Magic in Veilguard is broken up into three separate types: Techniques, which are superhuman abilities used in combat by Warriors; Spells, which are quick incantations used by mages in combat; and Rituals, which are extended magical incantations that can have a wide variety of powerful effects.
Techniques are martial abilities that channel the vital energies of the user into superhuman effects. Though they often appear magical, they have very little to do with “true” magic, being an application of martial arts and combat training more than anything else. The Warrior ability is required to learn and use Techniques, and every Technique consumes Valor, a pool of mystical stamina that every Warrior possesses.
For more information on Techniques, see the Techniques page.
Spells are quick but powerful applications of magic, where a mage uses a short incantation while expelling Mana in order to produce a magical effect. Spells are generally considered battlefield magic, as many of them are curses channeled through a mage’s Implement when they strike a foe, though healing spells can be quite useful off the battlefield. One of the Mystic or Arcanist abilities are required to cast spells.
Spells are universally delivered via melee attacks with a Wand, Rod, or Stave — there is no ranged spellcasting in the game, with the singular exception of the 1-damage spell packets granted by the Evoker ability.
For more information on Spells, see the Spells page.
Magic off the battlefield usually takes the form of rituals, which consume Aether Crystals to create a variety of effects.
For more information on Rituals, see the following pages
There are many different ways to perform magic — rune magic, prayer, spellsinging, and many more — all of which get mostly the same result. These are known collectively as Magical Traditions. While they have no mechanical effect, they are there to give you prompts to look through and figure out how your character roleplays their spells, rituals, and magical accoutrements.
For the full list of traditions, see the Magical Traditions page, or check out your nation’s Magical Traditions page to learn more about how the people of your character’s nation tend to approach magic.