Thaumcraft 4

Thaumcraft 4 is a continuation of the Thaumcraft 3 mod, both created by Azanor. Thaumcraft is based off of the power known as thaumaturgy. A person who performs thaumaturgy and performs miracles using the magical essences inside physical objects is called a thaumaturge.

Thaumonomicon
To start one's magic adventure into Thaumcraft 4 the player will need a Thaumonomicon. To craft the Thaumonomicon, the player must first create a Wand and right-click with it on a Bookshelf that is placed in the world.

The Thaumonomicon is a reference book of all things thaumaturgical. It lists all the discoveries the player has made so far and gives them a general impression of how much is left to learn.

Whenever the player successfully researches something and uses the resulting scroll, it will automatically be added to the Thaumonomicon. The player can then browse through the discoveries and click on them to show more detailed information and any crafting recipes associated with those discoveries.

Wands
The wand (and after more research the staff and the scepter) is the player's primary tool for interacting with magical objects. It can also be attached with wand foci to give certain abilities. Wands can be crafted from different wand cores and caps; rarer ones will boast higher vis capacities and vis discount bonuses respectively.

Plants & Trees
Thaumcraft 4 adds some magical plants to the game:
 * Greatwood Trees are very large and majestic trees that can be found dotted all over the countryside. Their Wood is able to absorb impressive amounts of magic making it a popular component in the crafting of magical devices.
 * Silverwood Trees are the rare and magical trees and a wondrous sight. Their Leaves shimmer with magical energy and their pale, soft Wood is valued for its purifying properties. The trees' magical nature is such that aura nodes often form within their hearts - this feature alone makes Silverwood Sapling (Thaumcraft 4) a prize beyond all measures.
 * Shimmerleaf is the strange, glowing flower that only grows in the shadow of Silverwood trees. Instead of nectar, these flowers produce Quicksilver when breaking them with your hand.
 * Cinderpearl is the hottest flower, and can only be found in the hottest of climates. These plants burn with elemental fire. They can be broken up to produce a fine powder akin to Blaze Powder.
 * Mana Pods are the strange, pod-like plants only found growing on trees in the magical forests. They grow very slowly and can be harvested to yield one or two beans. These Mana Beans contain concentrated amounts of essentia. They can also be consumed, though the results are often unpredictable. They can be replanted, but cultivation is difficult and time-consuming.

Infused Stone
Sometimes auras contain so much primal energy that the latter will form crystals in solid stone. Such stones are called Infused Stones and will drop Shards when mined with a Pickaxe of any kind.

These Shards have various elemental properties and have many uses in Thaumaturgy. There are six types of shards that can harvested from these infused stones (Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Order, and Entropy) with each representing one of the primal aspects.

The shards can be combined together to form crystal clusters of each primal aspect (Aer, Ignis, Aqua, Terra, Ordo and Perditio or a mix of all six). Crystal clusters are used to make magic more stable and are used in infusion crafting to enhance safety. Breaking a crystal cluster causes it to shatter into its component crystals.

Cinnabar Ore
Cinnabar is the reddish ore found deep underground and produces Quicksilver when smelted.

Amber Bearing Stone
Amber Ore is found near the surface and when mined it drops chunks of Amber.

The Pech
The Pech are strange humanoids can be found wherever the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. They seem drawn to the magical energies that abound in such places.

Guides

 * Getting Started with Thaumcraft 4