[✗] [Rewrite] [Voidal Feat] - Voidal Eminence

[Shadeleaf 1021]

'Wizard Overlord' by Grant Rutkowski ~2016, Cropped

Background/Origin

In the ego of each and every descendant there is a desire, no matter how dim, for perfection. This desire was not foreign to the first mage, as even the ‘greats’ of centuries long past sought fecklessly towards an unknowable perfection of craft and skill. No matter how much practice was had, how many spells were learned, or the depths of understanding a mage came to think they had ventured, it was only through outside sources of power and influence that one rose above another.

 

Eminence changed that.

Through direct access to the raw energy that once made creation, mediated through a self-structured ‘Affection’, the Eminent seeks a pure mastery of the Void as projected unto the material realm. Freed from the expectations of moral, political, and impure magical creeds now does the Eminent strain against the breadth of creation at their fingertips; all that perfection requires is the ability to harness it, and not lose oneself in the process.

 

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Magic Explanation

To be a Voidal Eminent is to construct an ‘Affection’ - a Voidally imbued tether - through laborious arcane effort. Eminence is the mastery of this tether, a thing that is so imbued with energy as to maintain a minuscule puncture in the Veil once activated. In this mastery, an Eminent is granted access to droves of arcana when properly focused, and a steady stream of the same as they progress through life - whether they want it or not.

 

Voidal Eminence requires 3 slots dedicated to Voidal Magic to learn. One’s Eminence will go dormant if they lose knowledge or practice of Voidal Arts.

Voidal Eminence is self-taught, initiated through ritual.

Voidal Eminence is a Feat and one would make an app for. Should a Voidstalker or other magi be used in the Connection ritual, they must link their MA/FA on the application.

Voidal Eminence is mutually exclusive with other Voidal Feats (Eminence, Scion, Artificery, Veil Watching)

Augmented knowledge and understanding of the Void as perceived through an Affection allow an Eminent preternatural understanding of the spells the cast, of active mana, and a means by which to imbue the former with the latter.

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Connection

An Eminent is defined by their Affection. Regardless of their own personal prowess, it is the Void-soaked Affection - an object once so imbued with energy as to maintain a minuscule puncture of the Veil - that grants the would-be Eminent the energy source required for self, and local dominance. When properly harnessed the Affection simultaneously allows a means to access untapped droves of arcana, and indeed a quazi-consciousness wrought from, and in-sync with the Eminent’s intent.

 

To create an Affection a mage would require a greater source of mana (three additional Voidal mages, a Mana Obelisk, a Voidal tear, or a Voidstalker), and an object intended to be imbued with such weight on-hand. The process would take hours as the Eminent would exhaust their mana-pool into the object, bolstered by their chosen mana source to condense the Voidal affinity of the thing to such a point as to blur the lines between reality and enigmatic creation.

 

Upon completion of this freeform ritual, the newly minted Eminent, their selected mana source, and the area about each would show signs of heavy draining, with the shining point of excess existing within the Affection now created; this is now an object that pierces the Veil, and allows the energies of the space-beyond to mesh with mortal-reality.The Affection constantly threatens to overflow with a pregnant source of raw arcana, bolstering the standard maa-reserves of an Eminent with amplified potential. Through this artifice, now may the Eminent begin to poke and prod their way into boundless excess.

 

Redlines:
- The connection ritual for Eminence does not grant information relating to the creation of Arcanium.
- Affections must be visible in the open air, or obvious if embedded within a body-part during use.
- An Affection may be no smaller than 2cm3 (~2in3) , and no larger than 60cm3 (~2ft3).
- An Affection physically does not grant a combat advantage, and may not be used as a weapon.
- Affections are unique to their Eminent, and are useless in the hands of other Voidal magi.
- An Affection may be re-made after 1 week of the Eminent losing control of it.
- An Eminent without an active Affection for 1 month results in this feat being ‘dormant’.
- An Affection can take the form of any object that Arcanium may be made from, in addition to organic matter originating from the Eminent themselves - provided such matter remains attached to their body during the creation process.
- For the purpose of arcane-sensing abilities such as ‘Aura Sensory’ and ‘Arcana Flow’, the Affection is considered a medium-intensity Voidal effect of unknown origin.
- Without possession of their Affection, an Eminent is unable to interact with their features and abilities unless specified in individual redlines.

 

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Physical Effects

An Eminent that chooses to embed an Affection within their body would soon find the thrumming potential channeled by the artifact neigh unbearable. In time they will adapt to such, though not without additional stressors imparted onto the mage. For this reason, Eminents that choose to embed their Affections physically are urged to choose at least two mental effects from the following section, instead of the standard suggested one.

 

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Mental Effects

The mind of an Eminent is one that inherently seeks perfection of craft - a state that is wholly unattainable. Accordingly, the Eminent will find themselves in one of two categories: convinced of their eventual attainment of perfection, or with an understanding of the futility of their task, but maintaining a veil of competence for the sake of outward appearances. A non-exhaustive list for traits in these categories may be found below, and such traits may shift as roleplay demands.

 

- Mania & delusions of grandeur - Narcissism - Indifference towards others - General misanthropy - Predisposition to substance abuse - Impulsive behavior

- Deep, thinly veiled insecurity - Lone-wolf mentality - Manipulative interpersonal tendencies - Martyr/god/hero complex - Anti-authoritarian ideological shift - Increasingly fragile ego

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Spells and Abilities

'Jace Beleren' by Richard Rullo ~2015

[Passive] [Noncombat / Combat] - Clarity of Mind

A mage seeking to become Eminent may already have an inclination for the theoretical, the complicated, or the highly-complex; upon connection with an Affection however, these inclinations may root further than ever before. As a reflection of the Eminent’s intent, and with echoes of some distant warped desire, the Affection grants its Eminent an intensity and clarity of thought nigh unparalleled.

 

An Eminent in possession of their Affection will find ease in highly analytical tasks, proficiency with split or situational awareness, and heightened awareness where once might have been confusion. Either in the heat of battle or an alchemical laboratory, the Affection’s ability to assist its Eminent in reflection and analysis often becomes a core element of these magi.

Redlines:
- Clarity of Mind exists as an aesthetic tool to reinforce the mentality of an Eminent, and not as a means of metagaming, or powergaming.
- Use of Clarity of Mind in combat grants no direct mechanical advantage, but rather dictates how well an Eminent may synthesize an emerging situation.
- Clarity of Mind does not grant an Eminent enhanced reflexes or other physical abilities.

 

 

[Passive] [Noncombat / Combat] - Aura Attunement
Awareness and Reaction. These two elements separate a dead mage from the living, and a successful scholar from charlatan. The Eminent - bolstered by their Affection - has these elements more than any other heightened by its presence, able not only to analyze the material world - but the world beyond with ease.

 

An Eminent may - with a single emote - activate Aura Attunement by turning their Affection’s ‘awareness’ to the material world. In this state, the Eminent may identify sources of Voidal energy and their concentration out to a 10 meter radius. This ability may be used to identify prior casting in an area within 1 OOC hour, or 1 narrative day with OOC permission from the initial caster. With proper permission, spell-tier (intensity) and discipline (type) may be determined.

 

At the second tier of Eminence, the Affection may be used over the course of two emotes to affix a low-power Voidal anchor to an object upon touch. This anchor persists for 3 OOC days, or until the Affection is disabled - whichever is sooner. Any Eminent during this time may identify the presence of this anchor via Aura Attunement; it is additionally visible to any features with ‘spell sight’, such as the 'Aura Sensory' of other Voidal feats or the 'Arcana Flow' potion.

 

The third tier of Eminence allows the caster to permanently affix aspects of their aura to an object in a free-form enchantment ritual over 5 emotes via their Affection. The details and complexity of such follow guidelines set in ‘Arcanic Manipulation’, but are intended to allow for customization of arcane foci, clothing, or mundane objects such as tomes and scrolls.

 

Redlines:
- Aura Attunement’s detection works only on Voidal casting.
- Aura Attunement may only detect if an individual is actively casting, not if they possess Voidal MAs.
- Aura Attunement may not detect enchanted items, unless actively used.
- Without OOC consent for area inspection, an Eminent may only determine IF Voidal magic was cast.
- T2 ‘tagging’ requires OOC consent if the object is in possession of another character.
- T2 ‘tagging’ must be emoted in at least ‘quiet’ range.
- T2 ‘tagging’ and T3 ‘augmentation’ is additionally visible through Transfiguration’s T2 'Voidal Feeling'.

 

 

[Noncombat / Combat] - Affectionate Casting
One’s mastery of the Void need not be simplistic. Through the Affection, an Eminent finds another path to the Void, one to be exploited in tandem with their own. Though weak, this connection is what separates a truly proficient mage from the rabble.

 

Affectionate casting uses the Affection’s passive stream of arcana to change the appearance and effects of the Eminent’s spells. This excess arcana allows an Eminent to enwreathe their spells in the aesthetics of other known Voidal arts, provided the original spell is still made obvious. 

 

Additionally, an Eminent may choose to instead imbue their spells with up two of their aura colors, as the Affection provides a second (lesser) conduit to channel through. At higher tiers (T2 and above) the Eminent may also apply ‘sound effects’ to their casting, often booming thunder or crackling energy to further sell the intensity of evocation.

 

At the highest state of mastery (T3), an Eminent may extend this effect outwards to allies within a 10 meter radius of their Affection, allowing allied Voidal magi to take advantage of this aesthetic modification, but only those effects being presently affected by the Eminent.

 

Redlines:
- Affectionate Casting provides no mechanical combative advantage to oneself or their allies.
- ‘Sound Effects’ can at no point be loud enough to affect disconnection of magi.
- Spells cast must be made obvious if using the ‘dualcasting’  feature in an emote, or via OOC. This does NOT allow for spell veiling re: Seer.
- No more than one additional visual ‘effect’ be applied to a spell at once to avoid confusion.

 

 

[Noncombat / Combat] - Arcanic Manipulation
The flow of arcana available from a newly-formed Affection is overwhelming. Spurts of aura and Voidal ‘hiccups’ are common in the early stages of Eminence, but much as a muscle -  with proper training control of this raw energy may be honed - and turned into something beautiful... or terrifying.

 

With a steady flow of active, nearly unusable arcana from their Affection, an Eminent may - with training - direct that energy outwards as a constant expression of aura. At first this may simply be diffuse energy, but with training (T2 and above) the Affection may be used to set low-energy Voidal anchors about the Eminent, sustaining them passively regardless of the Eminent’s connection status.

 

The resulting effects of aura may manifest as incandescent streams of energy wrapped about the Eminent as a scarf, or serve to highlight specific elements of clothing. Ever-glowing eyes, hands enwreathed in aura, and halos of arcane-energy are other common uses for Arcanic Manipulation, furthering an Eminent’s projection of grandeur.

Given the Affection maintains all Voidal anchors, traditional injuries or effects that would disconnect the Eminent would not interrupt the projection - only direct, physical strikes to the Affection may do so.

 

Redlines:
- Archaic Manipulation may be displayed in combat, but does not affect combat mechanically in any way.
- Aura projected through this ability follows all redlines outlined in the Voidal Connection document.
- Direct strikes to the Affection with the strength of a longbow, warhammer, or T3 offensive magic will cause the effect to end, with lesser strikes causing the effect to flicker.
- Arcanic Manipulation does not ‘pre-connect’ an Eminent, who must emote appropriately with distinct casting-tells that may NOT be shared by this ability.
- For the purpose of mana-sensing abilities such as ‘Aura Sensory’ and the ‘Arcane Flow’ potion, Arcanic Manipulation in all forms would count as a weak, but active effect.
- ‘Customizations’ and projections via Arcanic Manipulation must be within 1 meter of the Eminent’s Affection, with creativity of projections highly encouraged.

 

[Passive] [Noncombat] - Magister Magnificus
Bolstered in their closeness to the Veil, invigorated by their Affection’s graces, and sent reeling into the annals of history as true masters of their craft, the Eminent may look upon the world and demand “More”.

 

At the pinnacle of their craft (T3) an Eminent’s mind - expanded in both breadth and depth by a closeness to their Affection - becomes capable of creating a second Magnum Opus within their lifetime, replacing the slot of a ‘learned’ Opus which would otherwise be present.

 

Redlines:
- Created Magnum Opus / Spellforges follow standard redlines for such.
- An Eminent’s FA must be posted on their second Magnum Opus / Spellforge.
- Dropping the Eminent FA only frees up the second slot (if filled) after 1 OOC year of inactivity.
- Second-slot created Magnum Opus / Spellforges are only accessible with an active Affection.

 

 

[Combat / Noncombat]  - Incanter’s Flow
With unerring concentration, the rhythm of this world and the one beyond become clear to an Eminent. An ebb-and-flow relationship with the Affection develops, the suffusion of arcana becomes less of a hindrance, and more of a boon; The Eminent Approaches Perfection.

 

Incanter’s Flow steps-up in effect depending on either the amount of emotes completed out of combat (NC), or the amount of completed spells successfully cast in combat (C). Effects for each tier of Incanter’s flow are as follow:

 

1 Spell(s) [C] / 1 Emote(s) [NC] - The physical effects of casting-exhaustion lessen on the Eminent; this reduction in exhaustion increases through each tier, with the mage feeling nearly nothing while close to Thaumburn at full-flow.

 

2 Spell(s) [C] / 2 Emote(s) [NC] - Expulsion becomes usable at a range of 20 meters (within line of sight). Additionally, any ongoing aura effects associated with the Eminent intensify in color, luminosity, and general grandiosity.

 

3 Spell(s) [C] / 3 Emote(s) [NC] - The Eminent becomes vulnerable to Voidal disconnection only through ‘moderate’ strikes and above (magical or non-magical), or effects that otherwise grievously displace them physically. Additionally, spells cast by the Eminent benefit from a 1 emote casting-time reduction (to a minimum of 1 connect + 2 casting) for spells of T4-equivalent and below. Additionally, entering this heightened state of connection reduces one’s physical ability by roughly half their usual.

 

Redlines:
- Moderate strikes are those defined with the strength of a longbow, warhammer, or T3 offensive magic.
- Charges of Incanter’s Flow do not carry over between non-combat and combat scenarios. Charges accrued during one, are lost upon entering the other.
- Reduced casting time still requires all elements of a spell to be emoted, simply with two ‘casting steps’ being condensed into one emote.
- Each emote of Incanter’s Flow requires an additional magical tell be relayed to demonstrate the activation of this ability.
- 3-charge ‘Unbreakable Focus’ may still be interrupted by non-pain/disruption disconnection triggers as outlined in the ‘Voidal Connection’ document.
- 3-charge physical reduction disables a mage’s ability to sprint, use weapons above ‘light’ weight (1-ingot) offensively, and generally reduces mobility to below the baseline of a standard mage.

 

[Combat] - Expulsion
As water through a river, as light through a prism, as smoke through a flume - so too may an Eminent channel excess arcana  from their Affection to ranchorus effect. Equivalent in consequence to some of the most heinous Voidal rituals devised, an Eminent may embrace the full volume of the energies coursing through their Affection in glorious calamity.

 

Over the course of two emotes independent to prior casting, the Eminent may condense the arcana flowing through their Affection their own mana pool - disabling all visual effects of aura-modifying abilities - before expelling it in a grand, ill-conceived burst of energy-made-manifest.

 

The force explodes out from the Eminent (or a location within 20 meters if having reached 2-charge Incanter’s Flow) in a 10x10 meter radius with the force of a battering-ram, resulting in a knockback effect of at least 2 meters for any caught within. This expulsion would knock standard combatants prone, and stagger extremely heavy targets such as golems or pale-knights.

 

The Eminent may - on account of the active mana being channeled - apply one of three effects to this expulsion dependent on their available casting affinities; the ‘aura’ augmentation is only available at T3 Eminence. Eminents may also choose to leave Expulsion unmodified, for the base effect described above.

 

Evocational - Requiring at least one evocational Void magic be known (fire, water, earth, etc), expulsion additionally deals moderate elemental damage to exposed targets (first degree burns, ice shards, rock-spray) caught in the blast while maintaining the standard 2-meter knockback.

 

Worldly - Requiring knowledge of transfiguration or translocation, an Eminent may charge this ability to instead knock foes back 3 meters, or up to 2 meters into the air. Force would be applied to ensure a ‘rough’ landing for those affected by the second option.

 

Aura - Active mana rips through those in the radius, resulting in no knockback, but immediate disconnection from the Void (if present), and the ‘short-circuiting’ of Voidal enchantments. Individuals caught in this radius would be unable to re-connect or charge their enchantments for two emotes thereafter as their bodies radiate with the color(s) of the Eminent’s aura in spectacular fashion.

 

Following the completion of this ability, an Eminent and their Affection are rendered utterly drained of energy - both physical and metaphysical. This results in a heightened state of exhaustion or - depending on the prior amount of casting - unconsciousness.

 

Redlines:
- An Eminent may cast no spells after Expulsion is triggered for the remainder of the CRP it is used in and 1 OOC hour thereafter or be subject to Thaumburn unless magically rejuvenated.
- After triggering Expulsion, an Eminent is no longer able to sprint, wield offensive or defensive weapons in any capacity, and has their mobility greatly reduced to below the baseline of a standard mage. This effect terminates after 1 OOC hour or upon receiving magical rejuvenation.
- For the purpose of Thanhium and related effects, Expulsion in all flavors counts as a T5 spell.
- Expulsion may not be used to damage the environment without RO consent, or unless part of the environment (i.e. a ballista) is actively being used in associated CRP.

 

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Tier Progression

Tier 1

The fledgling Eminent is overcome with headaches and mild-distress as they adapt to the new-found energy flow from their Affection. Basic Aura Attunement and Arcanic Manipulation become available. This tier lasts for two weeks.

 

Tier 2

The Eminent is now comfortable with managing their Affection, and begins to understand the minutiae of its operation. Affectionate Casting, and Expulsion become available. This tier lasts for two weeks.

 

Tier 3

The Eminent and their Affection become one - echoing intent, and operating in tandem with little concern for self-disruption. Master Magnificus, Incanter’s Flow, and Clarity of Mind become available.

 

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References

Voidal Connection

Voidal Eminence

Voidal Artificery

Voidstalking

Alchemy Core Potions

Transfiguration

Seers - Cozeners of Vaasek

 

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Purpose

This piece aims to provide a more pure endgame Voidal feat for those characters seeking an ‘archmage’ or ‘master-sorcerer’ aesthetic. It seeks to balance that aesthetic with interesting roleplay tools both mechanically and in day-to-day RP. Regarding why this is a rewrite and not as an amendment, it stems primarily from the current iteration of Eminent severely lacking in non-combat / non-utility direction, as well as my desire to clarify what an Affection actually is, how it interacts with the feat, and why we should care about it. I view this version as more of a facelift than a full rewrite, I aimed to hone the vision of the original more than I did replace it. The vast majority of changes have been to non-combat elements, as I understand that Eminent is already balanced on a razor’s edge.

 

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Credits

Squak & Co. (Original Lore)

 

Arzota (Write)

Esotericas (Inspiration)

ClassyDryad (Inspiration & Consultation)

RockyTheWolf (Review & Consultation)

Blackhand7 (Consultation)

Black_Drag0n (Consultation)

Uhrara (Review)

Keia (Review)

 

Edited May 6 by Shadeleaf
Reclarified the interaction of arcana w/ an Eminent's mana.

[KeiaTypeBeat 3277]

I have enough blind faith in zota's skills to cheer for this before I give it a read. So.. yay for the zota post!

 

 

I'll make a real comment when I finish reading this wall of text you've refused to organize into easy to read spoiler sections... Which is my first critique. 

[Frisket 4538]

BRO JUST REWRITE VEILWATCHING WHY R WE GETTING THIS BEFORE VEILWATCHING!!!!????

[LoTC's Next Top Model 1626]

i look at affectionate casting and i see an endless horde of "actually my life evo summons are made out of fire it hurts you when you stab them".

[Shadeleaf 1021]

1 minute ago, LoTC's Next Top Model said:

i look at affectionate casting and i see an endless horde of "actually my life evo summons are made out of fire it hurts you when you stab them".

Fortunately the redlines do cover that! No combative enhancements, and the original spell must be made obvious. I'd thought of that concern as well - so hopefully folks will be cognizant and report any powergaming if this rewrite goes through.
 

[RockyTheWolf 209]

While I dont believe Eminence NEEDED a rewrite, I do really like this rewrite :D 

And I also helped with this so Im biased towards liking it, lol

[Luxury 1081]

Spoiler

6 hours ago, Shadeleaf said:

[Noncombat / Combat] - Affectionate Casting
One’s mastery of the Void need not be simplistic. Through the Affection, an Eminent finds another path to the Void, one to be exploited in tandem with their own. Though weak, this connection is what separates a truly proficient mage from the rabble.

 

Affectionate casting uses the Affection’s passive stream of arcana to change the appearance and effects of the Eminent’s spells. This excess arcana allows an Eminent to enwreathe their spells in the aesthetics of other known Voidal arts, provided the original spell is still made obvious. 

 

 

 

Elemental weaknesses are written into a significant number of MAs and FAs, and those weaknesses exist as mechanical facts. The burden of disambiguation will fall on every participant in the encounter to parse what is cosmetic and what is functional in real time, mid-conflict. I do not believe the inclusion of a red-line is going to prevent disputes from arising in game.

I.e. an entity with a fire weakness facing a flaming stone projectile has a reasonable expectation that the fire is mechanically relevant. As written, it seems to suggest people metagame, to a degree, what is aesthetic only

[Shadeleaf 1021]

13 minutes ago, Luxury said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

Elemental weaknesses are written into a significant number of MAs and FAs, and those weaknesses exist as mechanical facts. The burden of disambiguation will fall on every participant in the encounter to parse what is cosmetic and what is functional in real time, mid-conflict. I do not believe the inclusion of a red-line is going to prevent disputes from arising in game.

I.e. an entity with a fire weakness facing a flaming stone projectile has a reasonable expectation that the fire is mechanically relevant. As written, it seems to suggest people metagame, to a degree, what is aesthetic only

A totally fair observation! But once more this is going to fall onto the Eminent knowing their abilities, understanding their responsibilities with this feat, and ensuring all members participating in CRP are aware of whats actually going on. For a feat that requires 3 accepted voidal MAs, I don't think this is too much of a burden to place on these players.

As with a lot of aesthetic modifications in this rewrite, Eminent now aims to be somewhat of a shock and awe spectacle - it's going to look scary if you're fighting it, its going to sound loud if they place sound on a spell, and it may cause confusion in character. All modifications to spells are aesthetic, a feature of excess aura being jammed into the casting on account of an Eminent's Affection having that extra bandwidth for audio visual effects.

 

The main thing I'm concerned about is OOC misinterpretation and actual spell effects which - as outlined - are going to be function no more than at the base level of what a mage can already cast. It looks cool and it hits the same.

[PrimnyaQuorum 3999]

Im unsure if I'm just not reading this enough, but this looks a majority like squaks original lore, reformatted and with 4 new non-combatve, non-effecting abilites alongside a reworking of incanter's flow. 

 

For a feat, its bloated. There isn't really any reason I can think of why feats need 4 different non-combative things, nor why this couldnt have just been an amendment/addition. Likewise, I'm struggling to find what changed so much that this needed to be a rewrite

[StingyParrot 1595]

29 minutes ago, PrimnyaQuorum said:

Im unsure if I'm just not reading this enough, but this looks a majority like squaks original lore, reformatted and with 4 new non-combatve, non-effecting abilites alongside a reworking of incanter's flow. 

 

For a feat, its bloated. There isn't really any reason I can think of why feats need 4 different non-combative things, nor why this couldnt have just been an amendment/addition. Likewise, I'm struggling to find what changed so much that this needed to be a rewrite

this coming from the guy who tried to revive VEILWATCHING
ily prim <3

[LoTC's Next Top Model 1626]

14 hours ago, Shadeleaf said:

A totally fair observation! But once more this is going to fall onto the Eminent knowing their abilities, understanding their responsibilities with this feat, and ensuring all members participating in CRP are aware of whats actually going on. For a feat that requires 3 accepted voidal MAs, I don't think this is too much of a burden to place on these players.

As with a lot of aesthetic modifications in this rewrite, Eminent now aims to be somewhat of a shock and awe spectacle - it's going to look scary if you're fighting it, its going to sound loud if they place sound on a spell, and it may cause confusion in character. All modifications to spells are aesthetic, a feature of excess aura being jammed into the casting on account of an Eminent's Affection having that extra bandwidth for audio visual effects.

 

The main thing I'm concerned about is OOC misinterpretation and actual spell effects which - as outlined - are going to be function no more than at the base level of what a mage can already cast. It looks cool and it hits the same.

people with 5 mas in magic get blacklisted or warned literally all the time lmao. this spell, in particular, i feel is just a bad idea. it's going to cause a LOT of confusion and people being weird, and the benefit, overall, i think is not very high. it reduces magic identity imo.

[Shadeleaf 1021]

2 hours ago, LoTC's Next Top Model said:

people with 5 mas in magic get blacklisted or warned literally all the time lmao. this spell, in particular, i feel is just a bad idea. it's going to cause a LOT of confusion and people being weird, and the benefit, overall, i think is not very high. it reduces magic identity imo.

 

I appreciate the feedback! I'd be interested in how you believe it reduces the magic identity a bit more? 

My goal with the "identity" of Eminent with this rewrite was to expand on the classic archmage trope the original lore set forth. Instead of just pure proficiency - as with a lot of skilled professions - there's also an element of bluster and showyness that comes from being (and staying) at the top of your field. By using excess Arcana to bolster their spells either through the aura casting of Affectionate Casting (which was moved from old Stage 2 original Incanters) or via the audio/visual mods it provides, I feel it helps solidify that identity.

I'll again defer to my comment on Luxury's concerns regarding my stance on IC confusion (good!) vs OOC confusion (bad!). With my experience with magic CRP on Lotc, I still feel the OOC confusion is kept to a minimum both through emotes appended with spell status: "* keep doing magic that looks weird [fire evo 3/?]", or casters helpfully linking / explaining the effects of a magic. 

All of that said in the feature's defence, I do intend for this rewrite to be a living document up until the loremag, so if you have any suggestions on something that might better sell the" identity" I'd love to hear them! 

[Pallodium 3775]

This lore has been denied.

 

This rewrite, generally speaking, doesn't change very much about the magic- the vast majority of it is the same with only small portions of it reworked and another small part added; smaller changes like this are not to be accepted within rewrites and should be approached via amend/additions to the existing pieces. However, I will warn that Affectionate Casting is greatly flawed on a simple nature as stated by those above- this complication is a greatly ill-suggested thing to be so freeform, and not something that would likely be well-done given how it is executed here.