There are many different types of magic to be found in the Warhammer World, and the practitioners of each field distinguish themselves in various ways -- In particular, each field of magic has its own particular identifying rune, and a certain color scheme most strongly associated with it. (Practitioners of this particular field of magic are likely to have these particular colors worked into the design of their robes, and will most likely display some variation upon the basic rune in their attire as well.)

Hysh: The Serpent of Light (Light Magic) Color: White Wizards of the Light College are known as priests, as White Wizards or as Hierophants. Theirs is not only a fellowship of magic practitioners, but a religion of sorts as well -- although they do not have a deity as such, but worship the "force" of the Light Wind, as personified by Hysh -- the Earth Serpent. Magic of this field is primarily concerned with the earth element, light, healing, defense, and combatting the undead.

Chamon: The Soaring Eagle (Gold Magic) Color: Gold (Yellow) Wizards of the Gold College are alchemists, makers of magical potions, whose spells deal with the power of transmutation. It is said that the most powerful Gold Wizards are able to create small samples of the legendary Elixir -- a marvelous potion that can not only turn lead to gold, but extend life. Whatever the truth, accomplished Gold Wizards are typically very wealthy indeed.

Ghyran: The Coil of Life (Jade Magic) Color: Green Wizards of the Jade College are also known as druids -- nature wizards who live in the forests and practice powerful rituals amongst circles of ancient menhirs inscribed with arcane runes. Their life-forces become inextricably entwined with that of the earth, such that they religiously go barefoot, or with only sandals upon their feet at the most, so that they may remain in contact with the life-giving soil. Every winter, their spells ebb in power, whereas in springtime, their bodies are renewed in vigor. Their spells deal with the raw forces of life and decay.

Azyr: The Comet of Power (Celestial Magic) Color: Blue Wizards of the Celestial College are known as seers and astrologers, foretelling the future by watching the stars, and the subtle alterations in their apparent positions caused by the warping effects of the unseen Winds of Magic. Celestial Magic deals with the power of portents and foresight, but also with the element of the air -- as in battle they may call upon blustering winds or lightning blasts to fell their opponents.

Ulgu: The Sword of Judgement (Grey Magic) Color: Grey Wizards of the Grey College are perhaps best known by the common people, and most often imagined when one invokes the term of "wizard", for they wander to and fro across the land, following fluctations in the Winds of Magic. Like Celestial Wizards, they to deal in the element of air, and have power to call down storms upon their foes. Their non-combat spells pertain to various means of travel, or else to calling upon magic to aid in making wise decisions.

Shyish: The Scythe (Amethyst Magic) Color: Purple Wizards of the Amethyst College are a secretive group, rarely speaking, but rather communicating with each other by means of telepathy. They are mentalists -- masters of the mind and the power of emotion -- and their spells typically reflect this. However, Amethyst Magic is closely tied to the element of fire, and therefore they have very destructive battle spells as well. Amethyst Wizards are very distinctive in their hooded cowls, carrying ceremonial (but quite deadly) scythes and heavy tomes in their gauntleted hands.

Aqshy: The Key of Secrets (Bright Magic) Color: Red Wizards of the Bright College are best known for their Battle Magic, which harnesses the raw destructive power of fire. However, their magic is also focused upon the light of revelation, and the practitioners of this college are very diverse in the spells at their command.

Ghur: The Arrow (Amber Magic) Color: Amber (Orange) Wizards of the Amber College are rarely seen at their symbolic headquarters in Altdorf, instead dwelling in the wilderness far apart from the cities of mankind. Along with the College of Light, theirs is a magic closely attuned to the earth, and they are often known as shamans. While comparisons may be drawn between them and the druids of the College of Jade, they are more concerned with the raw strength of beasts, rather than the more general forces of nature. Many of their spells allow them to commune with beasts, to command them, or even to take on the form of a beast.

The Standing Stones (High Magic) Color: Silver or Rainbow The High Elves have a much broader understanding of magic, and their most powerful mages are able to command all of the powers of the Color Colleges, as well as magicks that combine these elements together. The most unique spells of High Magic are concerned with enchantment and dispelling of magic. The "Standing Stones" rune represents the great circle of menhirs surrounding the continent of Ulthuan, where the ancient High Elves created a magical vortex to draw the powers of chaos away from the world and drain it back to the Warp from whence it came. So long as the menhirs stand, there is yet home that the world will not be overwhelmed by Chaos.

The Winds of Magic (Chaos) Color: Black The general symbol of Chaos represents the eight Winds of Magic spreading out in all directions at once, without order. Various Dark Wizards -- Necromancers and Sorcerers -- make use of the more conventional fields of magic, but dabble in forbidden spells that carry great power -- and great risk, with a terrible price for failure. Dark Magic requires considerable energy for its use, but its practitioners are typically without scruples, such that they are more than willing to sacrifice many innocent lives in order to attain that power.

The Flame of Change (Tzeench) Colors: Bright Yellow and Blue Tzeench is one of the four major Chaos Gods, typically represented as a hunched-over, bird-headed daemon (or, rather, a daemon with the skull of a bird), and he is the most powerful practitioner of magic of the Warp. His sorcerers have many spells granted by him, focusing on the power of transformation, as well as sorcery -- for they often find that they have temporary access to many spells and powers that they have never studied or mastered, only to find these powers slip away again, forever changing.

The Mirror of Secrets (Slaanesh) Colors: Pink and Pastels Slaanesh is perhaps the most popular of the Chaos Gods, having many cults devoted to his/her worship, though naive humans typically portray Slaanesh in various forms and by other names more attractive to their own particular tastes. Slaanesh is often portrayed as a four-armed minotaur -- two arms ending in enormous crabs' pincers -- and as a hermaphrodite. Sorcerers serving Slaanesh are enchanters, specializing in spells that charm victims, that instill feelings of pleasure or pain in order to better manipulate emotions.

The Plague (Nurgle) Colors: Green and Purple Easily the most revolting of all the Chaos Gods is Nurgle, whose specialty is plague and corruption. Those sorcerers who pledge their allegiance to Nurgle are corruptors and spreaders of disease, their bodies misshapen by countless horrible diseases that they have been "blessed" with by their master -- though through it, they are effectively immune to any sort of affliction, so long as Nurgle is inclined to hold their wretched bodies together.

The Horned Rat (Skaven) Colors: Brown, Yellow and Red A fifth and lesser Chaos God (though the Skaven would not admit to this status) would be the Horned Rat, an entity created by the flows of the Warp as a manifestation of the collective being of the Skaven race. The Horned Rat is devoted to the overthrow of all enemies of Skavenkind, and particularly to the toppling of the races of "order", such as Humans, Dwarves and Elves. In some ways, the Horned Rat is similar to Nurgle, in that the spells of his followers often deal with powers of plague and corruption, though his powers focus more on poisons and pestilence than simple disease.

The Waaagh (Orcs) Colors: Dark Green, Yellow and Red Unique amongst the various types of magic is the "Waaagh" of the Orcs -- a sort of psychic energy generated by large masses of Orcs and their kin gathered together in a horde, a collective "orcishness" that builds up and sometimes manifests itself through the receptive minds of Orc and Goblin Shamans. Amongst the various fields of magic, it is unique in that it does not rely upon the flows of Chaos, but Shamans of the Waaagh cannot command their powers unless they are surrounded by a Horde of Greenskins excited by the prospect of going out to raid and pillage. Spells of the Waaagh often result in manifestations of the two great Orc gods of Gork and Mork, even though these "deities" do not exist as actual entities, but only as manifestations of the collective beliefs of the Orcs. Shamans' spells are generally focused upon raw combat-oriented effects, but also in flows of anti-magic and in stirring up the Orcs and Goblins to an even greater frenzy.