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Draft Guide to Spellcraft

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Abstract​

Spellcraft is the art of creating essence-based spells. By utilizing the properties of their chosen sphere, a mage can craft effects that bend and even break the rules of the world, to unleash results great and small, restorative or destructive, that are limited only by the properties associated with the mage's chosen sphere and their imagination.

Further Reading: Guide to Arcana​

Essence Planes​

When a fledgling mage is unbound and attuned to a sphere, their physical and mental senses are expanded to allow them to both see and manipulate the essence from that chosen sphere. Essence, or magical energy, makes up essence planes that exist outside of the physical and mundane Material Plane, much like extra dimensions. Most spheres utilize a single essence plane that encompasses their focus. For example, Thaumaturgy utilizes the Plane of Order and its powers are relegated to keeping and restoring the proper structure of things. An exception to this is Elementalism, which uses four separate essence planes: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth.

Essence itself is immaterial. It is potential only. By itself, it exists naturally without purpose, intention, or malice. It is not sentient and it simply exists; it does not decay or undergo any other physical processes that typically rule the Material Plane.

Further Reading: Guide to Arcane Spheres, Planar Cosmology​

Creating a Spell​


A spell is any effect, large or small, that utilizes magic to alter the objects or processes present on the Material Plane in an unexpected way. For a mage, the process of casting a spell is very straightforward: they concentrate on the effects that they wish to create, and it comes into being.

Mechanistically, the casting mage is serving as a conduit for their sphere’s essence to gather. This essence is collected and mixed with their personal energy, called vis or mana, in a reaction called arcalysis to create the spell’s framework. The desired effect is then manifested on the Material Plane through the mage.

There are a variety of factors that affect the spell’s likelihood of success and degree of effect.

Sphere Theme​

Each sphere is defined by the nature of its essence, such as sorcery being the use of force and motion. Effects that are not part of an essence’s nature will never form and cannot be cast.​
Further Reading: Guide to Arcane Spheres​

Mage Proficiency​

Arcanists are ranked into five levels to denote the quantity of vis that they possess. This thereby determines the amount of spells they can cast, the scope of effect, and the degree of skill shown in individual spells.​
Further Reading: Guide to Mage Ranks​

Mage Preparation​

Spellcraft requires focus and concentration. As a rule, the more time and fewer disturbances surrounding the mage, the stronger and more successful the spell will be.​

Reagents and Artifacts​

Reagents are items that are used to help mages ground their spells and thus increase the spell’s likelihood of success. These can be anything, from simple and common to impossibly rare and powerful items, that help the mage envision their spell and concentrate on its crafting better. Other artifacts, such as a Staff of Arcana, can also assist a mage in grounding their spell.​
Further Reading: Arcane Reagents, Staff of Arcana​

Physical Surroundings​

Some spheres, such as Elementalism and Druidism, directly manipulate the forces in the environment around them. Casting spells in areas that are more amenable to the desired consequence, such as summoning a typhoon near a large water source, will have higher success.​

Arcane Contamination​

The process of bringing essence into the Material Plane generates chaotic runoff called arcane contamination. This residue clings to both caster and environment until it is dispelled. A higher concentration of contamination will interfere with a spell’s framework, often rendering them unpredictable and uncontrollable.​
Further Reading: Arcane Contamination​

Casting Mages​


Except for some specialized mystics, other mages cannot sense, dispel, nor counterspell another mage's spellcraft. The only signs that a spell is being cast are entirely physical: a look of concentration, small motions with the hands, an incantation, or an absent gaze are among some examples that vary by the individual mage.

Spellbreakers are individuals who have trained in manipulating the Material Plane in ways that vaguely replicate arcanists’ abilities. Some skills in their repertoire include destabilizing mages’ spellcraft, though this process takes preparation and time.

Roleplaying Spellcraft

In game, a character that is unbound and attuned to an arcane sphere can sense and use magical essence instinctively as an extension of their mind. Forming the framework for spells also happens naturally, though mages with the benefit of more personal practice and/or an experienced tutor may find the process simpler and more efficient than when they first began.

Casting spells only requires, at minimum, the character to concentrate and then describe the spell they intend to create; the rest of the process happens reflexively in game. Oftentimes mages have names for spells that they use frequently, and thus can rely on focusing solely on the spell’s name rather than a full description. It is entirely up to the character’s discretion to choose to include more detail about the spellcrafting process.

The time required to cast a spell in game varies both by caster and spell itself. More experienced mages will be able to cast spells much more quickly due to a familiarity with their craft and chosen sphere. However, the more complex and/or powerful a spell is intended to be, the more time it will take to properly prepare it. This could span multiple rounds of posting in a single thread, or even multiple threads for very large effect spells.

The use of arcane reagents is necessary to ground a mage’s spells as a catalyst for arcalysis. An arcane reagent can be anything, from a scrap of a page of a book to recall a Mystic’s intended illusion to dust from a vampire to power a Necromancer’s summoning. A mage must be in physical contact with a reagent while creating their spell so that it will successfully manifest.

Arcane contamination will occur whenever magical effects are in play. The quantity of arcane contamination is directly equivalent to the degree of the spell’s effect; the larger and more dramatic the spell, the greater the amount of contamination accrued to both the spellcaster and the environment. To all but a spellbreaker, the contamination itself is invisible. Its effects, however, are obvious to everyone. Contamination creates chaos out of the residual essence that manifested it. For example, Force contamination from a sorcerer might cause objects to randomly float off the ground or disappear just to reappear in other places. High levels of contamination can also cause spells to go awry in unexpected ways.

When in a mage’s physical possession, a staff of arcana can funnel arcane contamination generated from any spells being actively cast in the moment to a particular direction: the mage, the environment, or itself. Since the contamination is being gathered in a single place, it becomes concentrated and shows its effects much more quickly.
 
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Mage Proficiency​

Arcanists are ranked into five levels to denote the quantity of vis that they possess. This thereby determines the amount of spells they can cast, the scope of effect, and the degree of skill shown in individual spells.

Just checking, we removed vis counting didn't we? Would this phrase of "determines the amount of spells" raise queries about how many exactly when Vis counting is removed? :unsure:
 
Liked this writeup, gives a simple overview of magic which could easily be overwhelming to new (And seasoned players!)

The use of arcane reagents is necessary to ground a mage’s spells as a catalyst for arcalysis. An arcane reagent can be anything, from a scrap of a page of a book to recall a Mystic’s intended illusion to dust from a vampire to power a Necromancer’s summoning. A mage must be in physical contact with a reagent while creating their spell so that it will successfully manifest.
This makes me want to ask the question, which reads as mages always need Reagents to cast a spell, even if they are small and simple. This kind of reminds me of the scene from Wheel of Time where they needed the flower to cast a spell, a give-and-take type thing. Are we moving to that type of casting now? Or is it that Reagents are things that are heavily attuned to that spheres type of essence which allows the mage to cast much more powerful spells than normal (or even intended)


character’s discretion to choose
I would reword character to player, this is just my mind going "The character isn't the one deciding how much to elaborate" as I think of CW writing with other players who wrote significantly more. But that could just be a weird trigger for my OCD happening lol.

Spellcraft requires focus and concentration. As a rule, the more time and fewer disturbances surrounding the mage, the stronger and more successful the spell will be.
Maybe reference to Staff would be good as they would greatly improve the ability to focus and concentrate?

When in a mage’s physical possession, a staff of arcana can funnel arcane contamination generated from any spells being actively cast in the moment to a particular direction: the mage, the environment, or itself. Since the contamination is being gathered in a single place, it becomes concentrated and shows its effects much more quickly.
Reading this, it almost reads as if the staff is collecting the contamination into a singular spot rather than allowing it to spread out. Which seemed off to me and I went to read over the staff write-up to see if I was missing something. Staff of Arcana and I kind of like this description as it gives the ability to move the contamination in a specific "Direction" but maybe need some more clarity and update the staff write-up if we are going to tweak that a little.

I like ie because the staff collects the contamination which we want as a counterbalance and it forces the mage to make a choice to where to deposit that. Such as if in a battle and casting, contamination in front of the mage might be a useful tool but eventually they need to go through it while behind or around them could have potential consequences to allies. That's a neat RP quirk though maybe not what was meant in the write-up?
 
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