Mana Potency

Mana potency refers to the maximum replenishable capacity for mana that a living thing can attain. Plants, beasts, and people alike all have a fixed mana potency, though when referring to that of people, it is usually called the *inner* mana potency.

### **Factors That Affect Mana Potency**

Mana flows through the body via a vein system similar to the one that carries blood to each organ; a secondary vein system known as the aetherial vein system circulates mana throughout one's body constantly. People are able to consciously control this flow of mana, concentrating it at certain points in the body so that it can be channeled through a medium to aspect it and cast magic. Everyone is born with a fixed "maximum capacity" of sorts; levels can fluctuate over time and with different diets or supplements, but it's not possible to drastically change one's maximum mana levels. The average maximum mana levels vary between races and species, with Humes being known for their particularly low levels -- to the point where most can use only the most rudimentary of magicks, if at all. Beastkin are known for having some of the highest mana levels on average, with Elves coming in at a close second.

Aside from universal averages, factors such as the mother's health during pregnancy, or the quality of one's childhood diet, can affect mana levels as a person grows. Mana levels will fluctuate during youth, usually settling around the older teen years, when prospective students been attending formal academies for the magical arts. There are also a number of conditions which can temporarily affect one's access to their mana, which has a similar limiting effect to having low potency. Poor health, traumatic injury, or various magically induced conditions can all cause temporary mana deficits. The most common source of temporary mana deficit is simply exhausting your mana reserves faster than they can recover, often leading to physical exhaustion.

### **Mana Potency's Affect on Magic**

Maximum mana capacity is an important factor in determining what manner of spells an individual will be able to learn. More complex and powerful spells cost more mana to cast, and if one does not have the required baseline of mana available to them to cast a particular spell, they stand a very large chance of dying in the process of casting, else-wise simply failing to cast the spell at all. Typically, prospective students to academies of magic are required to have at least 30 to 40 percent mana potency, to ensure they can succeed in the entirety of the later courses. The general recommended potency for the average mage is at least 25%. The following are the average range of mana potency for each race:

* **Humes** - 1% to 10%
* **Dwarves** - 15% to 20%
* **Elves** - 35% to 45%
* **Mandragora** - 25% to 35%
* **Faunae** - 55% to 70%
* **Aquaticae** - 60% to 75%
* **Dragonkin** - 65% to 75%
* **Wingfriels** - ???

There are occasionally outliers in the less potent races, such as the occasional Hume with 15% potency, or the occasional Dwarf with 25% potency, but such cases are often quite rare.

Another rare condition that affects potency is the Twin Factor; when twins are born, regardless of race, it is said that their mana potency levels can be anywhere from 80 to 95 percent. Furthermore, when they combine their powers, they can attune to each other, further boosting their mana potency above 100%. Due to the dangers of randomized births possibly creating unimaginably powerful beings such as Twins, the birth of Twins is strictly outlawed in the continent of Dicio. In the case that a Twin birth does happen, one of the two must be killed off at birth. Living pairs of Twins are considered fugitives, and bounties are usually placed on their heads for a swift execution.