Nature is one of the eight Paths of magic, and one of the four paths of Sorcery. A number of its spell and ritual effects are affected by Growth/Death scales and/or whether they are being cast in/at a forest or wasteland.

On a strategic level, it is a path of tradeoffs (this can also be seen, e.g., in how it affects the nation's Divine magic). On one hand, it increases the user's max age by 50% per point, potentially staving off old age and its consequences. On the other, when the check for whether a pretender loses paths or dominion upon dying is made, each point in Nature increases the chance of losing a point in magic paths by 10%. This means that, with the baseline being 50%, an N5+ pretender is guaranteed to check for losing paths, rather than dominion, upon death. Nature is also the most likely path to be diminished whenever a pretender loses paths. Of course, some might consider preserving dominion over magic paths (which can be empowered) not a tradeoff, and even desirable, especially in light of the fact that this does not affect bless effects, as even a pretender who's lost all their magic paths will retain whatever bless effects were set during pretender creation.

Nature confers the following indirect effects upon any and all units with paths in it:

1. Magic Leadership +5 / level
2. Max Age +50% / level
3. Supply Bonus 10 / level
4. Poison Resistance (5 at N3, +2 for each additional level)

The power/utility gap for Nature is between N2 and N3, when Strength of Gaia becomes available, giving the N3 mage potential access to N4. Note that unlike, e.g., Summon Earthpower or Summon Water Power, it requires crosspathing.

Nature's remote site-searching spell is Haruspex.

Nature's province dome is Forest Dome.

Nature's gem generating global enchantment is Mother Oak.

Having Nature as the pretender's dominant magic path affects its nation's Divine magic in the following ways:

• Banishment becomes Final Rest - reduced AoE, easier to resist, but kills targets outright if not resisted
• Smite becomes Word of Thorns - deals less damage, but entangles and bleeds the target

Mass Regeneration - 4 - Gives all living units on the caster's side regeneration.

Poison Cloud - 3 - A less intensive version of foul vapors, in terms of area, effect, duration, but also demand on the caster.

Poison Ward - 2 - The early Foul Vapors prophylactic, in case one's units do not have poison resistance.

Relief - 5 - Reduces the fatigue of all friendly units, mages or otherwise, as long as the caster is alive.

Serpent's Blessing - 4 - The battlefield-wide poison resistance bestower.

Sleep Cloud - 2 - An AoE sleep spell. Damage will wake the affected units up, unless it's poison. Have fun scripting related combos.

Wooden Warriors - 2 - Grants a group of units Barkskin, increasing their natural protection, but making them vulnerable to fire.

Creeping Doom - 3 - If your opponent is not entomophobic, this spell might change that.

Pack of Wolves - 1 - Quick to research, cheap way to summon stealthy animals.

Swarm - 1 - Depending on the number of casters allows them to deal with PD and/or skelly-spam.

Enchanted Forests - 7 - All forests not under the owner's dominion effectively act as their temples. All forests within the owner's dominion send attacks into adjacent provinces owned by other pretenders. Strength of attacking force affected by Growth scales. Will not attack into wastelands.

Gift of Health - 6 - Boosts HP for all friendly units in the owner's dominion, as well as healing afflictions over time. Noted as one of the few ways to heal Tartarians of their afflictions.

Gift of Nature's Bounty - 7 - Increases income of every province under the owner's dominion.

Mother Oak - 5 - Quick and easy way to set up a stable income. Easy to contest, unless invested into.

Foul Vapors - 31 - The reason you will hear poison resistance being necessary in pretty much every build.

Strength of Gaia - 31 - Boost's the caster's Nature path by 1, as well as granting Barkskin, regeneration, and extra strength.

Haunted Forest - 51 - Anything that was once living and dies within the caster's dominion will rise as a Manikin. Temporarily.