[Magic] Material Manipulation (Misting)

[mitto 2307]

~*~ MMM ~*~

Material Manipulation (Misting)

 

I. Introduction

To understand Misting one must first understand the basic concept of Auras.

 

“When mana is used up it creates an aura similar to steam over boiling water. The mere presence of mana is enough to create aura, but more so when mana is actually used, as in when performing magic. Aura is a glowing mist that remains completely unseen but that directly reflects the attributes of its source. In people, this is often a personality alignment.

Auras are generally harmless and are simply a way of self expression. Some magics such as Arcane Evocation, Alteration, and Shade are directly tied to Auras, and are heavily affected by them. Auras are able to be openly role-played without being Lore breaking, so feel free to get interesting with it.” - http://wiki.lordofthecraft.net/mana [Credit to whoever wrote this]

 

Misting works similarly to Shade magic, however you do not manipulate your Aura, rather you amplify it. Through the process of ‘burning’ certain materials with your mana an amplified Aura is created, better known as a mist for its distinguishable appearance. The Aura can have a number of functions, however unlike Shade magic it can’t be manipulated. The way that the mist takes effect requires those who would be affected by it to be in the radius of the mist.

 

II. How It’s Done

A mage would focus their mana on the material in their hand. The burning process is not instant, however it gets faster over time as the mage improves. The more focused the mage is the faster it burns also, so in the heat of battle the caster would probably be spending more time to cast a spell. It isn’t impossible for someone to burn a material while being attacked, however it would take quite a while since a majority of their focus would be elsewhere.

 

If the burning process is disturbed whilst in process, commonly from the material being removed from the hand somehow, the spell will backfire which range in severity. A spell backfiring can range from temporary paralysis in the arm, a severe jolt of pain, or even knocking the caster completely unconscious. It is unlikely that a spell backfiring will cause permanent damage however. If a spell is stopped mid casting the material being burnt would disintegrate.

 

Once the spell has been cast, instead of a faint pretty much invisible aura being created, a thicker more colourful aura is created in the colour of the mages natural aura color. The aura would not only be more potent but it would also extend further than usual, those more versed in the magic would have a noticeably larger aura than that.

 

Depending on which material is burnt, the aura will have a different effect. For instance; burning stone will cause everyone other than the caster in to feel nauseous. Every material has a consistent effect, it’s never a random one. Burning specific materials always give specific effects. Some materials only effect the caster, some effect everyone else in the mist’s range, some effect both.

 

Every spell has a time span, it gets longer as the mage advances in skill. All materials have the same time span, however the effects of them don’t. For instance in someone wa hit with a spell that caused nausea, even if the spells time was up the person affected by the spell wouldn’t be instantly cured. The timespan is mainly for people not affected by a spell yet, once you’ve been met with the effects of a spell it doesn’t really matter how much longer you stay in the mist.

 

Only a few known materials can actually kill someone, however a lot of spells can render someone so that they can be killed easily. No spell known can cause permanent damage to either the caster or their target. Misting is like various gasses which can either have positive or negative effects on people.

 

III. Materials and Effects

When burning materials they must be pure or they will backfire. This simply means if they’ve been in contact with dirt or any other additional substances before being cleaned then a backfire is bound to happen. For materials such as meat this means that it must be uncooked. Planks can’t be substituted for logs etc.

 

Affects the player

Clay

A usual Arcane mage would be a physical disadvantage, however once clay has been successfully burnt the caster would feel a strong urge of physical strength, akin to that of a veteran soldier. Whilst this spell is in play the mage would be able to do things that they probably could've have done before such as don armour.

 

Redstone

When redstone is burnt using anyone using Arcane magic against the caster would either be rejected or weakened. If it’s something like Electrical Evocation it would feel more like being hit by static shock instead.

 

Logs

Burning logs causes the caster to feel a surge through their senses. Hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch are all enhanced. However things that would usually disturb these things will have double the effect. Therefore a papercut across the skin would hurt twice as bad, etc.

 

Flint

If you burn flint you’re deemed an idiot. It’s called the fool's material. If you burn flint you will collapse from nausea and dizzyness and eventually fall unconscious. It has no real positive effect on the caster.

 

Affects those in range

Diamond

Creates what seem to be a highly poisonous gas, however it has a strong smell, it would take 50 seconds to knock out the target and another 50 to kill them. However due to its potent smell many find the source to stop it before it occurs.

 

Coal

The aura around the caster would begin to darken substantially until nothing but a pitch black miasma remained. Inside the miasma it would be similar to closing your eyes, even if you had them open. No-one can see inside this thick fog except the caster. Who has complete transparency through the fog.

 

Stone

Anyone within the mist would begin to feel a sudden surge of magic energy, letting them do feats of Arcane magic that would probably not be possible on their own. However this both applies to enemies and allies, so the caster should use it at their own transgression.

 

Gold

Anyone other than the caster inside this aura would not be able to cast Arcane spells for a time. The aura would interfere with their Void connection. However those outside would still be able to fire spells into the aura at the caster perfectly fine.

 

Affects both the player and those in range

Iron

The aura would begin to weigh on both the caster and those within the aura. Similarly to how holding something heavy makes your arms ache over time, the happens to the whole body at once. Making it difficult for both parties to move or do anything for a time.

 

Meat

A sick putrid mist is created, it reeks. Those who are unused to the mist will usually vomit. However for some reason it has positive effects on the body speeding up wound healing such as cuts etc. It can even help with internal bleeding.

 

Emeralds

Releases a powerful corrosive aura. Any uncovered iron would begin to rust and falls apart, or at least become flimsy enough to break on hit. This doesn’t apply to gold, diamond or leather armor. Only iron is affected by this. However if it is covered it wouldn’t corrode as fast meaning it would probably survive the onslaught.

 

Slime

When burnt, this releases a deadly toxic, which if the target stays in for over 30 seconds they will die. The caster, however, will live. He will receive an equivalent to a 16+ roll backfire, there is no way to avoid it for the caster therefore if the target manages to escape in time the caster pretty much gets knocked out.

 

IV. Effects on the Body

The magic itself doesn’t really have any permanent long term effects on the body except what Arcane magic would usually do to you. However if used excessively within a short period of time, or basically if you’re new to the magic you will probably be met with a variety of short term effects.

 

Stiffness in arm

Numbness

Diluted/veiny arm/arms

Nausea

Dizziness

Joint pain

 

These are some examples of what could occur, however this is always open to RP. You should RP short term effects because they can play a big role. However which short term effect you get is always open to you.

 

Example of: Diluted/veiny arm/arms

 

V. Learning

Tier 1

The caster would begin to understand the basic idea of the misting. It would take him a while to focus enough mana to completely burn the material, around five minutes whilst fully focused. The material would take up to eight minutes to burn if only partially unfocused. Once he had burnt the material he would feel an overwhelming exhaustion and a lack of mana. The mist would only hold up for a thirty seconds before dissipating. It would only have a radius of 1 - 2 meters. The caster would probably not be able to cast another spell for a while.

 

Tier 2

The caster would begin to get a good understanding of the magic. They would be able to cast a few spells one after the other. The material taking four minutes to completely burn. The material would take six minutes if partially unfocused The mist would hold up for about a minute and a half before dissipating. It would range from 3 - 4 meters distance.

 

Tier 3

The caster would get a solid understanding, still only being able to cast a few in a row before getting fatigued. the spell would hold up for about three minutes. The distance increasing to 7 - 8 meters. The material would take about three minutes to burn, five minutes if partially unfocused.

 

Tier 4

The caster would completely grasped this magic, the radius of their aura reading 15 - 16 meters. Spells lasting four minutes. They would still only be able to cast a few however. The material would take three minutes to burn, however it would still only take three if partially unfocused.

 

Tier 5

The caster would have mastered this magic. Their spells reaching 15 - 16 meters in distance still. However their spells would last up to 5 minutes. They would be able to string about five max together in a row before being completely fatigued. The spell would only take two minutes both fully focused or not.

 

VI. Roleplay Examples

 

In combat

Remember that each emote is roughly around ten seconds, which means a tier one caster would have wait about 48 different emotes before they could cast the spell. Basically; don’t do it.

 

Let’s say, for simplicity that the caster is Tier 5 in the magic. This way it only takes roughly 12 emotes in combat.

 

Mitto would grasp the chunk of coal in his left hand, tensing the muscles in his arm. The veins in his arm would appear to dilute making themselves visible to those observing.

 

Steve would unsheathe his sword taking it with both hands, the blade pointed out in front of him.

 

The chunk would begin to glow faint with energy in his hand, the coal would look like it was dissolving, giving off a barely visible steam from it in a peculiar purple color. However it would probably be undetectable by most.

 

Steve would bring his sword up over his head, bringing it down swiftly in a chopping motion towards Mitto’s head.

 

Mitto would moving his right leg to the back and left, turning side on to avoid the doward slice. The chunk still fizzing in his hand, letting out an almost undetectable gas.

 

Steve would hoist his sword back up with only his right hand this time, going to joist it forward into the abdomen.

 

Mitto would swiftly jump backwards, keeping his left arm tense, making sure he doesn’t lose grip of the coal. With his right hand he would attempt to pull out his own short sword from his side.

 

Steve would quickly yank his sword back, bringing it up over his left shoulder to swing it downwards in a diagonal fashion across Mitto’s body.

 

Mitto would try to lean back and avoid it to little avail, the sword would slash across his chest cutting through his clothing and digging into his skin slightly. In pain his arm would ease, only for to regain his grip.

 

Steve would bring the sword over his right shoulder this time to bring it downwards towards Mitto’s head once again.

 

Mitto would unsheathe his sword, bringing it horizontally over his head. Steve’s sword would fall short, being block by Mitto’s sword.

 

[!] The coal would have completely disappeared. For a second it would appear to have just dissipated into nothing… However; a visible purple mist would engulf Mitto and as it expands outwards Steve as well. The miasma would end short around 15 meters in radius. The mist would begin to get darker and darker… Until only a thick black miasma remained. It would be impossible for anyone to see through it.

 

Mitto would attempt to push shove Steve back with his now free left hand. Meaning that he wouldn’t be able to gauge where he was in the thick miasma.

 

Steve would panic, swinging his sword around in every which way. Not knowing where anything is.

 

Mitto, somehow knowing exactly where Steve is, runs his sword through his neck, killing him.

 

[!] After a time the miasma would die down… it getting clearer and clearer until eventually it would be as transparent as the wind. As if it had never been there at all.

 

Out of combat

Since you’re not in combat you don’t really need to worry about the 10 seconds per emote. It would just be a waste of time. I suggest using real time to gauge how long it will take.

 

Mitto would hold the chunk of coal in his hand, tensing up and closing his eyes. Focusing deeply on the chunk of coal in his hand. As the veins in his arm dilute the chunk of coal would begin to fizzle, letting of a soft, purple tinted gas into the air as it is burnt.

 

[Wait about 2 minutes, you can RP the burning process in between however it isn’t necessary unless you’re being engaged.]

 

[!] The coal would have completely disappeared. For a second it would appear to have just dissipated into nothing… However; a visible purple mist would engulf Mitto. The mist would begin to darken… until all that is left is a thick dark miasma, impossible for anyone to see out of. The miasma would begin to expand out until stopping short at a fifteen meter range.

 

VII. General Roleplay

One hand will always be occupied, which means you can still use one hand, however you can do things like fire a bow or what not.

 

If you do two things at once that require focus the time it takes to cast the spell would lengthen accordingly to your ability as a caster.

 

Being in focus doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be still with your eyes closed. Think of it like texting on your phone, you can walk while texting, however to look where you're going your focus would break for a second before returning.

 

If you lose full focus for more than twenty seconds (about two of your emotes) then you will have to do the full half focus time before you can cast. Which means you only have room for twenty seconds of half focus before you are no longer eligible for the shortest casting time per tier.

 

Once the spell has been casted it becomes a passive, depending on your ability you will feel fatigued however. Though once it’s been casted you don’t need to maintain it, you can go into combat and such with swords or however you please.

 

If you’re chasing someone whilst casting you’re never fully focused. Therefore it will take the longest time. However if you have already casted the spell, your aura will follow you, moving around won't affect anything.

 

Misting is an AOE, if you’re in the area and the spell affects you will be effected.

 

The only way to stop a caster from casting a spell which affects themselves would be to stop it whilst it is being casted. Once it has been cast there is no way to remove them from their aura.

 

VIII. Backfiring

Roll based for severity.

 

1 - 5

The casters arm would stiffen, making it a lot less useful than before. There would also be a strong numbness and dull pain, making it difficult to focus on anything.

 

6 - 10

A huge jolt of pain through your skin and bones, would be similar to like a brainfreeze only five times worse and in your arm. Imagine pins and needles amplified. This only lasts around ten seconds, however it would probably leave the caster dazed in pain.

 

11 - 15

Complete paralysis in the arm used for casting. It would be unusable for many hours.

 

16+

Would fall completely unconscious for hours, becoming completely vulnerable.

 

IX. Red Lines

Misting albeit a roleplay process, in the interest of fairness you must have the item MCly. There are no excuses.

 

Misting still requires mana, you can’t just spam spells so long as you have the material. Misting has a double burden.

 

You /cannot/ perform two spells at the same time.

 

Spells have a radius, it would grow larger the better the caster. Keep in mind however you must abide by this distance.

 

Spells don’t last until the end of a fight, the run out, again the stronger the mage the longer the time, however you must know when the spell runs out.

 

Casting a spell isn’t instant, it would take multiple emotes since it requires time, you can’t do them all at once either. If in conflict you /must/ give your opponent ample time to disturb it based on your ability.

 

The time span of a spell both as it’s being casted and as it is in effect isn’t dictated by IRL time, it’s merely a useful guide. If you are deliberately taking forever to emote or someone else is taking forever to emote just so the time runs out it’s powergaming and it doesn’t work. The time, in conflict is dictated by emotes. Every emote would be roughly about ten seconds.

 

X. Special Thanks

SpiffyTaylor - Discussion

Kawaiigamergirl_ - Ideas, Discussion

Mittosaurus - Being an absolute ledge and the Archbishop of Banterbury

[mitto 2307]

Any questions, criticism, etc... It's all welcome. I need it in order to get this accepted. Hopefully. 

[_Jandy_ 3193]

+1, really cool idea and sounds like fun RP, can't wait to see it.

[Lark 2226]

This reminds me of something..something..metallic.

[mitto 2307]

This reminds me of something..something..metallic.

Based off Allomancy from the Mistborn series. I'm so glad someone coppered on. :^)

[excited 10833]

I was expecting to read something quite different, and boy am I overjoyed. +1

An amazing idea! 
 

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

You have my +1, interesting concept. I'm sure the LMs will have some things to point out, but I'd like to see this on the server.

[Cordial__ 230]

The LM's will probably have something different to say... but you have my

+1

Great Idea!

[oblivionsbane 714]

            It is an odd magic. I am most concerned with how the material is burned and how these different materials create different effects. Almost all magic has its roots in logic; however, this magic seems to just, "work," from what I have read. Additionally, mana serves no purpose in any magic that I know of other than to connect to the void. Using it as you describe seems more like a technique within a magic rather than a magic in and of itself. What I mean is it sounds more like using alteration to melt an object and the mist effect happens in response.

 

            The second part I do not get is how these different materials create different effects, and I think a set list needs to be available of what does what to avoid powergaming. For example, one person could say charcoal makes an explosion while another says it makes a mist like you did. That is not the greatest problem, however, The greatest problem is how these materials being burnt would create anything more than a cloud of aura that could be moved around here and there harmlessly. It could be that iron vs coal would have iron making a thicker cloud due to the added strain in destroying it, but realistically a thicker cloud is only a thicker cloud. It would, hypothetically speaking, be as dangerous as a cloud of room temperature water vapor that you could control (water evocation). Those are my issues with the magic; it just does not seem fleshed out enough to be its own thing.

[Shadeleaf 757]

Very excellent, I always liked the idea of Allomancy and wanted something on the server like it. +1

[mitto 2307]

 snop

 

Wiki quote: "When a mage is connected to the Void, he/she may imagine things in this Void; however, a mage must use mana to either draw this spell into the world, or apply it to someone/something."

 

What happens is; the idea is pulled from the void that by burning this material it will create a mist. However as the mana reacts with the material to create the mist it would create something different. By burning a material with a the mana from the void instead of a natural aura something different is created.

 

Also, I don't understand what you mean by the second part there's legit a section about materials and their effects.

[oblivionsbane 714]

            Ah you are right; I did not notice the spoiler. Anyways, I am not sure whether you can actually make and pull the conceptual idea of something melting from the void. Even if you could, it still sounds a whole lot like alteration minus the mist effect. Bringing up the mist effect, I would suggest figuring out exactly what is happening while deconstructing/melting a material and how it mixes with the aura to create these effects. It still might be put through the ringer by the LMs, but it should help smooth out some kinks. I have some suggestions to help get you started. One way you could do it is say that as the exhaust from destroying/melting the object rises, it mixes with the newly created aura to give the resultant cloud added effects. This, at the very least, is a good starting point for further development of the idea.

 

            I would also strongly urge you to figure out the exact method in which the item is being destroyed. Frankly, the actual ability to disintegrate something by touching it for a long period of time could be a magic all its own. You might look into having the technique of destroying an item being a fundamental building block in the learning of the magic. Another magic that has something similar is Cognitism where you must first learn to use the spectators eye technique to even use the magic. In fact, this is a great comparison where Cognitism is practically Illusion magic that someone has focused on using on themselves. This magic, as well, is a magic that could rely on the destroying of objects through alteration, but is different therein by mastering the technique of misting and by specializing their use of Alteration to only disintegrate things. This not only would make the magic make more sense, but also give it a place in the list of magics. In other words, this magic would fit snugly into alteration as its own magic that uses part of the magic and a technique to create unique and skilled results.

 

Try and consider what I have written down. I know most feedback is either considered positive or negative, but I am trying to do both by giving you suggestions on how to tweak it to make more sense and be more likely to get accepted.

I hope that was helpful. ^^ 

[Katherine1 362]

When I saw the title, I thought this would be a direct rip of Allomancy. It's good to see you've taken liberties to make it unique. 

 

            Ah you are right; I did not notice the spoiler. Anyways, I am not sure whether you can actually make and pull the conceptual idea of something melting from the void. Even if you could, it still sounds a whole lot like alteration minus the mist effect. Bringing up the mist effect, I would suggest figuring out exactly what is happening while deconstructing/melting a material and how it mixes with the aura to create these effects. It still might be put through the ringer by the LMs, but it should help smooth out some kinks. I have some suggestions to help get you started. One way you could do it is say that as the exhaust from destroying/melting the object rises, it mixes with the newly created aura to give the resultant cloud added effects. This, at the very least, is a good starting point for further development of the idea.

 

            I would also strongly urge you to figure out the exact method in which the item is being destroyed. Frankly, the actual ability to disintegrate something by touching it for a long period of time could be a magic all its own. You might look into having the technique of destroying an item being a fundamental building block in the learning of the magic. Another magic that has something similar is Cognitism where you must first learn to use the spectators eye technique to even use the magic. In fact, this is a great comparison where Cognitism is practically Illusion magic that someone has focused on using on themselves. This magic, as well, is a magic that could rely on the destroying of objects through alteration, but is different therein by mastering the technique of misting and by specializing their use of Alteration to only disintegrate things. This not only would make the magic make more sense, but also give it a place in the list of magics. In other words, this magic would fit snugly into alteration as its own magic that uses part of the magic and a technique to create unique and skilled results.

 

Try and consider what I have written down. I know most feedback is either considered positive or negative, but I am trying to do both by giving you suggestions on how to tweak it to make more sense and be more likely to get accepted.

I hope that was helpful. ^^ 

 

Well, in the magic this is heavily based on, the metal being burned basically directly fuels the magic. Material -> Energy -> Specific effect of that metal.

I assume the author wanted to keep the materials being consumed without the ingestion part, though I think that was a key thing to keep, as you /have/ to ingest the material, and you can't just leave the reserves in there as they'll either pass through your digestive tract or make you sick.

[Pandasan 74]

Oh, my goodness! This is probably one of the only lores I've actually read through the whole thing. The magic idea was soooo interesting and I'm impressed. Your role-play scenarios appear so appealing for the magic to be role-played. Good job, on the well-written lore.
You've got my support. I hope to see this.
+1
 

[oblivionsbane 714]

Snippp

 

            You have to always keep in mind with magic lore on LotC that there are exact parameters that the magic should be within. Consuming a metal, for instance, would do nothing more than have a metal go through your digestive tract then be expelled. Nothing fancy would happen. One way results like what you described can be had though through alchemy such as the stone skin potion. All lore has to be built within the confines of implemented lore if it wants a chance of being accepted. The only other option is to literally go and write completely new lore for a completely new magic archetype. It could be done and accepted, but it would have to have extremely unique subject matter when compared to other lore, be very well written, and be balanced and well thought out/supported as a theory/concept. Additionally, it would probably be advisable for it to be a general enough idea that other things like it could be made from it. LotC has its own magic lore that almost all current magic has stemmed from and usually follows. It is the reason I still to this day can not figure out how to make time magic since as far as I know making time in the void is probably impossible. (Do not even get me started on time magic...)