Magic in Amber

The solid reality imposed on Amber by the Pattern make the use of the royal family's Pattern powers difficult in Amber but has an even more deleterious effect on magic. A noticeable minority of Amber's inhabitants are able to employ different styles of magic, but the impact of magic in Amber is significantly less than in Shadow. Teleportation, dimensional travel, dematerialization, resurrection, and precognition do not function in Amber. Clairvoyance and divination are extremely difficult at range. Transmutation is also extremely difficult. Substances can be conjured, though conjured substances tend not to last. The amount of energy that can be released instantly by magical spells is also limited. For example, a fireball might encompass a twenty-foot radius, but a sorcerer attempting to produce a a fireball with a radius of 100 feet would most likely fail, and a sorcerer attempting a much larger fireball would probably both fail and die from the effort.

The limits of magical effects are not uniform. Some types of magic may produce effects that other types of magic cannot when used in Amber. For example, a dragon's fiery breath may burn hotter than a wizard's conjured flames, or a magical healing potion may not be as effective as a weir's regenerative healing. Additionally, magic that is either backed by the Pattern (probably employed by a Pattern Initiate) or particularly resistant to the Pattern's effects (probably employed by a Lord of Chaos) may have greater effect.