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Perdo magic is the opposite of Creo, it makes things worse examples of the kind of thing they are. The one trait held in common by all objects and creatures in the temporal world is that some day, inevitably, they will all cease to exist. The magus that understands this uses the universal processes whereby things are destroyed, such as aging, disease, and decay.

Limits of Perdo Magic[]

Perdo alone can only destroy the whole of a natural property; it cannot give an item a property that it cannot naturally have. For example, combining Perdo with a Muto requisite could give fire the ability to only burn wool.

It is easier to use Perdo magic to destroy something a thing can naturally lose, as opposed to something it could not naturally lose. Thus, it is easier to destroy someone's arm than it is to make someone invisible. Also, destroying properties that would not normally be lost is changing an item's Essential Nature, and as such return at the end of the spell's duration. Thus, someone made invisible with a Perdo Imaginem spell would return to normal when the effect expires.

Perdo can only make something a worse example of what it is and can never improve it. You cannot sharpen a sword with Perdo magic, even though sharpening involves removing some of the metal.

See Also[]

External Sources[]

Hermetic Arts

Techniques

Creo · Intellego · Muto · Perdo · Rego

Forms

Animal · Aquam · Auram · Corpus · Herbam
Ignem · Imaginem · Mentem · Terram · Vim

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