-Tentus
Rant 08 - Casting Magic
The previous rant goes over the types of magic and the general kinds of magic users found in Yggdrasil. This rant builds off that basis and explains the different way to cast magic. As is becoming the tradition, there is an illustrative diagram at the bottom to help visual learners out.
First off, I need to define what casting is. It is the act of creating and controlling a magical spell through the application of willpower and whatever other means are available. Spells that do not involve willpower are not being cast, but are being "recast" or "recycled".
Here is a list of the 7 forms of spellcasting, with short descriptions (whoo lists!):
- Will: In actuality, Will is present in all forms of spellcasting, and is therefore situated in the center of the diagram. It is possible to cast a spell from pure Will, but very dangerous and unpredictable. Pure will spells are likely to completely drain the caster of power, and are usually seen only in users who were not previously aware of their power.
- Mental: The next purest form of spellcasting, Mentally cast spells require more willpower than the remaining 5 types, but they are vastly more efficient than Will spells. A Mental spell relies on knowledge to form, and therefore strong spells can be cast by knowledgeable but otherwise weak users. Incorrect knowledge will taint a spell, but not stop it from forming- it'll just have unexpected results.
- Motion: Motion spells rely on using local magic for casting, by "dancing with the spirits", as the saying goes. Motion spells tie personal power in with local power, making them reliably powerful, but easy to predict. Because Motion spells require flexibility and concentration, using them in a pinch is frequently impossible. Many warriors learn to use Motion magic for combat, often in conjunction with martial arts.
- Vocal: A spoken spell requires familiarity with local spirits. Based on the concept of asking or commanding local magics to your aid, Vocal spells can vary in strength depending on location and frequency. Despite this drawback, Vocal magic is widely relied upon because it requires much less power expenditure than most casting methods. Vocal magic is also used for summoning people or things far away, through a higher use of willpower.
- Item: An item spell requires the least willpower, because the will has already been invested in the item. Examples of this range from magic swords to spell cards to enchanted doors. Because this diverse method of spellcasting requires little knowledge of the inner workings, it is widely used by otherwise magicless people. However, it is often the case that greater will and knowledge will directly affect the power of the item.
- Combine: The Combination method of magic is based upon combining two or more objects to create a spell controlled by your will. Because this method requires so little willpower to use, it is common among people with little talent but ample funds. It is still a true form casting though, and not just a recycling of other peoples magic. Because nonmagic users can imitate the method via spell recycling, Combination magic is often sneered at.
- Latent: Latent magic is often confused with Will and Mental magic, though it is neither. It is the application of "built in" magic, such as firebreathing in dragons. Latent magic requires a lot of will but also requires biological elements, usually in the form of heritage or blood. The other principle distinction is that Latent magic can sometimes occur despite conflicted will- if a vampire bites someone but only their instincts want to turn them, they will still be turned, because the instincts have enough will on their own.
Regrettably, the above names lead many magical novices to great confusion- it is best to not worry about the name so much as the meaning. It is also important not to get to restricted by the classes- they can be combined to make more effective spells. However, using two casting methods together requires a massive amount of preplanning, and has led to many premature deaths.
It is important to understand what local magic is. All of Yggdrasil is saturated with magic- spirits living in their chosen elements, ancient spells lingering, bits of the other realms leaking over. There is almost never a shortage of local magic to draw upon, but in some locations there is simply more that can be easily manipulated. Cemeteries and battlegrounds are great locations for necromancers, volcanoes are great for fire mages. Almost everywhere there is some magic of every kind present, and places where one is excluded are dangerously out of kilter.
The diagram at the bottom lends itself to assumptions that are only partly true, such as the common assumption that the mental and item methods are polar opposites. This certainly not the case, the methods simply have little in common. A more worthwhile observation from the chart is that each type (except will) is grouped with the one next to it. (mental and latent, motion and vocal, item and combine). This is because the two are closely related. (whoo more lists!)
- Mental and Latent: Both have no external requirements and draw from the power of the caster alone. If the caster runs out of power, the spell will fail, usually at the cost of the caster's life. Only truly magical beings can use these methods.
- Motion and Vocal: Both require both inner power and local power. Vocal doesn't expend much, but without magic to back up a caster's commands, local magic won't listen to them. The two are widely shunned by users of the four inner magics, but embraced by followers of the outer eight magics.
- Item and Combine: Common to those with little magic, these methods have little need for internal power. However, having what you need for these methods can be extremely inconvenient and dangerous, so many magic users avoid these methods if they can.
Well, that's all I have time to write for now. I will add more to this rant as necessary, spellcasting is a massive and complex subject.
