TEXT: SymbolS
  to repreSent the
  8 SchoolS of magic
  Includes Open-Type Font for personal use 
  and interpretations of symbolism.
  by Pjotr Frank • Version 1.1
  deSigned for the dungeonS & dragonS rpg
  
   magic school symbols |
  2
  About the author and the project: Pjotr Frank is a veteran roleplayer, HEMA instructor, graphic designer, 
  and an aspiring game designer in Vienna / Austria. 
   
  Since I was confronted with the D&D magic system and its classification of spells, when the Dragonlance setting was published, I was 
  kind of unhappy with the 8 schools of magic. But now that tradition has numbed my desire for innovation, and after I got inspired by 
  studying a few ancient alchemical symbols, I nonetheless wanted to give the – still a little arbitrarily feeling – disposition of spell types a 
  roleplaying facelift. Strangely enough, it seems nobody has yet come up with coherent – let alone official – symbols or runes for the basic 
  eight wizard traditions. This is my shot at the long overdue subject. I included musings about possible symbology interpretations.
  Feel free to use the icons in your campaigns, and the included Open Type Font for your personal print-outs.
  If you want to use the symbols for your own publications, it would be swell, if you mentioned my name. In the unlikely event, 
  that you earn some real cash with that publication, a small monetary sign of your appreciation would be welcome. 
  Happy gaming! 
  Constructive feedback, and commissions for graphic creations are always welcome: www.pjotr.design
  DnD Magic Schools Bold • Open Type Font • version 1.2
  DnD Magic Schools Medium Old Style • Open Type Font • version 1.2
  SymbolS
  to repreSent the
  8 SchoolS of magic
  A aC c D d EeI i T t V v N n x
  AaCcDdEeI
  iTtVvNnx
  A
  a
  C
  c
  D
  d
  E
  e
  I
  i
  T
  t
  V
  v
  N
  n
  Xx
  
   magic school symbols |
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  Magic school symbol of 
  Abjuration spells are protective in nature, though some
  of them have aggressive uses. They create magical barriers,
  negate harmful effects, harm trespassers, or banish creatures
  to other planes of existence.
  abjuration
  the arrow symbolizes harmful energies
  directed towards the subject. the downward 
  heading of the arrow symbolizes destruction.
  the circle symbolizes a field of protection 
  and negation, barring harm from 
  reaching the subject.
  the cross symbolizes the will of the caster, 
  as well as the subject of the abjuration.
  
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  Magic school symbol of 
  conjuration spells involve the transportation of objects and 
  creatures from one location to another. Some spells summon creatures 
  or objects to the caster’s side, whereas others allow the caster 
  to teleport to another location. Some conjurations create objects 
  or effects out of nothing.
  conjuration
  the arrow symbolizes direction/transportation 
  of the object/subject. the upward heading 
  of the arrow symbolizes creation.
  the triangle symbolizes the tangible matter of 
  the conjured object/subject. Its unbroken form 
  stands for the life-force of the subject.
  the cross symbolizes the will of the caster, as 
  well as origin and destination of the conjuration.
  
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  Magic school symbol of 
  divination spells reveal information, whether in the form of secrets long 
  forgotten, glimpses of the future, the locations of hidden things, the truth 
  behind illusions, or visions of distant people or places. divinations are also 
  known as the mantic arts, named after the fabled diviner manto. 
  divination
  the semi-circle symbolizes the lifting of the 
  eyelid from the usually closed third eye, while
  the question-mark symbolizes unveiled secrets.
  the ellipse [sometimes drawn as a circle] symbolizes 
  the pupil-less third eye, a mystic type of perception 
  and awareness, not relying on mundane senses.
  the cross symbolizes the will of the caster, as 
  well as the source of the divined information.
  
   magic school symbols |
  6
  Magic school symbol of 
  enchantment spells affect the minds of others, influencing
  or controlling their behavior. Such spells can make enemies
  see the caster as a friend, force creatures to take a course of
  action, or even control another creature like a puppet.
  enchantment
  the whip symbolizes mental dominance over the 
  subject. the downward heading of the whip 
  symbolizes destructive powers of the mind.
  the snake symbolizes the caster’s Influence, subtly 
  worming into the subject’s consciousness. right-
  weighted asymmetry symbolizes the psychic realm.
  the cross symbolizes will and ego of the caster, super- 
  imposing and manipulating the enchanted creature.
  
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  Magic school symbol of 
  evocation spells manipulate magical energy To produce a desired effect. 
  Some call up blasts of fire or lightning, Others channel positive energy 
  to heal wounds. while neither good or evil in nature, evocations have a 
  similar potential for benevolence, as for wreaking havoc on its subjects.
  evocation
  the upward heading arrow symbolizes creation 
  or channeling of directed magical energy 
  towards the subject of the evocation.
  the chalice symbolizes a reservoir of neutral 
  energy, the downward semi-circle along with the
  arrow allows the caster to use it for good or ill. 
  the cross symbolizes the will of the caster, to use 
  the harnessed energy for either harm or benefit.
  
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  Magic school symbol of 
  illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to 
  see things that are not there, to miss things that are there, to hear phantom 
  noises, or to remember things that never happened. Some illusions create 
  phantom images that any creature can see, but the most insidious illusions 
  plant an image directly in the mind of a creature.
  illusion
  the closed eyelid symbolizes the sensory 
  numbing, that keeps the subject of the illusion 
  to percieve reality as it truly is.
  the horizontal line symbolizes the barrier, 
  that separates the subject from the truth, 
  and the canvas for phantasmal fabrications. 
  the cross symbolizes the will of the caster, 
  deceiving and manipulating the subject’s senses.
  
   magic school symbols |
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  Magic school symbol of 
  necromancy spells manipulate the energies of life and death. Such spells can 
  grant an extra reserve of life force, drain the life energy from another creature, 
  create the undead, or even bring the dead back to life. While the term necromancy
  [named after the diviner Manto] was originally coined for conversing with the 
  deceased, it is commonly used to describe the evil practice of raising the undead.
  necromancy
  the downward heading arrow symbolizes the 
  vile forces from beyond the veil of death, that 
  fill the empty eyes of the undead with false life.
  the broken-up triangle symbolizes the ruined 
  and perverted life-force of the subject. 
  it can be interpreted as an opened tomb. 
  the cross symbolizes the will of the caster,
  to mess with the cosmic laws of life and death.
  
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  10
  Magic school symbol of 
  transmutation spells change the properties of a creature, object, or environment. 
  They might turn an enemy into a harmless creature, bolster the strength of an 
  ally, make an object move at the caster’s command, or enhance a creature’s
  innate healing abilities to rapidly recover from injury.
  transmutation
  the ascending spiral symbolizes the the change 
  to the substantial properties of the subject 
  to the transmutation.
  the broken horizontal line symbolizes the 
  subject’s state before and after the change. left-
  weighted asymmetry symbolizes the somatic realm. 
  the cross symbolizes the will of the caster, 
  orchestrating physical changes to the subject.
  
   magic school symbols |
  11
  addendum:
  the classic symbols
  after publishing these coherent set of symbols, it was brought to my attention, 
  that there are already symbols for the magic traditions, that date back to 2nd 
  edition. I have to apologize, that my research was not thorough, before i started 
  this project. nonetheless i will stand by my design choices, but add a second Type-
  face with the old-style symbols to the download. i was surprised, how similar my 
  symbols were to the originals in some cases, while others could not be more dif-
  ferent. from a typographic point of view, my set of symbols is more Homogeneous. 
  the old set ist much more “jumpy” when the characters - which range from ex-
  treme landscape to extreme portrait format - are used together. traditionalsit or 
  aesthete – whatever set of symbols you prefer, you are covered by this download.
  I could not resist to work out a 
  comparison 
  of the two sets of symbols. you can find my creations to the left, 
  and the reproduction of the original symbols to the right. 
  the abjuration symbol seems to be inspired by the norse rune algiz – 
  which stands for shelter and protection – in both designs. while I added a 
  protective circle, the original has an upside-down necromancy sign on top 
  of the symbol. this makes little sense, because illusion was the opposed 
  school in the old canon of magic traditions.
  a
  a
  the conjuration symbols were independently designed with a dominant 
  triangle. in my version it was a synthesis of an arrow (transportation) 
  and a mountain (solidification), while the original sign depicts a 
  stylized demon-head. my design was also inspired by the alchemical sign 
  for phosphor, respectively the upside-down sign for rust.
  c
  c
  the two divination symbols are quite diverging. While my design was in-
  spired by the alchemical sign for mercury and the idea of an opening eye, 
  the original sign for divination eludes my interpretations, but it reminds 
  of caligraphy strokes, respectively a mirrored segment of the letter “R”.
  its extreme portrait format and italic orientation is remarkable.
  d
  d
  
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  the enchantment symbols look similar, when it comes to the cross on 
  the top left corner. but while my design was inspired by the alchmical 
  sign for lead, the original “M”-shaped one reminds of the alchemical sign 
  for separation, or the scorpio zodiac sign. From a drawing perspective, 
  both symbols consist of just two crossing lines. an odd coincidence.
  e
  e
  the evocation symbol i designed was inspired by the alchemical sign for 
  creation, or the sagittarius zodiac sign, while the original symbol seems 
  to depict an explosion, divided in four quarters. Maybe it is a simplified 
  version of the chaos-sign, originating from Michael Moorcocks eternal 
  champion stories, but i don’t see why evocations should be chaotic in nature.
  v
  v
  the illusion symbol shows similar thought by both designers, but while 
  the original seems to be inspired by the egyptian eye-of-horus hieroglyph,
  i opted for a closed eye, to symbolize the numbing of the senses, rather 
  than an open one. Funny though, that both of us included quite prominent 
  eye-lashes in the pictogram. the Original’s landscape format is remarkable.
  i
  i
  the necromancy symbols are both kind of cool. The original symbolizes 
  a tunnel or a broken up oroborus snake, while I opted for a stylized 
  skull. The older one is much easier to draw and looks neat, painted on 
  a forehead, or engraved in a skull, as one can see in the 3.5 Player’s 
  handbook background illustration of the chapter on magic.
  n
  n
  the transmutation symbols are both inspired by ancient historic 
  symbols. While i went for the alchemical symbol for tin, the original one 
  looks strikingly like the greek letter “pi”. I honestly have no idea, if the 
  ratio of circumference and diameter of a circle is an important component 
  of transmutation / Alternation magic.
  t
  t
  a few final thoughts on 
  opposing magic schools 
  while opposed magic schools seems of little consequence in 5th edition, I would like to 
  end this little essay by sorting them in a way, that makes more sense to me:
  new:
  necromancy • conjuration
  Evocation • Abjuration
  Enchantment • Transmutation
  illusion • divination
  original:
  necromancy • illusion
  Evocation • enchantment
  divination • conjuration
  transmutation • abjuration
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/DMsGuild/Non-Publisher Titles/Symbols to Represent the 8 Schools of Magic.pdf