Spells

From Neverend

Groups of spell are arranged in "systems." Systems dictate how a spell functions in the game. One system might rely on MP, another might rely on prayer, another might rely on ritual, on talismans, on martial arts, on meditation, on corpses, reagents, on nature, on weather, on items and wands.

Systems act different in their need for different things. Necromancy needs corpses and body parts. Reagent magic needs ingredients and items. Ritual magic needs rituals.

Systems may have similar "effects" such as an offensive spell, shapeshifting, polymorphing, possession, defense, healing, etc. Their implementation may be different.

Spell systems include Chi, psionics, electricity, witchcraft, shamanism, necromancy, pyromancy, shapeshifting, possession, etc.

Spells have specific effects and variable effects. Specific effects are defined with a set of rules, while variable effects are the rules themselves. A limited number of effects can be specified, as the majority of spells are player created using variable effects.

The player can create a spell template with any umber of parameters. The spell template can then be saved as a scroll, memorized, or put in an item. Creating the spell requires skill that rises with the number of effects and range of effects.

Learning the spell requires certain skills, and the player may fail at learning the spell. Similarly, items can be destroyed when attemting to learn a spell this way, or when activating a magic item that requires magic skill such as a scroll.

Casting the spell is also determined on magic skills, so a spell that is learned or being used can fail if the player lacks the skill to use it. For example, a level 75 fireball can not be used by a level 5 caster, and a level 5 caster would have a greater chance at casting level 5 spells.

Even if a caster is allowed to set fireball to maximum level, it is their magic skill that determines what range will succeed and what will be impossible or unlikely, as raising it about normal will dramatically increase the chance of failure.

Effects and variable effects include:

Effect type:

Fire Lightning Ice Shadow

Shape:

Ball Blast Spray Beam Strike Slash

Variable shape: Shield- A forcefield of X circumference Ring- a circle of X circumference Cube- a cube of X circumference

Specific shape:

A shape is predefined and uses a specific element and animation

Ice: -Blizzard

Fire -Firestorm -Flare

Lightning -Lightning Storm

Specific type: A predetermined damage type that is usually non-elemental -Hail -Hailstorm -Push -Pull

Duration: Instant X seconds X times repeat

Casting requirements: Spells cast by players will use mana and user defined variables. Magic objects and generators will cast spells in the same way, but can supply greater mana and greater variables at the cost of higher mana and a higher "skill" requirement for the object, as well as potential damage to the object. The requirement for a massive town forcefield will require several generators. Magic users can give their mana to these generators or act as a conduit to support the spell. If the generators are destroyed or the magic is channeled or interupted by a malicious spell, then conduit mages can be damaged.

[edit] Spell types

Blade spells are spells having to do with weapons. This includes spell projectiles that look like weapons, summoning weapons as automatons, enchanting existing weapons as automatons, enchanting equipped weapons with magic effects, and creating temporary magical weapons. Blade spells require skill in Blade spells and in the respective magic type of the spell (enchantment, attack, summoning)

• Create ethereal blades to attack or defend
• Create elemental blades of metal, ice, fire, wind, lightning
• Create offensive spells with blade-like effects
• Summon blade, scimitar, scythe
• Sword strike, scythe strike
• Projectile and offensive spells: fire blades, ice blades, blade web, blade encircle, blade storm, blade parry, blade protect, blade sentinel, blade bolt, blade flurry, blade spirit
• Enchantments, Fire enchant, wind enchant, ice enchant
• Magical weapon, creates weapon on ground if no target, in inventory if on self, on target's inventory if on target, and equipped on target if target is unequipped in combat. Lightning sword, ether sword, blizzard sword, blaze sword, bolt sword, storm axe, wind halberd.

Magic Item creation spells deal in creating temporary items, with power and duration based on caster skill and power.

• Magical armor, creates armor on ground if no target, in inventory if on self, on target's inventory if on target, and equipped on target if target is unequipped in combat. Ethereal armor, lightning armor, blizzard armor, blaze armor.
• Other items, Bolt wand, fire halo, light halo.

Essence spells require a ritual to learn, using animal parts and rare ingredients. When memorized and cast, a spell resembling the animal is created. When cast on self, you gain special abilities, bonuses, and appearance of an animal for a limited time, such as ethereal wolf claws, dragon claws and wings, bear muscles and claws, bird wings, or wisp aura. When cast as an offensive, spell, creates a spell attack in the shape of that animal, such as an ethereal dragon, wolf or bear appearing to claw at an enemy and disappear. Rabbit swiftness, dragon breath, wolf claw, golem armor, healing swan, will of the wisp, bear strength, hawk eyes, snake strike, deer feet, lich cloak, zombie skin, sea serpent strike, tiger claw, dragon claw, dragon wing, hive mind (appear friendly to swarm creatures).

Shapeshift spells, requires knowing about a creature by encountering it and using the "learn shape" effect. The creature be wild, tamed, trained or enchanted when the effect is used. The shapeshift skill must be high enough to hold a list of learned creatures, and high enough to be able to shapeshift. For spell casters, shape shifting is treated like a spell and takes MP. Shapeshifting can also be an effect granted by abilities, items, enchantments, and curses, with the effect being usable, permanent, temporary, involuntary, and can have additional costs or conditions to be activated and deactivated (item charge based, mana depletion based, item depletion, based on time such as werewolf requiring full moon, based on counter such as number of recent kills)

When shapeshifting is used, the player becomes that creature, and has limited functionality based on the default movement and abilities for that creature. The actual creature is "shapeshift:creature," but resembles the normal creature in abilities. Players are given animal based options such as claw, scratch, roll over. Players move at same pace as creature, and can climb walls, fly, hover, or breathe underwater. Players have low health and can die easily. Inventory is ignored and is inaccessible in creature form. Communication is also filtered to resemble animal noises. Like Dungeon Keeper, additional effects may be present for immersion, such as fly vision or lower height in first person mode, walking effects and noises, random animal noises, and different movement on different surfaces.

Shapeshifting counts as magic when shapeshifting magic is used, but counts as an ability when used by a shapeshifter. As an ability, shapeshifting takes more shapeshifting skill to maintain form. Shapeshifting magic requires less shapeshifting skill and relies on MP.

Shapeshift forms: crow, wolf, deer, tiger, rabbit, wisp, dragon. Special forms, available at high skill and magic levels: fire wolf, fire bird, magical dragon

Familiars: Summoning magic, creates creatures to assist and accompany caster. Faerie, sprite, imp, crow, squirrel, wolf. Special familiars: Creatures unique to familiar summoning, available at certain levels and by special items.

Enchantments: Creates a lasting effect on a target. Enchanting weapons can infuse them with powers or give them spell effects that can be activated by using the weapon. Enchantments can be temporary effects or permanent. Permanent effects require a specific condition to end the effect, such as "last until the enchanted target is destroyed," "last until unenchanted," "last until spell HP is depleted," or may specify another condition, or have no specified way to destroy the enchantment. Items, weapons and armor can have permanent enchantments from very high level casters. Newly crafted items, weapons and armor can have permanent enchantments by using enchantment spells that deal with crafting and require both enchantment skill and crafting skill.

Enchant weapon: fire, ice, wind, gust, lightning bolt, lightning storm, tornado. Poison cloud, poisons target if cast as offensive, surrounds self and poisons others on contact if cast on self.

Nullification spells: makes magic reduced or ineffective. Spell block, spell shield, spell drain, spell stop, spell curse, spell deflect, spell defense, spell protect, backfire.

Curse effects: Effects from spells and items. Cursed target is an uncontrollable attacker, monster form, weak to elements, attracts enemies, has harmful field of fire or poison around body, lycanthropy, vampirism, zombism.

Necromancy spells and effects: Enchant corpse, animate dead, control dead, lycanthropy, vampirism, zombify.