Magic and Spellcasting

Magic is very similar to Ultima V in that spells are cast by chanting words (eg An Nox), however, spells do not need to be mixed nor ingredents needed. Spells range anywhere from circle 1 to circle 8. The higher the circle, the harder the spell is to cast, the more mana it uses and the longer the cooloff.

Overview

The Schools of Magic

All magic in New Sosaria is broken up into three categories, or schools. Each school of magic represents a unique approach to manipulating the metaphysical world and must be learned separately. Therefore skill in one school has no bearing on or benefit to the spells of another school, apart from the common use of Mana as a power source.

Mana and Magic

Mana is the energy source of all spells. The amount of mana you have available for spells is related to the amount of intelligence your character has. A spell will use mana in direct proportion to its circle.

Tomes and Scribes

The player can only cast spells that s/he already knows, and to learn a new spell one must acquire and study the appropriate tome for that spell. Each spell need only be learned once.

Tomes can be bought from your nearest Scribe merchant. To read a tome in order to learn the spell, simply press C (shift-C), select the appropriate tome and the spell will be learned. Once you've learned a spell, it may be cast by reciting the correct incantation for the spell. For example, to cast the spell Vas Ort Grav (chain lighting), you'd type "cvog" (Cast: Vas Ort Grav).

Skill Progression

There are separate player status screens which display your chance to successfully cast a spell that you have learned from a tome. Notice that 0% in a magic skill still gives you a 25% chance of casting a circle 1 spell of that related school of magic, and 0% chance of casting any higher circle of spell of that school.

Casting a spell will raise its associated magic skill, e.g. casting In Lor will train Magery. Once the chance of casting a particular circle of spell reaches 100% then casting it will no longer raise the associated magic skill. You will need to cast higher circle spells in order to improve your magic skill further.

Once you reach 100% in a school of magic you'll have 100% casting rate of all spells in that school.

Spells, Schools and Circles

Magery

Utility spells.

1 IL  : Create a small lightsource
2 IW  : Display position within current map as co-ordinates
2 KBX : Summon spider
3 WQ  : Reveal invisible and hidden creatures
3 EP  : Unlock (door or chest)
3 IMJ : Soul trap (see Enchanting)
4 SL  : Invisibility
4 EU  : Agility (temporarily increase your dexterity)
4 KOP : Recall (teleport to the place where you last cast the Mark spell)
4 VL  : Create a large lightsource
5 KX  : Summon creature (the strength of which increases with your intelligence)
5 AEP : Paralyze opponent
5 KPY : Mark (to be teleported to at a later time with the Recall spell)
5 IP  : Blink (teleport in a straight line in any direction)
6 QAW : Create mass confusion among enemies
6 AXE : Charm creature
7 KXQ : Clone creature
7 VSL : Greater invisibility
8 KXC : Summon daemon
8 KVX : Summon dragon
8 VYR : Polymorph self into a dragon

Sorcery

Destructive spells.

1 AM  : Harm (adjacent attack)
2 GP  : Ranged magic attack
3 VAM : Greater Harm (adjacent attack)
4 INH : Poison wind
4 XJ  : Hex (polymorph other)
5 OG  : Lightning bolt
6 IZH : Cone of sleep
6 IVPY: Earthquake
6 XMP : Vampyric attack
7 VF  : Fireball
7 IJO : Mana burn
7 VOG : Chain lightning
8 XC  : Kill

Piety

Healing, divine and anti-undead spells.

1 M   : Light heal on self
2 XM  : Heal other player or creature
2 AN  : Cure poison on self or other
3 ABC : Cure disease on self or other
3 S   : Magic armour
4 VS  : Greater magic armour
5 AXC : Turn undead
6 VM  : Greater heal on self
7 XVM : Fully heal other player or creature
8 AC  : Resurrect

The Mage's Staff

The serious mage will never leave home without his or her staff (ie: a crook, a shillelagh, or a staff). The advantages of having a staff equipped are:

• faster cooloff
• less mana used per spell
• staff materials affect spell damages, and may have a venomous or vampyric effect
• staves of slaying give increased damage to offensive spells
• increased mana regeneration rate (including during meditation)

Spell Scrolls

The learned scribe may be able to create spell-scrolls. On reading one of these scrolls (eg Scroll: In Lor) the spell is cast with a 100% success rate. Only a subset of all the spells can be made with the Inscription skill.