Post by Gaea on Jul 28, 2013 17:42:37 GMT -8
Magic Tiers
There are seven tiers of magic: five buyable, and two "bonus" tiers available to Advanced/Elite classes. Tiers essentially describe mutually ascending levels of destructive potential and cast time - a tier one spell (Fire) casts much more quickly than a tier five spell (Rexfire), but Rexfire is dramatically more powerful. Each class above Basic can automatically add +1 tier to all magic, which does not cost additional cast time - it is essentially a free power-up to their magic; Advanced classes add +1 tier for calculating damage potential, while Elite classes add +2.
The destructive potential of each tier is estimated below; note that each entry is essentially the absolute maximum possible for that tier, and that especially the last few entries would only be conceivably possible with maxed Magic as a 20/20/20 Elite and a great deal of effort put into the spell. Also note that wanton destruction will lead to extremely strict reprisals from human mage academies with a vested influence in renegades not drawing undue attention to them, as well as dragons affronted by the devastation of their domains. Translation: don't be a fail with this power, seriously. Blowing up bandits is fine, saying that you blew up the (magic immune) city of Arcadia not so much.
Staves do not have "tiers" per se, but are priced by the power of their effects.
Spell Customization
The natural magic infusing the world renders spells much easier to manipulate than in a theoretical world where crazy humans had somehow exploded most of the magical essence in the world, allowing even less experienced mages to alter the properties of existing spells somewhat within the general framework of what the spell is capable of - Thoron will always involve lightning, and Elfire is generally comprised of some degree of fire. Instead, spell alteration generally revolves around three fundamental axes; power, range, and accuracy. Every element, magic type, and individual spell already has "default" settings in these three - Fire is generally focused and accurate, Thoron is by default a penetrating bolt - but these "settings" can be altered by mages who want something a little different from their spells. There is a finite amount of magic inherent to each spell, though - you cannot improve one aspect without weakening another. Altering a spell to render it more accurate may involve minimizing its area of effect, or bleeding raw power off to help focus the beam.
There are additional traits to be considered, each of which also work off of that a finite pool of energy, and thus - if used at all - ought to be properly balanced. Consider traits such as enhanced (or reduced) penetration, shape, concussive force, and the effective "cost" of the spell to the mage; making the spell more exhausting to cast, or enhancing its cast time, can balance out bonuses elsewhere. Any alterations should make sense, and consider the overall power level of the spell - Fire can never be enhanced to destroy a city, nor is it possible to tone the unbridled might of Arcthunder down to a slight electrical charge.
There are seven tiers of magic: five buyable, and two "bonus" tiers available to Advanced/Elite classes. Tiers essentially describe mutually ascending levels of destructive potential and cast time - a tier one spell (Fire) casts much more quickly than a tier five spell (Rexfire), but Rexfire is dramatically more powerful. Each class above Basic can automatically add +1 tier to all magic, which does not cost additional cast time - it is essentially a free power-up to their magic; Advanced classes add +1 tier for calculating damage potential, while Elite classes add +2.
The destructive potential of each tier is estimated below; note that each entry is essentially the absolute maximum possible for that tier, and that especially the last few entries would only be conceivably possible with maxed Magic as a 20/20/20 Elite and a great deal of effort put into the spell. Also note that wanton destruction will lead to extremely strict reprisals from human mage academies with a vested influence in renegades not drawing undue attention to them, as well as dragons affronted by the devastation of their domains. Translation: don't be a fail with this power, seriously. Blowing up bandits is fine, saying that you blew up the (magic immune) city of Arcadia not so much.
| Tier | Effect |
| 1 | Kill an animal or human |
| 2 | Destroy a carriage |
| 3 | Destroy a small house |
| 4 | Destroy a large house or several smaller houses |
| 5 | Destroy parts of a village or part of a single district of a city, rout a small army |
| 6 | Destroy much of a village; damage large areas of a city or a medium army |
| 7 | Utterly obliterate a village; destroy a city or large army with great effort |
Staves do not have "tiers" per se, but are priced by the power of their effects.
Spell Customization
The natural magic infusing the world renders spells much easier to manipulate than in a theoretical world where crazy humans had somehow exploded most of the magical essence in the world, allowing even less experienced mages to alter the properties of existing spells somewhat within the general framework of what the spell is capable of - Thoron will always involve lightning, and Elfire is generally comprised of some degree of fire. Instead, spell alteration generally revolves around three fundamental axes; power, range, and accuracy. Every element, magic type, and individual spell already has "default" settings in these three - Fire is generally focused and accurate, Thoron is by default a penetrating bolt - but these "settings" can be altered by mages who want something a little different from their spells. There is a finite amount of magic inherent to each spell, though - you cannot improve one aspect without weakening another. Altering a spell to render it more accurate may involve minimizing its area of effect, or bleeding raw power off to help focus the beam.
There are additional traits to be considered, each of which also work off of that a finite pool of energy, and thus - if used at all - ought to be properly balanced. Consider traits such as enhanced (or reduced) penetration, shape, concussive force, and the effective "cost" of the spell to the mage; making the spell more exhausting to cast, or enhancing its cast time, can balance out bonuses elsewhere. Any alterations should make sense, and consider the overall power level of the spell - Fire can never be enhanced to destroy a city, nor is it possible to tone the unbridled might of Arcthunder down to a slight electrical charge.
