Muto
One of the fifteen Hermetic Arts, Muto is a Technique used in Hermetic Magic intended to alter the target.
Hermetic magic cannot change something's Essential Nature, instead Muto effects add or subtract qualities that would not naturally be associated with the target. Therefore the change is usually temporary, the item reverting to its natural qualities once no longer under the effect. Lead turned into gold, for example, will revert back into lead when the magic ends.
Notable traditions and magi
Mercere the Founder was considered to have a weak gift, but before he lost it, he was also considered skilled in the art of muto. His second gifted filius, Mutantes, although considered to be overreaching in status, explored Muto beyond what other magi achieved. It took three generations after him, but a stable tradition named after him was founded that showed a higher degree of control over their magic.
References
Legacy Page
The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:muto