Bindings

Wizardries the purpose of which is specifically to keep a creature or object from doing something. In the case of non-sentients, this normally means preventing the object from doing something it was designed to do: in the case of sentients, it means preventing the being from doing something he, she or it wants to do, or would do in the normal course of events.

These spells typically become more difficult depending on how single-purpose the object's design is, or how intent the being is on carrying out the given activity. Bindings therefore routinely cost far more energy than the most-preferred forms of wizardry, which involve persuasion rather than force.

Bindings differ most markedly from geasa in that a binding is usually much less conditional...which makes a binding significantly more difficult to break or escape. Geasa tend to be somewhat reactive -- for example, "If someone offers you a meal, you may never refuse" was a geas laid on the Irish hero Cuchullain. A binding tends to include fewer stipulations: a typical one would be something like, "You may never open that door." Most spells in popular literature would therefore be characterized as geasa rather than bindings, due to their conditionality and (often) the presence of multiple stipulations.

However, these are only general guidelines. As usual, there are numerous exceptions to both rules. (SYWTBAW et seq.)

See also: Spells, Bindings and Geasa: An Introduction.