One of the key points I think that has been hammered home here is that for magic to work you
A) Need a source of Aether (Two examples are the Self and the Elements)
andÂ
B) A way to shape that aether into a spell form
Which means magic really works however you WANT, as long as you have A and B working together. Â It means magic is infinite.
It also means that the magic traditions in FF that get the most exposure just happen to be the ones that were easiest to codify and pass on. Â They're the traditions with paperwork and students who kept offering out the knowledge.
Who knows what "other" ways of doing things lurk out in the boonies, the dark, and the strange  places of the world.
Though, as n OOC cavet, when making up your own tradition, you should make sure it has reasonable constraints, which makes the Conj/Thaum traditions a good example to look at for how concepts are limited and why.
A) Need a source of Aether (Two examples are the Self and the Elements)
andÂ
B) A way to shape that aether into a spell form
Which means magic really works however you WANT, as long as you have A and B working together. Â It means magic is infinite.
It also means that the magic traditions in FF that get the most exposure just happen to be the ones that were easiest to codify and pass on. Â They're the traditions with paperwork and students who kept offering out the knowledge.
Who knows what "other" ways of doing things lurk out in the boonies, the dark, and the strange  places of the world.
Though, as n OOC cavet, when making up your own tradition, you should make sure it has reasonable constraints, which makes the Conj/Thaum traditions a good example to look at for how concepts are limited and why.