Magical Skills Explanation

## Alchemy

There are two distinct facets of Alchemy: Summoning and Potions. Summoning can range from calling in a Wyvern to rip apart a squad of Machina to creating a blade of pure magic to cut down a Balalonian in a duel. Potions are a much more complicated system of experimentation and ingredient combination that can create powerful effects but requires significant time investment.

* Includes traditional summoning spells and a mixture of other conjuration including damage spells.
* Works well with other magic skills and has a special synergy with Botany to help with gathering or growing ingredients for potions.
* Much more powerful summons are available at higher tiers.

## Elemental

By far the most varied and diverse school of magic, elemental can deal damage, impair enemies, control the battlefield, and provide various utility effects. Elemental magic is useful to mages that need a lot of variety but a single skill to uphold their title. It offers almost as many buffs as Holy magic, almost as many debuffs as Unholy magic and nearly as much damage, enough support spells to compete with Illusionary magic and when combined with Alchemical magics can summon powerful creations that can fight for the caster.

##### ·       Electrical

* Tend to have moderate damage, high penetration, and high mana costs.
* Also includes EMPs and non-lethal options.
* Though most are single target, friendly fire can occur if ally is touching or near the target.

##### ·       Fire

* Tend to have high damage, low penetration, and moderate mana costs.
* Also includes plasma spells and debuffs on enemies.
* Almost all pure fire spells can light things, including enemies, on fire.

##### ·       Ice

* Tend to have moderate damage, moderate penetration, and low mana costs.
* Also includes water spells and more defensive options.
* Most versatile and diverse sub-school

##### ·       Nature

* Tends to have little to no damage, high utility, and moderate mana costs.
* Includes control of plants, earth, and stone.
* Provides heavy battlefield control and utility

##### ·       Force

* Almost never does damage directly.
* Includes telekinesis, conjured armor, teleportation and other generic magic.
* Requires creativity to use well but can be devastating.

## Holy

Almost entirely dedicated to helping and supporting allies, a practitioner of Holy magic is universally welcomed. From closing the wounds on a squad of soldiers while they hold the line against impossible odds to surrounding an ally with enough
magical enchantments to make them an unstoppable juggernaut. It does have limited offensive options, but only to debuff enemies.

* Includes healing spells, buff spells, and limited debuff spells.
* Works well with any other skills but has special synergy with medicine to treat a much wider range of injuries.
* Has no way of dealing damage and requires support from allies or other skills to survive.

## Illusion

As the name would suggest, Illusion is focused on the senses, whether it’s sharpening your own senses to spot the Wehrmacht guerillas hidden in the tree line or blurring your own form to help sneak past a group of pirates. It can also help to combat other magic, or for the more maliciously inclined, fill an enemy’s mind with dread and terror. Illusion magic is useful for sneaking around the battlefield as well as draining an enemy’s morale though it has nearly no damaging capability of its own.

* Includes mixture of buff spells, debuff spells, and battlefield control.
* Especially good to help with sneaking and deception.
* At higher tiers more aggressive mental manipulation is available, including putting targets to sleep or making them enraged beyond reason.

## Unholy

While not technically evil, Unholy magic has a nasty reputation for a reason. It mostly focuses on making life miserable for enemies through negative effects while creating creatures to fight for the caster. Whether it’s draining the life from a wild creature while your skeleton distracts it or instilling so much terror in the minds of enemy soldiers their run right into machinegun fire. Unholy spells often provide a large amount of damaging options as well for those with the desire for more direct magical combat.

* Includes summoning spells, debuff spells, minor damage spells, and a few self-buff spells.
* Works well with any other skills due to flexibility but has some synergy with melee.
* At higher tiers more powerful summons and debuffs are available.