Spell Power (Mechanic)

Spell Power is a keyworded mechanic that determines and/or changes a numeric value in a card's text.

Spell Power, unlike most keywords, describes multiple game concepts and rules.

## Contents

* 1Mechanic
* 2Rules and Rulings
* 3Flavour
* 4Trivia

### Mechanic

**Spell Power** is a **passive** ability, as well as the designation for a card's numeric values which are encircled by a "blast" icon.

**Spell Power +** is a **passive** ability which increases the numeric value of any numbers in a card's text which are encircled by a "blast" icon. Importantly, **Spell Power +** increases ALL such numerals. So cards like Circuit Break or Repeating Volley will effectively receive the spell power bonus "twice".

A card's total **Spell Power** is the sum of each of the numeric values encircled by blast icons which if the text were to resolve would perform a game action. Due to the complexity in determining a card's total Spell Power, there are currently no cards which care about the total spell power of a game object, but it's still nice to know.

### Rules and Rulings

A spell or ability's **spell power** is determined AS it is put onto the stack. Importantly, this means that if a player's **Spell Power** is increased and/or reduced AFTER a spell has already been cast, it is too late. The spell will still have its bonus spell power.

For example; **Player X** controls the tech card Power-UP! and casts the wave card Burn, targeting **Player Y** who only has **4HP** left. **Player Y** doesn't want to take four damage (and lose!), so **Player Y** uses Whisk Away to return **Player X**'s Power-UP! to their hand. Unfortunately, it's too late. Once Burn was put onto the stack, the bonus spell power from Power-UP! was "locked in", and so **Player Y** will take the full four damage. **Player Y** loses! What tragedy!

### Flavour

The flavour of **Spell Power** is that cards and abilities which can make use of a player's own raw power, have an outlet to do so. A card with a spell power numeral has its own "base power", but is able to receive a boost from a player's own "bonus power". If a player has access to a card like Power-UP!, then the spells they cast will simply be more powerful. They will literally burn hotter, move faster, and hit harder than someone who doesn't have a Power-UP! with them.

### Trivia

* **Spell Power** is descended from Hearthstone's "Spell Damage" mechanic, in that both mechanics involve incrementally raising the numeric values of card text. The ability to alter only the numerical values of a card was considered very interesting by **Key of Ijzeria**'s design team, and worth the potential rules-nightmare
* **Spell Power** is the only keyworded ability to appear in Hello, World! which is not a **gem ability**.
* Thus far, **Spell Power** appears exclusively on damage dealing fire cards. This is to allow the Spell Power mechanic some time to introduce itself to the audience, and let players get used to the mechanic. In the future, it will appear on other types of cards and abilities.
* The name "**Spell Power**" was chosen because the ability itself is very complicated rules-wise, despite being rather intuitive to the average player. Because of the rules oddities that came with **Spell Power**, giving it a name that would cause players to pause and think-thus encouraging them to process the information-was considered important. Additionally, it seemed unlikely that the term "**Spell Power**" would appear in any other context in the game.