Magic

Why a complex system

In first person and in VR, magic is the thing that can most be done with the hands: gestures, combining elements, drawn runes. The depth comes from combining a few rules, not from a huge list of ready-made spells.

1. Sources of magic

Each source has an origin in the world (see the lore in 04) and a color:

Nobody masters everything: depth in one source reduces affinity with its opposite (Light × Shadow, Fire × Water).

2. How a spell is cast (the three layers)

1. Ready-made spells: learned from masters and books; each has a gesture, a mana cost and a casting time. This is what the player uses at the start.
2. Composition: a spell is source + shape + modifier.
   • Shapes: projectile, cone, ground area, touch, aura on self, trap, summon.
   • Modifiers: more range, more duration, chain (jumps between targets), charged (hold to increase), silent, ritual (slow, very strong).
   • Example: Fire + cone + charged = breath of flames; Nature + area + duration = roots that hold in place; Light + aura + chain = healing that jumps between allies.
   • Each combination has a mana and stamina cost; powerful combinations demand more Mind and Will, otherwise they fail or blow up in the caster's hand.
3. Runes and rituals: spells engraved on items (enchanting) or drawn on the ground for large, slow effects (group teleport, village barrier during an invasion event). Rituals may require several mages at the same time.
   • Ritual teleport only between anchor cities, with a high reagent cost and a long cooldown per group. It never leads to a hard-to-reach place (20 §7).

3. Gestures (PC and VR)

• On PC: the spell is chosen on the bar and aimed with the mouse; holding charges, releasing casts. Area shapes show the marking on the ground before confirming.
• In VR: hand gestures define the shape (push = projectile, open the arms = cone, point at the ground = area, touch = touch), and the source comes from the active hand (each hand can carry a different source, to combine two).
• Both methods produce the same spell with the same numbers, so PC and VR are balanced.

4. Interactions between elements

Effects combine in the world and between players:

• Water + Fire = steam (blinds); Water + Air = ice (freezes, breaks with a heavy strike); Fire + Air = explosion; Earth + Water = mud (slows); Fire + Nature = fire that spreads through the grass; Light + Shadow = nullification (dispels both).
• Rain weakens fire and strengthens water and lightning (the weather from 04 changes magic). At night, Shadow is stronger; by day, Light.
• World materials react: wood burns, metal conducts lightning, water freezes.
• Private plots (houses, shops, farms) are immune to environmental damage caused by players (fire, blazes, ritual weather); only NPC events affect them. Fire and element reactions apply in the open world and in contested zones.

5. Costs and risks

• Mana regenerates slowly; potions and resting at shrines speed it up.
• Overload: casting above capacity damages the mage and causes a random effect (the spell "escapes"). This is what makes high-level magic risky and spectacular.
• Shadow corruption: using Shadow accumulates a mark; if too high, city guards attack and NPCs refuse to trade, until it is cleansed at a temple.
• Components: rituals and rare spells consume gathered or crafted reagents (demand for herbalists and alchemists, see 09).

6. Magic progression

• Affinity per source rises with use and with study (books, masters, places of power).
• Schools within each source (Fire: destruction, forge, warm light; Nature: healing, beasts, growth), with talents.
• Discoveries: combinations never before registered by the player are "discoveries" and go into their grimoire, with a small bonus. Grimoires can be copied and sold (scribe profession).
• Legendary spells appear only in raids, clan rituals or calendar events (eclipse, full moon).

7. Alchemy

Spells combine with the free-form alchemy of 22: reagents change the shape and strength of a spell, and potions can carry a fixed spell (enchanting).

8. Magic and economy

• Reagents, grimoires, staves, runes and enchanting services are all player products.
• Clan rituals (barrier, local weather, teleport) consume expensive reagents: a sink that is also a spectacle. Weather rituals only work in contested zones, never over private plots.

9. Launch subset (decided)

Launch has a closed set and the rest comes in updates:

• 3 sources: Arcane, Nature and Elemental (fire and water). Light, Shadow and the rest of Elemental (air and earth) come later.
• 4 shapes: projectile, cone, ground area and aura on self (touch, trap and summon come later).
• Launch alchemy in 22 §9.
• Magic is not an NFT and does not depend on an NFT item.

10. What is left for later

Summoning magic with persistent creatures, necromancy and transformation (high art and animation cost).