Spellcasting

The most common type of magic is the manipulation of an element to create spells. This type of magic is only possible to those who have attuned to a magic shrine and allows the caster to manipulate the element of that shrine. Spellcasting takes time and practice for a mage to master and requires creativity and patience. Magic can be manipulated in various ways, according to each element, and elements can be combined to create new and interesting spells. As with all types of magic, spellcasting works on a mana system.

Everyone has a total of 120 mana in total at their disposal. Once at this limit, the mage will end up going into desperation casting if they wish, but other than that, will be unable to cast any further until proper rest is had. For spells that take multiple rounds to cast, mana is spent at the end of the cast. If the cast is interrupted or doesn’t trigger, the mana isn’t spent.

There are three tiers of magic. Low, medium, and high. These tiers only affect the spells cast within each element; elements do not have an additional base tier cost. Low tier spells allow the caster to perform simple tasks without expending much energy; such as using fire magic to light a torch. Medium tier spells allow the caster to do something more complex with their magic, though feel more of their energy expended as a result. A medium tier spell would be using fire magic to extinguish a bonfire. High tier magic can do things that would be otherwise impossible, but leave the mage winded and weary after the cast. A high tier fire spell would be manipulating a large ball of fire and moving it towards a group of enemies.

**Low tier** spells cost 10 mana to cast
**Medium tier** spells cost 20 mana to cast.
**High tier** spells cost 40 to cast.

Some spells require upkeep to maintain. Upkeep spells have an initial mana cost, and then additional mana costs for each of the following rounds.

**Low tier** spells have the initial cost of 10, and 2 points of upkeep for each additional round.

**Medium tier** spells have the initial cost of 20, and 4 points of upkeep for each additional round.

**High tier** spells have an initial cost of 40, and 8 points of upkeep for each additional round.

**Overtime spells**
The only magics able to have ‘overtime’ spells are the following: Mind, Life, Shapeshifting, and Corruption.

Whenever an overtime spell is cast, the required upkeep cost is spent up front. For example: Say a mind mage uses their medium tier spell of disorientation on a guard to cause them to be distracted for an additional four turns. They will spend 20 mana for the medium tier spell as well as another 4\*5 equalling another twenty for upkeep, making the cost a total of 40 mana up front.

The difference between an overtime spell and an upkeep spell, is that overtime spells don’t require the mage to continue to focus on them once they are cast. This means the mage can have an overtime spell for 4 rounds and cast other spells during that time/not lose focus on the one they’re currently using. If they have an upkeep spell instead, they need to maintain focus on that spell and can’t double cast and put themselves at risk of losing focus and the spell failing early.

**Scaling spells**
Scaling spells are a way for a mage to vary the intensity of their spells. They are bound by a pair of rules:
The spell must be tiered in up to three ranks with costs corresponding to low, medium, and high cost spells. The rank used at a given moment determines the mana and upkeep costs.
Higher tiers of the scaling spell can improve or increase the range, damage, or overall effectiveness of the spell, but cannot add additional effects. A scaling spell is one spell, not three different ones lumped together as a package deal.

**Fatigue**
Fatigue plays a huge part in mana and spellcasting. As a mage continues to deplete their mana pool, they will gradually grow tired. Once the pool is completely depleted, the mage will be completely exhausted, feeling as though they are ready to pass out.

**Experience**
The more experienced the mage, then the less they are affected by fatigue. A rather experienced mage might not be ready to pass out once the mana pool is depleted. They will not be able to cast more, however will not be as tired.

Experience is due from a multitude of things including:
Spell number: The number of spells overall that the mage has, taken into account throw away spells and regularly used spells
Years active: The longer a person has been a mage is a factor into the overall experience of the mage, as older mages (in terms of how long they’ve had magic) might be more versatile and knowledgeable about magic through experience
Amount of time practicing: “Practice makes perfect”, how often and how spells are used in each case aids to the experience of a age

The three factors listed above are used in determining the experience of a player. No single factor overrules the rest. For example, just because you have been a mage for ten years does not mean you are highly experienced if you also only have a single spell you use over and over again. The same works as vice versa, just because you have ten spells that you rarely use and have been a mage for a year does not mean you are heavily experienced either.

#### Types of Spellcasting:

* Fire
* Water
* Earth
* Air
* Metal
* Nature
* Light
* Dark
* Life
* Corruption
* Mind
* Lightning
* Shapeshifting
* Soul
* Transposition