly rare. Breaking beyond the possible, such miracles that cannot be reproduced, and often times once done unable to undo, such as the world infinitely producing mana, or that which no form of science can recreate, like the perfect resurrection of the dead, or instant teleportation.

Servant: A memory/copy of a figure of history or myth given a physical body partly by the power of the Holy Grail, and using the mana of their summoner, their Master, as an anchor. The more power they exert, the stronger a tether the Master need be. There are many ways a Master may summon a Servant. Either the summoner has a specific artifact for a Servant to try and summon that one specifically, or a mental preference that would draw that specific Servant to them. Many things can influence this. Many Servant's goals for willingly joining in to the war and fighting other heroes, aside from granting the wish of their Masters, is that by coming in contact with the Grail's content when filled will grant them a true physical form, one without need of a Master, thus giving them a second life on Earth.

Spells/Schools: This point is a bit complex, as while there's no strictly taught school of magic, or list of spells, there are as many schools as there are families. There is for instance, families who teach their line and students alchemy, spells meant to understand and manipulate the flow and purpose of matter, from something simple like manipulating a bit of string to take on the look and behavior of a bird, to construction of homunculi and the passing on memories directly from one to another. Or there may be those who studied traditional Japanese Shinto beliefs thus, their spells are first written on slips of paper and mimic the qualities of a onmyouji's spells. As for a list of spells, there is no real set limit outside of what one has learned can be used, one may even be able to use their different understandings of the same source of spells to pull of like magecraft from a video game (obviously, nothing approaching True Magic levels). And while all these studies are different and can teach vastly different spells, they can also arrive at similar results.
[Example: Four mages step up to a target and say they will hit it with a fireball. The first mage steps forward and, having studied curses, using a word they associate with flames, a fireball shoots from their hand. The next steps up, an alchemist, who manipulates the essence of the air around the target into a substance that is flammable when exposed to air, engulfing the target in flames. The third steps up, takes out a small stone or gem that they had pour the idea of 'fire' into, and at their command, it shot from their hand erupting into flames. Finally, the fourth stepped forward, and wrote in the air a character that translates to 'fire' with their fingers, over from their point of view the target, and thus there was fire on the target.]

Homunculus: A creature given birth through an alchemical formula to create life without the use of a womb, instead developed using methods to develop sperm and other elements into a fully functional being, though one can still use similar formulas along with a womb to create a homunculus. There is no real concept of 'age' to them, as they reach needed maturity at creation as dictated by the formula. They are effectively living Magic Circuits, able to perform feats of magecraft beyond what most normal humans can achieve through study and hard work. Their full growth does not take years, and they do not grow further after reaching their physical maturity as well. However, despite the goal of creating one to be a thing that exist as the world does, most homunculi have bitter short lives, either from a mistake or active choice in the formula, or simply using up their admittedly large, but much more finite, storehouse of prana and just, stopping.

Mana/Prana: Mana is a general term for the magic force used by mages the world over, as well as a specific term for the magical force that the world generates naturally, whereas Prana is the amount of mana a mage or human produces, both of which can be used for the means of using magecraft, however one's prana is more easily passed through a mage's magic circuits. While one's body can naturally produce a set amount, it can be increased either through training, diet, artificial means of amplification, or even just the mage taking less actions during the day.

Magic circuits: The truest mark of a mage is carved on their very souls. Magic circuits are like veins, allowing the manipulation of mana by passing it through the circuits, releasing it as magecraft. However, if one is born with weak, or fragile circuits, unable to pass much mana through them, or a small number of circuits, it could be disgraceful for a family, the child could be seen as a failure, or worse, be seen as a sign of a family line about to die out, as so many do with time. Trying to pass too much mana through them, can potentially burn out a circuit, which not only damage's one's ability to use magic, but can also potentially paralyze one's physical body as well.

Noble Phantasm: A Servant is a being with a history, be it a hero, a conquer, a monster slayer, or a murderer. And every legend, has icons that are thought of when that Servant is mentioned. Some mighty weapon used by them to slay a beast, a grand final stage of their lives still spoken of to this day, the creature they slain or were when slain, or even an ideal or phrase that defined their time in the world. These are a Servant's Noble Phantasms, proof of their deeds, marking them as beyond humans, their ultimate Trump Card. However, to reveal it is to reveal fully who the Servant is to their opponent. An invincible warrior of renown, seemingly unwound-able is one thing, however it everyone knew he was Achilles, well... The more powerful or grand a Phantasm is, the more obvious they tend to be identified.

Skills: Aspects that are common among many heroes but still part of describing them. You do not need to keep track of the ranks, More Here The difference between Class Skills and Personal skills are class skills are granted to a Servant automatically by virtue of class they are a part of, where as Personal are specifically for that Servant, even if it's a class skill granted to a different class.

Command Seal: The mark that distinguishes a Master as a Master, that one has been chosen either before or as they summon a Servant, by the Grail, and the symbol to prove to the summoned Servant of their right to command them. Command Seals can be seen as a tattoo on one's Magic Circuits, as they become part of the Master's physiology, to remove them by force would be similar to pulling nerves out of a person's body in level of pain. They normally come in a set of 3, however more can be granted to them by the officiator of the Grail War if circumstances arise such as a bounty on a Master/Servant who have cause trouble. Along with being a symbol of authority, they can act as actual commands, one each, over the Servant at near True Magic levels of influence, depending on the strength of the mage, and how specific the command is. For instance, even the weakest of mages using a command spell for their Servant to 'come' would result in the Servant, wherever they may be, appearing by their side through near any obstruction, where as a command of 'obey my every command' coming from even the strongest Master would have barely any influence over a Servant. The marks, unique to every Master save for its orange-ish red glow, are commonly found on the back of the user's right hand, however they can be covered up, or on another part of one's body.