Charms

Charms is a school of magic, related to detection and defensive magic, which grants knowledge of spells that affect a target object. Charms can include counter-charms, dispelling charms, shielding charms, pain-reducing charms, canceling charms, mind-control charms, silencing charms, light charms, revealing charms, memory charms, fidelity charms, heating charms, reanimation charms, etc. It works similarly to alchemy, except alchemy involves the use of natural magic, while charms involve using one's own magic. They are not as serious or powerful as curses, the tutors of which see charms as practical jokes in comparison.

Charms is part of the curriculum for many magical centers of learning, including Whitehall and Mountaintop. At Whitehall, Charms is seen as a course to teach the building blocks of magic, else the pupil will be crippled as a magician and never advance in their studies. Part of the study includes teaching pupils how to detect and catch more subtle charms. Charms has some of the greatest accident rates among the other classes, and hence Charms tutors tend to be overly strict.

Operation and Uses
Charms require the charging of magic words with mana in order to make them work. This is very important to grasp, as spells can mutate and work against the magician if not defined perfectly; countless examples are presented in books on Charms (see below) on magical accidents caused by sorcerers who didn't cast their spells properly.

Like a series of locks, a series of charms might be used by magicians for added protection. In order to go through the defensive magic, another magician would have to undo each individual charm, and in the right order, without setting off any traps or consequences.

Other spells are capable of overcoming charms. For example, dozens of charms could exist on a person, and yet a single jinx could go right through them all and harm the individual. Because of this, some tutors suggest pupils not rely completely on their charms for protection. At the same time, charms can be used to detect other forms of magic; for example, charms can be used to attempt to discover curses on objects.

Some influential families use charms to protect their mail from being read by anyone other than the intended recipient. Some locations use security charms to capture burglars until found by the property owners. Charms are also often used in dresses and outfits for a better fit, with the charm itself being woven into the material. Similarly, some craftsmen use charms to make objects safer to use during construction. Those who go swimming can use charms to dry themselves quickly. Those with wagons or carriages can use charms to increase the space inside.

Many times, charms and similar spells are used by magicians for practical jokes. It is advised by some to never annoy an expert in charms.

While charms can have practical uses, improper or casual use of charms can provide a danger for the one casting them. For example, while performing alchemy, natural fire should be used to keep as much stray magic as possible from the cauldrons.

Known Books
Among those books printed in the Nameless World, there include Charms for the Charming, Basic Charms for Imbeciles, and Dark Magic and Malice (which includes charms used for evil).