Four Elemental Spells - What do you think?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

So, here are some new spells I cooked up, all on a theme. Interested to hear everyone's thoughts.

[size=150]Four Spells of Elemental Transformation[/size]

[size=85]One with the Wind
MuCo 45
Req: Au
R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind
Allows the caster to transform into air. Exactly the same as ‘Cloak of Mist’(Ars Magica p131), but with Moon duration rather than Sun, and caster takes the form of air marked by his sigil, rather than mist.
(Base 30, +3 Moon)
(EDIT: Note the new version of this "One With The Wind' spell, in a later post)

One with the Water
MuCo 45
Req: Aq
R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind
Allows the caster to transform into water. Exactly the same as ‘Transform into Water’ (Ars Magica p131), but with Moon duration rather than Sun.
(Base 30, +3 Moon)

One with the Fire
MuCo 45
Req: Ig
R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind
Allows the caster to transform into fire. Treat the fire as doing +15 damage to those it touches. Naturally, any Criamon in a position to learn this spell would be a devout pacifist, and so would avoid this.
(Base 30, Moon +3)

One with the Stone
MuCo 45
Req: Te
R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind
Allows the caster to meld with any stone he can touch. Note that this is not transforming into a stone statue, but actually melding into the substance of the rock itself. It is the same as ‘The Silent Vigil’ (Ars Magica p 132) except that you cannot hear or sense anything going on outside the rock, and you can exit at a different point from which you entered, as long as you could have moved there at your normal speed.
(Base 25, +3 Moon, +1 special effect of movement through)[/size]

Note: I designed these for a new Criamon Mystery Path called the Path of Transformation - see my other post for that, if you like!

They're meant to be the unique spells you get access to once you reach the Third Station.

Three of these spells are basically the same as existing spells, but with duration increased from Sun to Moon. (They’re for transformative types who like to stay in Elemental form for long periods, just for the sake of it)

Just as a cosmetic matter: I also want to describe their effects a bit differently from the standard. With the existing “transform into water” and “cloak of mist” spells, you imagine the caster’s body turning into water, or mist, and then moving around as a big lump of that substance. I’d like to imagine these spells as acting a little bit less mechanically, a little more metaphorically or magically, than that.

So, for instance, rather than imagining that the magus is just transforming his molecules into water molecules, as it were, I’d like to have us imagine that the magus is truly becoming one with the water around him. If he turns into water while bathing in a stream, for example, he shouldn’t be a discrete blob of water floating within the other water – he should just be a vague rumour of magic playing around a particular part of the river. He's part of the river, now - which is to say that he’s actually dissolved into the river; he’s not a blob of magus/water floating in it.

To make the point again: he really is water, now, not just a vaguely man-sized lump of it, so there's no problem with him being all split up into different parts, or anything like that - water does that all the time. Of course, if people were targeting him with attacks, he would still be right in that part of the water for targeting and damage purposes.

So that’s an idea for a cosmetic effect that would have, I think, no effect, or exceedingly minimal effect, on actual gameplay – but that I think makes the character’s magic feel a bit more special.

2

Yes, I read them in the other post. I don't see what is unique about them or their effects, any mage could invent the same if they have the lab total for it. Getting the lab text does help a lot, but that's it.

They could be unique because of experimental result or have unique advantages (fast as a cloud, carrying current, hypnotic flame, etc.) or no Corpus requirement for them. Find something with a good mystic flavor.

3

Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, the first three, certainly, aren't exactly earth-shakingly different to existing spells :smiley: . Though the last one is a bit different: it effectively allows you to walk through rock, which is not possible with the existing mu te spells that I've seen.

I like what you say about giving them a bit of extra oomph - i.e. by making the One With The Wind spell transform you into air that can move very quickly, like, well, erm, wind. That's ideally what I'd like to do. The problem is that once you add one more magnitude they reach 50, which pushes them into Ritual territory, and you don't want that.

4

The MuCo spell guidelines say that taking a form for a month can damage the mind.

5

The caster could have a separate spell in her repertoire - a solid Rego Auram spell - and thus be able to move herself about with alacrity, without making the One With The Wind spell a Ritual.

6

That's true. And certainly you would think that spending a month floating around as pure air would do something strange to your psyche, no?

I should have added a minor virtue to the Mystery Path from which these came - a Minor Virtue (Can take elemental form for long periods without going off the deep end), or similar :smiley: In fact, I might go and do that this afternoon. Thanks for the tip!

This is a great idea. Of course, you'd need to be able to cast the spell without words or gestures, since you'd ideally already be transformed into air.

7

So, a thought on this. What about this new version of the first one?

One with the Wind
MuCo 45
Req: Au
R: Per, D: Moon, T: Ind
Allows the caster to transform into a gust of wind. Exactly the same as ‘Cloak of Mist’(Ars Magica p131), but with Moon duration rather than Sun, and caster takes the form of rapidly moving air marked by his sigil, rather than mist. Magi who have become wind in this way can move up to 40mph in open skies, though headwinds and other adverse weather may reduce this considerably. The gust of wind may blow fallen leaves about, scatter loose papers, and so on, but is not strong or sustained enough to knock a person over.
(Base 30, +3 Moon)

8

Level 50 is NOT ritual. ABOVE 50 is. Surprisingly common mistake. p114 "...may not have a level greater than 50"
That means >50, NOT =>50.

9

Now you're putting flavor in!

10

Well, the problem I have with the spells being unique is that... Why would they be? Why would they have that effect? Why would other magi be unable to repeat them? I have a hard time figuring it out.

IMO, it'd be better if any special effect came from the initiation. It may be:

  • You're able to stay in elemental form indefinitely without losing your mind
  • When in elemental form, you're able to move and perceive your surroundings as if in human form. Movement through the corresponding form may be faster, depending on the medium (Like, when in gazeous form, you may move at human pace, but if there's wind, you may "ride" it). You may take trasnformed people with you, as long as they "touch" you.
  • You may end your transformation in an elemental form instantly and at will (I'm not fan of you gaining Harnessed Magic, for the non-elemental uses)

That way, you use "normal" MuCo(element) spells, following normal hermetic guidelines), but your increased understanding allow you to do more with them.
This also gives you more flexibility, and make the effects more criamon-specific. This could, IMO, be the powers gained at the 3rd station instead of Harnessed magic.

11

If the spells are built using a vanilla Hermetic guideline with vanilla Hermetic parameters (Range, etc) there is no reason why another magus could not repeat the spell.

As to why the spell would have interesting conditions and flavour --- the answer is because the magus invented the spell like that. The magus can have sorts of reasons for doing so. Ranging from "because his god told him to do it like this" to "wanting to trigger a focus (or not trigger some casting problem)" to "it is cooler like this" to "it is just his casting sigil manifesting".

12

Yup. Cosmetic things like "Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie".

Which is why I prefer useful extra effects to come from his path, so that a vanilla magus can't replicate them, which makes him more "special". But preferences may vary, of course :smiley: