Magic is a major mechanic in Elder Scrolls titles. Each game had its own circumstances and design philosophies, giving rise to many magical effects and much variation between games. This page serves to track the journey of magical effects through the various schools of magic throughout the series.
AlterationEdit
| Daggerfall | Morrowind | Oblivion | Skyrim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feather | Feather | Fortify Carry Weight1 |
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| Burden | Burden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flame Cloak2 Frost Cloak Lightning Cloak |
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| Fire Shield Frost Shield Lightning Shield |
Fire Shield Frost Shield Shock Shield |
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| Detect Undead | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jumping | Jump | Detect Life3 | Detect Life | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Levitate4 | Levitate | Light5 | Light | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lock3 | Lock | Lock | Transmute Mineral Ore |
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| Open3 | Open | Open | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralyze | Paralyze6 | Paralyze6 | Paralyze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shield | Shield | Shield | Armor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slowfalling | Slowfall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Swift Swim | Telekinesis3 | Telekinesis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water Breathing | Water Breathing | Water Breathing | Waterbreathing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water Walking7 | Water Walking | Water Walking | Waterwalking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Free Action | Cure Paralyzation1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sleep8 | Resist Paralysis1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spell Drain8 | Damage Fatigue9 Damage Magicka |
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| Resist Cold Resist Fire Resist Poison Resist Shock |
Resist Fire1 Resist Frost Resist Poison Resist Shock |
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| Spell Resistance10 | Resist Magicka1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1Moved into Restoration school
2The damage aspect form Morrowind's Shield spells was not seen in Oblivion, but reappeared in the Cloak spells in Skyrim
3Inherited from Mysticism school
4Inherited from Thaumaturgy school
5Inherited from Illusion school
6Moved into Illusion school in Morrowind, then back into Alteration in Skyrim
7Shared with Thaumaturgy school
8Shared with Destruction school
9Moved into Destruction school
10Shared with Restoration and Thaumaturgy schools
In addition to the flagship titles, other games have had effects in the Alteration school:
| Battlespire | Stormhold/Dawnstar | ||||||||||||||||
| Fire Shield | Disarm Trap(?) | ||||||||||||||||
| Resistance | Dragon Combat | ||||||||||||||||
| Shield | Frenzy1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Slow Falling | Shield(?) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weakness | |||||||||||||||||
1This is in no way related to the Frenzy effect found in the Illusion school in Morrowind and later games
ConjurationEdit
1The Bend Will effect added by Dragonborn is a shout, outside of the traditional magic schools
2The Command spells were included in the Illusion school in Oblivion.
3Inherited from Mysticism school
4Moved into Restoration school
In addition to the flagship titles, other games have had effects in the Conjuration school:
| Stormhold/Dawnstar | |||||
| Blood Spirit | |||||
| Daedric Weapon | |||||
| Dead to Dust | |||||
| Doom Hammer | |||||
| Righteousness | |||||
DestructionEdit
1Shared with Restoration school
2Moved into Mysticism, then into Restoration, and then back into Destruction
3Shared with Alteration school
4The Disintegrate effect in Daggerfall is not related to the similarly named effects in Morrowind or Oblivion
5In Oblivion, poison was changed from a magic effect into an alchemical process.
6Slow exists in Skyrim primarily as a side-effect of Frost Damage, but is also available via Alchemy.
In addition to the flagship titles, other games have had effects in the Destruction school:
| Battlespire | Stormhold/Dawnstar | ||||||||||||||||
| Cause Damage | Absorb(?) | ||||||||||||||||
| Continuous Damage | Damage | ||||||||||||||||
| Delayed Damage | Drain | ||||||||||||||||
| Poison | Feeble Blade | ||||||||||||||||
| Harm Armor | |||||||||||||||||
IllusionEdit
| Daggerfall | Morrowind | Oblivion | Skyrim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blind | Bend WillDB 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tame2 Quiet Undead |
Command Creature3 Command Humanoid |
Command Creature Command Humanoid |
Command3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charm Mortal2 Calm Humanoid |
Calm Creature Calm Humanoid |
Calm | Pacify | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chameleon | Chameleon | Chameleon | Clairvoyance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charm | Charm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ghost Form4 | Demoralize Creature Demoralize Humanoid |
Demoralize | Fear | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Frenzy Creature Frenzy Humanoid |
Frenzy | Frenzy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Invisibility | Invisibility | Invisibility | Invisibility | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light | Light | Light | Light5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Night Eye | Night-Eye | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralyze6 | Paralyze | Paralyze | Paralyze5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rally Creature Rally Humanoid |
Rally | Rally | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sanctuary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Silence7 | Silence | Silence | Muffle8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sound | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1The Bend Will effect added by Dragonborn is a shout, outside of the traditional magic schools
2Inherited from Thaumaturgy school
3The Command spells were inherited from Conjuration, and then moved back into it for Skyrim.
4Shared with Thaumaturgy school
5Moved into Alteration school
6Inherited from Alteration in Morrowind, then moved back into it in Skyrim
7Inherited from Mysticism school
8The Muffle effect has a different purpose from Silence, used for stealth rather than disabling spellcasters
In addition to the flagship titles, other games have had effects in the Illusion school:
| Battlespire | Stormhold/Dawnstar | ||||||||||||||||
| Invisibility | Blind | ||||||||||||||||
| Death Howl | |||||||||||||||||
| Fear | |||||||||||||||||
| Paralyze | |||||||||||||||||
| Sanctuary | |||||||||||||||||
MysticismEdit
| Daggerfall | Morrowind | Oblivion | Skyrim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Absorb Attribute | Absorb Attribute1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Energy Leech2 | Absorb Fatigue Absorb Health Absorb Magicka |
Absorb Fatigue4 Absorb Health Absorb Magicka |
Absorb Health4 Absorb Magicka Absorb Stamina |
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| Vampiric Touch3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Absorb Skill | Absorb Skill1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Almsivi Intervention Divine Intervention |
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| Dispel Daedra | Banish5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dispel Undead | Turn Undead6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detect Animal | Detect Life | Detect Life7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detect Enchantment | Detect Undead7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detect Key | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dispel Magic | Dispel | Dispel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lock | Lock7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Open | Open7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mark | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recall | Recall | Reflect Damage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spell Reflection8 | Reflect | Reflect Spell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soul Trap | Soultrap | Soul Trap | Soul Trap9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spell Absorption3 | Spell Absorption | Spell Absorption | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Silence | Silence10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tongues | Telekinesis | Telekinesis | Telekinesis7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1Moved into Restoration school
2Inherited from Restoration school
3Inherited from Destruction school
4Moved into Restoration, and then later into Destruction
5The Dispel Daedra effect returned in Skyrim as the Banish effect
6Changed into related Turn Undead effect in Morrowind.
7Moved into Alteration school
8Shared with Thaumaturgy school
9Moved into Conjuration school
10Moved into Illusion school
In addition to the flagship titles, other games have had effects in the Mysticism school:
| Battlespire | |||||
| Confusion | |||||
| Detect Enemy | |||||
| Detect Invisibility | |||||
| Detect Spell | |||||
| Haste | |||||
| Jumping | |||||
| Slow | |||||
| Spell Absorption | |||||
RestorationEdit
1Inherited from Mysticism school
2Moved into Mysticism, then back into Restoration, then into Destruction
3Inherited from Alteration school
4Moved into Mysticism school
5Shared with Alteration and Thaumaturgy schools
6Inherited from Conjuration school
In addition to the flagship titles, other games have had effects in the Restoration school:
| Battlespire | Stormhold/Dawnstar | ||||||||||||||||
| Cure Health | Camp Magicka | ||||||||||||||||
| Cure Poison | Deft Security(?) | ||||||||||||||||
| Vampiric Drain | Heal Wound | ||||||||||||||||
| Raise Attribute | |||||||||||||||||
| Remove Ailment | |||||||||||||||||
ThaumaturgyEdit
| Daggerfall | Morrowind | ||||||||||||||||
| Charm Mortal Calm Humanoid |
Calm Humanoid1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Quiet Undead | Calm Creature1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Tame | |||||||||||||||||
| Levitate | Levitate2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Spell Reflection | Reflect3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Spell Resistance4 | Resist Magicka5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Water Walking | Water Walking2 | ||||||||||||||||
1Moved into Illusion school
2Moved into Alteration school
3Moved into Mysticism school
4Shared with Restoration and Alteration schools
5Moved into Restoration school
In addition to the flagship titles, other games have had effects in the Thaumaturgy school:
| Battlespire | |||||
| Dispel Magic | |||||
| Etherealness | |||||
| Monster Summoning | |||||
| Spell Reflection | |||||
| Spell Resistance | |||||
| Teleport | |||||