Dunamancy

Dunamancy is the ancient and esoteric study of the magic called dunamis that is based on potentiality and probability. Dunamis was discovered independently by several nations and explored to manage and control time, gravity, and fate, removing chance from mortal actions.

Dunamancy and its unique spells are a homebrew creation of Matthew Mercer.

Description
Dunamis is an ancient arcane magic, perhaps one of the oldest in Exandria, which Caleb Widogast referred to as a fundamental force. As a school of magic, it relies on the inherent potential of things, and can affect chance, time, entropy, and space. It is surmised that dunamis may hold the entire universe together. As a force, it appears as a shimmering, translucent gray mist.

Dunamancy subclasses

 * Echo knight, a fighter who mastered the art of using dunamis to summon the fading shades of unrealized timelines to aid them in battle.
 * Chronurgist, a wizard focused on the manipulation of time, potential and probability.
 * Graviturgist, a wizard who learnt to how affect the bodies of matter, drawing them together or driving them apart.
 * Path of Fundamental Chaos, a barbarian who developed dunamatic abilities after a traumatic injury was healed with a Potion of Possibility.

The Beacons' origin
When the Luxon arrived in Exandria, it discovered the Primordial titans, born from the elemental chaos. They fought, which led the Luxon to believe that there was no consciousness in the elemental chaos and that souls were lost to the darkness. The Luxon broke into scattered beacons that would enact a cycle of rebirth for those who were bound to its light in hopes that those beings would gradually learn and mature, and one day something would find and reassemble the Luxon.

Aeorian research
Before the Calamity, residents of Aeor found at least one Luxon beacon, provided them with a source for comprehensive research. Athodan was focused on the field of rejuvenation, working on the Factorum Malleus Project, which loosely translates in common as Hammer of Creation.

In his researh, Ayoshadaf from the Genesis Ward of Aeor explored the transmutation aspect of the artifact and influence on the passage of time. They discovered one could temporarily shunt to a point in one's history or even move beyond it, leaving an anchoring echo behind. Individuals who spent more time in the past than predetermined had their echoes fade to the point where the person would disappear. Scientists named this research the T-Dock Project or Temporal Dock.

Centuries later, Caleb Widogast and Essek Thelyss, one of the few individuals who knew of this expirement, both decided not to utilize its powers, changeing the tragic events happened with Caleb's parents, Leofric and Una Ermendrud, but terminate the research. Caleb used Disintegrate to destroy everything in the chamber.

Kryn Dynasty and consecution
The Kryn Dynasty has found four pieces of the body and named them the Luxon beacons. These relics became critical to the Dynasty's study of dunamancy, allowing them to learn how to manipulate gravity, entropy, and time.

Following the discovery of beacons, the principal Kryn Dynasty dens learned how to connect a soul to a Luxon beacon and manipulate time in the manner that extended their lifes, which became known as consecution. When a consecuted creature dies within one hundred miles of a Beacon, its soul does not move into afterlife, but rather relocates into a newborn infant within one hundred miles of the beacon in question.

Cerberus Assembly study
In Dualahei 836 PD, the Dwendalian Empire discovered a beacon in the ruins of Shattengrod outside of Pride's Call. The Cerberus Assembly, working within the Soltryce Academy and experimenting with time and reality, also uncovered the principals of dunamancy. During their study, the Assembly hired Yeza Brenatto in Felderwin to attempt to extract the power of the dunamantic field from the beacon and distill it into a potion for millitary purposes. His experiments resulted in large areas of people surrounding the apothecary he worked in to feel sluggish or move at unnaturally fast speeds. Yeza eventually was able to distill a single vial of dunamis power and there were plans to make more, even considering the costly and time consuming process.

Trent Ikithon of the Cerberus Assembly had found some students who showed signs of being skilled at Dunamancy and grounded his own laboratory in the Vergesson Sanatorium, where he was conducting research on a Luxon beacon.

Independent research
The Mighty Nein gave the vial of distilled dunamis they recovered from the Brenatto apothecary to Essek Thelyss, who was interested in studying it. Essek also told the Nein about two known cases of time travel using Dunamancy. In one instance, the subject never returned, and in the other, the caster returned but immediately turned to dust.

Dunamancy utilization history
 After emerging from the worm tunnels into Xhorhas, the Mighty Nein were ambushed by a pack of gnolls, a Kryn Dynasty warrior, and a mage. The mage cast two dunamantic spells- Compress Gravity and Vacuum Blast.

 Essek Thelyss taught Caleb two dunamantic spells during his visit in the episode. He mentioned spells that revolve around density and gravity (referencing the subfield of Graviturgy) as well as fate, destiny, and potentiality (referencing the subfield of Chronurgy). In the end, Caleb chose to learn about fate and Essek taught him two dunamantic spells: Fortune's Favor and Gift of Alacrity.

 Essek escorted the Mighty Nein to their visit with the captive Scourger. When she attacked Caleb, Essek killed her with a dunamantic spell (likely Gravity Sinkhole). Back at the Xhorhaus, Caleb persuaded Essek to teach him two more Dunamancy spells: Immovable Object and Resonant Echo.

 Caleb used Gravity Sinkhole- reverse engineered from when he had seen Essek cast it- numerous times in the Mighty Nein's robbery of the Vergessen Sanitorium.

 In the fight with the frost salamanders, Essek cast Magnify Gravity. In preparation for setting the Intuit Charges, Caleb and Essek both cast Fortune's Favor.

 Essek and Caleb both cast Gravity Sinkhole during the fight with the Aeorian hunters.

 While investigating the Genesis Ward, the Nein found the Rejuvenation Chamber, emanating dunamis energy. When Fjord used one of the rejuvenation terminals, he got the benefit of a long rest even though only a few moments had passed. The aura of dunamis in the chamber increased strongly as time was accelerated within the cylinder. Caleb entered the cylinder but it appeared to be out of power. Essek inspected the purple gem on the second, damaged terminal and called Caleb over, pointing out that within it appeared elements of space and drifting possibilities, like a smaller, weaker Luxon beacon. Essek then used magic to destroy the cylinder, releasing the diamond-shaped dark purple gem, which he gave to Caleb.

In preparation for battle with an Aeorian nullifier, Essek used the Chronurgy subclass feature Arcane Abeyance to store the spell Lightning Bolt in a bead, which he gave to Veth.

 When the Mighty Nein were concerned about having no time to rest before facing Lucien, Essek suggested using dunamancy and the crystal they had taken from the Rejuvenation terminal to create a skip in time, granting the group the benefits of a long rest. With Caleb's help, Essek completed the experimental spell, destroying the crystal and reinvigorating the party.

 In preparation for the fight with Lucien, Essek cast Fortune's Favor on himself, Caduceus, and Jester. He used Arcane Abeyance to store the Haste spell, and gave it to Yasha. During the battle itself, both wizards cast Gravity Fissure.

 Essek cast the spells Tether Essence and Gravity Fissure in the battle with the Somnovem Omega.

 When Trent Ikithon attacked the Mighty Nein, he was wearing a necklace of condensed dunamis energy, which he used to cast Time Stop.

  It is heavily implied that Ashton's head injury was repaired in part using a Potion of Possibilities stolen from Jiana Hexum.

Behind the scenes

 * "Dunamis" is the classical pronunciation of the Greek word δύναμις (dynamis), meaning "power", "potential" or "ability", and is central to the Aristotelian idea of potentiality and actuality.
 * Matt revealed in that if Essek and Caleb had failed the check to get a long rest with the dunamis crystal, rather than getting a long rest instantly, the party would have been sent one day forward instantly without any rest.

Trivia

 * Dunamis appears to heavily rely on a notion not entirely unlike the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics - that multiple versions of us exist based on possibilities explored or left to explore across multiple timelines. Each of the members of the Mighty Nein, save Mollymauk Tealeaf, who opted never to use the beacon, have experienced this sensation in their use of the Fragments of Possibility. However, having much more experience with this magic, the Kryn echo knights and dunamancers seem able to call upon their alternate selves to aid them in battle, in the forms of shadowy echoes.
 * Although some spells (like Reverse Gravity) are not considered part of the dunamantic studies, it is believed that facets of this magic are blended in their essence. Trent Ikithon proved this by using condensed, manufactured dunamis energy to cast Time Stop.