In the Star Ocean universe, they use Symbology (or Runology on Elicoor II) instead of Magic. Symbology users use Symbology for various things. Such as healing others, curing ailments, or dealing various varieties of damage. For someone to use Symbology, one must tattoo runes to themselves. The only exception to the tattooing is the Featherfolk, because their genes are tattooed with the runes themselves. Then they use their mind to perform the various abilities they have mastered. The limitations are as follows.
You may have two specialties. This can be elemental powers, light or dark, or healing.
Your healing abilities can be anything from directly healing yourself to healing diseases. When you heal yourself or others in a battle, it can only be a slight heal. You cannot go from brink of death to good as new in a split second because of symbology. If anything, use it more as an aid or a catalyst for improvement. More of you get better faster than regenerating an arm in a split second.
When using offensive Symbology, keep the attacks elemental (ie: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, Light, Dark). When you are using offensive symbology, keep in mind that it does not travel at the speed of light, so it can be dodged. The power of the attack will be used through development of character (mastering the skill, and using it often to get better with it). So you cannot summon a fireball the size of an elephant on your 4th post, so to say.
Also, when you are using Symbology, you are using your own physical strength as the power behind your attack. So you get fatigued over time through using Symbology. The only race that this would be slower for is the Featherfolk, seeing how they are the best at it and have Symbology directly imbedded in their genes.