Spells
Spells encompass a variety of miscellaneous magical abilities that add depth and complexity to the core simple combat system of using weapons to deal damage to enemies while minimising the damage taken from them.
- Requires more advanced game mechanic knowledge and interactions between certain items and creatures.
- Less emphasis on dealing raw damage. More emphasis on controlling encounters to have more varied outcomes.
- Situational effects, some spells may seem very weak or pointless when used incorrectly, but when the player knows how it is meant to be used they are potentially very powerful.
- Offers a lot of versatility for appropriately prepared players, with several options for how to deal with situations.
- Rewards precision and awareness of the statuses of creatures. For example, not cursing a target that is already cursed, or overlapping the ranges of different aura types so that their effects stack.
- More spell options gradually open up to the player as their character level increases, and as they unlock more magic focused classes.
The list of spells and their requirements can be found at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EA5FYPszOUZ4BeJnwwSdCBoW07LfOq2uroentpBYOVE/edit#gid=766021736
Spells can be roughly sorted into two groups:
These are the main way that players can activate systems that then wait for certain activation criteria to be met before taking effect, primarily as an enchantment or curse. Enchantments and curses last for a long time but typically don't do anything right away or have any passive effect. These items may be single target (player or other), or area of effect (affecting everything within range).
Allows interacting with game world objects in more intricate ways, usually as a single immediate effect. For example, placing down an aura, or removing curses on everything in range.
Can be reduced through the mastery bonus system.
can go up and down, when not enough the spell cannot be activated
Variables within the config of a spell represent the magnitude, power, frequency, or some other quantifiable aspect of a spell that needs to be configurable.
Variables come in the form of {symbol}, where symbol is usually X, Y, Z, U, V, or W (in that order, depending on how many are used), and are usually incorporated in the description string of a spell, where the symbol is replaced with the actual value of the variable when shown to the user.
For example, for a spell where X is 10 and Y is 5, the description "Deals {X} damage every {Y} seconds." would present as "Deals 10 damage every 5 seconds."
These variables are made available to the functionality module (code function) of a spell to use in its logic.
A spell slot represents a spell that the player can activate by pressing the button/key for that spell on the GUI/keyboard.
A player has a limited amount of spell slots (as determined by their class), and therefore their range of spell options to use at any time is limited.
How much of a focus a class has on casting spells is heavily influenced by its attribute point distribution, and by how many spell slots that class has. More magical classes have more spell slots, which allows them to have more more spells available to cast at once.
When another spell is selected to be unlocked from the feats menu, it must be slotted into one of the player's spell slots, and will replace whatever spell is already there.
Unclassified and miscellaneous spells that have an instant effect when cast and nothing else.
Often either have a relatively simple effect, or something so specific that it doesn't fit into the remit of another spell type.
Basic spells are often common-pool spells that are available to most characters regardless of APs.
Creates a fixed-position passive area of effect around the caster's current location.
Auras are typically some kind of passive buff for allies within range (often those that include Enchanting as part of the AP requirements), though some are offensive in nature and cause some kind of debuff on enemies within range (often those that include Cursing as part of the AP requirements).
Given that they have an area of effect, multiple auras of different types can be deployed near each other to create areas where their ranges overlap and where the effects of each can be stacked together.
Overlapping ranges of the same aura type does not stack the same effect multiple times or increase it's magnitude. This is intended to encourage players to decide among themselves on a variety of aura types to pick and have available within the team, to reduce duplication of aura types and to maximise the amount of different aura types that can be overlapped for stacked effects. (Specialisation)
Mostly governed by the Aurology attribute.
Spawns an allied creature that follows the target around (usually the caster, but can be cast on allies to bind the summon to them instead). The specific abilities of the creature and what effects it has depends on the creature type.
Summons that include Enchanting as part of the AP requirements are typically supportive, and those that include Cursing as part of the AP requirements are typically offensive.
Mostly governed by the Summoning attribute.
See Enchantments.
See Curses.