Magic is a key component of Dominions. It is one of the main articles of differentiation between nations and is crucial to success beyond the early game. It is powerful, varied, and pervasive.

Dominions 6 has ten magic paths; studying magic gives insight into eight of these, the ninth, Blood, must be studied separately. The tenth, Holy, does not need to be researched. All its spells are known from the start and which spells they are come from the Magic Paths of the nation’s pretender.

The other two paths are considered separate, and have their own spell schools:

Blood ← Accessing this path's spells require Research. Giving a pretender levels in it provide points for customizing the nation’s blessing. Its spells are known as Blood Magic.

Holy ← This path's spells are not gained from Research, and its levels provide no points. Its spells are known as Divine Magic.

On stat sheets, the order is Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Astral, Death, Nature, Glamour, Blood, Holy. Most guides and the wiki also use this order.

Spells cast in Dominions come from one of eight schools. The elemental and sorcery magic paths allow the casting of spells from these six schools:

• Conjuration → Drawing powers into this realm. (Usually summoning units.)
• Alteration → Changing the physical world. (Usually changing units somehow.)
• Evocation → Projecting power into space. (Usually shooting spells.)
• Construction → Assembling or refining items.
• Enchantment → Imbuing beings with magic. (Usually giving units additional traits.)
• Thaumaturgy → Molding the fabric of magic. (A variety of spells, often dealing with the mind of units.)

The other two schools are:

• Blood Magic → Sacrificing slaves to power spells.
• Holy → Magic from the understanding and worship of a pretender. Cannot be researched.

This isn't to say that the eight primary paths are useless for Blood Magic, nor is it to say that Blood and Holy levels are useless for these six schools. Sometimes, spells require both elemental or sorcery paths and Blood or Holy paths.

Research within the seven schools that require it (Conjuration, Alteration, Evocation, Construction, Enchantment, Thaumaturgy, and Blood Magic) increases your entire faction's understanding of magic, increasing the number of spells available to all spellcasters. (All Holy spells are available from the beginning.) Ability to cast spells is an individual matter, however, determined by the individual spellcaster's levels in each of the ten paths.

To cast a spell your faction knows, you must have the required levels, at least. For example, a 1 Initiate can cast Fire Darts, a 1 spell. He cannot cast Fireball, however, because that is a 2 spell.

Many spells have a secondary path, which is also needed. For instance, a 3 Hydromancer cannot cast Geyser, a 11 spell. He has more than enough power/skill with water magic, but he doesn't even know where to begin with the fire part of the spell.

For mages who lack the levels they need, they may boost up with spells and items. These cannot boost paths the mages have no levels in, however; holding a Thistle Mace will not give a mage a Nature level unless they have at least 1 (one level as a nature mage), for instance. They may also try Empowerment, which isn't considered a boost but rather an increase to their innate magical ability, but it comes at a great cost.

If a mage has some skill in the spell's one-to-two paths, but not enough skill in the spell's primary path, they can fill the gap with gems. This may only close a one-level gap. For instance, a 1 Initiate with 2 can cast Fireball (a 2 spell) by expending one fire gem, but he cannot spend two fire gems to cast a 3 spell such as Falling Fires.

Gems can also be used to reduce the physical or mental strain of spellcasting. All spells generate Fatigue, and a mage cannot cast (or do anything, really) if they have 100 or more Fatigue. If a mage with more than the necessary levels in the spell's primary path casts a spell, however, the spell generates less Fatigue. If the mage has not already expended a gem to meet the spell's level requirement, they may (if allowed to) expend a gem to boost their level for Fatigue-reduction. Many spells are stronger if cast with a higher-than-required path level.

Note that, even for high-level mages, many spells have a required gem cost. For example, Summon Fire Elemental is a 3 spell that requires 1. A 2 mage such as an Anathemant Salamander may spend 2 to cast the spell, while a 3 mage such as an Anathemant Dragon may spend only 1 to cast the spell (but may spend 2 instead to reduce Fatigue, if allowed to), but a 4 mage such as an Anointed of Rhuax must also spend 1.

Note that, in battle, mages may only expend as many gems at once as their level in that path. For example, Earthquake is a 4 spell that costs 3. An Oracle of the Ancients may have 4 (four levels as an earth mage), in which case they can cast the spell, possibly spending the maximum 4 to reduce the Fatigue they accrue. If the Oracle has only 3, however, they cannot cast the spell; they may only spend 3 at once, so they cannot spend a fourth earth gem to close the level gap.

Rituals are slightly different from spells in combat. They are elaborate (for the mages) and time-consuming, taking an entire turn and requiring one or more gems. They also have to be cast at a Laboratory.

Due to the time required, the rules for how gems affect combat spells do not apply to rituals. The only effective path-boosts for rituals come from items, other rituals, and some magic sites.

Merely having power or skill in a path confers some benefits. Most offer some innate leadership ability, though largely only for magic beings. Understanding of certain paths will lengthen a mage's youth by an additive 50%, too; Blood for Demons, Death for the Undead, Earth for Inanimates, and Nature for everything else. For those whose youth would be extended by Nature, knowledge of Fire will cause them to reach old age slightly faster.