Whether hidden occult lore, voodoo rituals, wizardly magic, odd gadgets from mad scientists, super powers, or psionics, Savage World's various magic powers are all in one system called “powers”.

In order to gain access to powers, you must pick an Arcane Background Edge available to your setting.

Every arcane background specifies:

• Arcane Skill Each arcane background has a skill associated with its use. You take this skill and buy it just like any other skill on the skill list. The attribute to which the skill is linked is listed beside the skill itself.
• Starting Powers The number of powers a hero starts with when selecting an Arcane Background. Some arcane backgrounds also specify the powers in question. You can learn new powers via the savage/edges/New Powers Edge.
• Power Points The number of Power Points the character starts with when she chooses an Arcane Background. A hero increases her Power Points by taking the savage/edges/Power Points edge.

If a character takes a new Arcane Background, she gets the new powers and a d4 in its arcane skill (if she doesn't already have it). If she already has an Arcane Background or savage/edges/Mystic Powers, she uses the largest pool of Power Points and applies any increases from other sources to it. All of her Arcane Backgrounds and Mystic Powers share this pool.

Each power is linked to the Arcane Background that provided it, so if you gained savage/powers/healing through your savage/arcane_backgrounds/cleric arcane background, you couldn't use your savage/arcane_backgrounds/wizard's spellcasting skill to cast it.

See savage/arcane_backgrounds/start for a list of arcane backgrounds.