The control of living matter. One well-known ability of biomancers is incarnation, which allows them to change their biology - stereotypically, turning into some kind of animal. But, they can turn into plants, too. Or other people. Or even only partially change their bodies - for example, giving themselves claws. While the image of a biomancer turning into a wolf or bear to engage in combat is a well-known one, there is another stereotype of biomancers as lascivious. Incarnation allows them to do all kinds of things, sexually, that nobody else can. Or simply just turn into the opposite sex, or be more attractive. This stereotype usually surfaces in two characters: the biomantic prostitute who can do and be almost anything you like, and the oversexed university student studying biomancy. In addition to incarnation, biomancers can take control of living matter outside of themselves. This is usually plants or neurally simpler animals like insects. Higher animals can be difficult to control, and sapients nearly impossible. Unicellular organisms can also be controlled and even conjured by biomancers, typically in the form of giving someone a bacterial infection. The long tradition of biomancers being able to give people these certain diseases led to the widespread acceptance of an early germ theory. On the other hand, biomancers can also cure many diseases - though they do have a harder time with viral ones, because of the sort-of-not-quite-alive quality of viruses. They are also skilled in accelerating natural healing, and applying natural healing where it might not otherwise happen. As such, biomancers have a long tradition of working alongside photomancers in the field of medicine.