Elemental School

The Elemental Schools of Magic, or Elements, are groups that categorize traditions, energy, spells, and other aspects of magic based of the type of matter or energy it utilizes.
There is no universally accepted set of all the elements, but there are two general ways they are partitioned: the four types of matter and the five phases.

Types of Matter

The most popular categorization of elements splits them into four types of matter: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. These coincide with four elemental planes.
This categorization is often based on different sets of qualities:

• Matter is hot or cold; it is also wet or dry.
• Fire: Hot, dry.
• Air: Hot, wet.
• Water: Cold, wet.
• Earth: Cold, dry.
• Matter is sharp or blunt, subtle or dense, and mobile or immobile.
• Fire and earth are opposite in these respects; air and water act as intermediates.
• Fire: Sharp, subtle, mobile.
• Air: Blunt, subtle, mobile.
• Water: Blunt, dense, mobile.
• Earth: Blunt, dense, immobile.

Sometimes, a fifth element, Aether or quintessence, is also included.

Five Phases

The second most popular categorization of elements splits them into the five phases of dominating energy: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Plant.

This set focuses on two different cycles:

• The cycle of generation:
• Fire creates earth.
• Earth bears metal.
• Metal collects water.
• Water nourishes plants.
• Plants feed fire.
• The cycle of destruction:
• Fire melts metal.
• Metal chops plants.
• Plants part earth.
• Earth dams/muddies/absorbs water.
• Water extinguishes fire.