Stanzas and You: Magic

Oren pyr, folks! I hope you enjoyed the simplicity of the previous two installments, because today's going to get just a wee bit trickier. We're going to explore the basics of magic stanzas and, as I'm sure you know by now if you're a new player, even the basics can get a little complicated.

We'll try to make it as easy as possible, though. Let's get to it!

Magic: the gathering... of a whole bunch of options

Magic, much like fighting, is really four sets of different stanzas in one - Offensive Elemental, Defensive Healing, and both Offensive and Defensive Affliction. Unlike fighting stanzas, however, each branch of magic starts with its own blueprint.

Offensive Elemental stanza example 

The Offensive Elemental stanza is one of the skills you'll use most as a magic user on Atys. It starts with the Atysian Missle blueprint, adds your choice of Elemental damage type (players start off with Acid, then progress to Rot, Cold, Fire, Electric, Poison, and Shockwave as they level)... and this is where things start to get complicated.

If you notice the illustration, I've used FOUR different types of option credit to pay for the casting cost of the spell - there some Sap Credit, some HP Credit, some Range Credit and some Casting Time Credit all helping to pay for this spell.

The first two are pretty self-explanatory - they set the Sap and HP usage for the spell, much like Focus and Stamina Credits govern focus and stamina usage respectively - but the other two are pretty much unique to the spellcasting stanza set. The Range Credit shortens the maximum range your spell has in order to help pay for casting cost, while the Casting Time Credit dictates how long the spell itself takes to cast.

Which is right for you? Depends on your style and situation.

Do you lack Sap but have plenty of HP? Consider mixing in HP Credits to use HP instead of Sap for casting. (Be careful doing that though.) Got a fair amount of both Sap and HP but not enough to hunt those 20+ level stingas? Use a mix of both HP and Sap and fire more powerful spells than either the HP or Sap would allow. Don't feel like spending either HP or Sap? Use Range and Time credits only! Any combination works, so long as it equals or exceeds the total Option Cost.

Offensive Affliction stanza example

The Offensive Affliction stanza starts with the Atysian Affliction blueprint, which looks a lot like the Missle blueprint except it has a dotted border while the Missle blueprint icon has a solid white border. Spells within this group include the Slow Attack Rate, Slow Movement, Blind, Root and Madness afflictions.

These are linked spells when cast - that is, the player who hits the mob with a successful Affliction spell creates a Link with the monster, continuing to hit the creature with the Affliction until/unless your target resists (which breaks the link), you move or commit to an action (which breaks your concentration) or one of you dies (which breaks one of you - preferably, the other guy). It is paid for with the same Credits as Offensive Elemental, as all spells are.

Defensive Affliction stanza example

Defensive Affliction stanzas operate similarly to Offensive Affliction spells in that they operate by establishing a Link with the enemy, but differ in that they inflict status penalties instead of damage or attack-related hindrances. (No, I don't know why Slow Attack Rate and Slow Movement are considered Offensive Affliction. Yes, it seems silly. Anyway.) It starts with the Celestial Affliction blueprint and includes the Stun, Sleep, and Fear spells.

Defensive Healing stanza example...
in blue, for some reason

Defensive Healing also only has three spells in its branch - Heal HP, Heal Sap and Heal Stamina. These start with the Celestial Missile blueprint (which differs from Celestial Affliction in that it has a solid white border as opposed to the dotted border of the aforementioned) and can only be used on other players.

Further, experience for using the abilities can only be gained as part of a team that is actively fighting something. So, this is the ONLY skill set that cannot be leveled solo. If you expect to be a master of the healing arts, you will not be doing it alone.

Tips and tricks

- Spells can be Crystallized and enchanted onto any weapon with a Sap Load greater than 0. To do this, right-click on the spell stanza in your action bar that you'd like to enchant, select "Crystallize", take the resulting crystal, open your inventory screen, right-click the crystal and select "Enchant Right Hand". Please note, you have to be holding a weapon to do this. Unfortunately, you cannot actually enchant your right hand. Or your left.

- Magic amplifiers make the mage. Pay close attention to the casting bonuses they offer your spells.

- Conventional wisdom states that mages should wear light armor, but several successful mages have found a combination of light and medium armor - even some full MA suits - can offer greater tactical advantages in battle. However, most agree that casting in heavy armor is a famously bad idea.

That's it for this basic look at the magic stanza! And by "basic" I mean "VERY basic" - as you advance, you will acquire a TON of different options that you can use to customize your spells. Be creative! There's several different paths to success in the Atysian magic world. Take as many as you like!

Keep your sights aligned and powder dry, fellow adventurers - see you on Atys! - D T'k