Symbiotic magic is the practice of adding basic additional effects to the spells you're casting. These additional effects increase the complexity of the spell matrix, making the spell harder to cast than it normally would be. More skill is required to cast it with the minimum amount of mana, and and more skill is required to cap its mana. Since this is an adjunct pattern, its effects are lesser than a spell specifically designed around granting this buff.

The Symbiotic Research feat gives you access to magic buff symbioses - They buff your magic skills if you use them. The other feats unlock other skill symbioses. These other symbioses are there so you can further choose what kind of bonus you get while using a symbiosis.

Once you RESEARCH a given symbiosis, it's available for you to activate via PREPARE SYMBIOSIS. Once your symbiosis is prepared, it will affect the next AUG/WARD/UTIL spell that you cast, increasing the difficulty of the cast and adding the effect.

Let's say I research HARNESS. I can now PREPARE SYMBIOSIS, which means the next AUG/WARD/UTIL spell I cast will be affected by the Harness Symbiosis. Now, I prepare ES and cast it. The spell is much harder to cast than ES normally is, and when the cast succeeds, I get the effects of ES as well as a Harness buff on myself.

In effect, this allows you to increase the difficulty of any AUG/WARD/UTIL spell that you're casting, thereby making it easier to train these skills while using spells with more limited effects.

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"The ninety and nine are with dreams, content but the hope of the world made new, is the hundredth man who is grimly bent on making those dreams come true." -E.A.P.