Mana

Power, Reserve, and Actions

Three values describe a spellcaster, and none replaces the others:

• Caster level measures the raw power placed into a spell.
• Spell slots measure how much magic the character can organize before resting.
• Spell actions measure how quickly that reserve can be spent during combat.

A vast biological source does not mean infinite casting. Human blood continually renews red mana, but concentration still tires; spell slots are the unit used to track that limit. Psychic traditions also use spell slots, while the Monks of Kaz'Nakaram call the same unit a Ki point. See Magic for DCs, interruption, components, and general casting rules.

Paths of Power

Path	Immediate source	Principal users	Defining trait
Red Mana	Living human body	Humans, human sorcerers, liches with preserved organs	Abundant and fast to recover, but chaotic and difficult to stabilize
Blue Mana	Psychic anatomy, converted red mana, or Valerium	Drows, Psychic monsters, Cerberan Psychics, Monks of Kaz'Nakaram	Stable and normally cast without speech or gesture; recovery depends on the source
Divine Mana	The Partage	Humans of the Ark and Clerics of Archon	Human red mana harvested, stabilized, and redistributed through a religious network
Runes	Magical objects created by dwarves	Dwarves	Dwarves ordinarily cast no spells; their magic accumulates in objects instead

These paths are not interchangeable by default. A formula designed for red mana does not become a Psychic power merely because its caster encounters blue mana. Any exception must state how the conversion occurs, as Spell Conduit does for a summoned creature.

Nature is a tradition, not a third color. A Ranger casts nature spells with red mana. Valerium produces blue Psychic energy. Unless an effect explicitly says otherwise, every mana reserve in the game is therefore red or blue; divine power is harvested and stabilized red mana rather than a third biological source.

Color, School, and Tradition

Color describes the power itself. School describes what a spell does. Tradition describes the method and body of knowledge used to cast it. These answers can differ: a Ranger and a Wizard both use red mana, while a Psychic can reproduce some familiar effects with blue mana and no spoken formula.

Learning one version does not teach the other. Converting a spell between traditions is research, not a choice made during casting. Detect Magic can reveal an effect's mana color and school because they are separate properties.

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