Arcane Magic

Our magic system is complex at the best of times, and as such these rules may be difficult to understand, do not hesitate to ask a magic moderator for clarification on any of them.

Creating Spells
With the system used, any mage could forge their own spell out of the keywords available to them, this process has two parts. First in roleplay learning to use each keyword, understanding the incantation being made, and forging it at a focus point or altar. Secondly, out of character contacting a magic moderator and submitting a spell with the following format : Username:

Character Name:

Race:

Level of Expertise:

Affinities:

Words of Power (in order):

Intended Effects: The moderator will return the following: Actual Effects of Spell:

Consequences of Spell (i.e. Mana Cost):

Spell Casting Rules
Once the spell is created, it can be used freely by the mage. Though there is a process to it. The mage has to take at least three emotes to cast - the first one to connect, this has to be visible to all around them, and could be anything from the mages eyes shifting color, to small electric bolts appearing in their hands, or a loud sound - it has to be easily noticeable though, no ears flicking or slight tittering noises. The second emote is to chant the incantation, this will always begin with the base word - in almost all cases, the elemental word. Such as “Ignis” or “Aqua” and the second is the main effect of the spell.

This however is not always as true - if the element is already present, such as by a fireplace or by a lake, the mage has to visibly focus on it in the first emote, but can skip the elemental word in the second emote and use two modifiers.

The third emote is the cast, or continuation of the incantation. An incantation can go on for however long the mage wishes to cast, but will become more and more costly for each word added. If the mage wishes to cast, in the casting emote they emote the effect of the spell after which the bi-effects such as the draining of mana takes place, this will be detailed by the magic moderators when you submit your spell.

Words of Power
Different words of power need to be used a specific order for spells to properly cast.

Igni (Fire)
Conjures a small flame that the mage can manipulate with words of power.

Aqua (Water)
Conjures a small amount of water that the mage can manipulate with words of power

Tera (Earth)
Allows the mage to control the rock and earth around them.

Ventus (Wind)
Conjures a small gust of air which the mage can manipulate with words of power

Vis (Energy)
Connects the mage to the pure energy in the area around them and letting it be manipulated with words of power

Vita (Life)
Connects the mage to the flow of life around them and letting it be manipulated with words of power

Allucinatio (Illusion)
Connects the mage to their mana, and letting them form it into non-corporeal forms

Medeis (Pure mana)
Connects the mage to their mana, and letting them form it into corporeal forms

Expertise
There are five main tiers of magic expertise:

Apprentice
This is the absolute beginner phase to all forms of magic (dark magic, witchcraft, arcane magic, etc.) The individual is taught the fundamentals of magic in a group, whether it be in a classroom at The Kinswall University, or in a cult of Dark Magic. You are permitted to learn all forms of magic individually (with the exception of Holy Magic), though it is heavily limited. Your mana at this stage is weak as you have not yet learned how to properly cultivate it and prepare yourself for spellcasting. At this level, you learn the absolute basics of magic and a few spells. You can use these spells, though they are not very powerful (ex: Pyromancy -- starting a candle flame) and you have physical and mental drawbacks -- you may get tired quickly after casting a spell, or have to concentrate extremely hard on the spell you are going to cast, or you fail.

The Apprenticeship Stage lasts six weeks in server time, or two weeks in real time.

Novice
The individual is first appointed by a Master, and the Master is entirely responsible for the individual’s learning and studying. How a Master goes about teaching an Apprentice, however, is up to them and tradition. A Master of Dark Magic may teach differently than a Master of Arcane Magic. Spells learned at the Novice stage are not very powerful, but are better and more varied than spells at the Apprentice level.

The Novice Stage lasts three months in server time, or a month in real time.

Expert
At this stage, the individual moves on to learn by themselves. They learn spells that are not powerful enough to use in battle, but enough to be helpful for daily use (such as telekinesis). There are still heavy drawbacks for experts, though -- using magic in combat is heavily unadvised, as the user gets fatigued very quickly and may faint after one too many spells.

The Expert Stage lasts a year in server time, or four months in real time.

Master
The Masters are known to be very honorable, and it is at this stage that many spend their days teaching Apprentices beginner magic. With deity magic, the deity or saint may reward you with good fortune or a spot in “heaven” for spreading their knowledge, and with dark magic you may be granted stronger connections to other mortals and therefore be able to cast more powerful spells (involving mortals).

The Master Stage lasts two years in server time, or eight months in real time.

Archmage
This is the highest possible level of expertise in any magic. Many magic users do not make it past the Master Stage, as most users are content with their abilities, and most just cannot make it past that stage. Archmages are the anathelian equivalent of Headmasters -- the highest possible rank, and most connected to the Saints. You cannot advance from this rank, though it is still possible to discover new spells from here.

Connection and disconnection
A mage "connects" to the flow of mana at the start of casting. The mage has to be able to focus, this process easier if they use something to channel their casting, which will be addressed in the portion about magical focuses. To disconnect a mage from casting, and thus interrupt a spell, the mages focus has to be broken. This can be done by landing a hit on them - though high level mages can be punched and keep their focus. A strike with a weapon however always interrupts the spell. A low level mage however can have their focus broken by something as simple as a loud sound, or a quick motion in the periphery taking their attention. If a spell is interrupted, half the total mana it would cost is drained from the mage, and it either disappears, or if it is an aggressive spell, fires with only the effects it would have with the keywords already used, though significantly weaker than if it was finished.

Magical altars and focus points
For a mage to first be able to use magic, they have to be attuned to their mana. This is done at special "focus points" and altars, places already crafted by a masterful mage to help with this task. There are however some things that are a necessity to create these places. A focus above it, this can consist of glass so the skies are visible, a metal plate with elemental words engraved on it, a magnifying glass focusing star and moonlight into the center, or a simple set of mana-crystals hung like a chandelier from the ceiling. Depending on the setup, different rituals will be possible - some are more powerful than others.

Further, there needs to be somewhere to write down the spell being crafted, or the ritual to firstly connect a new mage to the flow of mana for the very first time.

This can, depending on its use, vary from a simple spellbook, to a complex runic ritual circle, a simple setup drawn with chalk, or anything there between.

These same places will be used for rituals as well, and items like mana crystals or other magically charged items will make them far more effective for this.

Ritual magic
Ritual magic is used for that which a simple spell can’t do. Rituals are not their own element, but rather a way for many mages to together cast a spell. This means that many rituals are entirely devoid of elemental words and use only words of power to transform or enchant objects, or to get an intended effect not limited to any one element. Multiple elements may also be applied to a ritual, just as with normal spells. Rituals, therefore, are performed at altars and focus points to achieve what normal spells can’t. For each ritual, a magic moderator needs to be contacted, and be present during the ritual, just as an event actor would be during events. They will emote the effects of the ritual, as well as moderate to make sure it follows the magic rules.

Affinity
Affinity is how a mage measures their skill with magic, and is the level system we use. Everyone who applies for magic begins at affinity level one, and from there they will apply to a magic moderator for each level of affinity they want to get. Every affinity you get makes it easier for you to cast magic, as you get a set percentage of mana each time you gain a new one. Furthermore, each affinity level goes towards a specific element of the mages choosing, and applies the buffs listed below to that specific element.

If a mage chooses to focus on fire for their first two levels, they will reach affinity level two - their fire spells will be more powerful by two level, as per affinity 1’s bonus, and will cost less mana as to affinity level 2’s bonus. They now choose to apply their third affinity level to illusions - this does not mean they will be able to sense illusions as according to affinity level 3’s bonus, but rather they will get affinity level 1’s bonus to their illusion spells.

Anytime you apply an affinity to a new element, you start from level 1 with that new element. A mage can cast any element at any time without investing any affinity into it, it will just be far weaker as it is as level 0, and level 1 casting is twice as powerful as level 0 - however, level 2 is not twice as powerful as level 1, it is not a linear scale.

More details will be given in the “red lines” section, and on any magic applications. Level applications will be submitted to a magic moderator in the following format : Username :

Character name :

Race :

Level of mage :

Previous affinities :

New affinity : The affinity levels are as listed below :

Red Lines
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