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Magic
Jun 1, 2017 15:19:10 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 1, 2017 15:19:10 GMT -6
Overview Magic on Way of the Warrior works a bit differently than it does in the games. Rather than a progression of ever more powerful tomes limited by uses, here each tome is unique and is useful forever, especially with upgrades, while stronger uses of that magic require more energy from the caster in turn. Magic usage is also based more on a mix of the tome and the user's creativity rather than a single 'canon' animations. Finally, it is split into three major divisions, Beginner, Basic, and Advanced, and two sub-divisions of Advanced for future growth, and the long-range tomes from the games have their own classification. First things first, let's summarize some of the basics of magic before moving to its combat use and then individual schools of magic. - All magic has a cost. Every tome, every school of magic, is fueled primarily or entirely by the magus. What you want to call that spiritual energy is up to you; mana, spirit, prana, chi, chakra, etc. are all fine, though the typical term used throughout Elibe is generally 'mana' or even just 'magic.' If you keep casting your strongest magic over and over without pause, you will run out of juice and be left defenseless.
- Each school of magic has an additional unique cost. Magic is a powerful phenomenon that shapes the user even as they shape it, and controlling that force costs more than just magic. More details can be found in each school's writeups, but to oversimplify it, Anima magic has a range of diverse but subtle effects, Nether magic draws on emotion, Light magic exhausts the user's will, and Staff magic drains the user's body. This is more of a roleplay opportunity than a true mechanical system, to be clear, and the details are generally left up to the player.
- Buying a tome, regardless of post count and class, does not instantly give you power to full power Advanced magic. Even a 1000 post Archsage who has never touched Thoron or Thani before will still need some practice and experimentation to move from the basics of that tome to its Advanced abilities and beyond.
- The magic triangle is heavily muted here - Light does not innately defeat Dark, but Light magics are typically faster casting and moving than Dark magic, so it could still be said that Light "beats" Dark to a degree - but in practice it will depend wholly on the roleplayers. Similarly, different Anima tomes have different matchups with Light and Dark magic, but the versatility and power generally exhibited by most Anima tomes arguably gives them a minor advantage over Light's quick but not especially hard hitting tomes. However, again - individual combat styles, cast times, different tomes, player skill, combat experience, and (situationally) Mastery/Supremacy abilities can all turn the tide.
- The exact range of magic varies heavily by tome and individual combat style, but as a rule of thumb most Beginner magic will peter out around 10-20 meters, Basic magic is usable to 20-30 meters, and Advanced magic can be reasonably targeted out to around 50 meters. Super-tier magic like Bolting and Purge can be used within eyesight, though needless to say accuracy is far better against things close enough to judge more accurately.
Now, by this point you may very well be wondering what the hell some of those terms are. Since we have a better understanding of the basics of magic, let's go into combat utility and the different levels of combat magic! - Beginner magic covers Flux, Light, and Trinity tomes. This level of magic is exclusively limited to single-target spells that can deal moderate damage to the human body, and is capable of inflicting lethal damage only with some effort. We're talking small bolts and blasts of fire and light here, not thunderstorms and earthquakes. Promoted classes can cast this level of magic nearly for free but the damage and area don't really scale up much.
- Basic magic is unlocked whenever you purchase a tome, and ups the ante to small area (typically 1-3 targets, or a meter or two of area) as well as inflicting more damage. Direct attacks to unprepared human bodies can very easily cause serious injury or death, and charged up magic can definitely cause small-scale destruction. Many tomes also offer some degree of limited utility at this stage, such as Excalibur offering small wind-jumps, or Ruin restraining opponents physically. Some examples might be: a fireball that explodes in a three-foot radius (Volcanon), a ray of piercing light that can burn through an unarmored foe (Thani), or a large gust of wind that could knock a couple soldiers to the ground (Excalibur).
- Advanced magic is unlocked for purchased tomes when you promote to a tier 2 class like Sage, Druid, or Bishop (typically at 200 posts). At this level of magic, medium to large scale area-effect magic with intense destructive power is possible; while the default is still small areas or a few targets with a fastish cast time, larger scale magic capable of obliterating entire squads of foes or at higher levels even blowing apart houses and similarly sized structures is possible, though this requires a significant amount of concentration and cast time that can be interrupted - high power Advanced magic is NOT fire and forget, it takes time to build up and use. Elite classes (Archsage etc) can get away with the higher end of Advanced magic more easily and even push the boundaries of scale a bit; if you're not sure if something is acceptable, feel free to run it by a mod. Some examples of full on Advanced magic feats might be: a magic circle ten feet in radius that detonates in a violent fiery explosion (Volcanon), a piercing two-foot-wide beam of destructive electrical energy that scythes through flesh and armor with equal ease (Thoron), a 40 foot jump into the air with a huge gust of wind and then gliding back down (Excalibur), a rain of golden weapons that savage an area a dozen feet around (Lux Aeterna), or an earthen wall ten feet high and four thick that absorbs a trebuchet strike (Gaea).
- Mastery magic is earned immediately upon repurchasing a tome, and represents the - wait for it - mastering of that specific tome by focusing heavily upon its more arcane secrets. Most Mastery abilities allow the mage to accomplish feats that are otherwise impossible through normal roleplay, such as Thoron's ability to lightning dash or Ruin's increased durability allowing it to be used to actually parry weapons and other attacks rather than simply blunting them and then dissipating. Others, like Volcanon, may simply make it easier to use high-power magic of that tome and define certain tomes as naturally offensively powerful in return for their lack of utility. Note that unless the ability specifically boosts the tome's power, "Mastery" is not an overall step up in magic.
- Supremacy magic is earned upon reaching 500 posts for all Mastered tomes, and represents a level of intimate knowledge of the tome that few are even capable of understanding. Typically revolving around incredibly precise control of the tome's fundamental concept, Supremacy magic offers a variety of incredibly powerful environmental abilities that can be used to turn the battlefield to your advantage, incredibly powerful varieties of offensive magic like the manipulation of molten magma or superheated plasma, or allowing extremely complex and technical applications of certain tomes. Similar to mastery, note that Supremacy does not boost the base power of ALL magic from that tome; that's still more dependent on class, post count, experience, etc.
- Summoning unlocks at 500 posts for all casters, and allows the caster to spend a post and a huge amount of magic creating a powerful Elemental whose powers and abilities are based on a specific tome from their repertoire. A Volcanon spirit will end up as a fire elemental, while Light and Dark elementals, not native to nature, in turn bear an appearance based on their tome. A summon can cast the magics of its tome at Advanced magic level, but keeping it active constantly costs the caster magic. This being is bound to the summoner and can optionally be kept around in spirit form and interacted with freely when not summoned in its full elemental glory, much like a magic weapon spirit.
- Super tier magic encompasses the three long-range tomes; Bolting, Purge, and Eclipse. While known for their power even by the standards of normal magic, they are also known for their intricately detailed and typically very long cast times - each takes an entire post to cast and cannot be used in conjunction with any other magic. They otherwise work under the usual Basic/Advanced/Mastery/Supremacy magic paradigm.
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Magic
Jun 1, 2017 15:20:17 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 1, 2017 15:20:17 GMT -6
Anima Magic Elemental magic drawn from nature. Common and well accepted in Elibe, Anima magic is extremely diverse and versatile, with each tome corresponding to a fundamental element of Elibe; fire, earth, air, water, etc. These spells are typically aided to some degree by the primal spirits of magic that inhabit Elibe; while each spell cast is fueled almost entirely by the mage, the spirits typically help guide and shape the magic for all but the most stubborn of magi. This emotional bond is considered fundamental to most Anima magic, and has both obvious costs (can leave a mage emotionally or empathetically exhausted after a longer fight) as well as more common but subtle effects that few magi even recognize, depending on the element; conjuring fire magic may temporarily weaken restraint or heighten aggressiveness, while Earth magic may leave the user slightly more stubborn or stern. This is entirely a roleplay effect and left up to the individual roleplayer to play up or down as they prefer. Trinity (beginner)Fire, Wind, and Lightning - long considered the 'light' elements as compared to the 'heavy' elements of Ice and Earth, they are easier and safer for novice mages to manipulate, and all three are commonly taught. Most mages have an affinity for only one or two elements, though, and any advanced or especially destructive magic in each element requires the appropriate dedicated tome (Volcanon, Thoron, Excalibur). VolcanonDestructive and surprisingly easy to evoke due to the natural instability of both magic and fire, fire is a natural choice for offensive magic, and this tome explores that similarity to its fullest. Best known for the fireballs and bursts of flame that many mages begin with, Volcanon can also be used in the form of controlled jets of fire or concentrated rays of heat and light. Exotically creative mages may wield it in the form of whips or shape their projectiles in the form of swords and lances. Mastering the tome allows the mage to superheat the flames they create without costing too much additional magic, effectively increasing cost slightly while significantly increasing the raw power of one's magic. Supremacy of the tome allows the user to create and manipulate molten magma, a slow-moving and unwieldy liquid that takes a huge investiture of magic but bears incredible offensive power on par with Mire. ThoronPowerful but difficult to control, electricity is the purview of this tome, similar in some respects to its better-known brother, Volcanon. While its most typical usage is bolts of electricity whose incredible speed is their best known feature, Thoron is as versatile as its kin and can be used in many ways; its naturally energetic form allows it to be turned into beams and larger streams of powerful and quick offensive magic, or thunder whips and projecting bolts and even storms of electricity from one's fingers are possible as well. Best known for its fantastic speed and solid power, Thoron is nonetheless known to be difficult to control and relatively inaccurate as a result - foes may not be able to dodge your magic very well, but it's a lot easier to miss them entirely. Mastering Thoron allows a mage to in turn allow the lightning to carry them for a moment - while the mage does not actually turn into electricity, this effect does allow them to move at nearly the speed of their lightning to relocate a short distance and even launch an electrically charged strike in the process at anything in their way. Supremacy of this tome offers a mage the ability to create plasma, an incredibly hot and intense form of electrical energy that can warp and incinerate almost any material in its path - to say nothing of what it does to human flesh. While the need for extreme quantities of magic to bind this incredible heat renders it difficult to create or control and significantly lowers the speed of projectiles compared to normal lightning magic, the firepower it offers is easily akin or even superior to molten magma. However, it is inordinately difficult to control large quantities of plasma so it is best used in smaller quantities. FimbulvetrA hybrid tome that allows control of both ice and water. The oppressive weight of both elements makes Fimbulvetr a fairly unwieldy tome, but those that stick through the struggle find a remarkably degree of versatility in these frozen magics. More ice-focused casters can use it to launch shards of icicles or lances of ice or create barriers of ice to protect them from foes, and while throwing a weighty block of ice is difficult, rapidly extruding one from already formed ice nearby allows them a degree of unpredictability. Water focused casters learn rapidly that water's tremendous weight is as much of a blessing as it is a curse, able to sweep foes aside in swells and blasts of water or raise the pressure to create thin but powerful piercing jets of water. Water spouts and the like are also possible. Mastery of this magic allows a mage to emit a short range nova of pure ice magic that can instantly freeze all but the most magically potent foes, though this flash freeze wears off as quickly as it came and leaves no lasting ill effects on the target. Supremacy of Fimbulvetr brings with it a more fundamental understanding of the cold, allowing the mage to drop the temperature in an area to freezing. Aside from being uncomfortable for everyone involved, this allows a much easier conversion from magic into ice; so long as the mage does not leave this area, their future usage of ice magic is far less taxing on their mana reserves. ExcaliburControl of wind and air come from this tome, known for its utility rather than its power. While it is offensively versatile and capable of gusts of wind or more concentrated bursts that can strike foes like invisible punches, or even refined and sharpened into actual blades of wind that can cut through flesh and bone, Excalibur's magics also shine in how difficult it is to see most of them coming. The mobility and utility it offers is also impressive. Able to augment a mage's movement with the wind or use bursts of compressed air to effectively jump higher and further or avoid catastrophic damage from a larger fall, Excalibur may not have the offensive kick of some other tomes but makes up for it in versatility. Just remember that all of the above costs magic - if you want to Naruto run everywhere while bunnyhopping and shooting wind blades at everyone, you're gonna run out of juice pretty fast. Mastering Excalibur allows a would-be master of the wind to harness that element for mobility - true flight, the ability to soar in the skies at will by subtly manipulating the wind and air around them to control their direction and velocity. While this effect does constantly drain magic, the bigger concern is that the concentration needed to sustain flight makes it very difficult to cast higher level magic at all, and using any of the 'heavier' elemental magics make it drastically harder to stay aloft as well. Supremacy of the wind allows a mage to surround themselves with a sustained cyclone that does not require further attention once cast. This powerful wall of wind completely negates all non-magical projectiles, buffets anyone nearby with gale force winds (friend and foe), and is very painful to enter or exit for its durration. This effect lasts for 5 posts. GaeaNamed after the earth goddess of Sacaen lore, this tome contains the magic of earth and stone. The ability to launch clods of dirt and rock at high velocity is certainly a strong offensive tool, but the natural durability of earth also makes it a fantastic defensive tool as well; magically reinforced walls of earth and stone are second only to actual Barrier magic in durability and usability, though the extreme weight of the earth makes it exhausting to manipulate in large quantities. Small scale localized earthshaking is possible and more powerful magi can even create localized earthquakes that disorient foes and can do ruinous damage to structures. Mastering the magics of Gaea allows the mage to enter a communal trance with spirits of earth and stone, allowing them to cover themselves in earthen armor that offers incredible durability, but almost completely negates mobility and requires a mix of concentration and magical essence to maintain. It is possible to see and fight from within the suit of armor, but the energy expenditure in maintaining it AND casting high level magic will quickly tired out all but those with the greatest stamina. Supremacy of this magic allows the mage to destabilize the earth in a large area around them - creating an ongoing earthquake, area of quicksand, or even an earthen whirlpool, all of which needless to say limit the mobility of others in the area. FloraA recently rediscovered magic from the First Age, this tome enables a mage to control plants and trees to a degree, drastically accelerating and redirecting their growth to their will. While it can be used outside of combat to help grow crops or just make flowers bloom for the artistic types, in battle a floramancer brings the fury of the forest to bear on her foes, rapidly extruding wooden branches into piercing lances or bringing the durability of wood into play to intercept a foe's blade. Vines can also be used to restrain or trip, or leafy bushes used to hide from sight. More than most magics, while the fundamental combat usage doesn't vary that much - almost always some variety of wood - it is the shape and direction and speed through which a Floral mage brings their creativity to bear, and their wooden constructs often survive the battle, sometimes growing into oddly shaped trees of their own. Mastering this magic allows the mage to wrap themselves or a willing ally in a thick nest of vines and wood, offering a near impregnable fortress that renders the recipient completely unable to take any action for the duration, but draws natural energy from the flora surrounding them to gradually heal wounds. This is a gradual process rather than an instant heal, and while very durable the nest is not impossible to destroy. Supremacy of floral magic allows the caster to enter a trance in which they commune with the life force of the earth almost directly. This TREMENDOUSLY increases the scale of their magic as well as their fine control, allowing the mage to bring towering trees up and countless wooden branches spearing down, interpose thick tree trunks between them and foes, and rapidly bring durable vines or sharp thorns to bear. This effect wears off after five posts and is extremely exhausting; using its full power for the entire duration will take most mages out of the fight entirely afterwards. BoltingCommonly viewed as Thoron's big brother, the Bolting tome bears only a superficial resemblance to its more versatile sibling. This devastatingly powerful magic brings the wrath of Father Sky down on the caster's foes, a monstrous bolt of lightning that can instantly incinerate most lesser foes. While typically cast using and exciting existing cloud cover if available, Bolting can be cast horizontally directly from the caster by stimulating an enormous amount of electrical energy before them, far larger scale than the Thoron tome but also far slower. Bolting is almost always concentrated into a single bolt and definitely lacks the versatility of its brother Thoron, but is famed for its range and raw power. As with all Super-tier magic, Bolting requires a significant cast time and a great deal of magic to unleash. Mastering Bolting allows a mage to alter the spell's fuse and intentionally accelerate its destabilization in the last moment's of the spells life - effectively following up the initial lightning strike with a secondary explosion. While less powerful than the actual attack, it does allow even near-misses to have an effect, and being at the center of a well-aimed bolting amplifies the detonation even further for truly grievous power. Supremacy of this magic allows the mage to draw forth a true storm of amplified lightning strikes rather than simply a single bolt; what was once a mere bolt or two becomes a massive bombardment that obliterates everything in a wide area, costing the mage an incredible amount of magic but offering unrivaled area-effect devastation that few other magics can even begin to dream of.
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Magic
Jun 1, 2017 15:21:32 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 1, 2017 15:21:32 GMT -6
Light Magic Willpower made manifest - Light magic, also commonly known as Divine magic, draws upon the user's very soul to enforce change on the world around them. Those of the Church teach that it is granted by the legendary St. Elimine herself, but light magic has existed since long before she existed and is born solely of the user's own will... though pointing this out inside Etruria is generally ill advised. Similarly, while Light magic is typically believed to signify goodness, there's no omniscient judge of morality rationing it; it is simply a matter of willpower. The family of Light magic is not linked solely by manipulation of light, but by the different ways that one's will can be forged to interact with the world around them. Light (beginner)The most basic form of light magic, Light allows the user to launch bolts or small rays of searing, well, light that strike at their foes. Known across Elibe for its projectile speed and accuracy, as well as how quickly it can be cast, this tome does lack somewhat in power. ThaniThe prototypical Light magic tome, Thani is known primarily for the powerful blasts of purifying light it produces. Similar to Shine, bolts and beams are among its abilities, but it can also create explosions of light energy, concentrated beams of focused light that can incinerate foes or pierce through them, or projectiles formed in the shape of weapons for a little divine justice. If the light is diffused properly, Thani can also offer some utility in the form of blinding (but harmless) bursts of light. Mastery of this tome uses techniques that are attributed to an ancient cult of sun-worshippers who believed that the Unconquered Sun looked upon and protected his children. Whether or not that is true is still a matter of some debate, but it is true that learning to augment one's magic with natural light does make powerful light magic easier, and so Thani's power is naturally boosted during the day, typically turning its brilliant light golden rather than white. Supremacy-level Thani embraces the principle of refraction, and allows a mage using this tome to freely redirect attacks mid-flight, aiming them over a wall or redirecting a missed attack to strike from behind. The larger the spell augmented with this, the more difficult it is to alter the course of, and the effect can only be used once per spell. ImperiumA relatively recent development from within the greatest of the Etrurian mage-academies, this tome aids a mage in manifesting their willpower in the most literal sense of the term by unleashing waves of force at will from their body. While limited in sheer damage potential compared to other offensive magic, the kinetic potential of this spell allows it to be used in a myriad of ways, and as the saying goes, it's not the fall that kills you - it's the sudden stop at the end. Imperium's powerful pushes have certainly left more than a few bandits and unbelievers splattered across walls and mountains already. Mastering this unusual tome allows a mage to sustain their blasts of force into constant waves for as long as they channel, which can be used to nonlethally lock down foes or overcome resistance and blow through an opponent's limited-time defenses. Supremacy in this magic allows the mage to alter the origin of the push, no longer limited to this magic emanating from their own bodies. This makes it far easier to control an opponent's position, pulling them towards you for a one-two punch or buffeting them from the side unexpectedly. Lux AeternaOne of the more difficult Light magic spells to master, Lux Aeterna requires a significant degree of creativity as well as willpower which Etrurian faithful have never exactly embraced. This tome allows the user to transform light into a solid state capable of physically interacting with the world around it. While these constructs typically disintegrate upon the first real impact they suffer, they can resemble any manner of relatively simple object - a fist, a spear, a hammer, or even something as complex as a bow. They can be handled by the user directly, or launched by their will; if you create a sword you can either try to cut a guy with it or just launch it at him with your mind. Mastering this esoteric magic helps further reinforce the solidified magic with an extra layer of willpower, which in turn allows constructs to take one hit and survive, at the cost of taking more magic to create. Primarily useful for constructs that are intended for re-use, such as melee weapons, but also quite useful for shields and pseudo-barriers. Supremacy of Lux Aeterna represents the user's ability to understand their concepts as actual existences expanding significantly, unlocking the ability to forge far more complex constructs with moving parts - slamming a runaway carriage into an opponent for example, or creating a gundam armored construct around yourself to do battle with. While this is incredibly powerful, the increased magic cost of more advanced constructions does mean that they are best used intelligently. AuraMastery of light is not merely limited to brutish displays of violence and force; the Aura tome embraces the manipulation of light on levels far more subtle than any other tome, helping the user seemingly transform the world into how he wishes it to be seen rather than how it is. These illusions follow the general rules of Basic and Advanced magic in scale, cannot physically interact with the world or create sound, and only Advanced Aura can actually render the user invisible, but beyond those limitations there is a great deal of creativity. One can create an illusory soldier to distract a foe for example, or make a wall look see-through. Depending on one's expertise with magic, these illusions may be relatively small scale and include only one or two people, or a whole squad of illusory foes. Mastering this magic allows the user to both cloak themselves and cast other illusions simultaneously. While seemingly simple, this effect allows an enormous tactical to an intelligent mage and cannot be underestimated. Note that using offensive magic will reveal one's location, but this unlock makes it far easier to choose the time and the place to strike from. Supremacy in this tome involves a far more detailed comprehension of the finer details of one's illusions, allowing them to cover much larger areas than a mere squad or platoon of men; an entire company of soldiers (~100 men), or a small hamlet forged of naught but light, or detailed and perniciously misleading alterations to the layout of an existing village are all possible, though as with all magic, the larger the scale the more exhausting these complex illusions are to cast and maintain. DivineLight is the magic of will and soul, and while some view this tome as dangerously close to blasphemous, mastering the soul in turn means mastering life. Divine allows the mage to create spirits of light from fragments of their very soul. These ethereal spirits are directly linked to the caster's own spirit but are to some degree independent existences as well, and cast small bolts of Light at those that their creator recognizes as a foe. They are unharmed by physical strikes, though temporarily disjointed, but well aimed magic tears them asunder fairly easily and returns the spirit used to form them back to the summoner, albeit not the magic wasted. These spirits are not especially intelligent or tactically adept otherwise and are prone to running into things on a regular basis while making incomprehensible sounds of distress. Advanced magic users can summon more of these spirits, or shape a small number of these spirits into more powerful forms, like floating swords of light. Mastering the magic of creation allows the summoner to create even more complex and fully formed spirits, beings that bear some modicum of intelligence and can mimic the caster's offensive Light tome list at roughly the Basic magic level. These casts still cost the summoner about half of the normal spell cost and can run the average mage out of mana VERY quickly if overused. More complex and contextual tomes like Aura and Divine cannot be mimicked. Supremacy of the spirit allows the would-be creator to create a singular, far more powerful and intelligent spirit that reaches true sentience; when not summoned it remains in spirit form rather than being absorbed back into the caster. This 'Einherjar' is capable of using all of the mage's accessible tomes at the Advanced level, though as ever the cost is split between master and einherjar, and its appearance is based on the summoner's ideals of a divine warrior. Given the extreme cost of mimicked Advanced magic, these beings are typically melee specialists that harry the caster's foes while occasionally contributing magically rather than true caster allies. Similar to magic weapons and normal 500 post summons, Einherjar are unique and intelligent beings capable of thought and speech as well as telepathic communication with their creator, and for roleplay purposes it is recommended to create some manner of miniprofile for them. PurgePerhaps the most instantly recognizable spell in all of light magic, Purge embodies the righteous fury of this school of magic more than any other. Fueled by will and emotion alike, this tremendously powerful tome can be used to unleash a devastating ray of light, typically downward from the heavens though it can also be sourced directly from the mage themselves. As with all Super tier magic, Purge disables all other actions during the turn during which it is cast, but can be targeted anywhere in eyesight - and unlike Bolting, this spell does not suffer from accuracy issues. Mastering this tome allows the user to channel the beam and even slowly alter its course, allowing the spell to be maintained as long as the user as the focus and magic to sustain it while simultaneously rendering it capable of tracking slow moving foes. Supreme Purge is the ultimate expression of divine judgement - the beam of radiant destruction now grows in size and power with every consecutive post charged or channeled. The user is unable to move or focus on other tasks during this timeframe, but a full charged Purge is completely unmatched in the magical world for concentrated destructive power - though the mage's complete helplessness while channeling leaves them a trivial target for foes if not protected.
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Magic
Jun 1, 2017 15:25:04 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 1, 2017 15:25:04 GMT -6
Dark Magic Also commonly known as Elder magic, this much maligned magic draws upon the power of the Nether, a mysterious plane of energy of unknown origins. While scholars disagree as to whether the Nether was formed from the collective consciousness of humanity, an alternate universe, or simply a parallel plane of pure energy, one fact is absolute: the Nether is a place of incredible magical power and casters trained in this school of magic are able to tap into that endless reservoir of eldritch might, mixing the dark energy inherent to it with their own magic to create a unique marriage of effects. As with all magic, however, there is a price; the Nether feeds on human emotion, draining it or setting it wild; the effects are minor and temporary at first, but the deeper one delves into the Nether the more it changes them. Usually. Each shaman's relationship with the Nether is unique, and for some the effects may be more subtle than others. Dark magic tomes are split slightly differently than other schools of magic; each represents an entirely different conceptual understanding of the Nether, and transforms the infinitely malleable, almost protean Nether into that form. Scholars argue the exact definition of some, especially Mire and Ruin, but there is generally a core concept around which each tome revolves; Luna recognizes the Nether as pure energy, Fenrir viewing it through the lense of spirit, whereas Mire and Ruin are (depending on who you ask) either 'fluid' and 'solid' or 'force' and 'mass.' All of them are formed from Nether, it simply manifests in different forms. Flux (beginner)The fundamentals of dark magic for the unitiated are best viewed through the lens of Flux, which is the first lesson of the protean nature of the Nether. Capable of being thrown as balls of near-liquid force, detonated as blasts of force or sprays of caustic liquid, pumped through the earth before detonating in a blast of dark energy, or even providing very limited physical restraint, Flux is the quintessential 'jack of all trades, master of none.' MireFirst among equals in raw power, Mire understands that the Nether is raw force, typically best viewed through the lens of its similarities to liquid - an unstoppable, overwhelming force of raw black magic. Likely the most powerful non-Super-tier magic tome of them all, Mire tends to be among the slowest casting as well, the sheer weight of its devastating power making it hard to control and manipulate. This tome primarily involves magic with weight but not mass; streams and explosive balls of dark magic, geysers and waves of Nether, or creating pools of caustic liquefied power. Mastering this tome helps establish its permanence; rather than dissipating after usage as most magic does, the remnants of Mire casts remain for minutes or even hours, the acidic Nether that formed the spell remaining on the ground - or on its victim - and gradually eating through nearly any surface. Supremacy in Mire magic allows the mage to temporarily weaken the barriers between reality and the Nether, allowing huge quantities of liquid death to spill through the boundary and surround them with a pool of death. While this unstabilized magic is not nearly as dangerous as an actual cast, the caustic liquid still slowly eats through everything nearby and the liquid slows the movement of foes within it. RuinWhile few think 'physical' in regards to mages, Ruin understands that the Nether is not just energy or liquid - that it can also be mutated into physical form. Best known for the grasping tendrils of hardened Nether that it is commonly used for, Ruin is a versatile tome that can be used to forge any manner of relatively small and slender objects, which can in turn be either directly controlled or simply launched; a fragile sword can be swung for example, or a spread of black daggers can be magically launched at foes. One can for example also extrude wicked spikes from the ground or rain them from above. However, without truly understanding the fundamentals of the magic these constructs are very fragile and dissipate after being used or struck. Mastering this magic allows the understanding of structural engineering to reinforce the magic forming each Ruin construct, allowing them to survive impacts; while it takes additional magic to reinforce and repair existing constructs, Ruin-forged weapons and tendrils can now be used to block weapons and other small scale attacks without crumbling, allowing it to be used more effectively in melee range or to harry an armed opponent who could otherwise easily beat back tendrils of Ruin. Supremacy-level Ruin extends mastery of the craft to area constructs rather than the slender spikes, tendrils, blades, and other constructs that it is typically limited to. Netherforged shields and armor for example, or larger scale weights or hammers to strike foes with. LunaViewing the Nether through the lens of energy, recognizing that it is essentially a plane of pure energy, allows for a manner of dark magic that is in some ways reminiscent of Light magic, as little as either side likes the comparison. Converting the Nether to energy can be difficult, but manipulating it once done is fairly easy by the standards of otherwise ponderous dark magics, and Luna can be used to launch pulsating rays of black death, shockwaves and novas of energy, lasers of all shapes and sizes, or unstable orbs of explosive dark energy. Note that unlike similar usages of Mire, this magic does not bear any particular weight nor does it have Mire's sheer unrelenting power, but in turn is much easier to use in faster-moving projectiles. Aesthetically Luna can be portrayed as simple darkness or interpose aspects of light and darkness mingled together, for example a beam of purplish light wreathed in shadow or a pulsing reddish orb that casts some degree of light on its surroundings. Mastering this magic involves refining the conversion from raw Nether to energy, drastically reducing cast times and allowing even Advanced Luna magic to be cast relatively quickly. It is however important to note that this does not in any way reduce the cost or negative effects of each spell and that even if you CAN launch a bunch of powerful spells quickly, doing so is liable to exhaust you even faster. Supremacy in this unstable magic allows the mage to actually make use of that inherent instability, wielding it as a weapon rather than a weakness. This allows the dark energy to inherently destabilize other magics, weakening or piercing barriers and weakening other magic that it strikes. Commensurate power must be brought to bear to completely negate another spell, it doesn't just auto-win every magic clash ever, but Luna does so more easily than other spells. FenrirA recent discovery in the Ryerde mage academy brought Fenrir to life, a tome that allows a mage to imbue their magic with a vague sense of temporary life and guidance. While a difficult magic, these temporary existences - some believe them possessed by Nether spirits - typically take the form of shadow animals, often canine, that will chase and attack the mage's foes with single minded fervor. These projections are in no way intelligent and are mediocre at best at avoiding obstacles, but offer limited homing capabilities alongside high speed and power - the main downside to this tome is its inordinately high cost and slower casting time, similar to Mire though less powerful. If a spirit misses the target it will simply dissipate rather than turning around; they are only capable of minor course corrections and once they legitimately miss a target they expire with their purpose unfulfilled. Mastering this esoteric magic helps solidify these spirits into actual spirits of the Nether, slightly boosting their intelligence and guidance, and allowing them to take a minor hit on the way to their target. Supremacy in the magics of Fenrir significantly increases the efficiency of creating these spirits, allowing a mage to call forth larger and far more devastating creatures or a far larger quantity of minor spirits to harry foes with; a veritable menagerie of monsters. NosferatuA storied and almost universally hated magic throughout Elibe, Nosferatu is famed and feared alike for its ability to drain the life force of its victims directly through wispy tendrils of darkness or spiritual light, rapidly closing wounds and healing damage to the caster. However, Nosferatu's power is based on proximity - only in melee range does its mix of power, accuracy, and drain reach its zenith; outside of that it rapidly falls off in power, and nearly entirely runs out of power at about half of normal magic's range. Mastering this dark tome allows the mage to extend its range to that of normal magic, though the proximity clause is still in effect; at longer range the spell is far weaker, though still effective, and converts far less of the stolen life to healing to the caster. Supremacy of Nosferatu allows the mage to also drain magic from the target, refunding the cost of the spell entirely in melee to short range or lowering it to a minor expenditure at medium to long range. Against other mages this effect is weak enough to have little practical effect, but against melee opponents it saps their strength on multiple levels. EclipseGravity is a fundamental force on Elibe as well as the Nether, and Eclipse recognizes that fact. By tactically weakening the boundary between Elibe and the Nether and and allowing the gravity of both to take effect simultaneously, compressing space and forcing men to their knees in the wake of this distortion. While not especially damaging, Eclipse naturally has a wider area of effect than other magics, ranging from squad size area at Basic to platoon or even company size at Advanced, and the significant reduction in mobility to its victims makes it a strong utility spell. Note that the effect does not discriminate between friend and foe and should be used carefully. As with all Super-tier magic, Eclipse requires a post spent casting it and a great deal of magic to begin and especially maintain. Mastering this tome allows the mage to use themselves as the target of the spell, turning themselves into an inverted gravity well that violently pushes everything nearby away from them as they channel. Supremacy of Eclipse allows the mage to create a gravitic singularity that distorts and crushes space in a wide area around it, dealing moderate damage and crippling mobility of friend and foe alike in a wide area. This effect requires the usual cast time and an even larger expenditure of magic to create, but is self-contained once formed and will persist for five posts before ripping itself apart in one final violent detonation.
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Magic
Jun 1, 2017 15:27:48 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 1, 2017 15:27:48 GMT -6
Staff Magic An esoteric form of magic that typically uses magical staves rather than tomes to focus mana, this utility-heavy form of magic is best known for its ability to heal and bolster the human body in various ways based on the staff utilized. While its effects are far less varied than 'normal' magic - a heal staff just heals, a barrier staff creates barriers - the rote consistency of staff magic also makes it fairly efficient to use. However, as with all magic, it comes with downsides; healing magic and barriers in particular are very taxing on one's body, sapping their vital energy alongside their magical essence, and buffs constantly drain the user's magic while also straining the target's body to a lesser degree. Is it important to note that only one staff effect can be used in a post, and that staves do not have Mastery/Supremacy scaling, but still follow the usual Basic/Advanced rules. Heal (beginner)The most basic of healing magics, a basic Heal staff allows a cleric to gradually heal minor wounds of a single target by exciting and aiding the user's natural healing process and bolstering it with magic that repairs the damage. The exact efficacy of this healing varies by user and the wounds to be healed, but in general Heal can only handle cuts, bruises, and other minor injuries; larger injuries like deeper cuts and broken bones can take several posts to repair, and lethal injuries like massive blood loss or fatal blows cannot be handled at all with basic magic PhysicEfficient and controlled healing magic that can be used at a distance, the Physic staff can stabilize and repair larger injuries at greater distances; Basic Physic allows minor healing of a single target within a hundred feet or so whereas Advanced Physic allows for far more rapid healing of larger wounds within a few hundred feet. FortifyWhere Physic prioritizes range, Fortify allows area - this staff is slightly less effective than Physic but works simultaneously on all valid targets within a ten foot radius of the caster, allowing them to heal an entire group of allies at a slightly slower pace. Advanced users can extend that range to a twenty foot radius, including entire platoons within their tender grasp, and works on far greater wounds, allowing them to stabilize lethal injuries and gradually repair them over several posts or handle moderate injuries over a single post. BarrierCrystallized magic forms a temporary wall against most attacks that can be centered in a location or used to armor a single target (self or ally) on each cast. This barrier can generally take a few minor hits but rapidly dissolves against high powered magic or major hits such as siege weapon strikes and high-strength weaponry. Advanced magic allows the user to create a barrier that can stop nearly literally anything in Elibe - for a few seconds at most, and the more it was used to stop, the worse the massive magic drain will strike the user at the end. While the barrier will stop even devastatingly powerful magical attacks and dragonbreath alike, the mana cost is enormous and the sympathetic connection means that the mage will still take damage based on how strong the attack was. In extreme cases, trying to block too much may even leave the caster unconscious, or at worst kill him. WarpTeleportation magic that is difficult to master and has a history of unfortunate accidents before the magic was better refined, but offers phenomenal mobility. Basic Warp magic allows the user or a single willing target to teleport to a nearby visible location with a short cast time with a moderate mana cost, while Advanced warp magic allows the user to warp groups of willing targets simultaneously at the cost of greater cast time, magic per target, and additional cast time the more weight they attempt to move; teleporting a few soldiers is easy, moving a wagon is liable to be a major exertion, and targets like transformed dragons and castles are effectively impossible by sheer dint of scale. StrengthExploring the concept of physical reinforcement, Strength allows the user to enhance the body of a single target, allowing them peak/slightly superhuman strength (on par with basic dragon reinforcement) as well as lightly superhuman speed (roughly the speed of a deer, ~40 mph) and a minor increase in durability that allows them to not break their own body using either ability. This effect is a constant drain of magic to maintain and if cast upon the user, locks out Advanced magic while the effect is active. Advanced Strength allows the user to cast this magic on multiple targets simultaneously, enhancing a squad of allies and optionally themselves as well. This spell does not give the raw durability of a halfshifted dragon, so Barrier or other defensive magics are highly recommended for the survivability of would-be melee mages.
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