Sorcerio 4595 Popular Post Share Posted January 21, 2021 ** For the sake of clear comprehension of the lore, flavorful language has been disregarded in this piece. Overview of Connection The Voidal Connection is the fundamental link that a void mage must establish when wishing to cast any form of arcane magic, whether a spark to light a candle, the enchantment of a blade, or the conjuring of a furious whirlwind. This is done by the mage opening their mind and soul to the infinite emptiness of the Void, connecting themselves to everything within the veil indirectly. Nevertheless, it is the mage who must reach further to fully immerse themselves within the Void, for the Void has no mind to dictate its whims. Once connected, the mage may draw forth the raw energy of the Void and mold it into a spell by sheer will, otherwise known as spellcasting. The Mana Anchor To cast any form of Voidal Magic, a mage must be able to establish a Mana Anchor, essentially reaching through the veil and pulling forth raw mana from the Void to mould. In some instances, such as Translocation, the mage may be required to maintain another anchor where they seek to project their spell. All branches of Arcane Magic require at least one emote to connect to the Void, being the first emote in every spell count. Following the successful casting of a spell, the mage may still maintain their anchor to cast another spell so long as they are not exhausted or knocked out of their focus afterwards A mage can only focus on one spell at a time. There is no combative dual-casting with Void Magic (i.e. no casting a translocation portal whilst shooting fireballs). Non-combative circumstances such as enchanting something with transfiguration may be exempt. The Line-of-Sight Mages must be able to physically see the location where they wish to cast. If a mage is unable to see the desired location in which they wish to cast then they may not cast in that direction, such as behind themselves. This means that a mage could be effectively blinded by covering their eyes with one’s hands or a shroud of smoke. Mages cannot cast around corners, solid walls, through solid windows, through holes in gates or walls, and so forth. This also means that the blind would be incapable of casting. Mages cannot cast through mechanical barriers. Mages cannot cast where they cannot see. If a mage is blinded by any means, they cannot cast. Casting and Focus Connecting to the Void requires an intense amount of concentration and willpower, necessitating that the mage focus solely upon their connection and the spell they are casting. Though a more adept mage may maintain their connection while performing minor non-combative tasks simultaneously - such as serving tea - should their attention be disrupted by sudden motions or feelings, connection would cease. The focus of a mage may be broken by diverting their attention. Auditory distractions may range from abruptly lit fireworks, nails on a chalkboard, or screaming in the mage’s ear from close proximity to the caster. With pain, while a mastered mage may endure a small scrape or bruise, any intense searing or stabbing pain would be capable of throwing the mage out of their connection at any level of skill. Any strike landing upon a Voidal Magi's head would forcibly disconnect them. So long as a distraction remains present, the mage would be unable to reconnect until said distraction was removed. For example; a broken bone would need to be set and mended before the mage attempts to cast again. In the event that the mage’s connection is disrupted forcibly, they would experience a brief headache that prevents reconnection for up to one emote following disconnection. Mages may not move faster than a light sprint while casting a spell, though they may be limited further based upon its intensity and power. The mechanical number of blocks one may move per-emote is typically limited by the tier of spell, rather than the mage’s own proficiency. Running whilst charging a spell higher than tier three would be impossible. ** This list refers to limits of mage at [T5] proficiency - though lower tiers would be limited to a lesser distance of movement up to the mage’s reasonable discretion. In Brief: Spoiler Mages that experience abrupt imbalance or sudden movement would have their connection severed, whether they had voluntarily jumped out of the way of a projectile, or have been shoved by a reckless foe. Of course, something such as a thrown stone could be evaded without disconnecting the mage, only instead “pausing” the spell until the mage regains their focus. This does not mean that they would be able to maintain their connection when evading an arrow or explosion. Exhaustion and The Mana Pool The exertion which a Mage must put forth in order to breach the Veil is immense, not to mention that the mage only may manifest a limited amount of mana. Each time the mage connects and draws from the Void, they exert an amount of force similar to performing that action without magic, according to the Law of Equivalence. Most mortals may maintain a moderately sized mana pool which they draw upon each time they cast Voidal Magic, sapping their own energy in return for the mana drawn to form the spell. Universally, a particular amount of energy is sapped from the mage upon casting virtually any spell - though the amount of fatigue truly experienced varies depending upon the mage's proficiency and the spell scale in question. Most minor non-combative spells would be insignificantly draining to the mana pool of a mastered mage. Though most mastered mages possess a relatively large mana pool, their bodies are not capable of withstanding the strain necessary to apply all of it at once, and thus attempting to override the mortal’s own exhaustion would cause their body to experience Thaumburn. This entails the mage’s body slowly being consumed by voidal energy similar to whatever it was that they had attempted to conjure, pulling their mortal vessel apart in an agonizing fashion. Characters who attempt this feat are effectively PK'd. Though there is no specific point system for the casting of spells, it is important for one to employ adequate reasoning when gauging how fatigued one would be. While a tier five Fire Evocationist could realistically conjure a dozen small flames with relative ease, attempting to cast two successive blasts of combustive, fiery magic would result in them being rather worn from such exertion. Reasonable discretion is advised, and ST may deem what would be considered powergaming in that instance based upon their own reasonability. ** Keep in mind that a mage cannot be connected indefinitely. Such would be too straining for them. There are three primary contributors to exhaustion: Spoiler Distance of Target - How far the target is will cause the amount of exertion on the part of the mage to scale upwards. Typically, after about twenty or more meters, the mage’s accuracy will begin to decrease and the amount of exhaustion they would suffer from would increase inversely. Magical Proficiency - The mage’s level of skill will determine the amount of exhaustion they face. A [T4] mage casting a [T2] spell wouldn't likely face notable fatigue until several repetitive applications of the spell; whereas a [T5] mage could only cast one or two [T4] level spells before finding themselves to be exhausted. Spell Power/Size - The general size of the spell and the amount of mana exerted will contribute to the mage's fatigue fore mostly. Whilst a [T1] mage's mana pool could hardly be capable of sustaining a mere fireball before collapsing, a [T4] mage could likely sustain three or four minor projectiles before feeling any ill effects of exhaustion. Auras, Tells, and "Hiccups" The Mage's Aura Aura is a passive manifestation that occurs whenever a mage connects to the Void or some other foreign source of power. This would emerge as a harmless shroud of mist comprised of varying colors and hues, and even varying shapes and appearances. For example, a mage can have their aura look like a smoky grayish orange that fumes from a lighter orange, making it appear like fire, perhaps. This aesthetic can go into anything that requires to use or take on the color of the aura, such as Voidal Feeling, Translocation, and so forth. Mage's auras do not tend to change once chosen, though significantly life-altering events may rarely lead to an alteration in the color of the aura, such as the destruction of one's home or the death of a loved one. Auras may only be up to three singular colors, and may fluctuate between different shades freely. "Rainbow" or multicolor auras are forbidden, up to three colors must be chosen. Multiple aura colours does not mean one may present them at different times. They are orderly, and may not be summoned independently- meaning, they are summoned in a set order which aura colour would cycle through. Auras are passive and have no bearing upon the effects of the spell. Changing aura colors is incredibly rare and only occurs during life-changing events. Spoiler Emote Tell: {Mage} would flourish their hand, affixing themselves upon the apple that lay upon the table, as a thin pink mist would begin to weave about their hand. Aura Emote: {Mage} would flourish their hand, a gradient green mist beginning to spiral and swirl softly between their fingers, as they focused upon the chair. The Voidal Tell Due to the alien influence of the Void, the Void Mage will express a tell which signifies their connection and focus upon the Void. When performing a simple spell in non-combat, and at high mastery, this tell may be as simple as the twitch of a finger or ear; whereas in combat, attempting to cast a spell would manifest a clear and distinguishable tell, such as the manifestation of their aura, clear ripples in the air, their entire hand trembling, etc. In the event of applying magics such as Sensory Illusion or Mental Magic, the tell should be a distinguishable and explicit emote of the mage focusing upon the target individual. To cast a spell, the mage's target must be able to hear them mechanically. You cannot perform a tell in #whisper and suddenly cast the spell in #shout. Tells for casting should be done in proximity to the target. Spoiler Emote Tell: {Mage} locked their attention upon the drunken bandit, their eyes completely locked and unwavering upon {Bandit Name} as a brief red hue flickered in their gaze. The Voidal Hiccup Though all magi bear an aura that distinguishes them as a tell when casting, others might be granted an occasional ‘burst’ of voidal energy following or preceding the casting of a spell. Such may be anything from a fire evocationist coughing out some smoke after throwing a fireball, whereas the hair of a wind evocationist might find their hair to stand on end. They may grow more frequent as the mage grows in age and proficiency, common among age-worn magi who have practiced for many years. These hiccups are generally harmless and limited to aesthetic, providing no combative advantage for oneself or against one’s opponent. Spoiler Hiccup Emote: As the fireball bashed into the tree, the mage would give a few hacks and coughs as some smoke and soot was expelled from their mouth. Voidal Poisoning The Void is boundless, an infinite and omnipotent force of chaos and consumption. It seeks to devour all things within itself, and the barrier which separates the mortal realm from this endless chasm is ever so thin. Thus, by breaching the Veil, the mage allows the Void to influence their person more heavily, sapping away their energy in exchange for the spells they conjure. It is for this reason that mages are made less hearty and frail, their vitaly slowly eaten away by the Void — for everything has a cost. On Strength Practicing Voidal Magic passively saps a mage's physique from the moment of their connection, their strength and endurance hindered gradually over time, in accordance to the chart below. ** Smaller and lightweight one-handed weapons may be used by a void mage, though they would tire out after excessive use far more so than an individual without Voidal poisoning would. *** The "Time Connected" is in totality, and begins from one's first voidal magic and staying persistently progressing regardless of tier. On Stamina Mages, while bearing little raw strength, may still maintain some degree of dexterity and stamina. Though they could not achieve the level of athleticism as a regular individual, they could still muster a sprint or jog alike to that of a regular sedentary individual. A mage could, ideally, assume a brisk sprint to flee from an enemy, though should their pursuer be more tolerant of fatigue they would likely outrun the mage should it come to a prolonged chase. Despite their lowered physique, the mage can still effectively jump out of the way of the blow of a blade or evade a long-distant arrow should they be aware of its coming - though they certainly would not be capable of any above average feats of dexterity or movement. On Armaments Mages who practice magic for one or more OOC months cannot wear full plate effectively, and at best are limited to half-plate or some light gambeson. Anything more than this would render the mage unable to cast and incredibly exhausted after just a short time of wearing it. Though a mage could wear full plate prior to this point, their ability to do so would slowly degrade, exhausting more over time. Once a mage has reached about three OOC months of casting would find themselves unable to cast in anything heavier than gambeson, struggling to connect and maintain their breath in heavy plate. - Mages must emote exhaustion properly and reasonably. Over exerting oneself in a fight will tire them out much faster than a non-mage. - Mages must emote weight properly and reasonably. Though a mage could use heavy equipment, it would tire them out faster than a non-mage. - Mages do not lose large amounts of muscle muscle, however, they cannot get fit due to the restrictions of voidal poisoning and their dedication to void magic. - Lesser enchantments, given their minute effect, have enough latent energies from their managem to activate without the "jumpstart" - inflicting no Enchanter's Sickness. Enchantment Sickness The Mageblade's Bane Enchantment sickness affects those who utilize enchantments due to their mechanism of sapping a user's own mana upon activation. Effectively, a "jumpstart" to letting the mana gems of the enchantment pull and restrain the voidal energies from beyond, when activating an enchantment a user (if not already a voidal mage) would suffer under Enchantment Sickness. Enchantment sickness immediately reduces one to a voidal-poisoning like state, even if normally fit and healthy. Lasting until the end of combat and for [1] Narrative Hour afterward (Or simply 1 narrative hour if noncombative in usage), enchantment sickness would reduce one's strength and stamina to that of utter exhaustion. Brought to their knees if in any armour greater than half-plate, the physicality of the enchantment-user would turn to that of someone with a sedentary (non-active) lifestyle, tired and weak. Most often accompanying enchantment sickness is a sour, bitter attitude and an aversion to sensation. Sensory overload extremely easy to succumb to, and stressing the enchantment user greatly. These effects trigger solely upon one activating an enchantment upon their person, and do not trigger upon recharge. - Enchantment sickness overrides any strength, including magical or physical. It cannot be undone or reversed through anything but magical means until the end of combat + narrative hour timer is up. - The first emote [Connection] upon utilizing an enchantment is the emote in which Enchantment Sickness triggers. Even if the cast of the enchantment is interrupted, Enchantment Sickness remains. - Voidal mages are unaffected by enchantment sickness. Imagination [Non-Combat] Imagination, much like transfiguration, is grounded in the manipulation of mana in the world, though not quite as complex. In essence, it is the ability to shape your own mana and project it into the world to take the form that you desire, hence why it assumes the caster's aura colour. The caster is capable of creating streams, rivers, wisps, streaks and other formations that are entirely harmless out of this projected mana, provided it adheres to the redlines. You are free to be creative with what you make using Imagination. This could be from swirling patterns on the walls, mosaic patterns on the floors, miniature models of towns, buildings, so on. Spoiler Mechanics: [1] Emote to connect + [ 1 or 2 ] amount of emotes to build / cast. Requires 1 additional emote for a 3 block radius, or 2 additional emotes for a 5 block radius, Imagination requires at least one voidal magic at Tier 3 to use, Imagination allows you to use your mana to create harmless artistic formations, Imagination is always transparent, and provides no obscurement whatsoever, Imagination takes on the aura colour(s) of the caster, Imagination is freeform in nature. Please feel free to be creative. It's art. Spoiler Redlines: Imagination is temporary, ending when the caster disconnects, Imagination is entirely harmless, Imagination cannot create highly detailed images, including but not limited to people, specific items, maps books, etc Imagination as a result cannot be used as a way to relay information such as faces or perfectly recreate things a caster has seen (no meta), Imagination is however capable of crude shapes akin to a T3 evocationist, Imagination is for strictly non-combat usage only, Imagination cannot be used for any kind of advantage over another player, Imagination provides no obscurement at all. It is transparent. Imagination does not interact with any sense except sight, No sounds, smells, touch or taste - it is NOT an illusion, Imagination is very clearly not an illusion, and appears as an obvious manipulation of mana, Imagination's colour is the same as the caster's aura colour, Imagination is not able to be physically interacted with, any attempts to do so will fail and you will pass through it harmlessly and with no resistance, Imagination is limited to a five block radius centred on the caster, Imagination is dispelled immediately if it comes into contact with either Thanhium or Null Arcana, Imagination should not be used to be an annoying prick. 80 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
exanimated 1360 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Pun do unga unga and make void not bad! +1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epistile 856 Share Posted January 21, 2021 kool Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nozgoth 2897 Share Posted January 21, 2021 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaldabaoth 743 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Tawkin 2 (+1) 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lhindir_ 3436 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Anordal goes "HUH?" 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
QliphothicCorvid 177 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Unga Unga 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaaKc 1225 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) voidal magic bad but this is more reminiscent of Phil's lore. much better than current stuff. +1 though tbh i would extend the maximum armor a 3 month mage could wear to half-plate. i don't see a problem w/ giving them at least a little plate. Edited January 21, 2021 by CaesarTheFirst 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemomancy 2835 Share Posted January 21, 2021 hot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann 1400 Share Posted January 21, 2021 At long last. Void magic's still lame though)) 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shezept 304 Share Posted January 21, 2021 This lore is great Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jentos 6814 Share Posted January 21, 2021 real philposting hours if you don't agree with my freedom of teaching magic to every last person on the server you are the Phil you evil man pund 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorcerio 4595 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 3 minutes ago, Jentos said: real philposting hours if you don't agree with my freedom of teaching magic to every last person on the server you are the Phil you evil man pund Like father, like son !_! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covey 466 Share Posted January 21, 2021 nice. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valannor 6345 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Quote On Weaponry Mages cannot effectively wield heavy weapons such as claymores, polearms, zweihanders, etc., as their arm strength cannot support the armament. Other weapons that require a greater amount of accuracy or dexterity, such as rapiers or estocs, would tire the mage after a few emotes of consistent use, though may be used moderately well in that brief period of time, perhaps around five or six emotes. After this, they would likely be too fatigued to fight effectively using melee combat. Weapons cannot be wielded in tandem with spellcasting, the exception to this being enchantments. I can agree that heavier weapons should not be able to be used, but this limitation on light weaponry is nonsensical, given the types of armors mages are capable of wearing freely. Allow the free use of light weaponry, within reason, given that mages are also being handicapped a bit more in this connection rewrite. I'd also argue that lighter polearms should be allowed, but I'll leave that to your discretion. #MakeStavesGreatAgain I'd also argue that, as per previous lore, high tier mages should be able to perform minor dodges without breaking connection. Nothing like huge combat rolls, but smaller movements to evade blade strikes and such should be on the table. Otherwise, p good lore. I just think it has some issues that need rectified. 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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