Still Life, by Wenjing Yang
I realized I went all-in on WW 1/14/26 on describing magic centering around the sense of smell, but didn’t give any background information. Today I’m going to rectify that.
First I’d like call attention to the marvelous illustration above by Wenjing Yang. It’s typical of the artists’s style, using fresh, garish pastels, futuristic shapes, and organic forms, combining them in a way that looks like an art deco infograph of some obscure scientific field. I don’t think it was made to made to represent the five senses, but it nicely does — tomatoes for taste, wine for smell, the whole arrangement on the plaid tablecloth for sight, the exploding vase for sound, and the smooth surfaces of the glass items for touch. It’s both alien and familiar. Much like the Five Senses magic system itself, which revolves around manipulating the organs of perception: eyes, nose, taste buds, skin receptors, ears.
A successful Five Senses mage has complete control of their own chosen organ(s) of perception. For example, the Aromamancer, the master of smell, can identify odors , analyze them, and modulate their own smelling powers. They can imbue local odors with magic or create ones, such as a foul stench that sickens others through manipulations inside the other beings’ nasal passages.
It’s possible for Five Senses mages to use general spells as well. But these must be created through components related to their chosen sense. Going back to the Aromamancer, they are perfectly capable of casting a flying spell, but must use, for example, the smelly musk from a giant eagle’s underparts as the main component.
I envision the Five Senses magic system as either being a replacement for an RPG’s “standard” magic system or as working as an adjunct to one. In the latter scenario, there might a land in which this system is dominant. Or it’s an adjunct to the standard system, as necromancers and illusionists are (I’m talking in AD&D terms.)
As you’d guess by now, there are five divisions or schools within this magic system. They might be all contained within one grand university, or scattered in different locations. There is an Archimage who acts as the overseer. This individual is highly esteemed, having mastered all five sensory magics. The Archimage decides who heads all the other schools.
The schools are unusual in that they aren’t just for mages. Anyone who can pay the tuition can attend the lower sensory classes, where students can learn to fully use and hone their chosen sense. The School of Smell attracts perfumers, soapmakers, and wilderness professionals like hunters and rangers, for example. The School of Taste attracts cooking professionals, the School of Sight, artists. Healers, sex workers, and masseuses attend the School of Touch and musicians, the School of Hearing. Any would-be Five Senses mage must pass these lower classes before they can continue to the magic ones. If they can’t pass — that is, cannot become schooled in utilizing their chosen sense — they can’t continue in that school, even if they already have magical talent. The hopeful mage can always choose another school, of course.
In fact, it’s common for a Five Senses mage to gain accreditation in several schools. Sight and Hearing are often paired together, and Taste and Smell. Students can’t mix and match classes from different schools, one school must be mastered before another is begun. But attendance can take at any time within a mage’s life.
Term length can be at the DM’s discretion. I lean towards two years (community college length in the States.)
Cultures that use the Five Senses Magic System tend to be highly developed civilizations that are wealthy and artistic, with sophisticated trade and large cities.
Five Senses mages themselves tend to be discrete. Most of the time they appear no differently than ordinary folk. They won’t wear magic emblems, have familiars, or wave around staffs or wands. In their “time out” periods they will often take on commoners’ jobs like cooks or street musicians. In fact, this is one way they can recognized — they are just a little too good in their assumed profession. They can be of any alignment, but tend towards lawful because of the strict nature of their schooling.
(c) 2026 Cobalt Jade
